Chicano Poetry

To Live in the Borderlands

Author: Gloria Anzaldua
Date: 30/05/19
Event: Life in the borderland (Mexico-USA)
Characters: People
Memorable Quote: "To live in the Borderlands means knowing that the india in you, betrayed for 500 years is no longer speaking to you."

The poem is a reflection of the confusion that many people who live in the borderlands or have immigrated to another country experience throughout their lives. The author of the poem mixes Spanish with English to show this mixture that is present within herself which is very interesting; besides, she uses words that are proper of her Mexican culture, and some of them are even rude because this is how she has been treated in the past. 

I believe that this poem talks about an issue that not only is important for Chicanos but also for everyone who had to move to another country or has parents from a country that is not the one where they live, especially Latinos. When I read the poem, I remember a girl I met from the US whose parents are Latinos but she was born in the US. She told me that at school, she was forced to forget Spanish and because of that, she does not speak the language very well. Now, when she goes to church, Hispanic people make fun of her Spanish and think that she is not a Latina due to deficiencies regarding the language. Therefore, she sometimes feels that does not belong to neither of both cultures, which has marked her for life. I felt very sad for her because no one has ever questioned how Tica I am because it is something that we take for granted. However, we forget that not everybody is that lucky, and that this confusion the poem represents will be with them for the rest of their lives.