Pat Mora, “La Migra” UA 367-368.

Reader: Kyle Phillips

Pat Mora is an award winning author of poetry, essays and children's books. She lives in her native of El Paso, Texas, where her grand parents had immigrated to during the Mexican Revolution. She received her Bachelors and Masters from the University of Texas in El Paso. In 1994, she received a National Endowments for the Arts Creative Writing Fellowship in poetry, and in 1986 was awarded a Kellogg National Fellowship which allowed her to study the importance of preserving languages and traditions , nationally and internationally.

She once wrote, "Quien habla dos lenguas, vale por dos." which is translated into English as "If you speak two languages, your value is doubled."

"Tomas and the Library Lady" was Pat's first children's book to be accepted for publication in 1989 and yet it was not published until 1997. The illustrations slowed the process down, as Morta was demanding of the illustrator. The finalized book used illustrations from the third illustrator, as the first two illustrators' work was deemed unacceptable by Morta..

Pat Mora also hosts a Public Radio talk show titled "Voices. The Mexican-American Perspective" which focuses on issues relating to the Mexican/Hispanic and Mexican American experience.

Objectives:

2c "Quick Check" on minority status: What is the individual's or groups relation to the law or the dominant cultures institutions? Does the law (border patrol) make things better or worse?

3c Mexican-American narrative. "The Ambivalent Minority"

As individuals or families who come to America for economic gain but suffer social dislocation, some Mexican Americans exemplify the immigrant culture On the other hand, much of Mexico's historic experiences with the USA resembles the experience of the Native Americans. Much of the USA, including Texas, was once a part of Mexico, which confuses the issue of immigration by a Mexican national to an area once a part of Mexico.

5a To discover the power of poetry and fiction to help others hear the minority voice and vicariously share the minority experience.

5c To regard literacy as the primary code of modern existence and a key or path to empowerment.

5f To generalize the "Dominant-Minority" relation to philosophical or syntactic categories of "Subject & Object", in which the "subject" is self-determining and active in terms of "voice and choice" while the "object" is acted upon passive, or spoken for rather than acting and speaking.

7b To observe shifting names and identities of the dominant culture in relation to different minority cultures.

Interpretation of Poem

This is a simple poem. It relates to the age old issues associated with power and control. The fact that the main character is a woman, adds to this power/control dynamic by the addition of the double minority, and the other character a being a man of the dominant culture, makes it that much more obvious.. Halfway through the poem the dynamics are changed, as the experience of the woman in the desert and her familiarity of the area, and the unfamiliarity of the border patrol of the area, implies that she is actually from this area. An area that she is now considered an "illegal alien". The patrol officer is lost, implying his lack of familiarity, therefore NOT belonging. Unfortunately, over 700 illegal immigrants have died in the last year trying to cross our borders from lack of water. Reality has a way of creeping into even the most idealistic of concepts. The way that Mora presents this complicated issue as a children's game oversimplifies a very complex problem. Illegal immigration is a HUGE issue.. Good people are passing away in the desert, simply trying to better themselves and their families. In some respect, the poem is could be considered irresponsible. Irresponsible in the fact that by the end of the year, probably close to 1000 people are going to die attempting to cross the US border, into the US, illegally. What is the role of the border agent in protecting these immigrants? Had these people been found by border agents, would they still be alive? .

There will always be issues of control and power with all figures of authority. Not all officers of the law are bad. Not all are good. It is illegal to come to America without going through the proper channels. In my mind, this is an issue of National Security. The borders simply cannot be wide open. Strengthen the border, fewer people are going to die. Open the border, and national security is at risk. This poem is idealistic, biased and oversimplified.

Questions:

As a second generation US citizen, is she qualified to describe the plight of illegal immigrants?

What besides the power/control dynamic does this poem bring to bear?

What importance lies in the fact that the protagonist of the story is a woman?

Should all immigrants to the US be undocumented?