A poem and a little bit of my Life

As of right now I am extremely tired. I have a math quiz tomorrow, and I have been working at Starbucks everyday since last Wednesday. However, back on topic, last week in my English class we discussed about various poems, each having to do with identity. The poem I have chosen to describe is about Filipino identity, though I am not Filipino. This is the Poem:

he asked me what
i
was

are you indonesian
spanish
         chinese
indian
         hawiian
i'm a filipino
         i said
and the words
dissolved
into
our recognition
of one another

 I am a Hispanic with a mix of Ukrainian blood from my mothers side. I am proud of my mixed heritage, and share a Hispanic, Ukrainian, and other culture influences. Though Hispanics are typically a subordinate group, I do not have brown skin and black eyes. Thus, I do not feature the subordinate appearance based in our society. Filipinos, as I have learned through the readings of our Filipino psychology book, are a subordinate group because of their dark skin and "different" cultural norms. For this reason, Filipinos prefer to connect with other Filipinos. Most Filipinos share a common background, and so can relate with each other when under oppression. This easy connection is shown in the poem which deals with a Filipino encountering another Filipino, "he asked me what i was [...] i'm filipino, and the words dissolved into our recognition of one another." Thus, because the man was Filipino, automatically the two men felt and understanding of each other. The author in the poem also refuses to capitalize any of the I's, showing that perhaps the two Filipino men were not the proudest of their ethnicity. Also, when the man asked him what he was and attempts to guess, he does not guess Filipino. Clearly showing that Filipino is a subordinate class due to society as the man does not even see it as important enough to guess Filipino. This also applies to me.

As a Mexican/ Ukranian mix, I also appeal to other Hispanic people. Though I have acculturated myself into society,  like Filipinos, I am also typically able to form a bond with other Hispanics quite easily. However, this does not mean I do not associate with other Ethnicity's. I am open to all people, and enjoy the multicultural influences I receive from all kinds of people.


Overall, the poem reveals identity through the eyes of two Filipino men, showing how a connection between two Filipinos can be simply based on race, and not only applies to Filipinos, but to Hispanics as well.