"Immigrants In Our Own Land"

Getting to know a bit about the author (Jimmy Satiago Baca) himself prior to reading this poem was great because I was able to get that insight and found the purpose as to why Santiago wrote what he wrote. To know he was illiterate, came to America from Mexico as an immigrant, and got himself incarcerated by selling drugs to now reading one of his poems makes it all surreal. The whole poem is given more meaning knowing that this is what an author actually experienced and felt. The viewpoint becomes this real experience that I can actually believe to be true and I can finally see through the eyes of the author and an immigrant. For me this no longer becomes your conventional poem, although all works of poetry are never the same as there does not have to be any "rules". However, I mean not conventional in regards to how this does not seem to be this creative and rhyming piece that needs to be looked at closely in order to understand.
"Immigrants In Our Own Land" is definitely more prose type and isn't complicated and simple to comprehend. With that being said, Santiago is able to give us the whole outlook of what is like being someone coming from new lands by starting off his poem in an optimistic fashion. Signifying that the immigrants coming over are very hopeful for this new opportunity that awaits.  Consequently, that is all turned around and by the looks of how Santiago expresses his ideas in the next few stanzas shows that - trying to achieve the new life isn't what it all seems to be. "But in the end, some will just sit around talking about how good the old world was." This to me shows the regret of these people who thought that leaving their life at home is for the better. In the end, it becomes apparent that people's expectations versus reality is totally different when trying to come to new lands with the desires for a better life.
After reading Jessica's post I did not even realize the metaphor of immigrants entering a prison rather than a new world they can call home. This helps to perfectly demonstrate the feeling of these people seeking for a better life. I also like how Jessica was able to break up the stanzas and analyze bits and parts from the words Santiago spoke.

Chasing the American Dream!