Verified Document

Gloria Anzaldua Captures The Essence Of The Essay

Gloria Anzaldua captures the essence of the Aztlan homeland and its mestizo nature in "Wind tugging at my sleeve." Using diction conveying a strong sense of place and geography invokes the specific qualities of the land and climate necessary for anchoring the reader. The importance of geographic space is a core theme of the poem, as the speaker refers repeatedly to issues related to political borders and the artificial separation they create. Colonization and the rape of indigenous cultures is also tied in thematically with Anzaldua's work, which bears emotions like anger, longing, frustration, and hope. The message is that borders erected out of colonial arrogance are artificial and tenuous, and cannot stand up to the remarkable power of nature or the persistence of culture. The poem encapsulates the essence of la frontera, both on a personal and political level. Geography is central to "Wind tugging at my sleeve," which is why natural elements including wind, sea, and desert...

Human emotions and experiences are expressed metaphorically through nature, surroundings, and physical space. This allows the poet to anthropomorphize the natural elements too. For example, "Oigo el llorido del mar, el respire del aire," which means she listens to the crying of the sea and the breathing of the air (p. 24, stanza 2, lines 1-2). The gulls also "cry" (p. 24, stanza 2, line 4). Imagery of tears permeates the poem with words like "flow," to emphasize the emotion of sadness.
The importance of geography in "Wind tugging at my sleeve" is not sentimental, but rather, political and deeply personal. Anzaldua focuses on the theme of borders in this poem, and how political boundaries imposed on people creates an artificial and painful rift in a society. The "barbwire" of the border has become her "home," and the "wire fence" and its "rod…splits me, splits me, me raja," the narrator states (p. 24-25). Anzaldua refers of…

Sources used in this document:
Work Cited

Anzaldua, Gloria. "Wind tugging at my sleeve." In Chapter 1 of Borderlands/La Frontera.
Cite this Document:
Copy Bibliography Citation

Related Documents

American Literature "Song of Myself" Stanzas 1-21
Words: 1160 Length: 4 Document Type: Essay

American Literature "Song of Myself" stanzas 1-21 by Walt Whitman Pride in the self and one's perseverance at life "I celebrate myself, and sing myself, and what I assume you shall assume, for every atom belonging to me as good belongs to you. "I am satisfied -- I see, dance, laugh, sing;" Equality and the view of American lands "And it means, sprouting alike in broad zones and narrow zones, growing among black folks as

Robert Frost's the Road Not Taken
Words: 1505 Length: 4 Document Type: Term Paper

Robert Frost's "The Road Not Taken" The Road Not Taken Although readers have a tendency to miss this element from the poem, the title is probably the largest giveaway, particularly with the Poem, "Road Not Taken." A lot of individuals have got the idea that The Road Not Taken is actually a good poem about simply being different as well as choosing the road that no individual will take; that it

Robert Frost's Wind and Window
Words: 988 Length: 3 Document Type: Term Paper

The remainder of the poem assumes a more regularly rhythmic form, although the meter is not strict. Some of the remaining lines and stanzas follow an iambic hexameter, such as stanza three. However, many of the lines are in anapestic hexameter, or contain combinations of various meters. The poet inserts dactylic and anapestic feet along with iambic and also trochaic ones for intensity and variation, much as one would

Poetry Thomas Hardy
Words: 1565 Length: 5 Document Type: Term Paper

Thomas Hardy's Poem "The Voice" The title of Thomas Hardy's poem "The Voice" reveals a lot about its mode of delivery. The audible whispers of the woman calling, calling are conveyed to the reader through literary devices such as rhyme and rhythm. The voice of the woman is translated into the voice of the poet. "The voice" of the woman becomes a symbol of the narrator's memory, which is tainted by

Close Reading Analysis
Words: 1276 Length: 3 Document Type: Essay

Unfair Robert Francis was an American poet whose work is reminiscent of Robert Francis, his mentor. Francis' writing has often compared to other writers such as Frost, Emily Dickinson, and Henry David Thoreau. Although Francis's work has frequently been neglected and is "often excluded from major anthologies of American poetry," those that have read his work have praised him and his writing. In "Fair and Unfair," Francis comments on balance

Beowulf As a Hero Lesson
Words: 8817 Length: 19 Document Type: Journal

Your answer should be at least five sentences long. The Legend of Arthur Lesson 1 Journal Entry # 9 of 16 Journal Exercise 1.7A: Honor and Loyalty 1. Consider how Arthur's actions and personality agree with or challenge your definition of honor. Write a few sentences comparing your definition (from Journal 1.6A) with Arthur's actions and personality. 2. Write a brief paragraph explaining the importance or unimportance of loyalty in being honorable. Lesson 1 Journal

Sign Up for Unlimited Study Help

Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.

Get Started Now