But they are also not fully accepted by Mexicans, who consider them foreigners (foreigners) because they are not pure Mexicans. “A Handy Token” (line 16) informs readers that a bicultural individual is like a practical instrument that can easily slide back and back, from English to Spanish (vice versa). The person can also adapt very quickly, faster than those who have only one culture. “Between the margins of the two worlds” (line 18), readers point out that although the speaker`s race is Mexican and his nationality American, the speaker is not fully accepted by either race. Mexicans consider the speaker an alien (line 10), while Americans consider him exotic, inferior and definitely different (lines 9-10). In this situation, the speaker feels lost in both races and therefore has an identity crisis. The poem “Legal Alien” is about a woman of Mexican parents who was born and raised in America. A U.S. citizen who is enshrined in law, but at the same time, that person feels like an illegal outsider because some people treat her. She is fluent in English and Spanish. She feels American because she is, but at the same time, she is not. It is considered inferior by Americans (Anglos) and considered by Mexicans as if it did not belong. Regeneration By Pat Barker, in-depth analysis of Chapter 4 They must prove their right to live in this country and to be treated like the rest of the population.
Eventually, Mexicans come to realize that, although they have the same rights as other citizens of the country, they remain foreigners despite their legal status. Thus, they appeal to legal aliens who are rejected by both Mexicans and Americans. These people fail in their attempts to join a group. When opposing ideas are juxtaposed, they are brought together to create tension. as when the speaker declares that a legal alien can escape Wie`s life? to Me`stan volviendo loca. (They drive me crazy). And here the tone of the poem changes as the speaker suggests that they work legally and are relaxed enough to speak two languages, but they are a bit strange, like those first words. Mora uses antitheses to draw readers` attention to the opposition. Antitheses are visible in almost every line of the poem, in which the speaker describes two different races, Mexican and American, side by side, but are completely opposite. Examples are “What is life like? For _Me`stanvolviendo loca”_ (lines 2-3), “Write memos in smooth English, able to order fluent Spanish in a Mexican restaurant” (lines 5-7), “Anglos as perhaps exotic, perhaps inferior, definitely different, considered foreigners by Mexicans” (lines 9-11), “An American to Mexicans / A Mexican to Americans” (lines 14-15). These antithesis lines draw attention to the cultural tension between Mexicans and Americans in knowing an individual.
Alien can be used in the sense of “strange” and even “hostile,” and that`s the meaning Mora puts in that word. Mexicans perceive their ex-compatriots as foreigners. This alienation is felt more strongly because Americans also treat them as aliens and aliens. People who come to America hope to join a multinational community and enjoy the rights and freedoms guaranteed by the Constitution, but they run into an invisible wall separating them from the Anglos. Legal Alien is a short poem that attempts to define what it means to be a Hispanic legally living in the United States while not officially being a citizen of that country. The title itself is enough to defy logic. legal foreigner. The first word formally recognizes that a person is identified as falling within the scope of the law, the second word designates him or her as a stranger. Pat Mora uses poetic techniques such as metaphor, tone, and antithesis to show discomfort and frustration, fit in, and be accepted by both races.
Readers are told that bicultural individuals do not have the ease of integrating and being accepted by both races, even if they can speak both languages, but both races still do not fully accept them. As a result, they have an identity crisis and are labeled as a “legal outsider,” but a person who is part of it is not fully recognized by the community. Bilingual, bi-cultural, able to slide from “How`s Life?” to “Me`stan volviendo loca”, able to sit in a wood-paneled desk and write memos in smooth English, able to order fluent Spanish in a Mexican, American but hyphenated restaurant, by Anglos as perhaps exotic, perhaps inferior, definitely different, seen as foreign by Mexicans (their eyes say: “You may speak Spanish, but you`re not like me”) an American for Mexicans a Mexican for Americans a practical sign Sliding back and forth between the edges of the two worlds smiling, masking the discomfort of being prejudiced on both sides. Mexicans living in America are not treated as equals by the Anglos, who consider them “perhaps exotic, perhaps inferior, definitely different”. (Mora, p. 10) Mora plays with the meanings of the word alien. Originally, it was used in the sense of an outsider, but later it acquired a negative connotation. But the legal alien is able to do so. They have jobs, they speak English, they eat at a Mexican restaurant and order in Spanish.
They feel comfortable in both worlds, it seems. Although she is a legally established U.S. citizen, she feels like an outsider because she is constantly singled out because of her roots. Even to the Mexican people, she seems as far removed from their culture as an American citizen. She is therefore torn between “two worlds: “bilingual, bi-cultural” and finds herself in the third room of diaspora theory. Diversity is not only evident in linguistics; It is also trapped between two cultures. She can quickly switch from “How`s Life?” to “Me`stan volviendo loca” because she speaks English and Mexican. The use of transliteration and code switching reinforces the theme of the poem. While writing memos, she also orders eloquently and fluently in a Spanish restaurant.
This proves that it is not only able to change language, but also means of communication (written, spoken). It also highlights how two different languages are used for the basic needs of their lives – at work and while eating. She is an “American with a hyphen” in which the hyphen serves as a clause. Hyphenated words are usually used to form compound nouns where both parties are equally valid and essential to enforce the idea. Pat Mora Legal AlienPat Mora Legal Alien AnalysisPat Mora Legal Alien SummaryPat Mora`s “Legal Alien” SourcesMora, Pat, (1984) Songs, Arte Publico Press Welch, James, Interview with Pat Mora, accessed 20.02.2007 fromwww.learner.org/channel/workshops/hslit/session1/aw/work1.htmlMurphy, Patrick D. “For a variety of complex reasons, anthologized American literature does not reflect the ethnic diversity of the United States. I write, in part because Hispanic perspectives must be part of our literary heritage; I want to be part of the validation process. I also write because I am fascinated by the joy and power of words. Pat Mora has been a voice for those who have not had representation for years.