Poem Analysis: Legal Alien By Pat Mora

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Poetry Analysis Essay Mexican Americans belong to two different countries, and therefore, don’t always find their place. Pat Mora uses “Legal Alien” as a form of showing that being a part of two different cultures isn’t always plain and simple. The poem makes it as clear as water that life as a Mexican American can build an emotional obstacle. Mora includes different types of elements like symbolism, tone, and metaphors to show her feelings toward the issue. Mora becomes frustrated when she learns that she is not accepted into neither of her cultures. “...able to sit in a paneled office/drafting memos in smooth English,/able to order in fluent Spanish/at a Mexican restaurant”(Mora, lines 4-7) the author makes her disappointment obvious…show more content…
Metaphorically speaking, Mora says she is “between the fringes of both worlds” (line 18). She doesn’t stand deep enough into the Mexican culture to be able to say she is Mexican because they wouldn’t see it that way. In the same way she cannot say she is full American because Americans see her inferior to themselves. It’s important that she uses metaphors so that the reader understands how she is feeling. As well as using metaphors, Mora uses symbols to express her point. Authors many times use symbolism to represent something or someone. In this case Pat Mora uses tokens as a symbol of herself. A token or a coin can travel all over the world. If the coin is in the U.S it is most likely U.S money, if it is in Mexico it is mostly likely pesos. These coins rarely show up in a country that’s not their own. Mora feels she is being treated as a coin in the wrong place. She illustrates this in her poem: “…A handy token sliding back and forth” (lines 16-17). Symbolism was adequate in portraying her objection. In conclusion, being judged bilaterally, and not being accepted in neither one of your cultures is very difficult to overcome. Pat Mora greatly develops her point and gives many elements. Some of the elements she uses are tone, symbolism, and metaphors.

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