"Take the tortillas out of your poetry" is a poem that challenges the notion of what it means to be a "Latino poet." In the poem, Anaya suggests that Latino poets should not feel obligated to include stereotypical cultural references in their work, such as tortillas, sombreros, or flamenco dancers. Instead, he encourages poets to write about their personal experiences and to use the English language to express themselves in a way that feels authentic and true. Anaya uses several rhetorical strategies to make his point. One of the most prominent is repetition. He repeats the phrase "Take the tortillas out of your poetry" multiple times throughout the poem, emphasizing the idea that Latino poets should not feel constrained by cultural expectations.