Latina Poetry as an Expression of Cultural Heritage

Read the passage from "Child of the Americas." I am not african. Africa is in me, but I cannot return. I am not taína. Taíno is in me, but there is no way back. I am not european. Europe lives in me, but I have no home there. How does the repetition of the phrase "I am not" help to establish the author's tone?

It expresses a confidence in her identity of mixed heritage.

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. How does the word "crossroads" help to develop the author's tone?

It is imagery that describes the merging of different cultures.

I am not african. Africa is in me, but I cannot return. I am not taína. Taíno is in me, but there is no way back. I am not european. Europe lives in me, but I have no home there. What does this passage reveal about the speaker of the poem?

It shows that she embraces all parts of her heritage by refusing to be classified as one in particular.

she is the Patroness of Exiles... who spends her days selling canned memories while listening to the Puerto Ricans complain that it would be cheaper to fly to San Juan than to buy a pound of Bustelo coffee here, and to Cubans perfecting their speech of a "glorious return" to Havana... to Mexicans who pass through, talking lyrically of dólares to be made in El Norte— The Puerto Ricans, Cubans, and Mexicans in the passage help to create the image that

Latin American culture is very diverse.

What imagery from "The Latin Deli: An Ars Poetica" helps develop the woman who runs the bodega as a "mother figure" to people of various ages and cultures?

She is a woman typically found in any "family portrait."

An immigrant and the daughter and granddaughter of immigrants. I speak English with passion: it's the tongue of my consciousness, a flashing knife blade of crystal, my tool, my craft. In this passage, what is the speaker's relationship with the English language?

She uses it naturally and with great skill because it is a part of her heritage.

Which excerpt from "Child of the Americas" contains imagery that expresses how language becomes part of the speaker's physical identity?

Spanish is in my flesh, ripples from my tongue, lodges in my hips:

Which excerpt from "The Latin Deli: An Ars Poetica" is an example of an allusion?

Suspiros, Merengues, the stale candy of everyone's childhood

How is the speaker's point of view in the poem "Child of the Americas" used to explore cultural identity?

The first-person point of view allows her to claim ownership of her own cultural identity.

all wanting the comfort of spoken Spanish, to gaze upon the family portrait of her plain wide face, her ample bosom resting on her plump arms, her look of maternal interest as they speak to her and each other of their dreams and their disillusions— Which best describes the role of the speaker?

The speaker is describing a scene in the third person as a sentimental observer.

Which of the following lines from "The Latin Deli: An Ars Poetica" best develops a longing for the past?

a "glorious return" to Havana—where no one / has been allowed to die and nothing to change until then

I am of Latinoamerica, rooted in the history of my continent: I speak from that body. In these two lines, the speaker is showing how

culture is embedded in a person's identity.

I am new. History made me. My first language was spanglish. I was born at the crossroads and I am whole. The author's word choice helps to reflect a tone of

pride.

I am Caribeña, island grown. Spanish is in my flesh, ripples from my tongue, lodges in my hips: the language of garlic and mangoes, the singing in my poetry, the flying gestures of my hands.

proud and expressive

I am Caribeña, island grown. Spanish is in my flesh, ripples from my tongue, lodges in my hips: the language of garlic and mangoes, the singing in my poetry, the flying gestures of my hands. The words "garlic and mangoes" in this passage are

sensory images illustrating the speaker's island heritage.

In the poem "The Latin Deli: An Ars Poetica," which description suggests that the speaker is fond of the shopkeeper?

the woman's look of maternal interest as others talk