“AmeRican” by Tato Laviera

4 Responses to “AmeRican” by Tato Laviera

1. kramlogan says:

   April 17, 2012 at 3:19 pm

   I like Moriama response to AmeRican by Tato Laviera. I also do feel that the poem sends off positive meaning and vibes. I also go the feeling that he is trying to start another life or generation as he puts it. I am not sure about the singing of it. I have tried to get a rhythm going with it but I can’t seem to find one. This looks like to be the outline of a song but the way the words are put makes it a little harder to understand if there is a song in it.

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2. shae says:

   April 17, 2012 at 11:29 pm

   After reading this poem several times I came to the conclusion that Laviera’s purpose was to show how music and the melting pot of cultures create a type of paradise in “AmeRica”. I noticed that Laviera made several references to music in this poem as he makes mention to several types of Puerto Rican style music, such as Puerto Rican composer pedro flores, the jibaro which is a particular style of music played by mountain farmers in Puerto Rico and also the plenta-rhythms in line 32, “… walking plenta-rhythms in new york …”, which this type of African-Puerto Rican folklore music and dance. The poet’s constant reference to Puerto Rican style music makes me think that the speaker in the poem is one of Puerto Rican descent. I too was unable to detect the rhythm of the poem, but I think the continuous reference to music allowed the reader to imagine the sounds of Puerto Rican music and create the rhythm in our heads.

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3. apd123 says:

   April 18, 2012 at 8:21 am

   I agree that the author has a positive feeling for his culture and people.TaTo Laviera talks about the meaning of being Puertorican and what the people are made up of .He expresses that they are lots of people all wrapped into one nation. Line 21-29 gives the explanation of the crossing and mixing of the races that makes up this nation of people.
   He goes on to explain that this new nation of people have defined them self in their beauty, soul, langue –spanglish and internally abounding ethnic English people. Line 41. The author says “AmeRican integrating in New York are defining their own distino their own way of life”-line 49.The author choice of words (humame, loved, admired) implies his belief, that this new people have and will make America a better America

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4. Dilo says:

   April 18, 2012 at 1:34 pm

   The message in this poem by Tato Laviera is clear, he feels that a perfect society is one where different cultures come together and bled peacefully. I agree with Moriama’s interpretation of the poem that peace and unification will bring forth a utopia because the author adds in stanza 10 “defining myself my own way any way many ways, Am e Rican, with the big R and the accent on the i!”. What he meant by this is that no matter who considers themselves American or how they do it, their culture is not lost it is just added to the gigantic melting pot and becomes another addition to a perfect society.

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