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An Analysis Of 'Sonrisas' By Pat Mora

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Estella Ramble
Ms.Gatlin
English II DC-6th Period
24 September 2017

“Sonrisas” Bi-cultural Conflict
The poem “Sonrisas”by Pat Mora is a known poem, about a bicultural woman who finds herself living in two separate worlds, she stands in the middle of a doorway because she can't seem to fit into either one of the worlds being a bicultural character. Pat Mora, the author, is a successful poet who was born in El Paso Texas, she grew up being the oldest of 4 children in a bicultural home. Pat was a former teacher, university administrator, museum director, and consultant. She's a popular writer who promotes creativity and individuality and also incorporates it in her writings. Mora uses metaphors, onomatopoeias, assurance, and imagery to describe…show more content…
On one side of the room mora uses a onomatopoeia to describe the work place as very plain and quiet so quiet that you can hear the “quick clicks” (lines 2 and 3) of computer keys and coffee cups to stress the awkwardness of the environment she is in . Imagery is revealed of the woman wearing “crisp beige suits” (lines 6 and 7) dealing with “budget, tenure, curriculum”(lines 6 and 5) this example of assurance relates to being uptight and signifies the professional structure of the setting. Also because the speaker is involved in these intellectual conversation it mean she fits the character of the the woman in the first room well. Bicultural woman are basically being forced to put on a character to somewhat impress or prove something to both sides of their culture. Being externally restricted from any form of culture, “quick beige smiles that seldom sneaks into their eyes” sends an unreal feeling towards the woman's eyes and tells that genuine happiness is something that is rare. Although the speaker fits the status of the woman she describes in the first room she still feels lost because she is not able to express both sides of her…show more content…
Woman are dressed in “faded dresses”(line 11)this imagery is used to show that the women are less professional and in a lower class than the woman in the first room. They “stir sweet milk coffee”( line 11 and 12) and shush each other from laughing, although they are joyful they still try to contain themselves to maintain their cultural idea of always being serious. As Pat uses more complex imagery like “steam from fresh tamales” she appeals to the human sense “taste” to represent that she's feeling a little more homeliness and at ease. The author separates the two worlds to ensure the audience understands that in the second room there is more togetherness and the woman are more in tuned and enjoy each other's company more than the first room where the woman are more stern and independent. A difference in the woman's eyes are mentioned unlike the first room the woman “trap smiles in their dark Mexican eyes” it's almost as if the Mexican values is a stress reliever from the first room showing that it is important to reconnect with your Latino
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