Elena by Pat Mora, in this poem the author provides clues and several issues which have quite deep meanings, and we often find them in everyday life. This poem expresses the feelings of a mother who has lost a connection with her children and her family, that makes
her feels lonely after they move to America. They were a close and happy family in Mexico. The author describing a struggle for an immigrant parent whose name is Elena who comes to America. As the writer noticed that her Spanish isn't good enough to face the change of her children that already changes since they are living in American.
In my opinion, this poem has issues about language barriers In a multicultural society, we can find that immigrants can have a hard time assimilating. Especially with a different language, they can feel isolated and ridiculed. Another issue that we can see is loneliness, which can easily be seen in the text " I stand at the stove and feel dumb, alone " This shows us how struggling and lonely she is being around her family that can speak fluent English. Even she is trying hard to learn, but it seems they didn't want her to get smarter, this line also we can conclude as discrimination against the family "My oldest said, 'Mama, he doesnt want you to Be smarter than he is Im forty, " and they are laugh on her " Embarrassed at the laughter of my children ". That makes her even more sad and insecure.
The next issue is about isolation from her family. It shows us how difficult to be living in a foreign country without speaking their language fluently. Yes, the discrimination that she got makes her feel sad because she used to adapt to the new era that force her to do it, she's trying hard to do it but her family laugh at her think it was funny. And the eighth line, we can see the issue of cultural conflict in her families who experience a process of assimilation that makes their children lose their original identity as Mexican descendants by forming a new culture within themselves called American culture. That makes her miscommunicated and even disconnected from her family.
Being an immigrant is not the easiest way for her, she has to deal with discrimination, loneliness, isolation, language barrier, or even racism against her. That's difficult to be in a multicultural society if people there never understanding each other include her family. How can people get good communication if they're bounding it to each other, they surely can't speak properly because they didn't confident enough to speak because of their mispronouncing, just like how Elena feels in the poem " Embarrassed at mispronouncing words". This phrase is so deep.
It shows her wanting to make the move necessary to fit into her family and move on from her views of the past when they are still in Mexico and have a good life and good communication for each other, "Sometimes I take my English book and lock myself in the bathroom, say the thick words softly, for if I stop trying, I will be deaf when my children need my help''
However, that's how multicultural society work and Elena must be ready to adapt to it, although it is a little difficult to accept a new culture, over time she will understand other people's culture without having to lose her identity as Mexican. Especially in America, a big country that does consist of several immigrants from various parts of the world.
(Wiwin Kurniasih)
