The Contract Says: We’d Like the Conversation to Be Bilingual

Fiction | Poem | Adult | Published in 2018

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Summary

Background

Poem Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Literary Devices

Symbols & Motifs

The Funders

The speaker of the poem introduces “the funders” (Line 3) in the second stanza, adding higher stakes to the contractual agreement between the writer and publisher from the onset of the poem. Limón uses the funders as a symbol of white supremacy, asserting that, in order to gain funding for their writing, the author must comply to any and all conditions set by those in power. The funders represent power and the wealth it takes to maintain that power, exposing the divide that exists between writers of color and large, predominantly white institutions like that of the publishing industry (see: Contextual Analysis).

The Poncho

The poncho is a well-known sleeveless garment with unsewn sides and a space for the head to pass through. This clothing item has origins in South America, namely Peru. However, Western media most commonly associates the poncho with Mexico. Old Hollywood westerns portrayed Mexican Americans as an ethnic monolith: a group of people who are all thought of to be and act the same. The poncho was one of many ways media portrayed the Latinx community as other in their predominantly white casts of characters (see: Further Reading & Resources). Limón uses this history to represent the continued racism Mexican Americans face as a result of these inaccurate, stereotypical portrayals in her poem “The Contract Says: We’d Like the Conversation to be Bilingual.” The speaker of the poem continues to assume the author’s (Limón’s) father is a thief, “stealing hubcaps” (Line 17) and “wearing a poncho” (Line 20). The image of the poncho returns time and time again, revealing to readers through an ironic slant that the inclusion efforts of large companies is performative, based on stereotype and not authentic lived experiences articulated by those in the communities.

The All-American Identity

The motif of the all-American identity is synonymous with whiteness in Limón’s “The Contract Says: We’d Like the Conversation to be Bilingual,” revealing the harmful “us versus them” dichotomy at play throughout the entire poem. The speaker of the poem asserts that Limón cannot write stories where she is “just like us” (Line 12) and should refrain from mentioning that members of her family were “teachers, spoke English, loved / making beer, loved baseball” (Lines 23-24). This condition placed on Limón’s writing assumes whiteness as the American standard, reducing Limón and, by proxy, any writer of color to the white perception of themselves. Limón uses the motif of the all-American identity to show the lack of intersectional nuance that exists in spaces like the publishing industry. Limón uses irony to implore readers to make an honest effort in understanding the circumstances someone else was born into, whether those circumstances look different or very similar to your own.