Thursday, June 15, 2006

Poem: Tino Villanueva, “Haciendo Apenas la Recoleccion”

Poetry Reader/Discussion Leader: Cherie Correa

Tino Villanueva (1941- present), “Haciendo Apenas la Recoleccion”

I.                     Biographical Information

A.     Born in San Marcos, TX

B.     Family of migrant workers—moved a lot

C.    Drafted into Army 1963—Panama Canal Area

D.    In early 1970’s his poems became part of The Chicano Literary Renaissance

E.     He has won various awards

F.     He continues to teach, lecture, and research at Boston University

http://www.library.txstate.edu/swwc/archives/
writers/villanueva.html

II.                   His Writing (in general)

A.     He is known for combining English and Spanish in his works

B.     His works are known for portraying the tension, as well as the “richness” of being part of or between two different cultures

III.                  Poem Reading (191)

A.     Title—Barely Making the Recollection

B.     In this poem, Villanueva seems ambivalent about his past. At first, he talks about how he has been trying to free himself from his identity, but no matter how hard he tries, he cannot let it go. As Villanueva traces his life across the state of Texas, one gains the sense of how this route has become a part of him.

C.    There were places where he felt watched over, as well as places where he felt isolated.

D.    By the end of the poem, Villanueva seems to accept his past and realizes the rest of his life will be different.

Question: How does this poem compare with the immigrant / minority literature?

IV.               Objectives

A.     Objective 2- To chart the dynamics, variations, and stages of the immigrant narrative

      There is a sense of a journey, not from Old World to New, but similar to Allos moving for work.

      Character by generation: 2^nd generation-divided between home culture and new culture  (issue with name)

Question: We have read about characters who want to become Americanized and forget their family’s culture. Sometimes guilt is expressed (Hector), but that is not the case with Villanueva. What does the first stanza reveal about Villanueva’s thoughts?

V.                 Objective 1- American Dream

Question: Where does the tone of this poem shift? What purpose does the shift serve?

Final thoughts/comments?