Link to "The Island Within":
https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems-and-poets/poems/detail/56063 The poem "The Island Within", by Richard Blanco, is about Blanco and Behar's Cuban heritage. Just before the poem begins, you can see that Richard Blanco dedicated this poem to a woman named Ruth Behar, who is a Cuban American like Blanco. The poem starts out with Blanco thinking about his last night visit at Behar's "Victorian home" in America, where they practiced "mambo by the fireplace" and had a "cafecito", of which both are a part of the Cuban culture (6,914). As he is dancing the mambo with Behar, he states "I'm following your red-velvet shoes to conga beats and bongo taps taking your body, but not your life, from the snow mantling your windows outside, 1,600 miles away from Cuba" (9-14). He is pointing out the contrast between the cold winters in America versus the warm and happy days in Cuba. Behar may have a Cuban soul inside of her, but she is not living a Cuban life since she is "1,600 miles" away from it (13). Behar also tries to write about her Cuban background, but she has trouble doing so. Blanco makes reference to "the stories you told me you can't finish writing, no matter how many times you travel through time back to Havana..." (16-19). It just goes to show that little memories can fade away easily if we don't hold onto them. Blanco calls her a "thief anyone would forgive, wanting only to imagine faces for names chiseled on the graves of your family at Guanabacoa", because she trying so desperately to understand her ancestry (21-24). She wants to remember the faces of the people who lived in Guanabacoa, and not just their names on gravestones. Blanco then goes on to talk about what "The Island Within" really means to them. He says to Behar, "I confess I pitied you, still trying to reach that unreachable island within the island you still call home" (31-33). Blanco had let go of this burden to know his family origins, but he commended Behar for trying. The main island refers to the actual island of Cuba, but the island within the island is actually psychological. This "unreachable island" contains the memories and truths about her family that have been long forgotten over the years (32). There is no way for her to get to this island, and it will only allow her to get lost within herself. Then the poem shifts to focus more on Blanco's point of view about his background. Blanco begins to have second thoughts about going back and learning about his roots when he says, "I thought I was done with Cuba, tired of filling in the blanks, but now I'm not sure" (33-35). He thinks about revisiting and how that might be a fun journey to embark on. After he ponders that, he goes back to the question Behar asked him last night "...Would you move to Cuba? Would you die there?" And leaves it open to the readers to guess what his answer could be (43-44). Personally, I think that he would plan more visits to Cuba, but I don't think he would just drop everything and move there without a stronger reason. This poem was a little difficult for me to understand at first, but once I realized whom Blanco was speaking to, it all came together smoothly. I liked this poem, because it represents self-reflection and the journey of finding one's identity. I can see why Behar wanted to hold onto her roots so badly, because family is a very important thing to hold onto. Someday I would love to look up my own roots in Germany and Scotland to see how my ancestors lived.
5 Comments
Eng
5/11/2016 09:52:36 am
Great analysis. You notice that there is no way to get to the island--it's a way to get lost within. Blanco "pities" her for this. Is searching for home a pitiable state? This is an interesting poem, with criticism and positive reflection. Is the author stating that this is how we will always feel after leaving home?
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Jessica
5/11/2016 09:54:05 am
That is a very interesting point! On whether searching for home is pitiable, I suppose it depends. Some people like Blanco consider looking for your past unproductive, because you aren't moving forward in your life. He pitied Behar for trying a pointless task. However, in some cases such as this, it is necessary for someone to search for their past in order to find their true identity. Behar needed to find something or someone to tell her who she is.
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Grayson Rowland
2/12/2016 10:31:29 am
Great Analysis!!! I fully agree with the whole idea of memories never really die. They just get lost and they seem to fade rather than die. Good job look forward too reading more of your analysis.
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Jessica
4/12/2016 06:02:43 pm
Thank you!! :)
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