Civil Liberties By Ricardo De Ungria Analysis

At first, one might find that Civil Liberties by Ricardo de Ungria offers nothing more than the tension between two people from different classes. The dramatic situation seems to just show a minority that is being treated unfairly by a mailman and the confrontation, or lack thereof, that follows. However, through further analysis of Ungria’s diction and the figurative language, it becomes clear that there’s a more specific tension which reflects a bigger conflict in the society the poem is set in. The tension that lies the manner locals in other countries treat Filipinos is the main subject matter. Through the different elements, images, and figurative languages the poet utilizes, his statement on it is made clearer; regardless of the racial …show more content…
When they chance upon each other, the environment immediately turns tense for both of them. The looks that this American throws at him are illustrated by the persona as derogatory, seeing as the persona interpreted them to translate as insults and verbal abuse. As seen in lines 13-14, the mailman’s looks apparently signify that he believes Filipinos, like the persona, are just meant to take this treatment. What makes this more interesting is that the mailman is not exactly a person of power or privilege. Being a black man in a country that is dominated by white privilege makes him a minority as well. However, he still carries a sense of superiority as an American, regardless of his racial profile. In the line “We got us work to do, boy”, it’s apparent that the mailman doesn’t see himself as a fellow minority; instead, when facing the Filipino, he identifies as part of the whole which is the dynamic of the American community that he implies the Filipino is getting in the way …show more content…
In lines 21-22, they look at each other and understand. Nevertheless, it isn’t an understanding fashioned by their common ground as minorities, but an understanding of their resentment towards one another. The emphasis on “hard” when they smile at each other indicates that they’re forcing themselves to be civil towards each other. It can also be said that these fake smiles and politeness is what’s behind the personification that follows; “hi’s that stab/ in the back”. Then again, using “stab in the back” can also refer to the betrayal their mutual discrimination carries. The phrase “stagger to opposite doors” in the last line highlights this. They are both minorities fighting similar battles and staggering with that burden on; the fact that they should be fighting a larger system that works against them is makes their hate towards each other come off as a “betrayal” to what could have been an