Herrera wrote a poem called City Paint. It describes what a city might look like walking down a street, highlighting the important things and really giving the reader a feel of what Latin culture is like. Of course it's very bright and exciting, with many festive colors. He writes, "Pure color. The colors pull me" (Herrera 126). He continues walking down the street pointing out a variety of different people, showing huge diversity. He mentions what people would think looking at him saying, "...raised from a trailer where I was born. Things give me away..." (Herrera 126). He takes very small seemily insignificant things and writes about them beautifully, making it seem like the most important object or idea ever. He takes the stale dry thoughts in one's head everyday and creates a descriptive poem putting everything in new perspectives. He turns everything into part of the culture which it is. He really does an incredible job of painting the city.
Herrera continues his description of Latinos as they move into the 90's. There was rebellion in the streets of L.A. and Herrera wrote a book called Love After the Riots. It is a diary written between two young people. What makes it so interesting is the fact that it isn't written day to day but rather it is written over night. The first entry is from 7:30 pm and the last at 6:01. It recounts a riot and what how they are going to get out. The sequence then moves on to how they will unite in America after things like this. Was it the right choice to come to America and what must they do after soething like this? It's interesting because it seems like an entire time period being talked about even though it was just one riot, one night. The two try and go out but are lost and scared in their own home. Herrera writes, "We are ready to emerge. Is this city ready to breathe--in flames?" (Herrera 170). I think it's interesting that "in flames" is not said right a way. It implies the idea that the city really needs air and is more than ready for a good clean breathe. This is yet another example of the hardships people face. I don't know if this one could be called persecution necessarily but it's still something very difficult that Latinos had to get through together. They did everything in their power to make it work out.
Herrera, Jaun Felipe. All of the World in Light. Tucson, Arizona: University of Arizona Press, 2008.
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2 comments:
The poem about paint sounds very creative. Describing things in color sometimes reminds me of music. A purple sounds is different from a yellow sound which is different from a deep red sound. The use of colors paints pictures in our mind complete with sound and any other sense we want. Overall the poem seems like it can show the reader the picture the author wants them to see of the city.
The novel Love after the Riots seems really interesting because usually in a diary entries are dated according to the date and not the time. Also, diaries are usually much lengthier in nature. Especially because they usually express more thoughts and less actions. The use of a diary instead of a first- person narrative seems like a much more interesting way to write.
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