Elena by Pat Mora

Insoo Cho
Prof. Raquel Corona
English 102

How did you respond to this poem emotionally?  Which words caused your emotional response and pull to this poem to be so strong?  Discuss the general premise of the poem:  what is happening? Why did this particular experience speak to you as a reader?

The sorrow of being an immigrant is clearly illustrated in the poem Elena by Pat Mora. Elena, a devoted mother, feels distant from her beloved children due to language barriers, which is probably the hardest thing a parent can go through. As a 1.5 generation immigrant myself, I know exactly what she feels and my heart bleeds for her. I've experienced the same feeling of isolation when I first started attending school here for the first time. During the first year or so, just like Elena, I felt dumb and alone.

Being surrounded by words that cannot be interpreted made me feel insecure and lost. I felt as if I was blindly illiterate. Then the feeling of degeneration, losing the ability to understand due to the language barriers, invoked shyness and low self-esteem, which are traits which I would never have imagined myself having back in Korea.

Clearly, like Elena’s children, I was in a better situation than Elena - having the luxury of a supportive family and school friends, as well as an environment to learn. But where I can relate to Elena is on an emotional level, illustrated when she expresses her strong emotion of being “embarrassed at mispronouncing words” and “embarrassed at the laughter of my children” in line 16 of the poem. This is something that I still struggle with to this day, and something I realize that I cannot easily and quickly overcome.

But Elena does try and she is determined to learn and adapt. Without any support from her jester kids or her grumpy husband, she tries to overcome the obstacle of her life for the sake of her children.

The portrayal of determination by Elena affected me very strongly, because it reminded me of my parents who also pushed through the hardships of language and cultural barriers to provide better education and environment for their children, for my siblings and me. Sometimes it saddens me to see their well intentions being misunderstood by others, especially when they are misunderstood by my siblings. The language and cultural difference created a perception gap between them and also kept my parents from identifying with the American society, which made them feel like they don't belong here. Although I try my best to act as a bridge between my parents and my siblings, there is only so much I can do as it typically ends in frustration by all parties involved.

For these reasons, although the ending of the poem poses somewhat of an inspirational and hopeful vibe of a devoted mother’s promising future, for someone who had experienced first-hand a bit of her suffering, I can't help but to feel sorry for a long and weary journey ahead of her.