Elena

Fiction | Poem | Adult | Published in 1984

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Summary

Background

Poem Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Literary Devices

Poetic Form and Structure

“Elena” is written in free verse, with no regular meter or rhyme pattern. Since the poem consists of words spoken by an immigrant woman with limited English skills, it logically employs simple diction (word choices) and sentence structure. The poem contains many simple declarative sentences limited to one line or less: “My Spanish isn’t enough” (Line 1); “I bought a book to learn English” (Line 12). Only three sentences span more than two lines. The first one (Lines 2-5) refers to the family’s old life in Mexico, and its complex structure, consisting of multiple clauses, reflects Elena’s original confidence before the family’s move to America. The middle part of the poem, where Elena explains her lack of English proficiency, is marked with brief, choppy sentences. However, once Elena has decided that she is tired of being embarrassed and must improve her English, her sentences become correspondingly more complex in both structure and meaning. The penultimate sentence, expressing Elena’s embarrassment, spans four lines (Lines 15-18), and the final sentence, stretching over five lines, is the longest sentence in the whole poem (Lines 18-22). The last and lengthiest sentence is also loaded with complex meaning, conveying Elena’s determination to turn her shy efforts at learning English into multifaceted personal growth as a mother and as a woman (see “Being Deaf” in Symbols & Motifs). Thus, the poem’s syntax reflects the speaker’s developing linguistic skills and increasing resolve.

Bilingualism

Many of Mora’s poems include phrases and sentences in Spanish, which reflects the bilingual and bicultural nature of the people whose lives her poems describe. In this poem, bilingualism is an explicit theme, so the inclusion of Spanish words is unsurprising. Elena recalls how back in Mexico her children used to say, “Vamos a pedirle dulces a mamá. Vamos” (Line 6). The sentence means, “Let’s ask mom for some sweets, c’mon.” Citing the kids’ words in Spanish emphasizes Elena’s nostalgia for those days when she had no difficulty understanding her children and giving them what they needed. “But that was in Mexico” (Line 7). The absence of any Spanish words (except Mamá) in the rest of the poem reflects the family’s efforts to assimilate into their new life and their adopted language. Elena quotes one of the children twice, but the second time the child’s words are both in proper English and more mature: “Mamá, he [the father] doesn’t want you / to be smarter than he is” (Lines 14-15). The statement reveals that the children have become more discerning and capable of being critical about their parents, as well as more confident mature in their English speaking. The Spanish sentence in Line 6 embodies their childhood desires, but speaking English marks their maturing into adults, hence Elena’s determination to follow in their bilingual footsteps.

Anaphora

Anaphora is a figure of speech in which words or phrases are repeated at the beginning of successive poetic lines. This literary device gives emphasis to the idea or emotion conveyed by the repeated words. The fact that Lines 16 and 17 both start with the word “embarrassed” highlights the intensity of Elena’s feelings as she observes (or imagines) that others are laughing at her poor English. In another instance, two consecutive lines begin with the word “My” (Lines 13 and 14). This may not be an intentional or typical use of anaphora, but since the first “My” refers to Elena’s husband and the second “My” to her oldest child, the repetition emphasizes the family connection (the husband and the child being two primary objects of Elena’s affection) even as these lines also express divergent views within the family. Elena’s husband frowns at her efforts to learn English, which the oldest child interprets as his fear that his wife might outperform him in that regard. It is worth noting that there are two more lines in the poem beginning with the word “My”: “My Spanish” (Line 1) and “my English book” (Line 19). On the literal level, “my” is simply a possessive adjective (as in “my purse”), but these are the only phrases in the poem in which “my” is not attached to Elena’s husband or children. In other words, the repetitive yet restrictive use of “my” suggests that Elena has two symbolic emotional investments that come close to the love she feels for her family. “My Spanish” (Line 1) embodies Elena’s love for her homeland and heritage while “my English book” (Line 19) stands for her determination not to allow the language barrier to diminish the bond she has with her children. The past and the future, the familiar and the unfamiliar, are bridged to form a new identity that grows and holds them both.