“World’s Fair 2008” by José Olivarez and “El Olvido” by Judith Ortiz Cofer (1987)
Both of these poems reflect on the ideas of cultural heritage and having a distinct identity, which Olivarez and Cofer both incorporate into their work in unique ways. They both utilize intentional syntactical choices while including charged language that creates imagery to convey their experiences and message.
In both poems, the poet uses unique ways of line spacing and enjambment to enhance the effect of the message. Olivarez stairs the first 15 lines of his poem to create the effect of continuation of thought, and that everything he is saying is building on top of each other in terms of his expectations for the fair. Midway through the downward staircase, Olivarez writes, “hope to hear gunshots / at least police sirens / or an ambulance” (lines 9 – 11). This is an example of the expectations that Olivarez has for the fair as the staircase continues. These lines and many more combine together to show the effect that because of his heritage and culture, he expected more / different things to happen at the fair, but in reality it was less violent and more peaceful than he preconceived. He had heard so much about the so-called “hood”, and the traditions and lifestyle that he thought accompanied it, so he thought that the fair would be dangerous and not organized well or civilized, but he was proven wrong. The effect caused by the syntax of the poem can be compared to how Cofer uses line enjambment in her poem. Cofer includes at the beginning of the poem that it is dangerous, “to choke out the voices of dead relatives / when in dreams they call you / by your secret name.” (lines 3-5) The lack of punctuation between these lines creates the effect of a run-on thought, and reinforces the creepy and scary feeling when Cofer was trying to neglect or let go of her past heritage. This connects to the theme of cultural heritage, and aspects of their past holding on to people.
Both poems also relay imagery on the audience through the use of charged language and feeling-provoking words. In Olivarez’s writing, he is describing the food he experienced at the World’s Fair, and really helps the reader imagine what it was like with his descriptive language. He writes, “want some ethnic food / real authentic genuine ethic / no forks / get the grease / all on your fingertips” (lines 3 – 7) This description enables the reader to picture this food in front of them, and how messy it would be to try to eat it without using utensils, just their hands. This reinforces the effect of the imagery on understanding the food that is consumed in Olivarez’s culture. In Cofer’s poem, instead of describing food or the presence of culture, she uses imagery to show the lack of culture and what happens when you step away from your heritage. She describes this place as being , “a bare, cold room with no pictures on the walls,” (line 14) which uses sense-provoking adjectives to paint the room as a place someone would not want to be. Additionally, “no pictures on the walls” refers to not remembering or celebrating someone’s heritage or culture, and therefore the room is barren and cold without them. This shows the author’s nervousness and fear of ending up in a bad place if she lets go of her heritage. Both of these authors incorporate powerful imagery in their poems to support their central themes of the poem and get across their thoughts and reflections of culture and heritage.
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