The Suffering Of Living In The Borderlands To live in the borderlands means you is a poem written by Gloria Anzaldua who was born in 1942 in the state of Texas. A border, as Anzaldua states, “is a dividing line, a narrow strip along a steep edge” (Anzaldua 25). Created by the unnatural separation, a borderland is a harsh and unfriendly place. In Anzaldua’s poem, the borderland refers to the Texas-US. Southwest/ Mexican border geographically. At the same time, it is used reputedly as an extended metaphor for all types of crossings: “sexual transgressions, social dislocations, and the crossing necessary to exist in multiple linguistic and cultural contexts” (Anzaldua 6). Through her poem, Anzaldua shows us the difficulty for hybridity to live
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Throughout the history of borderlands, majorities are formed due to invasion and colonization. Take Mexico as an example, it was first conquered by the Spaniards and Hernan Cortes (Anzadula 27). In the 1800s, Anglos migrated illegally into Texas and their illegal invasion forced Mexico to fight a war. Nevertheless, Tejanos (native Texans of Mexican descent) lost their land and become the foreigners (Anzadula 28). In 1846, the U.S invaded and occupied Mexico, forcing her to give up almost half of her nation (Anzadula 29). In consequence of those wars, aborigines died and their families broke down. “… caught in the crossfire between camps” demonstrates the unsafe environment of borderlands where people are likely to be shot in the crossfire (Anzadula 216). What’s more, “the pull of the gun barrel, and the rope crushing the hollow of your throat” also reveals the struggle hybrids are facing in their daily life from tough resistance (Anzadula 216). Even “the mill with the razor white teeth wants to shred off your olive-red skin”, becoming a threaten to hybrids’ survival (Anzadula …show more content…
They do not know exactly where is their home and which races they belong to. Anzadula, as one of them, does not know the precise race she fits in. She claims that to live in the borderlands means she is neither a Spanish woman, nor an India, nor white. Thus, she is a mixed breed without a clearly defined identity (Anzadula 216). She exposes her confusion and helplessness by mentioning “while carrying all five races on your back, not knowing which side to turn to, run from” (Anzadula 216). Identity is important for one’s self-awareness. Without a defined identity and culture, people will feel like something has been missing. However, it is extremely complicated or even impossible for people who are from so diverse backgrounds to trace their roots. In the poem, Anzadula describes her personal feeling when living in the borderlands: “crush out the kernel, your heart, pound you, pinch you, roll you out” (Anzadula 217). She uses kernel to imply the heart, the most fragile portion of one’s body. The vivid depiction presents how hybrids are being tortured on the way of searching for their origin and the disappointment after each failure. According to Anzadula, she deems that she does not fit anywhere. On account of no sense of belongingness, people, like her, are in constant struggles with themselves. Although they are in their homeland, they are always feeling left
Throughout the history of borderlands, majorities are formed due to invasion and colonization. Take Mexico as an example, it was first conquered by the Spaniards and Hernan Cortes (Anzadula 27). In the 1800s, Anglos migrated illegally into Texas and their illegal invasion forced Mexico to fight a war. Nevertheless, Tejanos (native Texans of Mexican descent) lost their land and become the foreigners (Anzadula 28). In 1846, the U.S invaded and occupied Mexico, forcing her to give up almost half of her nation (Anzadula 29). In consequence of those wars, aborigines died and their families broke down. “… caught in the crossfire between camps” demonstrates the unsafe environment of borderlands where people are likely to be shot in the crossfire (Anzadula 216). What’s more, “the pull of the gun barrel, and the rope crushing the hollow of your throat” also reveals the struggle hybrids are facing in their daily life from tough resistance (Anzadula 216). Even “the mill with the razor white teeth wants to shred off your olive-red skin”, becoming a threaten to hybrids’ survival (Anzadula …show more content…
They do not know exactly where is their home and which races they belong to. Anzadula, as one of them, does not know the precise race she fits in. She claims that to live in the borderlands means she is neither a Spanish woman, nor an India, nor white. Thus, she is a mixed breed without a clearly defined identity (Anzadula 216). She exposes her confusion and helplessness by mentioning “while carrying all five races on your back, not knowing which side to turn to, run from” (Anzadula 216). Identity is important for one’s self-awareness. Without a defined identity and culture, people will feel like something has been missing. However, it is extremely complicated or even impossible for people who are from so diverse backgrounds to trace their roots. In the poem, Anzadula describes her personal feeling when living in the borderlands: “crush out the kernel, your heart, pound you, pinch you, roll you out” (Anzadula 217). She uses kernel to imply the heart, the most fragile portion of one’s body. The vivid depiction presents how hybrids are being tortured on the way of searching for their origin and the disappointment after each failure. According to Anzadula, she deems that she does not fit anywhere. On account of no sense of belongingness, people, like her, are in constant struggles with themselves. Although they are in their homeland, they are always feeling left