I will begin my exploration into José Olivarez’s work with his poem “Tradition”, which dives deep into themes of cultural stereotypes, misconceptions, and oppression that the author and his people have experienced throughout his Hispanic lineage.
The first thing that stood out to me when reading the poem was the clear and powerful phrases that Olivarez uses to grab and inform the reader of the historical oppression that Mexicans have faced in the past. He includes the phrases “submerged under empire” and “dyed by blood & gun powder” to give the readers a picture of the conditions that the Mexicans were subject to. This is specifically important to the work as a whole because it is based on cultural identity and heritage, and a big aspect of those themes is stories and experiences being passed down through generations. By including this vivid narration Olivarez is effectively encompassing what it means to have a rich cultural heritage. Not only did this stand out to me but it is also the most clear and understandable information in the poem, as complex comparisons and relationships are presented by the author in an attempt to deepen the understanding of a strong cultural identity that is present and alive even though they were looked down upon and controlled in the past.
The very first few sentences of the poem seem the most troubling for me to understand. It begins by introducing stories about how Mexicans “grew” out of the dirt, and then says “we weren’t Mexicans back then”. This line confuses me because I don’t understand the idea of saying that they weren’t Mexicans. I think this isn’t very clear to understand because the poem dives deep into a lot of intricacies about Mexican culture and heritage, and adding these reflections about internal identity can be complex for the reader to navigate and interpret correctly. I think he may be saying that the Mexican people didn’t feel alive or feel like themselves in the past. Still, I’m not sure because he is talking about stories in the sentence before, and I don’t know if he is denouncing a false statement and judgment or if he is sharing his own view on the past. Although confusing to me, I believe that it does contribute to the theme throughout the poem of cultural identity and trying to embrace who you are individually and as a people.
I think lines 6 and 7 were originally hard to understand in this poem, because even though the meaning is important to the message of the poem, the individual comparisons between the Mexican people and different objects is slightly cryptic and complex. On the first read, sentences like “maybe we grew out of the dirt”, “maybe agave is our sibling”, and “maybe mountains our mother.” made no sense to me and the connection to themes of oppression and resilience against it didn’t make sense to me. After a little research, I found out that these sentences are good representations and act as symbols of Mexican culture. “Maybe we grew out of dirt” takes on a double meaning in this case, stating that the Mexican culture came up from being covered and oppressed (under the dirt), but also dirt can act as a symbol for the impact that crops and food has on the culture. Agave serves as an important source of food, beverage, and medicine in Mexican culture, so comparing it to being “our sibling” means they are closely connected with it. And the mountains that sprawl across Mexico are a defining feature that shapes and molds their way of life. These are things I have learned and picked up after spending more time with the poem.
Although I don’t have much in common with the author or the text for that matter, I can somewhat relate to the culture theme in the poem, being a young jewish man. There are always stereotypes floating around that have been pushed in the past, whether that has to do with having certain professions or certain body features, but in the end it is just about sticking up for your people and learning how to embrace your own identity. Although I would not consider myself heavily religious or influenced by Judaism, I have appreciated the culture and values that come with the religion and have made them a part of who I am, similar to what Olivarez describes in this poem.
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