Key Questions
What lines does the poet repeat in the poem? Why does the poet repeat these lines?
The speaker repeats these lines to emphasize that they are influenced and split between two different places, languages and cultures.
What imagery does the poet include? (Think of all 5 senses.)
"my mouth still tastes of oranges with chile"
"I didn’t build this border that halts me the word fro tera splits on my tongue"
Where does the speaker feel like she is from?
Both Mexico and L.A.
Why does the poet write in two different languages?
By switching between languages, she emphasizes the feeling of being "in between" cultures and the constant negotiation of one's identity when asked the question "Where you from?"
How does repetition contribute to the meaning in the poem?
The poet repeats the lines "where you from?/ soy de aquí/ y soy de allá" (23-25) This refrain is used to reveal the speaker's curiosity about other people's identity and to reveal that they identify as being "from here / and from there" (3–4). This repeated phrase brings the reader back to the poet's main message in the poem as the speaker explains how they navigate their dual identity. This is the only phrase in the poem that has a direct English translation, which is done to help develop the central theme of the poem. Yet the speaker seems to feel like they belong in both places when they repeatedly state that they are from both places. Gina Valdés also divides the word fronteras, meaning border, into "fron/teras" (18-19) and "fron/tera" (29-30) to repeat the idea that the speaker feels split between their two identities by this border.
What is the meaning of the poem?
This poem is about being from two different places, and feeling as though you are split between those places.
Why is the poet's use of Spanish and English impactful to the overall meaning of the poem? Cite evidence from the text to support your answer.
Gina Valdés uses Spanish and English interchangeably in the poem to reveal an important piece of the speaker's identity. The speaker says that they are "from here/ and from there" (3-4) and "Soy de aquí/ y soy de allá" (1-2). The speaker moves seamlessly between the two languages to reveal that both languages are a part of them and their identity. The speaker says "crecí en L.A./ y en Ensenada" (8-9) to state that they feel like they grew up both in California and in Mexico. This is impactful because they feel like they are from multiple places and both cultures are an important part of their identity. The speaker goes on to use Spanish and English interchangeably in a stream of consciousness throughout the poem which develops the lyrical quality of the poem They say "my mouth/ still tastes/ of naranjas/ con chile" (10-13) to evoke the sense of taste and reveal that the speaker craves pieces of her Mexican identity as she moves seamlessly between English and Spanish.
True. The poem does not rhyme and has uneven line lengths.
How does the poet structure the poem? Why does Gina Valdés structure it this way?
Gina Valdés makes a number of structural choices to convey the speaker's thoughts and stream of consciousness in the poem. Valdés writes her entire poem in one stanza and just puts a few words on each line. Yet, the speaker's thoughts extend beyond a singular line in the poem. Valdés doesn't include punctuation at the end of the speaker's thoughts to reveal their stream of consciousness as they write interchangeably in two languages. Lastly, Valdés intentionally splits "fron/tera" (29-30) on multiple lines in the poem. This conveys that the speaker feels split and doesn't like the division between their identities.
What question does the speaker keep getting asked?
Where You From?
Provide an example of "enjambment" in the poem.
"Crossing bor ders crossing"
"the word fro tera splits"