Ode to the Diasporican (Pa mi gente) Reflection

This poem describe the typical Nueyorican. It is written from the perspective of a girl that was born in Spanish Harlem. She is torn between the United States lifestyle and the Puerto Rican lifestyle. One line that justifies this is when the author says
"Some people think that I'm not bonafide
Cuz my playground was a concrete jungle
Cuz my Rio Grande de Loiza was the Bronx River
Cuz my fajardo was City Island"

This shows a confusion between two cultures. At the end of the poem she starts to get emotional when saying " What does it take to realize that being Boriqua is a state of mind". I love the line where is says "No naci en puerto Rico, Puerto Rico nacio en mi. This shows that no matter waht anyone says Puerto Rico lives in me. I have a lot of respect for this poem because I feel the same way being born in America and being Indian. I beleive the culture lives in me and no one can take that away.

Pueblo Luis by: Pales Matos Reflection

This poem is taken from a different perspective than other poems. This one looks at the negative aspects of the people in Puerto Rico. The author feels resentment when talking about the differnt things that happen in his country. He asks the Lord for forgiveness for his own culture and people. The following line is interesting

"Playing billiards and cards in the casino;
Everything, the whole tedious flock of these lives
In the old town where nothing happens,
All this is dying, falling, crumbling"

This line shows a sense of giving up on the culture and the monotony of everyday life in Puerto Rico. I believe the author also has a bad perpective of people in his country when he says

"Some Don Juan to ravage that chaste damsel;
Some professional gambler to get into the town
And stir up these honorable docile people…."

This shows that he thinks of his people as sexual offenders that dont have anything better to do. I belive this poem might have stirred up some controversy, but also made people realize that there has to be a change.

The Song of the Borinquen by: Lola Rodriguez Reflection

La Borinqueña is the national anthem of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. The current official music and words were codified in 1903 and have since been taught in schools and generally adopted by the public. The music was officially adopted by the government in 1952,and the words in 1977. The title refers to the aboriginal Taíno name for the island of Puerto Rico, Boriken or Boriquen.

In 1868, Lola Rodríguez de Tió wrote a poem in support of Puerto Rican revolution, which was set to the Ramirez/Astol Artés music. This song is basically a war song poem that calls the soldiers to awake and be ready for war . This song is very patriotic and shows how much love soldiers had for their country.
One line that stuck out to me was when it said

"We want freedom and our machete will give it to us!

Let’s go, Puerto Ricans, let’s go already,

for LIBERTY is waiting, ever so anxious"

This is a violent war cry when it says use machetes. I actually was intrigued by this poem because it showed a sense of patriotism and sense of do anything for your country. I am patriotic also when I think about my country of India. I believe that if I was a soldier and I heard this war cry I would be motivated to the fullest to defend my country.

Return by: Jose Gautier Benitez Reflection

This poem is a really touching emotional poem for the love Puerto Rico, specifically San Juan. This poem brings to light the love for a country exemplified in beautiful fine language. It depicts a setting of someone sailing over the seas to reach their beloved land of San Juan puerto Rico. One of my favorite lines in this poem is when Benitez says:

And there on the dark background

that its mountains give it,

under a beautiful , pure sky

enclosed in its white wall

my most lovely San Juan.

This line shows the authentencity of the feeling that he or she has been there before and loves the area. One more excerpt from this peom that shows the strong bond between the person and the land of San Juan is when it say the following.

"Yours is the life that I breathe,my inspiration is yours, my thought is yours yours every sentiment

that is born in my heart."

This basically shows he/she giving all that she hasto devote to the aesthetic beauty of the land. I belive all people should really connect themselves with the land they are brought up in. For me, I connect with India the same way as described in this poem.

