Literary Criticism - “We Call Them Greasers”
by Lillian Bonar
Essay: Literary Criticism - “We Call Them Greasers”
Pages: 11
Rating: 3 stars
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On a general level, structuralism holds that both individuals and the realities they share are signified and
constructed by a series of cultural influences which create meaning. The self is said to be a construct of its
environment and selves in combination project meaning onto their experienced reality, a reality which in turn
becomes reflective of the shared consciousness. This symbiotic relationship between the formulation of a reality
and the nature of a collective allow meaning to be interpreted based on the system of constructed codes which
informs it.
The language of Gloria Anzaldua’s “We Call Them Greasers” can be used to disseminate the culturally constructed
codes and conventions which influence the realities of both the author, and the poems’ fictional speaker. The
poem illustrates the intolerant and brutal nature of border rangers as they sought to rid Mexican border towns of
their inhabitants. As well as its language, the subject matter of the poem, too, is telling of the author’s cultural
influences, which influence the stance she takes on the subject matter. Anzaldua constructs the poem’s speaker,
however, to be a person who holds views which are in staunch opposition to her own. This use of clear
contradiction helps readers identify underlying messages meant to be conveyed and understood beyond the text
of the poem itself.
The opening lines of the poem, “I found them here when I came / They were growing corn in their small ranchos /
raising cattle and horses / smelling of wood smoke and sweat / They knew their betters: / took of their hats /
placed them over their hearts, / lowered their eyes in my presence”, shows the subconscious, or fully conscious,
sense of superiority the ranger has of himself in relati...
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