Proessay.com

Essay online on Poem “Child of the Americas” by Aurora Levins Morales

POETIC LANGUAGE AND MUSICAL DEVICES

It is necessary to pay special attention to the poetic language used in the poem Child of the Americas. One of the components of poetic language is diction. Diction represents word choice and general character of the poetic language. The author uses informal writing, it means she uses low diction. For example, she uses such word as spanglish which is considered to be informal. In addition, the author’s writing style is focused on complex sentence structure which refers to low diction. Allusion can be found in the following lines of the poem:

I am Caribeña, island grown. Spanish is my flesh,

Ripples from my tongue, lodges in my hips:

the language of garlic and mangoes,

the singing of poetry, the flying gestures of my hands (Morales, 1986, p.212).

Imagery helps to create vivid pictures by means of language. The author writes:

I am a child of the Americas,

a light-skinned mestiza of the Caribbean,

a child of many diaspora, born into this continent at a crossroads (Morales, 1986, p.212).

The author uses such techniques as nature imagery and personification in order to illustrate her direct connection as well as her separation from some culture. It is clear that garlic and mangoes have no language but the author uses these images in order to prove her valid identity and existence. In addition, it is necessary to notice the author uses the technique of personification in the poem in order to identify herself with nature. Besides, the poem Child of the Americas does not have a specific rhyme scheme or meter scheme, it can be regarded as a free verse. There are no rhyming words at the end of the lines.

In conclusion, it is necessary to say that both the poet and the readers rely on imagination for interpreting the meaning of the poem Child of the Americas. The poem helps to realize that the culture made from a so-called melting pot of mixed social inspirations can be integral to all Americans.

Exit mobile version