Question

Based on the excerpt from the poem "I am Joaquín" by Rodolfo "Corky" Gonzales, what do you think Joaquín represents in this poem?

Answer 1

Plato sample:

Joaquín is the collective identity of all Chicanos fighting for their cultural identity and their rights. The speaker describes their “soft brown eyes” that hope for “a better life.” Their common identity is not only the physical characteristics they share in being “La raza! / Méjicano! / Español!” but also the struggles they share as a community no matter where they settle:

And in all the fertile farmlands,

the barren plains,

the mountain villages,

smoke-smeared cities,

we start to MOVE.

Their shared cultural identity is a source of pride to Joaquín and his community members:

I am the masses of my people and

I refuse to be absorbed.

I am Joaquín.

Despite the challenges they face as Chicanos, they refuse to let go of their identity.

Answer 2

In the poem "I'm Joaquín" by Rodolfo Corky Gonzales the main character Joaquín represents the revelation of the Chicano Mexican- American community. Joaquín is the representation of a multi-cultural mixture between Mexican and American cultural heritage. He stands for the struggle of the Chicano movement for their rights and finding their identity as a mestizo race.