AmeRican Born Through Altercation and Unified Through Music
Tato Laviera’s poem AmeRican expresses the poet’s hope and yearning of a utopian society. In the poem, the creation or the process of constructing a utopian society is described in several humanized stages. For instance, the first three introductory stanzas all open with identical tidings: “we gave birth to a new generation” (1-9). In these repeated messages, the word “birth” (1-9) signifies a human event. Hence, “birth” (1), for example, can be thought of as belonging to the first humanized stage, a cocoon-like stage, in which the need of several ensuing growth or metamorphosis is inevitable for the newborn creature to mature. In other words, Laviera envisions his utopia, “AmeRican” (1), to emerge through a process that is similar to the growth process of human, and in AmeRican, he poetically unfolds these humanized stages of a newborn nation. Each of theses stages mature from one to the next through two primary mediums: “altercation” (56) and “music” (38). “Altercation” (56), as a communication device, functions as a public forum that facilitates democratic, legitimate progress toward peaceful multiculturalism, and “music” (38) functions as a unifying agent that soothes and dissolves multiethnic tensions. Ultimately, these two mediums assist the new nation AmeRican to grow, mature, and crystallize as a utopian state.
In AmeRican, Laviera’s diction, such as “we” and “birth,” not only illuminate that the road to this utopian destination entails collective efforts, but more significantly, that the collective “we”(1) is at a “birth”(1) stage that involves many people, implicit of the ethnic diversity that is prevalent in America (the birthplace of the infant nation). In this early stage, the newborn nation is blessed with the multiethnic presence: “all folklores,/ European, Indian, black, Spanish,/ and anything else compatible:” (10-12). This is the infant stage where “AmeRican” (1) is born.
The newborn “AmeRican,” nurtured with multiethnic influences, grows to its adolescent stage, the tumultuous period. Naturally, in this confused, but critical stage, many problematic issues are handled through the means of altercations. In other words, altercation is inevitable and expected for a youthful, new nation that is culturally diverse. As AmeRican actively seeks meaning and unity through public debates and altercations, its endeavor shows much movement and exchange of opinions: “across forth and across back/ back across and forth back/ forth across and back and forth” (22-24).
The struggles of young AmeRican forging a unifying identity becomes most visible in stanza eight; the poet does not even address the stanza as “AmeRican” to accentuate the most chaotic yet pivotal moment of AmeRican’s growth. The following passage shows that it is not the spirit of altercation but it is what altercations can achieve that the poet advocates: “the attempt was truly made…absorbed, digested, we spit out/ the poison, we spit out the malice” (23-26). In the arena of altercation, cacophony of many voices, the conflicts that are inevitable in a multicultural society, which the poet calls “the poison” (26) and “malice” (26), can be systematically and legitimately dismantled through the art of dialectic. Thus, the ability to effectively debate in public forums imbues the young AmeRican a capacity not only to forge a unified identity, but also to wield that identity with power and purpose: “we stand, affirmative in action,/ to reproduce a broader answer to the/ marginality that gobbled us up abruptly!” (27-29).
AmeRican grows to maturity with impressive accomplishments; stanzas nine and ten open with scenes of musical celebration that comes from the nation’s celebration of its achievements through altercation, chiefly, its new identity of a harmonious multiculturalism. In other words, civil debates has provided the means for the new nation to achieve utopian purpose; and this achievement is personified as AmeRican “strut[les] beautifully alert [and] alive” (31) in “new york” (30). In fact the entire city is “walking plena- rhythms” (30). The young and triumphant AmeRican thereafter promulgates its new identity with the jubilant beat: “defining myself my own way any way many/ ways Am e Rican, with the big R and the/ accent on the I” (30-33)!
Finally, this triumphant rhythm further develops to a national anthem that symbolizes the older, peaceful stage for AmeRican. This anthem soothes and dissolves previously rampant multiethnic tensions. Moreover, the national anthem evangelically calls forth the variegated communities in New York, and elsewhere, and through the power of music, unite the fragmented, multicultural citizens with the gospel-like beat: “like the soul gliding talk of gospel/ boogie music!” (37-8). Therefore, to this extent, music is crucial in its power to unify and harmonize nation’s diversity. It is also significant to note that it is through music that the poet is able to integrate the multiple languages of different cultures to compose one special song that is uniquely AmeRican. With this song which serves as an emblem for peace, happiness, and unity, the nation continues to celebrate its high level of tolerance and harmony it has achieved, and if formerly, there were problematic linguistic bigotry, they become altogether acceptable by a smile:
AmeRican, speaking new words in spanglish tenements,
fast tongue moving street corner ‘que
Corta” talk being invented at the insistence
of a simle! (39-42)
Thus the music functions – if not most effectively – as the nation’s subtle, spiritual fix to dissolve the existing, social tensions.
