Unit 3 - Asian American
Poem 4:
At home I was in poverty, constantly worried about firewood and rice. I borrowed money to come to Gold Mountain. Immigration officers cross-examined me; no way could I get through. Deported to this island, like a convicted criminal. Here - Mournful sighs fill the gloomy room. A nation weak; her people often humiliated Like animals, tortured and destroyed at others’ whim. |
Why did I pick this one:
I felt that this particular poem does a good job of conveying to the reader the image of Angel Island that history fails to do. We so often look back at history and when looking at how Elis Island was, we associate the success of that to be true for its counter part Angel Island. With this, a lot of people forget that Angel Island was seen to many as more of a blockade than an entryway into the United States. Immigrants would sometimes spend weeks and months on this island waiting to either move forward or get deported. Unlike that of Elis Island where people were processed in a matter of hours, people on Angel Island felt more like prisoners. What stood out to me: The word choice of this poem stuck out to me as it feels rather simple. A lot of poems that were presented in this unit choose wording that sounds very elegant and does a good job of conveying feeling. While this is not a bad thing, I felt that this poem was able to convey its message well without trying to word itself in a fancier manner. It also has a meaning that is easy to relate to. Words such as gloomy, criminal, and humiliation remain in the poem and are not replaced by more complex words. What intrigues me: I was intrigued by the way the author relates the experiences of immigrants to feeling like animals in cages. I felt that this created an element of pathos of which the reader could better understand than if the author went into specific details. We have an idea what the environment of a prison is like and have seen animals in cages before. It also gives the reader the idea that the island is more like a giant prison rather than this gateway that is highly regarded by the immigrants. What meaning did I find: The meaning I found in this poem is that there lies another perspective behind the world's idea of what Angel island was. Many people saw it as though it was a sanctuary helping immigrants while in actuality, it seems like a place that caused a lot of pain for many people according to this poem. |
My Poem:
Questions, no answers
Wading through mud just to use.
Just switch already.
Questions, no answers
Wading through mud just to use.
Just switch already.