Martin Espada Essay

Poems are used to express many different things. They can be used to tell a story, to express an emotion, to show a perspective and to capture a moment. Many poets use their poetry to express many of these perspectives. Martin Espada uses his poems, “The New Bathroom Policy at an English High School,” “Two Mexicanos Lynched in Santa Cruz, California, May 3, 1877,” and “Revolutionary Spanish Lesson” to have the reader think about

how power and the abuse of power affects Spanish speakers.

In “Bathroom Policy,” the principal banned Spanish in the boys' bathroom. He oppressed the Spanish speaking boys by banning Spanish so he could make sure they weren't talking about him in Spanish. This is shown in following the passage:

The only words he recognizes

is his own name

and this constipates him.

I believe this is an example of power abuse. Banning Spanish probably made the boys feel powerless and neglected.

A second example of power abuse in his poems is in “Two Mexicanos Lynched in Santa Cruz, California, May 3, 1877.” This poem is about how two Mexicans got lynched in Santa Cruz by Californians. I believe the Californians had the power to strike fear into the community and make the Mexicans' family members sad. The Californians also had the power to make the Mexicans feel powerless because they could not do anything about these injustices. That the Californians were not even embarrased to be killing people is shown in the passage:


... 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 photograph.

The third poem “Revolutionary Spanish Lesson,” which is about how people mispronounce Espada's name. I believe in this poem he feels powerless. I also believe he fantasizes about having power. It is shown in the poem when Espada says:

hijack a busload

of Republican tourists

from Wisconsin,

force them to chant

anti-American slogans

in Spanish,

and wait

for the bilingual SWAT team

to helicopter overhead,

begging me

to be reasonable.

I believe Martin Espada is a great poet because he is able to tell a story of a people and make the reader feel all the emotions of the poem. He made us feel the sadness the Mexicans felt in “Two Mexicanos Lynched in Santa Cruz, California, May 3, 1877,” he made us feel the injustices in “The New Bathroom Policy” or the powerlessness he felt in “Revolutionary Spanish Lesson.” I believe that the way he shows this using imagery is what makes him a great poet.