Ultimately, the fully grown AmeRican, the pan-America, with its social and cultural elements crystallized into one union through music, figuratively and literally represents Lavier’s materialized vision and hope of utopia:
AmeRican, abounding inside so many ethnic English
people, and out of humanity, we blend
and mix all that is good!
AmeRican, integrating in new york and defining our
own destino, our own way of life,
AmeRican, defining the new America, humane America,
admired America, loved America, harmonious
america, the world in peace, our energies
collectively invested to find other civili-
zations…. (43-52)
Tato Laviera’s message is clear in AmeRican: he advocates peaceful multiculturalism that leads to utopianism. He believes, through altercations, cultural differences can be managed and find legitimate solutions: “yes,…i dream to take the accent from the altercation, and be proud to call myself american” (54-57). He also believes multiethnicity is amalgamable through music. The music’s mechanical precision and rhythm metaphorically alludes and heightens the new nation’s celebration in orderliness. Thus two mediums, altercation and music, if the functions are different, the purposes are the same: they both assist to deconstruct the contentious, illogical racial order in America to give birth to a new nation that has no racial hierarchy or inequality, the utopian society called “AmeRican” (1).
Works Cited
Meyer, Michael. The Bedford introduction to Literature and Education. 4th ed. 765.
Boston: Bedford St. Martin’s, 1996.
Tato Laviera “AmeRican”
we gave birth to a new generation
AmeRican, broader than lost gold
never touched, hidden inside the
puerto rican mountains.
we gave birth to a new generation,
AmeRican, it includes everything
imaginable you-name-it-we-got-it
society.
we gave birth to a new generation,
AmeRican salutes all folklores,
european, indian, black, spanish,
and anything else compatible:
AmeRican, singing to composer pedro flores’ palm
trees high up in the universal sky!
AmeRican, sweet soft spanish danzas gypsies
moving lyrics la espanola cascabelling
presence always singing at our side!
AmeRican, beating jibaro modern troubadours
crying guitars romantic continental
bolero love songs!
AmeRican, across forth and across back
back across and forth back
forth across and back and forth
our trips are walking bridges!
it all dissolved into itself, the attempt
was truly made, the attempt was truly
absorbed, digested, we spit out
the poison, we spit out the malice,
we stand, affirmative in action,
to reproduce a broader answer to the
marginality that gobbled us up abruptly!
AmeRican, walking plena-rhythms in new york,
strutting beautifully alert, alive,
many turning eyes wondering,
admiring!
AmeRican, defining myself my own way any way many
ways, Am e Rican, with the big R and the
accent on the i!
AmeRican, like the soul gliding talk of gospel
boogie music!
AmeRican, speaking new words in spanglish tenements,
fast tongue moving street corner “que
corta” talk being invented at the insistence
of a smile!
AmeRican, abounding inside so many ethnic english
people, and out of humanity, we blend
and mix all that is good!
AmeRican, integrating in new york and defining our
own destino, our own way of life,
AmeRican, defining the new america, humane america,
admired america, loved america, harmonious
america, the world in peace, our energies
collectively invested to find other civili-
zations, to touch God, further and further,
to dwell in the spirit of divinity!
AmeRican, yes, for now, for i love this, my second
land, and i dream to take the accent from
the altercation, and be proud to call
myself american, in the u.s. sense of the
word, AmeRican, America!
(1985)
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Pedro Flores is a Puerto Rican composer of popular romantic songs.
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“La espanola cascabelling” is Spanish for “Spanish (feminine form) covering themselves.”
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Jibaro refers to the Puerto Rican farmer who lives in the mountains. The jibaros have a particular musical style.
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Plena-rhythms refers to African-Puerto Rican folklore music and dance.
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“Que corta” is Spanish for “that cuts.”
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Destino: Spanish for destiny.
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