Compare and Contrast Paper on Mora's Poems: La Migra and Elena

Introduction

One of the renowned poets of the 20th Century is Pat Mora. She has won several awards including Virginia Hamilton Literary Award 2017, Texas Writer Award 2015, Loretto Legacy Award for Arts and Literature 2012 and the Roberta Long Medal for Distinguished Contributions to Celebrating the Cultural Diversity of Children 2007 among many others ("Pat's Awards - Pat Mora"). Pat Mora was a Latina woman with roots in El Paso, Texas from 1942 when she was born to Raul Antonio Mora and Estella Mora. Not much of Pat Mora's childhood is known, but the available information indicates that she spent most of her childhood at her place of birth, a city that lies at the border of Mexico and the United States ("Pat Mora - Biography"). Her writing career did not kick off until after her divorce in 1981. She is later remarried to Vernon Lee Scarborough, and when he moves to University of Cincinnati anthropology department, she goes along with him, and they establish her second home in Cincinnati, Northern Kentucky. Her first home where she had her three children is her birthplace. Pat Mora's writing is observed to revolve around descriptions of the environment of her childhood, and she acknowledges the beauty of her home by describing it as distinctive. Much of the bibliography aside, this paper seeks to delve more into two of Pat Mora's poems. The comparison of these two poems as they reveal the feelings or experiences of Latinas will be the focus of this work. La Migra and Elena will be examined to establish their similarities and differences, and prior reading shows that the latter will dominate.

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La Migra is one of Pat Mora's poems that express the experiences that Mexicans had when they attempted illegal immigration to the United States through the border where there are patrol agents. Examination of this poem reveals the hardships that the Mexicans had to undergo when they attempted to cross over to the United States. The poem has two speakers- the border patrol agent and a Mexican woman who is trying or has tried to go through the border over to the United States. Taking a step back and looking into the history of Mexican immigration into the United States, reasons as to why many Mexicans wanted to go and live in the US are unearthed. The most obvious reason is that they believed they would have better lives in the US. When the lives of the Mexicans are compared to what they would have had in the US, a clear distinction is made that puts the Mexican lifestyle to shame. In the 1930's the 'American Dream' was a popular notion that was believed to lure many Mexicans into the United States. It should be noted that Mexicans make up the largest percentage of the immigrants in the United States. However, the 'American Dream' does not solely account for the reasons of the need to move from Mexico. The high crime rates, poverty, unemployment, unfavorable climate, and drug-trafficking are the contributing reasons for the large percentage of immigrants (Grava).

The poem narrates how immigrants would be treated when they would try to cross the border. This reflects the real-life experiences that Latinas go through in their dire sought for better lives in the United States. In as much as these Mexicans are running away from their home because of the reasons above, they are also going to the United States where it is considered that there are quality health care, better education and security and a higher rate of employment. It is not a surprise that these factors would cause the high rate of immigration and this could be assumed to be one of the reasons that compelled Pat Mora to write this poem. The Mexican men attempting to cross the border would have had higher chances than women and also, considering Pat Mora's gender, the poem chose a woman to be the most affected character and best suited for the poem. Furthermore, sexual harassment was one of the things that were most prevalent during those times as expressed in the poem where La Migra, tells the woman;

I can touch you wherever

I want but don't complain

too much because I've got

boots and kicks - if I have to, (Lines 12-15)

This kind of talk illustrates the abuse of authority that the Latino women were subjected to and the disregard for consequences because there were none considering the women could not do anything to the patrol agents.

On the other hand, considering the response of the woman, she was not completely powerless in the presence of the patrol agent. She ascribes her experience to the advantage she would have over the agent if she was to attempt an escape. She describes how much experience and knowledge she has of the land and the upper hand she would be in against the agent. The poem seems to go back and forth in a sort of tug of war between the Patrol agent and the Mexican woman. In this duel, both the strengths and weakness of the involved parties are presented. This sort of analogy can be likened to the experiences that Latinas went through in trying to cross over the Mexican- United States border. The strengths of the woman can be attached to the factors that may have contributed to their successful immigration to the United States. On the other hand, the weaknesses could be linked to the factors that inhibited their illegal immigration. Similarly for the patrol agents, though not the focus of this paper, their strengths analogize the factors that aided their successful capture of Mexican attempting to cross over to the United States. Weaknesses had the opposite effect.

