Abby Nixon






XXVI-YO QUE VIVO AUNQUE ME HE MUERTO...
(English translation)

I WHO LIVE THOUGH I HAVE DIED

 I who live though I have died,
Claim a great discovery,
For last night I verified
Love is the best remedy.

When weighed by the cross, a man
Resolves to die for the right;
He does all the good he can,
And returns bathed in the light.
     
                 -JOSE MARTI

 https://www.poemhunter.com/poem/i-who-live-though-i-have-died-verse-xxvi/

Jose Marti (Cuba)
-At the age of fifteen Marti began writing poems and political essays against the government of Spain arguing for the liberation of Cuba.
-He was arrested in his home of Cuba for political reasons and had to suffer through four months of hard labor which made him very ill, before his family intervened and he was released and deported to Spain.
-After his deportation, Marti wrote a political essay "El presidio político en Cuba" criticizing Spain's governing of Cuba. 
-He married a women who was the daughter of a Cuban exile.
-He kept involving himself in revolutionary activities, so he was deported to Spain again but escaped to France soon after. Then he was able to move to the US and Venezuela where he continued to fight for Cuban independence and better conditions for people throughout Latin America.

-https://biography.yourdictionary.com/jose-marti

 My Analysis

        This poem is about Marti as a savior to the Cuban people suffering under Spain's government. The first stanza is about his suffering in the labor camp after he was arrested. The second stanza is about about him being a martyr for independence. He is seen as a hero for fighting for Cuban independence. 
        The speaker is Jose Marti. He is talking about his own experiences, when he was almost killed during his imprisonment in a hard labor camp, but later was released and got a chance to live again. 
        The poem includes several examples of figurative language.  The title and opening line, "I who live though I have died," is a paradox because you can not literally live after you have died. What he is trying to say is that he got another chance to live even after he became gravely ill during his imprisonment. The whole poem is also an allusion to Jesus Christ's resurrection, the second stanza appears to describe the crucifixion and rebirth of Jesus, "When weighed by the cross.... returns bathed in the light.", but it is actually about Marti sacrificing himself for the cause of the revolution.
      In this poem alternate lines rhyme, the format is ABABCDCD. Also, every line has seven syllables giving it a short tight rhythm. The two stanzas support two complete ideas like cause and effect.
     The tone of the poem is hopeful and uplifting for fighting for freedom. Martin incorporates the tone around his experiences, and his journey through life. He knew if he kept a positive out look, he would make a larger impact for Cuba’s independence.
    The theme is that, even when you seem dead you can be resurrected and keep fighting to make the future better.
Image result for sacrifice

I chose this photo because Marti sacrificed himself with jail time and hard labor to give Cuba independence. This poem could also be analyzed as a religious poem toward Christianity and the god they believe in.

-https://www.pexels.com/photo/cross-jesus-summit-cross-37737/

Comments

  1. AnonymousFebruary 12, 2019 at 3:32 PM

    I agree with Abby in that the poem is explaining a story of someone who is been beaten down but they are still fighting. The use of the rhyme intrigues the reader. I also agree that the poem alludes to Jesus Christ’s resurrection. The poems main theme is that no matter what tries to bring you down you can still “return bathed in light”. I also think that, in lines 2 and 3, the poet describes someone having discovered something after they had ‘died‘.

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnonymousFebruary 13, 2019 at 1:31 PM

    I agree with your anaylsis with him being a savior to the human people. Jose tried to help make El Salvador better. The man wasn't the luckiest with his situations in life, but he made do. He fought for a cause that he believed in. Even after death he is trying to help.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Dionna Parker

Image
In Another Word Resaq Malik   In another world I want to be a father without passing through the eternal insanity of mourning my children, without experiencing the ritual of watching my children return home as bodies folded like a prayer mat, without spending my nights telling them the stories of a hometown where natives become aliens searching for a shelter. I want my children to spread a mat outside my house and play without the walls of houses ripped by rifles. I want to watch my children grow to recite the name of their homeland like Lord’s Prayer, to frolic in the streets without being hunted like animals in the bush, without being mobbed to death. In another world I want my children to tame grasshoppers in the field, to play with their dolls in the living room, to inhale the fragrance of flowers waving as wind blows, to see the birds measure the sky with their wings. Author Biography: Resaq Malik the African poet/dreamer from Nigeria, went to the University Of Lbad
Read more

Zileyah Onafowora

Image
Zileyah Onafowora   February 06, 2019             Sometimes Silence Is The Loudest Kind Of Noise. Sometimes silence is the loudest kind of noise Like sometimes it was best when Girls were girls and boys were boys. Like back when freeze tag was a mating dance. Like back when “Do Over” meant you got another chance. Like back when anxiety was worrying if Wonder Woman would make it out alive. Like back when freedom was sliding backwards on a slide. Like back when success was jumping off a swing and Landing on your feet, then Doing it all over again. Like new shoes made you run faster. Like getting Ms. Gross again for math was a disaster. Like failure was a word we hadn’t even learned to spell yet. Like promises were sealed and kept with pinky bets. Like a challenge was a double dare. Like ugly was a cock-eyed stare. And you liked it… Like when you flipped your eyelids inside out To impress that boy across the room, ‘Cause that’s all it took. And there was no s
Read more