american political poetry in the 21st century - STIBA Malang
american political poetry in the 21st century - STIBA Malang
american political poetry in the 21st century - STIBA Malang
You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles
YUMPU automatically turns print PDFs into web optimized ePapers that Google loves.
136 AMERICAN POLITICAL POETRY<br />
Mexican (im)migrants do have agency <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong>ir ability to transform<br />
English, but <strong>the</strong>re is someth<strong>in</strong>g more <strong>in</strong>vidious at work as well. In <strong>the</strong><br />
second l<strong>in</strong>e, Valdez’s speaker beg<strong>in</strong>s to suggest that what immigrants<br />
will actually learn is service <strong>in</strong>dustry English. Although English is<br />
“Lat<strong>in</strong>ized,” it is also “<strong>in</strong>gles con chile y cilantro” and “English<br />
as American / as Benito Juarez,” that seedy tourist trap on <strong>the</strong> Texas<br />
border. In a parodic voice <strong>the</strong> speaker urges her students to learn<br />
English so that <strong>the</strong>y can be subservient to white customers. The l<strong>in</strong>es<br />
lampoon actual fly-by-night ESL classes that promise future good<br />
fortune if <strong>the</strong> potential student learns English. I recently noticed<br />
numerous advertisements on New York City subway tra<strong>in</strong>s for ESL<br />
classes. The Spanish headl<strong>in</strong>es promised: “Aprenda Inglés. Conoce<br />
Amigos” (Learn English. Make Friends). In <strong>the</strong> poem, Valdez’s<br />
speaker makes unrealistic promises too: “Learn <strong>the</strong> language of<br />
dolares and dolores, of k<strong>in</strong>gs / and queens, of Donald Duck and<br />
Batman. Holy Toluca! / In four months you’ll be speak<strong>in</strong>g like<br />
George Wash<strong>in</strong>gton.” Valdez’s teacher/advertiser <strong>in</strong>itially mentions<br />
that English is <strong>the</strong> language of money and sorrows (“dolares and<br />
dolores”) <strong>in</strong> a remarkably fortuitous comb<strong>in</strong>ation of Spanish<br />
words that sound almost exactly <strong>the</strong> same—<strong>in</strong> l<strong>in</strong>guistic terms a<br />
“m<strong>in</strong>imal pair.” After equat<strong>in</strong>g dollars with pa<strong>in</strong> and sadness, <strong>the</strong><br />
speaker regresses fur<strong>the</strong>r <strong>in</strong>to <strong>the</strong> realm of fantasy. No one, except for<br />
children, would want to speak like George Wash<strong>in</strong>gton, cartoon<br />
characters, or superheroes. The speaker here sells American culture<br />
and fantasies about it, not language skills, just as <strong>the</strong> subway advertisements<br />
prey on immigrants’ lonel<strong>in</strong>ess, <strong>in</strong>security, and desire for<br />
acceptance.<br />
Worse than <strong>the</strong> comic overtones of learn<strong>in</strong>g to speak like Donald<br />
Duck, Batman, and George Wash<strong>in</strong>gton is <strong>the</strong> likelihood for many<br />
Mexican immigrants that <strong>the</strong>y will spend <strong>the</strong>ir lives wait<strong>in</strong>g on <strong>the</strong><br />
wealthy descendants of Wash<strong>in</strong>gton. For this potentiality, after “four<br />
weeks you can ask, More coffee?,” and “<strong>in</strong> two months / you can say,<br />
may I take your order?” If <strong>the</strong> student is persistent or merely seeks to<br />
survive <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> United States, “<strong>in</strong> one year you / can ask for a raise,<br />
cool as <strong>the</strong> Tuxpan River.” These l<strong>in</strong>es are <strong>the</strong> most sarcastic of <strong>the</strong><br />
poem; <strong>the</strong>y condemn <strong>the</strong> use-value of English when thought of solely<br />
as a way for immigrants to earn money. They also implicitly denounce<br />
<strong>the</strong> low glass ceil<strong>in</strong>g for <strong>the</strong>se same immigrants, but <strong>the</strong>y also embody<br />
a type of morbid humor, a laugh<strong>in</strong>g-at-<strong>the</strong>-gallows sensibility, and a<br />
know<strong>in</strong>g subversiveness.<br />
Throughout <strong>the</strong> poem, <strong>the</strong> speaker connects English with <strong>the</strong><br />
places, sensibilities, and languages of Mexico. The first metaphor