There are countless famous poets in the world. Some well-known others not as well-known. But Martin Espada was neither one of these - he was an incredible poet who wrote about topics that other poets didn't dare to write about. The poems, “A New Bathroom Policy”, “Revolutionary Spanish Lesson” and “Two Mexicans”, all demonstrate races them. Many people believe that racism is “dead” and doesn't exist anymore in the US, but that is an incorrect statement. Each of the poems, written by Martin Espada, deal with controversial topics, and they all explore these issues from the eyes of a Latino man/woman who is experiencing racism.
The first poem, “A New Bathroom Policy” tells a story about a principal hearing some students talk in spanish in the bathroom at school. The principal then gets anxious that he can't understand what the students are saying and then bans spanish from all of the bathrooms. There is a quote from the poem that states, “the only word he recognizes is his own name and this constipates him”. This line shows how uncomfortable people become when they can't be in total control over every situation. We, the human race, automatically assume the worst from everyone around us and we get stressed when we can't understand something. This is even more of a deal when it is from a language that we aren't familiar with. We all assume that we are talking trash about the other, when honestly we have no idea what we are talking about ourselves. This makes me feel like our views on others are unfair and out of date. Obviously, everyone has their doubts about each other, but what matters is how far we will go in order to support our suspicions. This makes me think back in history. For as long as anyone can remember this has always been how humans have treated each other. I believe that it's almost impossible to change this nature of living and trusting. The human race always questions others as a form of protecting themselves from dangerous people and surroundings. But throw in a totally different race and it will almost be impossible to prevent this. Therefore, the story with the principal is just another example of how often this occurs and how difficult it is to prevent it.
The second poem, “Revolutionary Spanish Lesson”, is about all of the “accidents” that people make when addressing someone of a foreign descent. Humans in general, all seem to struggle with pronunciation of unusual words, after all, everyone makes mistakes. But to be in the shoes of someone who constantly has their name messed up, is a pretty difficult task to handle. In the poem it says, “hijack a busload of Republican tourists from Wisconsin”. This quote shows me the anger that all of these people have when it comes to the carelessness of the American tongue. I have a bit of a troublesome last-name myself and I do actually get frustrated when it is mispronounced. But to have everyone you meet screw up your name because of the stereotypical origin would make me furious. Espada wanted to send out the message that no one can magically pronounce everything perfectly the first try, but they could at least put in a little effort. Even a tiny bit of effort into someones name shows them that you care and respect their culture.
The third and final poem, “Two Mexicans”, is about the pure evilness and horrible things that Mexicans are forced to go through. Mexicans have been treated badly by the white man for as longs as anyone can possibly remember. We constantly take advantage of them and it is wrong on so many different levels. Throughout the poem, Espada states the events that Mexicans are forced into for our pleasure and entertainment. In the poem it says, “ some peering from the shade of bowler hats, but all crowding into the photograph.” This quote shows how horribly we treat them yet have no shame at the end of the day.We tournament these harmless and innocent people just because we believe that they are lesser than we are due to the fact that they are hard workers. There is a universal image of people with white skin are always in charge and the boss. We then feel the need to keep that image no matter what, but in reality, anyone can be at the top of the “chain” just like white people currently are. Everyone, no matter what race, has the capability to be at the top, they just need a chance. Therefore, the people at the top feel the need to shoot down anyone who tries to reach their full potential - this is shown in the poem.
To sum up, there are countless examples of racism everywhere. Not very often is it brought to our attention by because the level of bravery needed to do this is outstanding. Martin Espada reaches this bravery and has absolutely no shame or problem pointing out the flaws in our world. And he gets the respect he deserves.
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