Poetry, "World's Fair, St. Louis, 1904"

The poems we discussed were interesting as they echoed some of the themes and discussion we’ve had so far and consequently are intertwined into the experiences of all Filipino Americans, like myself. The poetic techniques helped emphasize and elaborate on the Filipino American experience, as identified by the poets.

Jaimie Jacinto, a Philippine born poet, was raised in the Richmond District of San Francisco. Identifying with both cultures he appears to have a curiosity on how the two have come together, a notion that he explores in his poem, “World’s Fair, St. Louis, 1904”. The poem plays on the irony in the American desire to civilize the “savage”. With seemingly good intentions the American persona becomes desensitized to their treatment of the Filipino, blurring the line between accommodation and exploitation. Presenting varying perspectives, the poem sets the divide between the experiences at the World’s Fair. Stylistically, the poem creates a very personal view, as the reader is able to identify with the sense of self, established in the second stanza. Overall it reveals the power struggle between a reigning world power and a still developing nation.

The other poems explored various themes in the Fil-Am experience, including the plight of the Philippine oversees worker, the cultural obsession with branding, betrayal, and foreign aggression. All seem to present an illusion of American glamour and opportunity, only to negate the experience with harsh realities of exploitation and mistreatment. Understanding theses stories of struggle, I question whether or not those who did immigrate to the states, such as my family, truly found what it was they were looking for in America, or if it fell short of their expectations. Personally I see the move as successful as my parents and extended family were able to establish themselves in a new country, start their own businesses and live relatively comfortable lives. This obviously isn’t everyone’s story and perhaps the generation of my parents still feels as if they had to compromise more than they initially set out to. Hearing other Fil-Am experiences in these poems definitely made me question why my family relocated and how they feel about the world and life they left behind. Additionally I feel as if I’ve been made more aware of that cultural gap and disconnect between the two worlds that seemed to have always meshed well in my life. This realization has become a growing interest of mine, and definitely something I want to further explore, both in and outside of any creative work I do.