José Olivarez and Nate Marshall’s poems and dialogue were very interesting for reading. While discussing opportunities for life in the South, they address complex issues of identity, historical roots, and personal security of members of ethnic minorities and people of color regarding the widespread racism in society. Despite the still present sense of danger, poets talk about their connection with the South and how they can feel the home there.
Security and identity issues attracted the most attention in the conversation. The problem of discrimination, its manifestations, and its influence on society is disturbing and relevant. It is often challenging to understand why such forms of hatred, misunderstanding, and non-acceptance still exist in modern society and how people believe in prejudice. Nate Marshall emphasizes that a sense of danger negatively affects the psyche. Such feelings reinforce the need to find a society where people can feel comfortable.
Identity, understanding self, and affiliation are other essential issues in the conversation. Both poets note that they need a community that can understand them. This theme is widely covered in the Olivarez poem “Mexican-American Disambiguation.” The man raises the question of the difficulty of understanding their identity for immigrants. A situation where in one society people believe in a person’s belonging to another community, and vice versa, makes it very difficult to understand own personality. For example, as a resident of America of Mexican descent, the poet is not so well received by people from Mexico. However, in America, he is also still not only American.
Thus, poets raised several critical social problems by discussing the possibilities of life in the South. Discrimination in modern society is still extreme and influential and interferes with people’s lives. It impedes their safety and mental well-being and intervenes in questions of identity. The conversation draws attention to the problem and the necessity to solve it and deepens understanding of people’s experiences who suffer because of this issue.