Imagery Essay on the Poem "Green Chile"

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Pre-AP English College Essay on “Green Chile” Jimmy Baca Santiago develops imagery to allude back to countless generations of tradition in his three-stanza poem, “Green Chile.” Even though in stanza one the speaker talks about his preference of red chilies, in stanza two he describes the green chilies his grandmother prefers and the traditions that his family and him practice. The third stanza distinguishes the rest of the traditions throughout New Mexico. Santiago uses visual and gustatory imagery to help guide you through his poem. The speaker describes the sight of his surroundings in a very positive tone, the chilies are the most elegant, but strong, items Santiago knows. As he is describing the green chile, the visual images are both beautiful and powerful (lines 15-18): Ah, voluptuous, masculine, an air of authority and youth simmers from its swan-neck stem, tapering to a flowery collar… These four simple lines suggest just how much their culture admires their tradition, along with the things in it. The admiration of the green chile represents the significance it has behind it. Santiago also describes the way his grandmother cuts into it with a “mysterious passion on her face” (line 32). In their culture the green chile is just as important as killing an animal for its meat, or any other food. The way they take care of the green chile only goes to show how much they actually care for their cultural tradition. The visual images produced throughout the second stanza, about the importance behind the tradition gives emotional admiration to the Hispanic/Mexican culture. The speaker also describes the lush, spicy sensation produced from the green chile to more understand their fineness. Lines (22 and 23) below, from stanza two, show the power of lust that the green chile produces: caressing the

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