Legal Alien/Extranjera legal by Pat Mora

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Legal Alien/Extranjera legalby Pat Mora
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Introducing the Poem Literary Focus Speaker
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Legal Alien/Extranjera legalby Pat Mora
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Legal Alien/Extranjera legalIntroducing the Poem
Have there been times in your life when you have
felt alien? What images and feelings come to
mind when you hear that word?
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Legal Alien/Extranjera legalIntroducing the Poem
Legal Alien explores the feelings of discomfort
that come with belonging to two different
cultures. Although the speaker functions well in
both cultures, she doesnt really feel at home
in either.

• The two different versions of this poemone in
  English and one in Spanishemphasize the
  speakers bilingual background.

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Legal Alien/Extranjera legalLiterary Focus
Speaker
Speakervoice talking to us in a poem.

• The speaker is often the poetbut not always.

• The poet might speak as someone elsea younger or
  older person, an animal, or even an inanimate
  object.

• When the speaker is not the poet, the poet has
  created a persona, or mask.

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Legal Alien/Extranjera legalLiterary Focus
Speaker
Toneattitude expressed toward the subject or
audience.

• The speakers tone and speaking style combine to
  create the speakers voice.

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Legal Alien/Extranjera legalLiterary Focus
Speaker
Whenever you read a poem, listen carefully to the
voice. You might hear
the somber voice of a grandfather
the excited chatter of a little child
the serene musings of a redwood tree
The speakers identity and voice can be important
keys to the meaning of a poem.
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Legal Alien/Extranjera legalLiterary Focus
Speaker
As you read Legal Alien, ask yourself

• Whos talking to me?

• What is his or her attitude toward the subject?

• What do the speakers identity and voice tell me
  about the meaning of the poem?

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Legal Alien/Extranjera legalQuickwrite
Make the Connection
Think of all the worlds you belong to the worlds
of home, family, school, sports, and friends, for
example. Make a chart like the one here, in which
you list at least three ways you feel or behave
in two of your worlds
My Worlds My Worlds
School Sports
average student good in math quiet, shy great pitcher OK fielder confident
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Meet the Writer
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Legal Alien/Extranjera legalMeet the Writer
Pat Mora was born and raised in El Paso, Texas, a
city that borders Mexico. Her grandparents and
father had come from Mexico during the Mexican
Revolution. While she was growing up, her family
took frequent trips across the border to go to
the market. Mora doesnt deny that a bicultural
existence can be painful, but she stresses the
harmonies between cultures. She finds the
differences among people less important than the
things all cultures share.
More About the Writer
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