Module 4: Biographical Poetry

Module 4: Biographical Poetry

Cesar: Si, se puede!/ Yes, We Can!

Ivana Marmolejo

Bibliography

Bernier-Grand, Carmen T., David Diaz, and Patrice Sheridan. César: Sí, Se Puede! Tarrytown, NY: Marshall Cavendish, 2006. ISBN: 9780761452836. César Chávez

Summary

Cesar: Si, se puede!/ Yes, we can! is a biographical book of poetry about Cesar Chavez. The book tells how the boy went from Cesario Estrada Chavez to César Chávez, a farm worker to an advocate for Civil Rights. A table of contents with titles of poems makes the book easy to navigate. Pictures that capture the different facets of his life are beautifully illustrated. The back of the book contains many tools for the reader to learn more about César Chávez. It has a notes section for all poems that quote César Chávez, a glossary, César Chávez’s life story, his chronology, and more.

Analysis

All readers will enjoy reading this book about the life of César Chávez. It is filled with imagery and figurative language and is written in free verse. All students can learn from this book, but English Learners can relate to this book. It has many words and phrases written in Spanish with a glossary at the back of the book for reference. 

Some figurative language is when Cesar’s parents are contrasted. His father was “como un guitarron,” and his mother “como una vihuela.” His parents are compared to a large instrument and a small instrument. In another poem, lettuce is metaphorically described as “green gold.” Imagery was used when describing his mother, “Small hands- long thin fingers./ Talked a lot./ Her tongue skipping,/ as fast as her mind./” 

Bernier-Grand effortlessly tells the significant story of César Chávez. Her free verse writing with imagery, figurative language, and rhythm will keep readers intrigued as they learn about César Chávez’s life. 

Excerpt and Use 

The poem, “Who Could Tell?” has many Spanish words. Before reading the poem, students would use the glossary to look up what each word means. As an extension, students would Google the words so that they can hear how to pronounce the words properly and practice them aloud.

Then, we would choral read the poem together. One group of students would read the words in Spanish for emphasis, and the rest would read the other parts of the poem. Students could switch roles. Students would then discuss the questions: When the author chose to use Spanish words instead of some English words in the poem, how does that add meaning to the poem? Would the reader be just as impacted if the entire poem were written in English? Why or why not?