Lines 1-10
1. Why do you think the poem is titled "Legal Alien"? What does this tells us about the narrator?
The speaker is telling us something about her identity - "legal alien" seems to mean she has legal status somewhere - probably the US.
How do different groups in the poem view the speaker? Provide examples from the poem.
Different groups consider the speaker American but not 100%. By "Anglos" she is "perhaps exotic." By Mexicans, she is "alien." To both groups she is "definitely different."
Why do you think the speaker feels like she needs to "mask the discomfort" (line 22)? What does this reveal about her experience?
The speaker need to "mask the discomfort" so she can continue to slide between 2 worlds.
What does "Bi-lingual, Bi-cultural" mean in the line 3? How do you think it connects to the speaker's experience?
Speaker is able to speak 2 languages and has experience in 2 cultures. While the speak is legal where ever she is, she has experienced being treated as different.
The speaker says she is "American but hyphenated." What do you think this means?
She is "hyphenated" meaning composed to 2 ideas and some how not pure.
The speaker uses the phrase "a handy token." What might this mean, and why do you think the speaker feels this way?
If she feels like a token it means she fits into a group only when it is beneficial for the people in that group. They decide when she can be a part of the group... they control when she is welcome.
In the poem, the speaker uses words like "exotic" (line 11) and "alien" (line 13). How do these words describe how others view the speaker?
The words exotic and alien indicate that the people around the speaker have labeled her somehow different.
Have you ever felt like you’re "between two worlds" like the speaker? If so, how does it make you feel?
BONUS!! Explain in your own words.
How does the imagery (like “sliding back and forth” and “masking the discomfort”) help you understand how the speaker feels about her identity?
The imagery in these phrases indicates the speaker accepts that she moves in and out of two world but she is not happy with herself about it.