Question

Write a paragraph analyzing one stanza of the poem “Speaking with Hands” through the lens of Cultural Criticism.

Answer 1

Marginalized people who are treated differently day to day have a breaking point. In the poem the rage Mama had, was built up over time, but like many people who are stepped all over; they break. Putting up with the daily rudeness of others because of skin color or the language you speak can really take a toll on entire families. In stanza five lines 19 and 20, the author states, “Mama became a woman swept/ by sobering madness;”. This infers that the character mama in the poem isn’t one who puts up with being treated differently as a latino woman living in Watts, Los Angeles. The author Luis J. Rodriguez and the main character “mama” have a lot in common, he lived the perspective that the poem portrays. Through this poem, the author was sure to best interpret his experience living in Watts as a young man. He could create a sense of imagery to the poem, the corner stores ran by rich white men with no leniency to the poor living in the ghettos of LA. Living in poverty and racial diversity has many negatives, in coming to the United States for freedom individuals and their family live the hardships mentioned in the poem, spreading awareness to the problems that poor cities must endure to feed their families.