Chicano poem i am joaquin

Professor Bridgewater

TCL 101

23 August 2017

TCL Joaquín Paper

The poem, I Am Joaquín, is a literary work by Rodolfo “Corky” Gonzales that changed

the course of and helped to birth the modern day Chicano Movement. The poem used the

narrator, Joaquín’s, own self-identity and identity crisis to verbalize and display the struggles of

the Chicano Movement. Gonzales used the many elements of Joaquín’s identity to piece together

the overarching concept of Chicanismo, which unified the many facets of Joaquín’s identity.

Through its symbolism and references, I Am Joaquín helped to unify the divided Chicano

community.

Rodolfo “Corky” Gonzales wrote the poem I Am Joaquín. Gonzales was a Chicano

activist in the height of the civil rights movement in the 1960s and 1970s. Published in 1967, the

epic poem became a staple in Chicano literature, and was quickly dispersed throughout the

community. I Am Joaquín was circulated widely in the Chicano community, and according to

George Hartley was often, “… read during public demonstrations and organizing campaigns of

the Chicano Movement” (Hartley). I Am Joaquín was also circulated by the traveling activist

troupe Teatro Campesino through their film adaptation of the poem (Hartley).

The term Chicano was used in a derogatory way prior to the 1960s, and was typically

reserved for, “…recently-arrived immigrants” (Hartley). “Chicano” was an insult used to identify

or cast a lower status on people, and to distance assimilated Mexican Americans from those who

were poor or threatened their status as Americans. I Am Joaquín helped create a new meaning to

the term “Chicano” through the combination of many cultural elements under the blanket

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concept of Chicanismo (Bridgewater, Hartley). The poem united the assimilated Mexican

Americans, new arrivals and everyone in between through the cultural elements mentioned in the

poem. Gonzales challenged the reader to put away divisive labels and embrace the term Chicano

as it entails every label as Joaquín did. Gonzales used many elements of the Mexican American

or Chicano identity and identified them all with Joaquín. These elements together aided in

making Joaquín the Chicano “everyman”, meaning all classes and ethnicities within the Chicano

umbrella can find something they identify with in Joaquín (Bridgewater).

With Joaquín as the Chicano “everyman” readers of the poem from the Chicano community

found identity in his character. This led into the literary function of I Am Joaquín, which was to

create ethnic unity among the Latino people. Through portraying Joaquín as the Chicano

everyman Joaquín’s identity was formed using the many aspects of the Chicano identity

including the Spanish Conquistadors, Indigenous peoples, the Catholic Church, and Mexican

revolutionaries. Through combining all of these cultural aspects Gonzales is able to create a

unified identity within Joaquín within the concept of Chicanismo, putting away the divisive

labels that often stopped the community from working together as one. Additionally, at the end

of the poem this coming together of identities is clear when Joaquín says, “La Raza! Méjicano!

Español! Chicano! Or whatever I call myself, I look the same I feel the same I cry And Sing the

same” (Gonzales). The quote explains that no matter the differences in ethnic background all of

these groups are from a similar origin and share a common identity under the term “Chicano”,

bringing new meaning to the word which previously held derogatory meaning within the

Mexican American community (Hartley).

Throughout the poem Gonzales shifts Joaquín’s thoughts from the past, present and future.

The shifts from past, present, and the future are important and unique to Chicano identity

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because they show what makes the Chicano identity. As explained throughout the poem,

Joaquín’s identity, the Chicano identity, and how he thinks about himself is molded by the

different cultural aspects of the Mexican American identity (Gonzales).

In I Am Joaquín, Joaquín mentions that he is the Indian past by saying, “I am Cuauhtémoc”

showing how he identified with his Aztec origins. However, Joaquín also states that, “I am the

sword and flame of Cortes” showing his identification with the Spanish past of his ethnicity.

Through combining both the “conquered and conqueror” of his ethnic past and claiming them

both as part of his identity, the, “Mestizo consciousness” is used to show an identity of two

opposing sides now bonded by blood (Hartley). While Joaquín identified with his past, he also

mentions his present as seen in the opening of the poem, “I am Joaquín, lost in a world of

confusion, caught up in the whirl of a gringo society, confused by the rules, scorned by attitudes,

suppressed by manipulation, and destroyed by modern society” (Gonzales). From the quote, it is

evident to see that in the present Joaquín was lost within the American identity and world.

Joaquín was unsure of where his past and where his identity and ethnicity fit in, because of the

judgement and suppression of white American society. At this point in time, Joaquín was unsure

of his standing and how to uphold his ethnic identity and pride, which he explained later in the

poem when describing his Indian and Spanish past. Joaquín also referenced the future by saying,

“I must fight and win this struggle for my sons, and they must know from me who I am”

(Gonzales). This showed that the future of the Chicano identity is reliant on passing on the

culture of the past and accepting, owning and passing that culture down. Through these examples

the past, present, and future show their importance to “Chicanismo”.

Throughout the poem the Indian past, Mexican history, religion, and revolutionary tradition

is referenced. These all helped to create the full picture of the Chicano identity, Joaquín’s

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identity. The Indian past is seen in the lines, “I am the Maya prince, I am Netzahualcóyotl”

(Gonzales). Gonzales also referenced Mexican tradition and history by bringing up the art of

Diego Rivera, and Mariachi music. Religion is referenced through Joaquín’s identification with

women, “Her rosary she prays and fingers endlessly like the family working down a row of

beets” (Gonzales). He also identified with the Virgin of Guadalupe who is a religious icon that

spoke to the native Indians in Nahuatl, the Aztec language (Hartley). Joaquín also identified with

Tonantzín, the Aztec goddess in regards to his identification with religion and women. The

revolutionary tradition is clear in the line, “Hidalgo! Zapata! Murrieta! Espinozas! Are but a few.

They dared to face the force of tyranny” as he references Mexican revolutionaries of the past like

Emiliano Zapata (Gonzales). By referencing the Indian past, Mexican history, religion, and

revolutionary tradition many aspects of the Chicano identity are used to create a singular, united

identity.

I Am Joaquín was and is an essential part of the Chicano Movement. The poem helped to

unite the cause by uniting many cultural elements into the idea of Chicanismo. Through this,

Gonzales was able to change the way the Mexican American community used and viewed the

term Chicano and helped to create a shift away from its former derogatory meaning.

Additionally, Gonzales crafted Joaquín into the Chicano everyman making his character and

experiences relatable to readers and listeners when the poem was circulated throughout public

demonstrations and rallies. Through Joaquin’s identity being comprised of all aspects of the

Mexican American experience and past, the community found unity in his Chicano identity. This

newfound unity in the Chicano identity created a stronger movement without the divisions of

previous classifications showing the true importance of the poem.

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Works Cited

Bridgewater, Devon. “TCL Joaquin Paper Prompts.”

Gonzales, Rodolfo. I am Joaquín = Yo soy Joaquín: an epic poem. 1967.

Hartley, George. “I am Joaquín: Rodolfo Corky Gonzales and the Retroactive Construction of

Chicanismo.”