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
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146 AMERICAN POLITICAL POETRY<br />
Even if upon first read<strong>in</strong>g Mariano does not appear to “understand<br />
his rights,” after some consideration it is obvious that he does. When<br />
<strong>the</strong> Interpreter translates <strong>the</strong> Judge’s question for <strong>the</strong> Prisoner—<br />
“¿Entiende usted sus derechos?”—<strong>the</strong> Prisoner replies with an<br />
exclamatory expletive: “¡Pa’l carajo!” This phrase is an elusive one for<br />
non-Spanish speakers. A colloquialism, it can be translated numerous<br />
ways, <strong>in</strong>clud<strong>in</strong>g variations on “prick,” “shit,” and “damn it!,” but <strong>the</strong><br />
one most appropriate here is a resolute, angry “Go to Hell!”<br />
The Prisoner, it appears, understands his rights quite well. He seems<br />
to know that he has none, so his response is given <strong>in</strong> k<strong>in</strong>d. As such,<br />
<strong>the</strong> Interpreter has no choice—“Go to hell!” equals “Yes,” or more<br />
appropriately, hell yes. The implication is that whe<strong>the</strong>r <strong>the</strong> migrantprisoner<br />
responds actively or passively, <strong>the</strong> result will be <strong>the</strong> same.<br />
Given <strong>the</strong> title, Mariano’s explanation of “Yanqui Colonialism” is just<br />
that: “¡Pa’l carajo!” Mariano suggests that U.S. imperialism tells <strong>the</strong><br />
rest of <strong>the</strong> world, especially Lat<strong>in</strong> America: go to hell; <strong>the</strong> only rights you<br />
have are <strong>the</strong> ones we allow you. Mariano expla<strong>in</strong>s this colonialism<br />
succ<strong>in</strong>ctly and venomously, but unfortunately seems to rema<strong>in</strong> under<br />
its boot heel.<br />
To reiterate, it is important that we know noth<strong>in</strong>g about Mariano’s<br />
alleged crimes. I argue that <strong>the</strong>y consist of his transgression of neocolonial<br />
economic structures; his voice, moreover, is <strong>the</strong> migrant<br />
Spanish-speaker’s voice, and it threatens “American” identity. Espada<br />
thus opens <strong>the</strong> door slightly for <strong>the</strong> reader as “Interpreter,” suggest<strong>in</strong>g<br />
that bil<strong>in</strong>gual readers are responsible for mediat<strong>in</strong>g between cultures<br />
<strong>in</strong> contact, for facilitat<strong>in</strong>g real dialogue, and for <strong>in</strong>sur<strong>in</strong>g that <strong>the</strong> powerless<br />
poor can speak <strong>in</strong> more than expletives. This potential voice represents,<br />
<strong>in</strong> part, Espada’s notion of advocacy. Santa Arias sums up this<br />
imperative <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> suggestion that Espada’s work “has to be viewed as<br />
a bridge between First and Third World culture and politics” (237).<br />
Similarly, Gareth Williams “speaks of <strong>the</strong> need [for scholars] to mediate<br />
ra<strong>the</strong>r than dom<strong>in</strong>ate discourses of cultural exchange between<br />
Third World cultural production and First World <strong>in</strong>stitutional sites”<br />
(qtd. <strong>in</strong> Gugelberger 16). Espada’s poem is just such a mediat<strong>in</strong>g<br />
<strong>in</strong>tervention, but one that creates a microcosm of <strong>the</strong> failures of<br />
north–south relations <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> Americas.<br />
The relationship between constituents <strong>in</strong> this poem, f<strong>in</strong>ally, reflects<br />
a variety of non-encounters between <strong>the</strong> powerful agents of Western<br />
free-market capitalism and <strong>the</strong> migrants travel<strong>in</strong>g from south to<br />
north. In his essay on Lev<strong>in</strong>e’s poem about Hart Crane and Federico<br />
García Lorca’s 1929 encounter <strong>in</strong> Brooklyn, “On <strong>the</strong> Meet<strong>in</strong>g of<br />
García Lorca and Hart Crane” (The Simple Truth 1994), Carl Good