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Addressing the phenomenon of ethnic diversity and the problem of ethnic minorities’ underrepresentation in her poem “Legal Alien,” Pat Mora points to a complex sociocultural and sociopolitical issue of the present-ay American community. The central theme of being ostracized and alienated despite the very nature of American culture as an amalgamation of multiple cultures is reflected in the poem with a variety of literary devices. However, among these devices, imagery takes a particularly important place. Namely, Mora introduces several different and distinctive settings into the poem, therefore, evoking a variety of images associated with these environments in the reader’s mind and, thus, emphasizing the central idea. For instance, the image of a busy office as a cold corporate environment amplifies the impression of emotional distancing and ostracism: “able to sit in a paneled office” (Mora). Representing a stark contrast to the refined and emotionless office setting, the image of a Mexican restaurant immediately invites the reader to recall the associated imagery linked to Mexican culture (Mora). Thus, the contrast between the two environments serves as a shorthand to express the sense of alienation and ostracism.
The choice of figures of speech enhances the described impression. Specifically, the poem contains examples of code mixing, particularly, the use of Spanish along with English: “Me’stan volviendo loca” (Mora). The identified approach allows outlining the cultural gap observed in the U.S. Alliteration also emphasizes the point that the author strives to make, rendering the emotions accurately: “perhaps inferior, definitely different” (Mora). Therefore, the choice of figures of speech helps render the poet’s feelings and explain the nature of the cultural conflict under analysis. With a careful choice of expression tools, “Legal Alien” portrays the tragedy of being rejected and seen as inferior.
Reference
Mora, Pat. Legal alien. Hanksville.org. Web.
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