Bully
By Martin Espada
In the school auditorium,
the Theodore Roosevelt statue
is nostalgic
for the Spanish-American war
each fist lonely for a saber,
or the reins of anguish-eyed horses,
or a podium to clatter with speeches
glorying in the malaria of conquest.But now the Roosevelt school
is pronounced Hernandez.
Puerto Rico has invaded Roosevelt
with its army of Spanish-singing children
in the hallways,
brown children devouring
the stockpiles of the cafeteria,
children painting Taino ancestors
that leap naked across murals.Roosevelt is surrounded
by all the faces
he ever shoved in eugenic spite
and cursed as mongrels, skin of one race,
hair and cheekbones of another.Once Marines tramped
from the newsreel of his imagination;
now children plot to spray graffiti
in parrot-brilliant colors
across the Victorian mustache
and monocle.
Summary of Bully
- Popularity of “Bully”: The poem ‘Bully’ was written by Martin Espadas, an American poet, translator, essayist as well as attorney. The poem was published in 1990 in different publications, and since then has become a classic textbook piece taught across the globe in the English literature curriculum. The unique poetic quality of the poem lies in its irony of the invasion of the United States of the Caribbean and the children of the Caribbean immigrants now invading the US schools.
- “Bully” As a Representative of Senseless Wars and American Idea of a Molten Pot: Martin Espada opens the poem with the presentation of the statue of Theodore Roosevelt, reminding the Spanish-American War. He asks if the horses and speeches glorify those contiguous conquests. The school constructed in the memory of Roosevelt now presents the children and grandchildren of the same people as if they are the army of “Spanish singing children.” The school name is also now Hernandez. Instead of painting the American heroes, they are now painting Taino. Now Roosevelt school has the same children surrounding the statute of Roosevelt to whom he cursed as eugenic and mongrels for having mixed race once the land of those Caribbean children where Marines tramped now is full of the children themselves spraying graffiti on the statue as if they are mocking the Victorian symbols of colonialism.
- Major Themes in “Bully”: Ravages of colonialism, backfiring of American policy, and the idea of the US melting pot are three major themes of this poem. Although Martin is from Latin America, he admires the statue of Theodore Roosevelt in the school, which reminded him of the Spanish-American war. He also shows that now the same statue is being mocked by the children of the Spanish American immigrants. This is the irony of the fate that Roosevelt used to abuse the Latinos, and now their children or grandchildren are playing with his statue. It is also the irony of the fate that now those children or Latinos are themselves Americans, showing the melting pot idea of the United States.
Analysis of Poetic Devices Used in ‘Bully’
literary devices are unique strategies. The poets use them to beautify their poems. The analysis of these devices is as follows.
- Assonance: Assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds in the same line, such as the sound of /oo/ in “the Theodore Roosevelt statue”, the sound of /o/ in “or the reins of anguish-eyed horses” and the sound of /i/ in “glorying in the malaria of conquest.”
- Consonance: Consonance is the repetition of consonant sounds in the same line, such as the sound of /r/ in “brown children devouring”, the sounds of /r/ and /k/ in “that leap naked across murals” and the sound of /s/ and /r/ in “and cursed as mongrels, skin of one race.”
- Enjambment: It is defined as a thought in verse that does not come to an end at a line break; rather, it rolls over to the next line. For example;
Roosevelt is surrounded
by all the faces
he ever shoved in eugenic spite
and cursed as mongrels, skin of one race,
hair and cheekbones of another.
- Imagery: Imagery is used to make readers perceive things involving their five senses. The poem shows the use of imagery such as “children painting Taino ancestors / that leap naked across murals”, “and cursed as mongrels, skin of one race” and “from the newsreel of his imagination.”
- Irony: The title, as well as the school auditorium, presents irony in that the US invaded the Caribean, and now the children of that land are invading the US schools, mocking the statue of Theodore Roosevelt, who ordered that invasion.
- Juxtaposition: These two lines from the poem shows the use of juxtaposition as two different ideas have been put together, such as “and cursed as mongrels, the skin of one race, / hair and cheekbones of another.
- Metaphor: It is a figure of speech in which an implied comparison is made between the objects that are different. The poem shows the use of bullying as an extended metaphor as it is compared to the invading Americans. The poet has also used the metaphor of malaria as it is compared to the US conquest.
- Symbolism: Symbolism is using symbols to signify ideas and qualities, giving them symbolic meanings that are different from literal meanings. The poem shows the school, mustache, and monocle used as symbols of colonialism.
Analysis of Poetic Devices Used in Bully
Poetic and literary devices are the same, but a few are used only in poetry. Here is the analysis of a few poetic devices used in this poem.
- Free Verse: The poem does not follow any rhyme scheme. Therefore, it is a free-verse poem.
- Stanza: A stanza is a poetic form of some lines. There are four stanzas, with each having different number of verses.
- Repetition: The poem shows the use of the rhetorical device of repetition that stresses upon the main idea, such as “Roosevelt” and “School.”
Quotes to be Used
These lines from “Bully” are relevant when teaching about the changing political situations and the role of great heroes who have fought for values, but now the values have turned topsy turvy.
Once Marines tramped
from the newsreel of his imagination;
now children plot to spray graffiti
in parrot-brilliant colors
across the Victorian mustache
and monocle
