"Martin Espada" - Martin Espada Essay 2/13/14

*Note: The below essay was handed in on time as a hard copy.

Martin Espada is a brilliant poet whose work showcases many types of power imbalance, inequality, and disrespect. He also writes about the issues with privilege and racism. Three of his poems, “Mexicanos Lynched in Santa Cruz, California, May 3, 1877”, “Revolutionary Spanish Lesson”, and “The New Bathroom Policy at English High School”, all depict examples of different types of power struggle. They can be between different groups or between two singular people. He addresses how power can give separate people different feelings, such as confidence and intimidation. The poems explain how power evokes these contrasting emotions, as well as the different reasons why people crave power.

In Espada's “The New Bathroom Policy at English High School”, the emotion shown through the principal is discomfort and unease at not being the one in power. An example of this are the lines “The only word he recognizes / is his own name / and this constipates him”. This shows that the principal feels uncomfortable because the students are the ones holding power over him. Even though they could be saying anything, the chance that they are badmouthing him when he doesn't understand their words is too great for him to sit still and let his students have their freedom. Another instance of this are the lines “So he decides / to ban Spanish / in the bathrooms / Now he can relax”. This explains that power can be an addiction, almost – the only way the principal can be calm is to hold power.

The poem “Revolutionary Spanish Lesson” displays how being disrespected can make one crave power. This is particularly noticeable in the lines “hijack a busload / of Republican tourists / from Wisconsin, / force them to chant / anti-American slogans / in Spanish”. It proves that, when deprived of some power over others, someone can want to go to drastic measures to ensure they do not go unnoticed. Another example of this are the lines “and wait / for the bilingual SWAT team / to helicopter overhead, / begging me / to be reasonable.”. This shows that, even if someone tries to take power from someone else, they will never have real power because of a certain group they are in. It also shows that power can make someone feel equal to, or at a higher ranking than other people, even though it might be just an illusion.

Finally, “Two Mexicanos Lynched in Santa Cruz, California, May 3, 1877” shows how power can drive a person to do horrifying things. This is evidenced in the lines “a high-collar boy smirking, some peering / from the shade of bowler hats, but all / crowding into the photograph.”. This brings to life the meaning of the poem: that, even more terrifying than the grotesque, inhumane practices depicted in the photographs is the fact that all the people wanted to be remembered for committing this crime, as if it were something to be congratulated for. It's horrifying that this is what they BELIEVE, and that they can get away with it due to their power. Another stanza from the poem that is true to this meaning is “More than the moment / when forty gringo vigilantes / cheered the rope / that snapped two Mexicanos / into the grimacing sleep of broken necks,”. This shows that the moment after they murdered the people is more terrifying than the moment it happened, because they enjoyed the feeling of evoking fear and anguish in their viewers. In a way, they thrived off of that power.

Martin Espada's three poems all showcase different versions of power and the effects they have, but they all come together to say that a person can want power because they desire to finally have control over someone, because it gives them anxiety when they don't have it, or because they enjoy being able to make someone tremble with fright at the sight of them and be able to get away with heinous crimes due to their power. In the world today, these depictions exist in people who hold positions of power, such as teachers, politicians, and racial groups. Everyone has been on both sides of the struggle at one point or another, all for different reasons. When someone finds themselves in a position of power, they should try to look inside themselves and figure out why they want this and what it will do to them and others in the long run. If it will have some sort of negative effect on anyone, be it mentally or physically, they should rid themselves of their power, especially if they know they will be corrupted by it.