Reading Response 10/06

Reading Response 10/6

Anne Waldman, author of “Fast Speaking Woman”, discusses the topic of women’s identity and the influence that poetry has on their lives. The author uses free association in her writing and represents herself and every other women in the list chant. She states, “I'm an abalone woman / I'm the abandoned woman / I'm the woman abashed, the gibberish woman / the aborigine woman, the woman absconding"(Waldman 172). Her use of anaphora shows a rhythmic pattern in the poem. The constant repetition of “I” in the beginning of each line is allowing her to influence other women to achieve their goals. She portrays the importance that society has on female gender. Waldman tries to incorporate all kinds of women in society in her writing. There is a sense of encouragement to all women in the poem to try to uplift themselves from their difficulties.

In "From Borderlands/La Frontera: The New Mestiza", Gloria Anzaldua begins with her own personal experiences of how she started writing poems and telling stories to her younger sister. Throughout the reading, Anzaldua talks about finding ones identity and how hard it can be. She is Mexican and American, so finding her own identity without losing the other is something that a lot of people can relate to. She brings together poetry, culture, and history to illustrate the borderlines of people who live between Mexico and the United States. She looks into culture at the physical and spiritual spaces that divides us.

The most common similarity between these two poems is the idea of women and self-identity. Waldman and Anzaldua both do a great job encouraging women in different societies. Both authors use a narrative point of view in their writing. I think their own experiences helped them write these pieces of literature. They both discuss how women face barriers in society and are enlightening other women about equality and freedom. They also show how language plays a huge role in forming ones identity. Living in a male dominated world can cause women to feel like they cannot succeed but Waldman and Anzaldua shows us that they can strive to show their importance in society.