The Puerto Rican.. Poem Reflection

This poem describes the character traits of a puerto Rican through the authors point of view. One of the main lines that stuck out to me in this poem is the following line :

Dark in color, the forehead clear,

the glance languid, proud and penetrating,

the beard black, the face pale,

lean and austere, the nose well-proportioned,

This is the main features that are seen in a Puerot rican person. I believe that when this was written it was talking more about the Taino indians when it talks about dark in color. When the author developes this poem I can see that perfection is on his mind. The next line that stuck out to me was the following:

"and in love for his country insuperable:

this is, without a doubt, a faithful portrait

to depict a good Puerto Rican."

At the end he says this is what depicts a "good puerto Rican" reffering that not all Puerto Rican are described by the way he described them in the poem. I enjoyed this poem very much.

Island Of Lost Causes Reflection

"The reality of Puerto Rico is an unemployment rate of 17.3 percent; 862 murders in 1992--a number that is expected to rise in 1993; a language so quickly becoming Spanglish that we have an inferiority complex about the purity of our spoken tongue; rampant urbanization that has destroyed thousands of acres of farmland; American businesses that set up shop for as long as they can get tax breaks, then move on to another part of the world where there is no minimum wage and the -workers don't expect as much"

This quote is from a writing by Esmeralda Santiago talking about the independence of Puerto Rico that stems from their war enraged past dealings. Santiago goes on to tell about her Uncle who was a nationalist that was being investigated by the police and eventually killed. She recounts vivid memories of even puting her finger through the hole of the gunshot wound. Santiago never heard about her unlce when she moved to New York but now the main subject is whether puerto rico should become the 51st state of the US or not. She boldly says "We are born American citizens but harbor an intense Latin American identity". There are times when other countries loo at Puerto Rico and laugh because they say that Puerto Rico doesn' have the same struggles of independence that other countries do. Santiago reverts this by saying

"The truth is, we do have a history of struggle for independence but the opposition has always won. The failure of our best hopes for independence through centuries of failed insurrections has caused many Puerto Ricans to simply give up". This statement is powerful when dissecting the history of Puerto Rico and the struggles that lie within. Many people here on the island are very entusiastic about political aspects and sometimes try to show other countries that "yes we are independent and struggling". In the end of this writing Santiago says
"Ironically, neither violent insurrection nor the democratic process seem able to solve that question. Tío Vidal had a belief in nationhood that drove him to risk his life. How many of us Puerto Ricans would go that far? We need to look at ourselves hard and to stop hiding behind the status quo. It is not a choice. It is a refusal to choose."

I believe that this writing has hit me the hardest out of all of Esmeralda's wrotings because it shows the hidden agendas of why Puerto Ricans are clinging on to their independence from the US. In my opinion , I believe Puerto Rico has become and Americanized place already, with US companies having stores on the Island and everything, I do not see why they do not want to become a state. I can see Santiago's perception that commonwealth insures that they do not have to commit one way or the other but, sometimes to make situations better one must conform. Now adays the economic deficit in Puerto Rico is higher than ever and some intervention must take place. Strikes are going on and i belive this wouldnt happen if they were considered a state and had the same benefits as the 50 states of the USA.

Worker in the Cane Reflection

Worker in the Cane is both a profound social document and a moving spiritual testimony. Don Taso portrays his harsh childhood, his courtship and early marriage, his grim struggle to provide for his family. He tells of his radical political beliefs and union activity during the Depression and describes his hardships when he was blacklisted because of his outspoken convictions. Disturbed by his continuing poverty and by a serious illness, he undergoes a dramatic cure and becomes converted to a Protestant . In the concluding chapters the author interprets Don Taso's experience in the light of the changing patterns of life in rural Puerto Rico.

In Sidney Mintz writing we see that life as a cane worker was not easy at all. The family life was described in detail when they talked about how after lunch the husbands will pick up their machetes once again and go back to work while thier wives are at home washing the clothes. The Children were always dressed and ready before the father came back home from a grueling day at work. The village was ful of surprises , tuesdays were lottery days and the coqui was singing most of the night time.