I Am Joaquin

Although art is subjective, and every person’s life experience will alter the way in which they perceive it, there are often universal truth’s that are evident within a piece. Poetry is not only a form of art, but can also be used to make political and cultural literary statements. It can be a means to send a message and have it speak to a group’s common experiences. It can inspire a group, and make them feel more connected. Rodolfo “Corky” Gonzales was able to unify his audience with his poem, “I am Joaquin”, through his commanding use of language choices and literary style.

Throughout his poem he documents the duality of his heritage as a Latino individual. There is a particular passage that exemplifies some of the most common struggles

that he and a large percentage of Mexican-Americans have lived through. It represents their struggle to co-exist with Europeans and the Anglo community. The passage in its entirety reads:
They frowned upon our way of life
and took what they could use.
Our art,
our literature,
our music, they ignored-
so they left the real things of value
and grabbed at their own destruction
by their greed and avarice.

(377-386)

The first unifying element of this passage is his specific use of the word “our”. While in other parts of the poem he specifically refers to himself and his own experiences, in this passage he references the Mexican-American community as a whole. He pits the people that have abused them, specifically the Anglo community, against the Mexican-American with the line, “They frowned upon our way of life” (377). The choice to use “They” is a broad term that can reference not only the Spanish conquistadors, but also Anglos of today. He chooses to use “our” to incorporate the Latino experience as a

whole.
He next proclaims their culture is worth more as a whole than one that is the sum of its material parts.

He highlights the fact that the combined community of Mexican-Americans and Indian Mexican-Americans communities have been subjected to pillaging by saying, “and took what they could use” (378). The Latin people have been subjected to forced labor, rape of their women, looting of their precious materials, and the subjugation without representation within the areas the Anglos have moved into and taken over. While “they” removed anything of material value, “they” neglected what was of real worth which is their “art”, “literature”, and “music” (379-381). This is an additional theme that once again places the Latin community at odds with the Anglo community. “They” robbed the community. “They” took what was “ours”, but our author points out that their true culture is based in their shared history and art. Those are the most vital elements that strengthen their culture and community identities. Those are the very things that the Anglo community least appreciates, but the Hispanic community could uses as badges of honor and sources of true cultural identity. While “they” can still hire Latinos to plant their fields and do other seemingly menial jobs, the very music that the workers play to help them get through their day can be used as an anthem to inspire them to keep going and strive for better. Gonzales emphasizes the importance of these cultural artifacts by indenting the

words so that they are centered within the poem. The centering of these words draws the eye from the poem on the page to these particular words. When the words are read together in the poem, because a reader must stop and move to the next line, they are read as separate but unifying elements.
The last element is an incentive to not only have pride, but to take action. Although the Latino population may be considered a disadvantage minority, the message says they have the opportunity to rise because the Anglo’s have already, “grabbed at their own destruction/by their greed and avarice” (385-386). It is easier to defeat an enemy that is already injured. These lines infer that the Anglo community has been weakened through its own. I think these lines are not about their enemies, but a reminder that the Hispanic community is not as weak as it lets itself be. It says there are strength in numbers, and that there are enough of them to make a difference together.
Every sentiment in these lines are expounded on throughout the poem, but these particular lines exemplify Gonzales’ message. His use of vague pronouns unifies a large group of people with a similar cultural heritage. It contrasts the shared experiences of Latinos against a faceless common enemy. It reminds them of their strength, and it gives them hope that together they can make a difference.