Chicano Poetry

'Mexican' Is not a Noun

Author: Francisco X. Alarcón
Date: 31/05/19
Event: What being Mexican represents
Characters: Mexican People
Memorable Quote: "'Mexican is a life long low-paying job."

Like most of the poems we have read throughout the course, this one talks about pain, the pain of being Mexican in the US. The author says that 'Mexican' is not a noun or an adjective because it is not a "thing" or a quality. 'Mexican' is a verb because as the poem says "it hurts, it points, it dreams, it offends, it dreams, it cries, it moves, it strikes, it burns." Being Mexican is a verb because it triggers all those actions, and this is true. We constantly see all the hate Mexican people and other Latinos receive in the US. We see how their dreams are smashed just because of being who they are, which is heartbreaking. I imagine how difficult is leaving one's country and family, but having to receive so much hate in another country in which is almost certain that you are on your own must be almost unspeakably hard. Sadly, this is the reality that many Latinos face every day; a reality that does not seem to end soon and is enhancing the pain and hate among countries, cultures, and souls.