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Anti-Capitalist Critique and Travelling Poetry in the Works of Lorna Dee Cervantes and Rage Against the Machine
- Author(s):
- Donna Maria Alexander (see profile)
- Date:
- 2012
- Group(s):
- American Literature
- Subject(s):
- American literature, Poetics, Postcolonialism
- Item Type:
- Article
- Tag(s):
- chicana literature, Contemporary poetry, rap, transnational
- Permanent URL:
- http://dx.doi.org/10.17613/M6DR1T
- Abstract:
- Margaret Randall states that “as we re-search our histories ... infrequently there is an exploration of an uncharted, complex terrain, and some new mapping happens” (8). Adopting Randall’s statement, this paper examines travelling poetry and anti-capitalism in the poetry of Lorna Dee Cervantes and the song lyrics of Rage Against the Machine (RATM) both of whom are based in California. With reference to Randall’s assertion Cervantes and RATM present complex transnational mappings of silent and silenced imperial history located within and beyond the national boundaries of the US. Cervantes is a Chicana, Feminist, activist poet. RATM is an American rap metal band, formed in 1991. The lead singer, Zack de la Rocha identifies as Chicano which is an important influence on their music in both form and style. This paper examines Cervantes’s “Poem For the Young White Man Who Asked Me How I, an Intelligent, Well-Read Person Could Believe in the War Between the Races”, “Coffee” and “On Why I Boycotted Cinco de Mayo.” Cervantes’ works are juxtaposed with RATM’s “Sleep Now in the Fire” and “People of the Sun.”
- Metadata:
- xml
- Published as:
- Journal article
- Status:
- Published
- Last Updated:
- 6 years ago
- License:
- Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike
ldc-paper-2012.pdf