Documentary (Masterplots II: Poetry, Revised Edition)
At a glance:
- Author: Claribel Alegria
- First Published: 1989
- Type of Work: Lyric
- Genres: Poetry, Lyric poetry
The Poem
Claribel Alegría’s “Documentary” is a nonstanzaic, 112-line poem about the poet’s homeland, El Salvador. The poem begins by inviting the reader to become a camera in the hands of the poem’s narrator, who speaks as a documentary film director. Together reader and narrator explore El Salvador, from the anthills to the harvest of coffee beans. The poem presents quick, vivid images of the El Salvadoran people, social problems, climate, food, and animal life in the same way a film or television crew might. After cataloging the characteristics of El Salvador, the...
[The entire page is 1440 words long]
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