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Efraín Suárez Arce
Prof. Juan C. Canals
English 3232(OU1)
21 September 2008
First research assignment: Sample Research Paper
Outline
I. Subject: Puerto Rican Literature in English
A. Pedro Pietri’s poem, “Puerto Rican Obituary”
II. Topic: Autobiographical Issues in Pedro Pietri’s poem, “Puerto Rican Obituary”
III. Hypothesis: “Puerto Rican Obituary” presents a closer look at the social,
economic and cultural issues of the Nuyorican community according to Pietri. This gives
the reader a clearer glimpse into the personal issues which motivated the creation of the
poem itself.
A. economic and cultural issues of the Nuyorican community during the late
1940's and 1950’s
1. Definition of the term the term "Nuyorican"

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B. Pietri as one of the Nuyorican poets of the 1960’s
1. Reclaiming of the term, “Nuyorican”
a. introduction of the use of “spanglish” (sp ng gl sh) or
Spanish that is characterized by numerous borrowings from English
as spoken among bilingual people of Puerto Rican ancestry.
Nuyorican poets, among them Pietri, used spanglish as a literary
device to link their own history and cultural affiliation to the island
while being culturally and physically separated from it.
2. Stylistic compositional choices and observable themes in Pietri’s writing
IV. Conclusion
A. Description of Pietri as a poet of denunciation who chronicled the joys,
sorrows and struggles of Nuyoricans during his lifetime

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Hypothesis
During the late 1940's and 1950’s, New York and other Northeast cities
became the destination for thousands of Puerto Ricans seeking better economic
conditions and who were hired in farms and factories. They experienced racial
discrimination, linguistic barriers and other problems. These episodes and difficulties
became the main themes documented in their writings;
"Juan, Miguel, Milagros, Olga, Manuel
All died yesterday today / and will die again tomorrow
Passing their bill collectors on to the next of kin
All died waiting for the Garden of Eden
To open up again under a new management
All died dreaming about America waking them up in the
middle of the night screaming:
Mira Mira your name is on the winning lottery ticket
for one hundred thousand dollars
All died hating the grocery stores
that sold them make-believe steak"
(Opening stanza from Pedro Pietri's "Puerto Rican Obituary)

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The term "Nuyorican" was originally used by native Puerto Ricans (called “Boricuas”) to
refer to the members of what is called the Puerto Rican Diaspora located in or around
the New York City area, Northern New Jersey, or of their descendants (especially those
raised or still living in the New York area). Some people used the term to refer to many
Puerto Ricans settled in different neighborhoods of Manhattan such as El Barrio (East
Harlem) or what was called Loisaida (Lower East Side). According to Lenina Nadal , the
inspiration for the name came from an incident where poets Miguel Algarín and Miguel
Pinero were walking in Puerto Rico when someone called them, “Nuyoricans”, as a
derogatory term, meaning that they were not “authentic” Puerto Ricans and therefore
less legitimate. It is this student’s opinion that to this day Nuyoricans are not considered
Puerto Ricans by the “Boricuas” (native Puerto Ricans) due to the lack of culture
similarity.
During the 1960´s Puerto Rican authors, like Pedro Pietri began to reclaim the term in
order to link their own history and cultural affiliation to a common ancestry while being
culturally and physically separated from the island. Significantly, the majority of Pietri’s
poems were composed in “Spanglish”, a form of Spanish that is characterized by
numerous borrowings from English as spoken among bilingual people of Puerto Rican
ancestry. By using Spanglish he was reconfirming his identity as a Nuyorican (and in
this student’s opinion, giving birth to a stereotype which would plague bilingual people of
Puerto Rican ancestry for years to come). Pietri once stated that he wrote in Spanish,
but because his typewriter spoke English, his words came out differently. He would later
call himself a "Spanglish Metaphor Consultant".

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“If only they had turned off the television and tuned into their own
imaginations.”
The stylistic choice of Pietri, as one of the Nuyorican poets of the 1960’s, of a strong
language that lacks lyrical qualities seems to imply a resistance to Americanization, and
an expression of dignity and pride in a puertorrican heritage. This in spite of the racial
discrimination, linguistic, cultural, social and economic barriers faced by the Nuyorican
community. Pietri himself described the impact of the Nuyorican poets during this time:
“At the time, it was the decline of the Beat Generation, and poetry went
back to the universities and became an academic thing, but here come these
street poets, man, and we pushed academia out of the way and took over the
scene.”
The poetry he created was critical of the reality of living in abandoned neighborhoods
throughout the city, and of the Vietnam War, which he considered unjust. Their poetry
distinguished itself as journalistic observations of people and life on the streets, and
captured the defiance in the face of apparently uncaring social and political institutions.
Pietris’s work is known for its sociopolitical exposition of the circumstances of the Puerto
Rican Diaspora, especially in New York. According to Dr. Alfredo Matilla:
"(Pietris’s) work summarizes the literary expression of that Diaspora, collecting
and documenting the language, idiosyncrasies, aspirations, mores and obstacles
that it confronts within the North American Society to validate its existence.”
Juan Flores, a professor at Hunter College, said that

