Martín Espada Essay

Martín Espada Essay

Throughout our world today, there are many issues that exist, especially those that have to do with other races, cultures, and people. Poet Martín Espada puts a spotlight on these injustices and writes about them in his poetry. Poems such as, “The New Bathroom Policy at English High School”, “Revolutionary Spanish Lesson,” and “Two Mexicanos Lynched in Santa Cruz, California, May 13, 1877,” show Espada’s understanding and opinions on the issue of bigotry. By analyzing these three poems written by Martín Espada, it is evident that Espada has a deep understanding of the issue of discrimination, and he can relate to what it feels like to be hated on or misunderstood because of race/ethnicity.

The poem, “The New Bathroom Policy at English High School,” is about a group of students chattering in Spanish in the boys bathroom as the principal of the school eavesdrops. Not knowing Spanish, the principal assumes they are gossiping because they said his name, and he bans speaking Spanish from the school. Espada has lines in the poem that show an example of his accurate understanding of the issue. For example, “The only word he recognizes/ is his own name/ and this constipates him/ So he decides/ to ban Spanish/ from the bathrooms/ Now he can relax.” These lines portray how many people who aren’t immigrants, or who don’t speak other languages besides English, react to people who are native and who practice other things. By elaborating on how the principal feels, Espada illustrates how other immigrants are being treated by Americans. Espada really magnifies the fact that many people jump to conclusions and aren’t respectful of other cultures by writing about how the principal put his own, selfish concerns before the concerns of the boys speaking Spanish. Additionally, the fact that the high school is called “English High School,” depicts how it is for English and how it may not be so accepting of other languages, such as Spanish. The quote analyzed above proves how “English High School” really was just for English. Having named the high school “English High School” is an example of Espada’s understanding of discrimination, and it shows how strongly he feels other ethnicities are treated disrespectfully. Espada’s representation of racism and inequality through his poem, “The New Bathroom Policy at English High School” renders his comprehension of the problem in general. 

“Revolutionary Spanish Lesson” is a poem that mostly talks about how he can relate to having people not fathom his language and culture. Espada’s name is Spanish, and Americans constantly can’t say his name correctly. This poem summarizes how Espada feels when his name is mispronounced. For instance, Espada claims that he wants to, “hijack a busload/ of Republican/ tourists/ from Wisconsin,/ force them to chant/ anti-American slogans/ in Spanish.” This line shows how Espada recognizes the anger and annoyance that people from different backgrounds feel when their name is mispronounced. By writing this poem, the reader can really see that Espada empathizes with other people who feel the same way as him. Another excerpt of the poem says, “Whenever my name/ is mispronounced,/ I want to buy a toy pistol.” Though this section is short, it portrays Espada’s anger and how he wants Americans to be aware of the different cultures and lifestyles that are becoming apart of their country. Overall, the poem “Revolutionary Spanish Lesson” really zooms in on how Espada understands the bigotry going on by being a victim of some of it.

“Two Mexicanos Lynched in Santa Cruz, California, May 13, 1877” is a much more serious poem that discusses an event in which two Mexican men were lynched in public. In this poem, Espada doesn’t really empathize the way he does in “Revolutionary Spanish Lesson,” because he has never been hung, but he writes about the event in an accurate way. “remain the/ faces of the lynching party:/ faded as pennies from 1877, a few stunned/ in the blur of execution,/ a high-collar boy smirking, some peering/ from the shade of bowler hats, but all/ crowding into the photo graph.” This quote expresses the different reactions people had, because of the lynching. Espada realizes that people will not have the same reactions to the event of the lynching, so he purposely explained how people were stunned, but people were laughing at the event. By doing this in his writing, Espada demonstrates a clear understanding of discrimination. Some people are the discriminators, and Espada knows this. “Two Mexicanos Lynched in Santa Cruz, California, May 13, 1877” includes lines that portray Espada’s understanding of inequality by showing how different characters react to a single situation.

After looking at all three of these poems, one can see that Espada definitely understands what racism is. “Two Mexicanos Lynched in Santa Cruz, California, May 13, 1877” and “The New Bathroom Policy at English High School” are poems that allow Espada’s comprehension of bigotry to shine through. Espada is truthful in these poems, and he portrays forms of discrimination in his poetry that are real. The poem, “Revolutionary Spanish Lesson,” however, exhibits Espada’s identification with people who do not come from the same places as him. When the Americans keep pronouncing his name wrong, Espada is infuriated, and he knows that other people with foreign names feel the same way, as Americans don’t understand these languages and cultures well. Not only does “Revolutionary Spanish Lesson” show that Espada understand what it’s like to feel persecuted, but it shows that he can really understand the feeling that Spanish people feel, because he is of Spanish or Latino descent. Overall, all of the three poems exhibit Espada’s understanding and connection to discrimination and racism.