There are few things more uniquely American than the experience of being a Mexican American. And there are few things that capture that experience better than the poem “Legal Alien” by Pat Mora.
In this poem, Mora captures the complex reality of being a Mexican American in the United States. She talks about the many different aspects of her identity and how they all come together to make her who she is.
Mora also touches on the issue of immigration and what it means to be a legal alien in the United States. She highlights the struggles and challenges that come with this status, but also the strength and resilience that Mexican Americans have in spite of it all.
This poem is a powerful and moving portrayal of the Mexican American experience. It is a must-read for anyone who wants to understand what it means to be a Mexican American in the United States.
Ora is a free-form poem that has no stanzas. It includes a few rhyming words such as “English” (5) and “Spanish” (6). “Mexicans” (14) and “Americans” (15) follow. It’s a simple poem about how life is for someone who shares the same race/ethnicity as others while also being different from them.
The poem is about being caught in between two cultures and not really fitting in to either one. The poem could be seen as critical of both cultures, or it could be seen as a celebration of being able to hold onto two cultures.
Ora is a Mexican American poet who was born in El Paso, Texas and raised in Southern California. Ora has been writing poetry since she was a child. Legal Alien is one of her most famous poems. In this poem, Ora writes about her experience as a Mexican American woman living in the United States.
While she is proud of her Mexican heritage, she feels like an outsider in both Mexico and the United States. She is not fully accepted by either culture. This poem speaks to the experiences of many immigrants who are caught between two cultures. They may not feel fully accepted by either culture and may feel like they are living in a liminal space.
A woman of Mexican parents, who is born and reared in the United States, is the protagonist of “Legal Alien.” This person is a US citizen by law, but because others treat her as an illegal immigrant, she feels like an illegal alien. She is able to speak both English and Spanish. Although she considers herself to be American, she does not feel that way.
The poem reflects on the difficulties that many Mexican Americans face. The poem is relatable to many people, as it speaks to a common experience. It is a reminder that we are all human beings, regardless of where we come from. We all have dreams and aspirations. We should all be treated with dignity and respect.
She is seen by Americans (Anglos) as inferior, and Mexicans see her as an intruder. They make her feel like she doesn’t belong, that she doesn’t fit in anywhere. “An American to Mexico a Mexican to America a handy token sliding back and forth between the fringes of both worlds”
Mexicans call her a Legal Alien, because she is not really Mexican. She has a Green Card, which gives her the right to live and work in the United States, but she is not an American citizen.
“I am tired of being mistaken for a maid or a waitress or someone’s mother when I go into stores in posh neighborhoods. I don’t like having people cross the street when they see me walking towards them late at night. I don’t appreciate being pulled over by the police just because I “look suspicious”. And I am definitely not happy about being expected to do all the chores around the house and cook all the meals just because I am “the woman of the house”.
But I am also tired of being told by Mexicans that I am not really Mexican. That I don’t know anything about Mexico or Mexican culture. That I am not allowed to speak Spanish because I don’t have “the accent”. That I am not really one of them.
I am a Mexican American. And I am proud of it.” This poem is called “Legal Alien” by Pat Mora. It talks about the struggles of being a Mexican American. She is looked at as inferior by Americans, and as an outsider by Mexicans. She doesn’t feel like she belongs anywhere. But she is still proud of her heritage and culture.
The contemporary period’s ideas are that all cultures, ethnicities, genders, and nationalities should be heard, and poetry is global and speaks to everyone regardless of their background. Pat Mora employs metaphor and personification in Legal Alien as literary techniques to convey the author’s message to the audience, which are Mexican-Americans.
The author’s purpose is to show how Mexican-Americans are perceived by people who are not Mexican and she also wants to show the challenges that Mexican-Americans face.
The poem starts with the speaker talking about how she is a legal alien in her own country. The speaker is using personification when she says “my homeland does not want me” (Mora, line 1). The speaker is saying that her homeland does not want her because she is not from there. This shows how Mexican-Americans are not always accepted in their own country.
The speaker is also using metaphor when she talks about “the cold wind of rejection” (Mora, line 2). The cold wind of rejection is a metaphor for how Mexican-Americans are treated by people who are not Mexican. The speaker is saying that she feels like she is not wanted and that she is not accepted.
The poem continues with the speaker talking about how she has to “show my green card” (Mora, line 3). The green card is a metaphor for how Mexican-Americans are always seen as foreigners. The speaker is saying that she has to show her green card because people always assume that she is not from America. This shows how Mexican-Americans are always seen as outsiders in their own country.
The speaker is also using personification when she talks about “my words sound foreign” (Mora, line 4). The words that sound foreign are a metaphor for how Mexican-Americans are always seen as different. The speaker is saying that her words sound foreign because people always assume that she is not from America.
The poem continues with the speaker talking about how she is “a legal alien” (Mora, line 5). The word “legal” is a metaphor for how Mexican-Americans are treated by the law. The speaker is saying that she is a legal alien because she has all of the papers that she needs to be in America. This shows how Mexican-Americans are often times treated like they are not citizens of their own country.