Reflection #6 Poem: AmeRícan

When I was in class there was a poem that captured my attention, I thouhgt it was very unique. AmeRícan, by Tato Laviera (B. 1951) is a poem that it was written with great pride and joy. Certainly is the PRIDE of how this poem is written what truly facinates me, he takes step by step to describe tha AmeRícan, starting from the history to our different ethnic groups and culture. From what I could understand the author is talking about the puertorrican's that leave to go to New York, because he talks about "plena", how sometimes they talk "spanglish", and go all around admiring what they see, that is simply what a puertorrican would do and how he would act if he was in the States. He also talks about how we are so well integrating in the groups, not leaving behing our learned cultures, and how we are always looking for the future, our destiny. I agree very much with the author of this poem, I have family that lives in New York and I have learned that at least us, puertorrican (I cannot speak for other countries) we do not leave our culture behind, we may have to do some changes in our lives styles, but we integrate what is most important to us in our "new home". Puertorrican are proud, that is one of the caracteristics that we are distinguished for. But at the end their was a part that surprised, well if I understood well I think that at the end as the author said, the AmeRícan was accepting, was dreaming and wishing that one day he would take off the accent and say it like it was, to be proud to say that he was "american in the u.s. sense of the word". Well, I most say that I am not quite sure I would wish to have leave my accent, because that is what distinguishes me and makes me different from those who their first land is New York, anyway everybody is entitled to their own opinion...