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"He [Pedro Pietri] captured that social death and the hope that there is recourse
to humanity in the Puerto Rican culture that people had cut themselves off
from…It was not just about the poverty, but about the crass materialist culture
that leads us all into illusions about ourselves."
According to Juan Moreno Velazquez author of "Desmitificación de una Diva" and
former entertainment editor of El Diario-La Prensa, Pietri's significance in the world of
writing is unequivocal.
"Pedro and most important his legacy are very important to our people. I am not
talking past here; I am talking as everlasting expression of the reality of what
being a Puerto Rican in New York is. The guy has a gift, but in many ways; he is
a gift."
Frances Aparacio, who has edited Pietri's poetry and used it in classrooms said that
"Pietri's poetry falls within the surrealistic mode, fragmented images, search for
the absurd in everyday life, irrational, surprising metaphors and imagery, humor,
and sarcasm,"
Latin culture historian Aurora Flores, a friend since 1975 said
"He embraced and identified what it was to be a Nuyorican, a Puerto Rican
growing up in New York,"
Other observable themes are the demystification of authority figures and social
institutions (government, schools, church, "the system") and alienation in contemporary

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urban life. Also, the political status and the poverty levels for Puerto Ricans in New York
can be seen in Pietri's denunciation of "the system."
Conclusion
Pedro Pietri, was a Nuyorican writer, poet, playwright and dramatist… a
"Spanglish Metaphor Consultant," a member of the Latin Insomniacs Motorcycle Club
Without Motorcycles, a man who called himself the Reverend of the “Iglesia de la Madre
de los Tomates”… But foremost he was a Nuyorican poet and his poetry can be
described as a poetry of denunciation, which sought to create cultural awareness
among the members of the Nuyorican community and shock them into action as we see
in his poem "Puerto Rican Obituary," where he seeks to show that what we call “The
American Dream” does not and cannot exist for the Nuyorican community until they
themselves develop awareness of their unique identity and potential. At times playfully
absurd and at others angry, heartbreaking and/or hopeful, "Puerto Rican Obituary" was
embraced by young Nuyoricans upon it’s publication, who were imbued with a sense of
pride and nationalism. "Puerto Rican Obituary" should be understood in these terms
without losing sight of its original objective of addressing the masses as oral poetry.
This is important in order to understand his use of popular language, anger, and style.
"I see the foundation of a community that ensures our survival, which
perseveres. This history we made, these poets we created… We're here to
stay…They can't replace us."

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Works Cited
Aparicio, Frances R. “Pedro Pietri: Classroom Issues and Strategies”
Georgetown University, 3 Sept 2008
<http://www9.georgetown.edu/faculty/bassr/heath/syllabuild/iguide/pietri.html>
Gomez, Maria Cardalliaguet , “Voces Latinas: Cultural Identity through Poetry and
Lyrics
2008 - the Yale-New Haven Teachers Institute, 3 Sept 2008
<http://www.yale.edu/ynhti/curriculum/units/2007/1/07.01.11.x.html >
Gonzalez, David “CITYWIDE; When Life Is Art, Bowing to Death Is Not an Option”,
2004 – the New York Times 3 Sept 2008
<http://www.nytimes.com/2004/01/27/nyregion/27wide.html?
ex=1222056000&en=1a68b31520a6d9f8&ei=5070>
Nadal, Lenina “Performing Profound: A History and Interactive Playground of
Puerto Rican Performance Poetry”
Performing Profound.org 3 Sept 2008
<http://www.performingprofound.com/thesisproposal.pdf>
Pietri, Pedro (1944-2004) “Puerto Rican Obituary; Poems”
Monthly Review Press, 1973

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Ramirez, Ana Maria “News & Analysis: The reverend Pedro Pietri”
2006 - Party for Socialism and Liberation 3 Sept 2008
<http://www.pslweb.org/site/News2?JServSessionIdr008=
fhx33zlie1.app1b&page=New sArticle&id=5309&news_iv_ctrl=1201>
Yvonne - “Art News & Reviews: Pedro Pietri 1944-2004”,
WBAI RADIO 99.5FM, New York City, 2004 - PACIFICA FOUNDATION,
<http://wbai.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1426&Itemid=2 >