07-15-2014, 04:39 AM
Hey there,
I enjoyed your poem as a piece of social/political commentary. However, I feel as if this poem falls in line with a culturally essentialist way of viewing Brazil. The image of rats in the streets and so on paints a dismal picture of a Brazilian favella in shambles, which is not ALL of Brazil by any means. Also, I'm not sure if it's fair to say that these "familial robin hoods" are more likely to have .45 vs 45 cents; once again, this view seems to be drawn from essentialist ways of viewing other non-western cultures (i.e. brazil is full of robin hoods and robbers and famine and so on).
I enjoyed your poem as a piece of social/political commentary. However, I feel as if this poem falls in line with a culturally essentialist way of viewing Brazil. The image of rats in the streets and so on paints a dismal picture of a Brazilian favella in shambles, which is not ALL of Brazil by any means. Also, I'm not sure if it's fair to say that these "familial robin hoods" are more likely to have .45 vs 45 cents; once again, this view seems to be drawn from essentialist ways of viewing other non-western cultures (i.e. brazil is full of robin hoods and robbers and famine and so on).
"Where there are roses we plant doubt.
Most of the meaning we glean is our own,
and forever not knowing, we ponder."
-Fernando Pessoa
Most of the meaning we glean is our own,
and forever not knowing, we ponder."
-Fernando Pessoa