Multicultural Poetry: Neighborhood Odes

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Soto, Gary. 1992. Neighborhood odes: A poetry collection. Ill. by David Diaz. Austin, TX: Harcourt. ISBN 9780152053642

CRITICAL ANALYSIS

Award-winner Gary Soto’s Neighborhood Odes: A Poetry Collection captures common, real life events from a neighborhood. Full of wonderful figurative language, the book describes several facets of Hispanic life through the eyes of the children living there. While one might assume only the most important subjects would appear as a poem, Soto takes ordinary objects and makes them glorious. For example, one persona describes his cat as “white / As spilled milk” (p. 30). Another persona describes his brother as having “a haircut like devil horns” (p.46).

The reader can hear the sounds in this neighborhood, such as when eating a pork rind “The music is a crunch  /On back molars” (p.17) or “And then, wham / The stick explodes / Against the piñata” (p.38). Soto welcomes the reader into the neighborhood to feel the satisfaction of warm butter rolling down one’s arm (“Ode to La Tortilla”), the relaxing picnic with the family (“Ode to Mi Parque”), or the fear of being caught by the legendary weeping woman (“Ode to La Llorona”).

Soto’s free verse and short lines tell of everyday occurrences from the point of view of several personas—children of various ages from the neighborhood. For this reason, this collection proves enjoyable and educational to readers—especially child readers.

Readers acquainted with the Hispanic culture will recognize the richness of family times described (“Ode to Mi Parque” and “Ode to Family Photographs”), traditions (“Ode to Weddings” and “Ode to Piñatas”), and just plain crazy events (“Ode to the Sprinkler”, “Ode to El Molcajete”, and “Ode to the Mayor”). For those unfamiliar with this treasured culture, readers will gain insight to family experiences, legends, and a sampling of the language.

Even with the incorporation of Spanish terms, the poems are easily understandable. Soto paints vivid pictures with his words. It’s as if he knocked on every door on a predominately Hispanic street and the people told about what was going on right then.

The poems induce laughter such as when Senor Leal’s goat steals his pipe or when a child writes a letter to the mayor asking for help with his brother. Other poems show the mischievousness of two boys who get caught swiping pomegranates off a neighbor’s tree. Some poems will give readers feelings of comfort such as moments in the library (“Ode to the Library”) or the sanctuary found in a good pair of shoes (“Ode to Pablo’s Tennis Shoes”). David Diaz’s black and white geometric illustrations complement the light-hearted poems.

Soto’s poems, while not in any particular order, mesh well together. To assist the readers in finding a particular poem, a table of contents is included at the beginning of the book. Another useful feature is the Spanish Words and Phrases translation guide at the end of the book. Readers will catch themselves flipping back there quite often!

Soto’s wonderful tales in verse of the simple pleasures in a neighborhood will delight readers as they relive familiar events or learn about typical happenings of a different culture.

POETRY SPOTLIGHT

My absolutely favorite poem in this book is “Ode to Los Chicharrones." The topic is so simple and everyday yet the words used to describe the object—a single pork rind—cause the reader to see it as a magnificent item worthy of an entire poem. The poem allows readers to see ordinary objects in a marvelous light!

Excerpt from “Ode to Los Chicharrones”

They are shaped

Like trumpets,

The blow of salt

On your lips

When you raise

One to your mouth.

The music is a crunch

On the back molars,

A hard crunch that

Flushes the ears

And tires the jaw.

....

You enjoyed

The trumpet

Of noise and salt.

And even the ants

Raised their heads:

Knowing what’s good,

They dropped their bread crumbs

For a single flake

Of chiccarron.

To introduce this poem, pass around a bag of fried pork rinds. Before eating it, tell students to use their senses to make observations: feel the texture, smell of it, and look at it closely. As they make observations, list their descriptions on the board or chart paper. Have the kids take a bite of it all at one time—listen to the sound it makes. Describe the taste.

Read the poem aloud (in its entirety) as they continue eating.

After reading, mention to the kids how such a simple item is described in such a glorious way. Using a web graphic organizer, let groups of 3 or 4 brainstorm some other common objects that might make a creative subject in a poem.

Students must choose one of those objects to write a poem about. It does not have to be as long as Soto’s, but it must include the kind of detail he does: sensory words, how the persona feels toward the object, the setting in which the object is used, etc. Allow students to share poems aloud.

As an enrichment feature, students can explain (written or verbally) why they chose their subject.