Luis Rodriguez Race Politics Essay

Luis J. Rodriguez Essay In the poem, “‘Race’ Politics,” Luis J. Rodriguez it is about the author and his brother crossing over the border from Watts to Southgate. Southgate is a all white all american community that treats the two brothers as lesser because of their different race and where they had come from. The purpose of this poem is to use syntax, connotation, and imagery to help enhance the writing for the readers. There are many different uses of imagery used in this poem. Imagery effects this poem, because the poet uses it to give us an image and help us to interpret the poem in the way he sees it. For example there is imagery used in lines 50 to 53, ”on the hot asphalt; melted gum and chips of broken beer bottles on my lips and cheek,” (Rodriguez). I feel that the effect that these lines could have on the reader is that is could help the readers imagine the pain that the author had felt at that moment. There is also use of imagery in the lines 19 to 23, “climbing over the iron and wood ties, over discarded sofas

I feel that connotation had an effect on the poem, because it helps give the poem more emotion, and helps the readers understand better how the author was feeling. One example is in lines 40 to 42, “six and nine-from Watts no less. Oh, this was plenty reason to hate us,” (Rodriguez). These lines can show the readers the emotion of the poet, these words are words of sarcasm and anger meaning that the author doesn’t really believe that these were good reasons to hate them at all. Also, in lines 1-3, ““My brother and I -shopping for la jefita- decided to get the “good food”,” (Rodriguez). These lines in the poem help show the readers how the author and his brother had a good relationship relationship with their mother and had cared about her to get “good quality” food. To sum it up, the use of connotation in this story was to help the readers understand how the author felt throughout the