Miguel Piñero

Stanza

At the end of each stanza Miguel made note that when he dies he wants to have his ashes spread throughout the streets of the " Lower East Side" The title of the poem was also the ending phrase used in almost every stanza.

Rhyme

Assoance

This poem had a interesting rhyme pattern. It sometimes rhymed in the middle of a stanza, but it also rhymed the end of every other stanza.

To make his point Miguel randomly repeated this phrase "all that's true". I believe he did this the stress the fact that everything he said real and despite all that he still loves his home town.

Plot

The plot of this poem was about Miguel remaining with his hometown even after death by having his ashes spread throughout the city. No matter how cruel or evil the city may seem to most Miguel found something great about it that made him want to continue living there after death.

Allusion

Miguel made references of some of the events and people that he has seen while growing up in his city.

For Example

"14Th Street from Second Avenue to the mighty D"

That is a street number in Manhattan that he probably hung out at or came across a couple of times.

Tone

Miguel's tone in this poem was one of pride. He liked the challenge of the city. His city was not the easiest of places to survive so he was proud to be from there.

(Quote)

"I wanna be near the stabbing shooting gambling fighting & unnatural dying & new birth crying"

Theme

Miguel Piñero

The theme of this poem was that no matter where you go I should always love where you grew up no matter where that is. Miguel was born in Puerto Rico, but he was raised in the lower east side of Manhattan. He was born somewhere else and that didn't matter to him because he grew a connection to his new home. The theme of this poem was described within every line of this poem including the title.

Flashback

In this piece Miguel made several flashbacks about his life while living in Manhattan. He mentioned drug dealers and people getting killed. Normally people wouldn't use those examples when trying to explain something good but this is the type of stuff Miguel liked about his home.

Nuyorican Poets Café

Literary Terms

By:Marcus Sergeant

These are some of the literary terms I picked up on while reading Miguel's poem called " Lower East Side"

*Flashback *Stanza

*Theme *Assonance

*Tone *Rhyme

*Allusion *Plot

Background

Miguel grew up poor and turned to a life of crime. When he was locked up he meet some directors. They most likely influenced him in some way because he later wrote his first play wright while in prison. That same play ended up winning several awards. When Miguel left prison it was the start of his amazing career. He co-founded the Nuyorican Poets Café. The Café was a place for performances of poetry about the experience of being a Nuyorican or Puerto Rican in New York. This simple group grew even after Miguel died. A movie was made in his honor depicting his influencing life.