Poems can be a successful and interesting avenue to explore new ideas, as well as to comment on the daily necessities of life and its various events. In particular, ideas can be utilized very efficiently in communicating meaning across individuals and being used for their informational value. For the purposes of this review, a look at a poem by Gloria Anzaldua, “To Live in the Borderlands Means You,” will be attempted. As a standalone work of art, this piece works as a strong commentary about the role of society in the formation of a person’s identity. The author uses metaphors and poetic language to talk about alienation and the unique experiences of mixed-race people.
Firstly, it can be discussed how society operates as a way to shape others and define their actions and expectations. As seen in the poem, people living in “the borderlands,” are assigned a number of different characteristics, with the majority of them having a basis in social alienation or ostracization (Anzaldúa). The variety of cultures and specific communities can be used as a group identifier while also being the primary method by which others can antagonize an individual. The person this poem refers to has a mixed heritage, disallowing them access to specific native groups or the sense of community that could protect them, which in turn leads to persecution and hatred. The writer describes this phenomenon as “caught in the cross fire between camps while carrying all five races on your back” (Anzaldúa). The muddled sense of cultural identity, brought upon by a combination of birthplace and lineage, sets people up to struggle to find their place in the world (Anzaldúa). It can be said that the life of a mixed-race person at the borderlands itself becomes a part of that individual’s self, and the different racial components of that human are impossible to deny.
The author talks about the detriments of denying your own roots, bringing attention to the need to remember both the white and “colored” parts of one’s ancestry. While the poem recognizes a need for an individual to be mindful of their own identity, it also further elaborates on its silencing and painful reality. The people from the borderland are described as having their voices stolen by the wind, with many unable to recognize one’s personhood or value as an individual. Overall, it can be said that this work is a reflection of the author’s personal feelings regarding racial and national identity. Anzaldua uses the vehicle of poetic writing as a way to translate her own experiences and knowledge into a form that more people are able to understand. This effort combines meaningful and impactful language with a specific intention, which is used to construct the body of the poem. The entirety of the piece flows like one continuous thought, using various languages and literary devices to propel itself.
It can be said that Anzaldua’s “To Live in the Borderlands Means You” is a remarkable piece of literature motivated by a person’s experiences with the world. It deals with the topic many people of color find to be particularly vital – social alienation and stigmatization in the face of others. A number of works already exist on the ways in which both race and heritage shape individual identity, as seen in literary publications such as “Immigrant Blues” (Simic). However, this poem manages to also present the issue from a mixed-race perspective, which is sometimes forgotten in comparison to others.
Works Cited
Anzaldúa Gloria. To Live in the Borderlands Means You. National Women’s Studies Association, University of Maryland, 1988.
Simic, Goran. Immigrant Blues. Brick Books, 2004.