In Pat Mora's bibliography, it is mentioned that all her four grandparents migrated to the United States during the Mexican Revolution. Regarding this fact and relating it to the poem, there seems to be some connection. If she spent time with her grandparents, then this poem may bear details of those stories. They may have told Mora about the Mexican Revolution, when and how it happened, including the illegal immigration of Mexicans to the United States.

The poem titled Elena illustrates the relationship between a mother and her children. As it will be soon elucidated, the poem seems to speak directly of the author's life, Pat Mora herself. The general tone that is expressed by the poem is sadness - the sadness that a mother feels being detached from her children. Pat Mora has three children, a son and two daughters. Even though she is well versed in the English language, she has placed herself in the position of not being able to understand it well in the poem. She is sad that the Children had excluded her from their lives that she wishes to be part of as before they moved deep into the US. The speaker of the poem compares the memories she has with the reality, and it hurts her that those times have gone forever. The mother remembers the times that they all used to speak Spanish and how she was able to understand what her children were saying. She remembers the sound of their voices when singing and the jokes they used to make and how they would understand all that she had to say. Her children have embraced the American culture while she has been left behind. They understand English and communicate flawlessly but without the inclusion of their mother. They may be seated in the same room, but the children will be in seclusion telling stories and enjoying each other's company while their mother would be in the kitchen alone and lonely in silence yearning to be part of the conversation.

This poem expresses the detachment of Latino children from their parents. The Latina children consider themselves mature and have no concern for the social being of their parents. This scenario attempts to show how parents feel when their children no longer pay attention to their presence or their role in their lives for that matter. The generation gap between the parents and the younger generation comprising of their children causes more effects for the parents than their younger ones. The youth have decided to seclude the older people from their interactions, and this leaves the parents feeling abandoned and unwanted. Despite being left out, the mother does not lose hope. She makes efforts to reconnect with her children because her motherly instincts tell her that they will be deaf and they will need her help. She buys an English book and sometimes locks herself in the bathroom to teach herself the language. The words that she has difficulty with she practices by saying them out loud but softly. The poem expresses the deep connection Latina mothers have with their children.

Within the same poem, there is a situational difference between a wife and her husband. The similarity in part is that they are both being neglected by their children. The children have not chosen one over the other parent, they have just ganged up together to interact among themselves. There is a significant difference between the mother and the father. While the mother is in the kitchen alone preparing food for the whole family, the father is angry, and he acts on this emotion by drinking. It can be concluded, gender-wise, that the role of Latina women is to cook for their husbands and their children while the men tend to relax and enjoy their drinks.

Looking at the two poems, the striking similarity is that both have females as their characters and they are under one kind of oppression or the other. The role of Latina women is most explicitly revealed. While on the one hand in La Migra, the woman is exposed to sexual harassment and improper handling by the authorities, she is neglected in the family in Elena. Both these women are showing their strength to handle the challenges brought in front of them. The Mexican woman in La Migra receives threats from the patrol agent, but she counters him with means that will make him lose the 'run and hide' battle. She explains that she is familiar with the desert, the places where she will get water and the weather predictions she can make. On the other hand in Elena, the woman has not yet grasped the English language well, but she attempts it so that she can reconnect with her children. The differences presenting themselves is that the Mexican woman is still Mexico trying to get to the US to have a better life while the Mexican mother is already in the US. The irony is that despite being in the US, this mother still has not achieved the perfect life she dreamed of while the woman thinks that getting to the US will buy her the life she dreams of.

When the emotions in the two poems are compared, there is a clear distinction between them. Elena presents sadness and anger if the angry husband is to be considered. The mother is sad because of the connection she has lost with her children because of their migration to the United States. In La Migra, the patrol agent is arrogant and authoritative. He is also lustrous and desires to be with the Mexican woman. There is also happiness in Elena when the mother flashes back in time when she used to enjoy the company of her children and their cheerfulness.

Conclusion

In conclusion, these two poems both depict the experiences of Latinas and how they vary across gender, class, and generation. It has been identified that life in Mexico is not as good as the life in the US, but there are disadvantages to everything. The poem Elena brought out the element of sacrifice. Most Mexicans move to the United States because of the vast availability of opportunities and resources to attain the 'American Dream.' This is a case seen by the Mexican mother. In as much as she was able to get a good life where her children got enrolled in an American school, she lost the connection she had with them. As for the Mexican woman, she had to risk getting caught and humiliated by the patrol agent as she pursued her dreams to get to the US and have a better life.

Works Cited

Mays, Kelly J., editor. The Norton Introduction to L...