I Am Joaquin Meaning
In Rodolfo Gonzales' poem “I am Joaquin”, Gonazales writes to raise awareness of the struggles of Chicano people during the Chicano movement in the 1960s. He discusses the issues that have ceased the Chicano people from earning equality in America. Throughout the poem, Gonzales’ uses the tactic of comparing opposing objects through extended metaphors to illustrate that he is both the oppressor and the oppressed.
On many occasions you can see Gonzales’ using the technique of repetition and extended metaphors to solidify the fact that as a Chicano man he is both the oppressor and the oppressed. The first occasion can be seen when he states “I am the sword and flame…I am the Eagle and Serpent… I was both tyrant and slave,”(11). This extended metaphor
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Gonzales is comparing himself both to the sword that Cortés is known for fighting and killing indigenous people with, and to the fire that he is known for burning down his own ships in an attempt to motivate his men to keep fighting, conquering, and claiming current day Mexico for Spain. The second part of this extended metaphor is more simply put. In nature, eagles prey on serpents, so by comparing himself to these animals, Gonzales states that he has been both the predator and the prey. The last part of this extended metaphor is also more cut and dry, but it is also much more literal. While a man can not physically be an eagle and a snake, he can however be a slave and a tyrant. A tyrant is cruel and oppressive while a slave is the one that is being oppressed by the tyrant. Gonzales uses this metaphor to state that he has been both the slave, working and giving his “sweat and blood for the Spanish master”(11) as well as the person who has sold out his brother when it was beneficial for him (15). The next instance in which he uses an extended metaphor is when he states “I have been the Bloody Revolution, The Victor, The Vanquished, I have killed and been killed,” (13). This metaphor
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