Martin Espada

In class we have recently read the poems "The New Bathroom Policy at English High School," "Revolutionary Spanish Lesson," and "Two Mexicanos Lynched in Santa Cruz, California, May 3, 1877," by Martin Espada. They all share a central theme—discrimination, prejudice, and ignorance towards another culture.

In "Revolutionary Spanish Lesson," a principal overhears a group of boys conversing in Spanish. He doesn't understand the language but recognizes his own name. He shows prejudice by making the assumption that the boys were speaking negatively about him, and banning Spanish in the bathrooms. He didn't bother to talk to the boys about what they had said. This is discriminatory towards all Spanish-speakers in the school, not just the boys in the bathroom, as he generalized the entire Latino/Hispanic population in the building instead of focusing on the boys. He assumed that all Spanish-speakers were in the wrong when it was only a few boys who may not have been speaking negatively about him in the first place. The discriminatory connotation of the principal's actions are central to the text.

In  "Revolutionary Spanish Lesson," The narrator says "whenever my name is mispronounced" implying that it is mispronounced often. While it is understandable that a name, especially if it is uncommon to the person saying it, will be mispronounced, continuing to mispronounce it after being corrected a number of times shows disrespect and flippancy towards the culture of that person. this is an example of discrimination, because it shows the unjust and prejudicial actions of not bothering to pronounce the name of an individual of a foreign culture. My name, Selena-Alicia Martínez, is often pronounced 'Sah-lee-na Ah-lee-sha Mart-in-ez' rather than 'Sah-lay-na Ah-lee-see-a Mart-een-ez.' While I know that usually it is purely accidental, I can understand the feelings of exasperation in Espada's poem. Continued mispronunciation is a form of disrespect, which is a form of discrimination, which can inspire the angry emotions present in this particular poem. The common mispronunciation of the narrator's name is a major theme in the poem.

The poem "Two Mexicanos Lynched in Santa Cruz, California, May 3, 1877," is about a group of men who lynched two people for the 'crime' of being native to another country. The "gringo vigilantes cheered the rope that snapped [the necks of] two Mexicanos," states the poem. This is a huge example of discrimination because it shows people judging others by ethnicity, something that no one can control about themselves and no one should be persecuted for, to an extent where they go so far as to kill them for their race. The abhorrence towards a person based on their origin is a huge main idea in this poem.

In conclusion, unjust and prejudicial treatment of people based on their ethnicity is a theme in all of the Martin Espada poems we read in class. Whether clearly stated or underlying, it is always evident.

The Vanishing Violin

I recently finished the second installment of The Red Blazer Girls Series, by Michael D. Beil. If I was pleasantly surprised by the first one I was astounded by the second. The plot was much more interesting, with richer and more believable character development, a wider variety of settings, and a plot filled with surprises and intrigue. An added bonus was the codes the girls had to decipher; they were extremely fascinating, and it was fun to try to decode them before the characters did. The writer also has a great sense of humor—the main character, Sophie St. Pierre, is hilariously honest in her narrations, and is such a funny, relatable character that more than once did I have to make an effort to not start laughing in the middle of a crowded subway car. I also love the books portrayal of the city, with its diverse and odd variety of people and places, from the small, musty violin shop run by a kind, aged Polish-man and and ex-convict who's favorite companion is the shiny button he carries everywhere to a small coffee shop who's one floor is partially submerged below street level, hosting a mixture of dilapidated couches and banged-up tables, arranged artfully on a sticky floor, commonly frequented by schoolgirls in vermillion blazers, who are served by baristas with oversize glasses or pink-streaked hair.

The case the girls are working on involves a twice-stolen missing violin, estimated to be worth tens—maybe hundreds—of thousands dollars. They are left a string of clues, each disguised in a different code, that will eventually lead them to the valuable instrument. I cannot WAIT for the next book—I'm excited to see how the story continues. I recommend it to everyone!

Cornelia and the Audacious Escapades of the Somerset Sisters

I was completely blown away by Cornelia and the Audacious Escapades of the Somerset Sisters, by Lesley M. M. Blume. It tells the story of Cornelia S. Engleheart, the lonely and, music-wise, untalented daughter of two world famous pianists. She lives in a beautiful apartment in Greenwich, and sees more of her French maid and cook than her mother. Having no interests in common with her classmates, Cornelia spends her time sleeping, eating, going to school, and—of course—reading. Her room is filled with shelves overflowing with an over abundance of books, arming her with a vocabulary she uses as a weapon—large words, she finds, generally ensure that people leave her alone.

That is until Virginia Somerset elderly and vivacious, accompanied by Patel, her friend and caretaker and tiny black French Bulldog, moves into the apartment next door, a masterpiece in itself with rooms themed after places she has visited–a silk hammock piled with elaborate pillows next to a large fountain placed between two palm trees rooted into the white marble floor serves as her Moroccan front hall. She invites Cornelia for tea. During this meeting Virginia tells her first story about her adventures traveling the world with her four audacious sisters when they were young. This visit kindles the spark of what grows to be a close friendship, involving daily visits where tales and tea are shared, between a isolated girl starving for affection and desperate for a friend, and a lively woman pleased by the companionship of the lonely intelligent girl who lives in the apartment next door. It was beautifully written and portrayed how friendship can transcend age and *Spoiler Alert* death.

Masterpiece

Earlier this year I read Shakespeare's Secret, by Elise Broach. I really enjoyed it, so a few days ago I chose to read Masterpiece, by the same author. Masterpiece tells the story of Marvin. Marvin is a beetle, living with his family in a hollowed out corner of the cupboard in the kitchen of James, son of Mrs. Pompaday and step-son of Mr. Pompaday. When James, who is constantly ignored and under-appreciated by his family, receives a fountain pen and ink from his artist father, he is exasperated. Marvin finds the art set and, by dipping his front legs into the ink, discovers that he can draw. The result is a breath-taking two-dimensional version of the outside view. Mrs. Pompaday sees the drawing and thinks her son is the artist. Soon James finds himself being compared to Albrecht Durer, the famous Renaissance artist, and becomes involved in a plot to help the Metropolitan Museum of Art recover several Durer masterpieces that have been stolen.

I didn't love the book as much as I did Shakespeare's Secret, as it wasn't as thematically or linguistically advanced, but it was a light, fun, easy to read story. I also happen to be a huge fan of books relating to museums and art heists, so I did especially enjoy those aspects of the book. I think people looking for a break between heavier, more advanced reads would particularly enjoy this.