Immigrants in Our Own Land by Jimmy Santiago Baca

The devices that I found......
Theme: Throughout the whole poem, like how Jessica stated in her blog, the narrator compares what immigrants, like himself, expected this "new land" would be like verses how it is actually like.
Tone and mood: The start of the poem is very hopeful and wishful. He goes on by saying, "We start of with dreams in our hearts, looking for better days ahead." At the end of the poem, however, the tone is disappointing and depressing because at the beginning of the poem they were about to go chase their dreams and setting high expectations but at the end, they were let down and their dreams were shattered. As a reader, the vibes I got from the poem was being able to understand/relate to what the narrator was going through because I know family members and friends who have gone/are going through the same things. The author also uses similes and metaphors to paint an image for the readers. For example, "they used common sense like scholars."
What I thought about the poem.......
I think learning about the authors backstory gave me a better perspective or had enhanced my mood of the poem even more. The first thing I noticed was not being able to tell if he knew how to read or write before this. It just shows that if you are really determined, you will achieve your goals. It was amazing to see how he improved and grew as a person throughout all the hardships. He writes about how other people come to this country with high hopes but then one they arrive, their expectations weren't met. Life really sucks at times. Most people get discouraged with life and breath just because. They don't do anything amazing with their lives. Other people can get discouraged at first but they take what life gives them as fuel for motivation to achieve their goals and dreams. Feeling sorry for yourself gets you no where. Being determined will get you out of bad situations and it is extremely helpful to look at life with a positive perspective. It was truly inspiring to see that the author completely changed his life around. In conclusion, I really enjoyed the poem. Usually I dread SOME poetry because in my opinion, it can be boring. Usually the typical older poetry about swans or nature really bores me but this poem is about REAL things. Things that many people, like me, can actually relate to.