Joel Milian 9/30/12
Puerto Rican
Obituary
By Pedro Pietri
(Published 1973)
These dreams
These empty dreams
from the make-believe
bedrooms
their parents left
them
are the after-effects
of television programs
about the ideal
white american family
Critique:
This section of the poem Puerto Rican Obituary by Pedro Pietri describes
the harsh realities Puerto Ricans face living in New York. In summary, these 8
lines refer to make believe dreams which are the product of television and
society at the time which showed white Americans as the ideal family for success,
happiness, power and money. Pedro Pietri is speaking to Puerto Ricans in
general living in New York, but the situation can apply to any minority
adjusting to life in the melting pot that New York had become. This poem is definitely
a critique on the life Puerto Ricans faced but also can be classified as a
confessional, as Pedro Pietri himself was born in Puerto Rico and moved to New
York with his family. He experienced much of what he is describing throughout
the poems entirety. The tone of this section of the poem is very downhearted,
although the experiences being described are truthful. In this section, the way
Pietri uses diction with words such as empty, make-believe, and left all aides
in his portrayal of Puerto Ricans as victims of an unjust society.
Nice choice of poems.
ReplyDeleteSo far so good. But do try to spend a little time talking about the structure of the poem as well.
Pietri quickly uses repetition to place an emphasis dreams. There is also a straight forwardness to his style that works as well.