Review Of “El Sonavabitche” By Gloria Anzaldúa
“El sonavabitche” is a poem by Gloria Anzaldúa. To start the title of the poem was intriguing because it seemed familiar. Funny to say but I knew what that Anzaldúa meant to say “son of a bitch, ” but it is being pronounced with a Mexican American accent. That made me laugh and gave me the expression that this poem was going to be awesome. This made me imagine that this sonnet would have been about Anzaldúa giving her point of view on the Americans.
The beginning of the poem was extremely exciting, as my inclination totally changed as I was understanding her it. She starts of the sonnet with a raid of Border Patrol storming the farm. She hears some yell “Corran muchachos” so she ran for her dear life to hind. In a way, I can relate to that as I have relatives who are illegal immigrates living in the United States and I can see the same fear in her than in my own blood as they see the “Migra” lurking around. The symbolism is solid and you can see the hard conditions that these laborers are managing. A landlord is a repulsive man who doesn't regard the laborers as individuals.
In this poem, Anzaldúa subtle elements of how these workers are being abused, and she stands up and shares her resentment towards “el sonavabitche”. The speaker battles for her rights and the two groups are amazed by her conduct, and how she chooses to stand up for them. In spite of the fact that the picture is awful, the tone of the sonnet is to some degree confident toward the end. By confronting the man, she could have any kind of effect. The “sonavabitche” would work them, and then call the border patrol on them before paying them. The speaker was fed up with landowners as she constantly saw things being repeated over and over. She is outraged and demands the white man for two weeks wages for the workers, including two Saturdays and Sundays, minimum wage. The landowner is stunned by her request and reacts with “wets work for whatever you give them”. She undermines him with a call to Washington D. C and approves her situation as a supporter when she says “sweat money, Mister, blood money, not my sweat, but same blood. ” He walks to his desk and hands her the money and by that, she meant I did not warn the money, but I’m not going to let you treat my people like that.
