In the opening of Bodega Dreams, Ernesto Quiñonez uses a piece of Pedro Pietri’s Puerto Rican Obituary. Readers may question the relationship between these two pieces of literature, but a deeper understanding of Pietri can help to demonstrate the relationship between the two works.
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| Pedro Pietri |
One of Pietri’s significant contributions to Puerto Rican literature was his help in co-founding the Nuyorican Poets Café. Though it originally began in the living room of house, it is now a nonprofit organization on the Lower East Side. The Café holds artistic performances including poetry slams, music, dance, visual arts, etc. It has become a place to share the Nuyorican experience and listen to each other. The art expresses provocative opinions and ideas that allow for discussion and reflection.
Pietri’s publications include Illusions of a Revolving Door: Plays (1992), The Masses are Asses (1984), and Traffic Violations (1983). His work is also in various anthologies. In these works, Pietri appeals to ethnic pride and attempts to define the Nuyorican experience. His works are deeply political as he identifies with the marginalized underclass using subversive messages. Pietri critiques broken social promises and provides a counterbalance to the idealized American Dream.
Quiñonez uses Pietri’s poetry in Bodega Dreams. Pietri’s poem explores dreams and the unfulfilled dream that each Puerto Rican is seeking through hard work. In Bodega Dreams, Bodega has similar visions and ideas that are both unfulfilling and ultimately meaningless. Both works portray a sense of helpless as the authors discuss illegal ways of making money on the street and the impossibility of being satisfied through chasing the “American Dream.” There is also an emphasis on the need for Puerto Ricans to find their voice and pride in their own identity in order to truly appreciate and better themselves.
Photo courtesy of http://phatitude.org/online/tributes/pedro-pietri/
Rebecca,
ReplyDeleteI appreciate the historical background you give of the Nuyorican Poets Cafe; however, I am puzzled as to what "poetry slams" are. Have you ever been to one? What did you think?
Second, being a religious person I am appalled that a church building was used for gang activity. Personally, I think it speaks volumes of how much secularism our culture has embraced over the years that even a humble church is no longer safe. This is a tragedy.
Finally, I'd like to comment on the American Dream. I've seen this slowly evolve over time with each passing decade in my multiple history courses. During the Revolution, the "American Dream"if on existed, was to live a life free from tyranny. Fast-forward to the present and you see a different version: many Americans just wanting to live a hard-working life and see their children succeed in college. Yet with different institutions of racism, classism, and sexism this never comes to be reality for many. Have you seen the American Dream change over time, and is the American Dream fluid for all races, classes, and sexes?
Beccs: Awesome picture. So vivid and descriptive of the role Pietri played.
ReplyDeleteNow, I'd like to respond to Zach. A poetry slam is an event where people perform their poems for an audience. It puts a lot of emphasis on the flow and the delivery of the words. It's different from an "open mic" because it is less about poet support and more about audience entertainment and competition. Of course, I'm no expert.
Secondly, Zach, as a religious person, I am appalled that you are appalled that a church building was used by a group attempting to bring about change--helping the hungry, thirsty, poor and downtrodden. Isn't that what the Church stands for?
Becca, even though I also researched Pietri, I really enjoyed reading you blog post. It is so cool that there are people out there such as Pietri, but in mainstream American culture, we never hear about them. It's crazy that Puerto Rican obituary was written in English, and it is still not as widely known as I would like. And, I'm not sure if you've looked at my blog, but I used your post this week as the link for Pedro Pietri.
ReplyDeleteBecca, as Rikki notes, this blog post is a great resource for our class. Thanks for doing such a thorough job on Pietri!
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