Am I Just Too Stupid To Understand Poeta en San Fransico?
Let me be honest for a moment.
I have read Poeta en San Francisco until Page Sixty-One.
And all I can utter is: “What The Funk?”
So in a vain (frivolous) attempt to understand Barbara Jane Reyes poetry, I tried to answer the six questions posted previous.
1. What are the links between Filipino history and culture and the Vietnam war, as Reyes presents them?
Both Filipinos and Vietnamese encountered upheavals of their indigenous lifestyles when Americans decided to impose their will upon them. Filipinos have assimilated into a pseudo-American life, with many constituents being raised Catholic.
2. Consider the importance of music (The Clash's "Charlie don't surf") to the poem.
The Clash’s song “Charlie Don’t Surf” was an anthem for Americans to stop imposing their ideals upon other countries.
In Poeta en San Francisco, the author thought Charlie was a generic expression for an mid-western American boy.
OH TEH IRONY!
3. Why does Reyes use more than one language in her poem? If you know some Spanish, how does that help to read these first sections? If you do not know Spanish, what is the effect on you? (There are foreign language dictionaries on-line--use them!)
You know what happens when a foreign language is dropped upon me in an English Literature class?
I skim through the segments. And hope like mad that someone in class understands the language enough to interpret it for the rest of class.
I reckon that Reyes uses Spanish in her poem because she is trying to convey something that cannot be presented in English. Because it means more to the poet when it was uttered in a Spanish tongue.
I do that with Mandarin sometimes. When English words fail me, I try to find meaning in another dialect.
4. "The pure products of America go crazy" (21) is a quotations from a William Carlos Williams poem ("To Elsie"). Find "To Elsie," and figure out its importance to Reyes's poem.
The distraught in rural America is echoed in Philippines by Filipino girls.
5. On p. 12, Reyes writes " this is not a love poem," and yet it seems to be. Why?
Geezus, is it irony again? I have no clue.
----------------
I have chosen not to answer the Question #6 simply because I have no idea what Poeta en San Fransico is about. And I feel that it would be unfair to pass any judgment until there is class discussion.
*sigh*
I really do feel like this is the most difficult to comprehend literature we have encountered all semester.
So ends this mediocre blog entry. It is the 300th entry, by the way.
I have read Poeta en San Francisco until Page Sixty-One.
And all I can utter is: “What The Funk?”
So in a vain (frivolous) attempt to understand Barbara Jane Reyes poetry, I tried to answer the six questions posted previous.
Both Filipinos and Vietnamese encountered upheavals of their indigenous lifestyles when Americans decided to impose their will upon them. Filipinos have assimilated into a pseudo-American life, with many constituents being raised Catholic.
The Clash’s song “Charlie Don’t Surf” was an anthem for Americans to stop imposing their ideals upon other countries.
In Poeta en San Francisco, the author thought Charlie was a generic expression for an mid-western American boy.
You know what happens when a foreign language is dropped upon me in an English Literature class?
I skim through the segments. And hope like mad that someone in class understands the language enough to interpret it for the rest of class.
I reckon that Reyes uses Spanish in her poem because she is trying to convey something that cannot be presented in English. Because it means more to the poet when it was uttered in a Spanish tongue.
I do that with Mandarin sometimes. When English words fail me, I try to find meaning in another dialect.
The distraught in rural America is echoed in Philippines by Filipino girls.
Geezus, is it irony again? I have no clue.
I have chosen not to answer the Question #6 simply because I have no idea what Poeta en San Fransico is about. And I feel that it would be unfair to pass any judgment until there is class discussion.
*sigh*
I really do feel like this is the most difficult to comprehend literature we have encountered all semester.
So ends this mediocre blog entry. It is the 300th entry, by the way.
posted by sau at 12:03 AM
1 Comments:
Sau--life will get easier when AJ gives a report tomorrow on some of the background. Also read through the links I left. And consider--as one example--that Tagalog, Spanish, and English are all languages spoken in the Philippines. The latter two came in through colonization....you've gotten pretty far with some of your answers, but need to push a little harder on the information and to analyze it.
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