Read the excerpts from “Take the Tortillas Out of Your Poetry” and “Speaking Arabic.” My friend had concluded that if he took hi
s language and culture out of his poetry, he stood a better chance of receiving a fellowship. He took out his native language, the poetic patois of our reality, the rich mixture of Spanish, English, pachuco and street talk which we know so well. In other words, he took the tortillas out of his poetry, which is to say he took the soul out of his poetry. At a neighborhood fair in Texas, somewhere between the German Oom-pah Sausage Stand and the Mexican Gorditas booth, I overheard a young man say to his friend, “I wish I had a heritage. Sometimes I feel—so lonely for one.” And the tall American trees were dangling their thick branches right down over his head. Which best states how the structure of each excerpt supports a different tone? Anaya structures his text as an anecdote, which gives it a humorous tone, while Nye structures her text as a counterclaim, which gives it a defensive tone. Anaya structures his text as an explanation, which gives it an authoritative tone, while Nye structures her text as an impression, which gives it a soothing tone. Anaya structures his text as a theory, which gives it an academic tone, while Nye structures her text as a list, which gives it an unemotional tone. Anaya structures his text as a news report, which gives it a neutral tone, while Nye structures her text as a critique, which gives it a judgmental tone.
