Redefining Identity: Resistance and Unity in the Americas

F. Lin

The history of the Americas can be split into isolated national narratives, ignoring the deep and complicated relationships between the United States and Latin America. This isolationist viewpoint obscures the common legacy of colonialism, interventionist policies, and economic exploitation while undervaluing the strength and unity of Latin American diasporic communities in their conflict. Roque Dalton, Juan González, and Valeria Luiselli question these dominant narratives with their works that emphasize the Americas’ linked history from historical,
cultural, and humanitarian viewpoints. Dalton’s poetry, including “O.E.A.”, “EL Salvador”, “Like You”, and “Memory and Questions”, uses powerful metaphors and lyrical imagery to criticize US engagement in Latin America while promoting togetherness and optimism.

González’s documentary “Harvest of Empire” examines the Americas’ colonial and interventionist past, providing important background for understanding contemporary
immigration concerns. Similarly, Luiselli’s “Tell Me How It Ends” shows the impact of current policies on Latin American communities via the human tales of unaccompanied child migrants.

This essay will look at how Dalton’s poetry, González’s documentary, and Luiselli’s book explain the linked histories of the Americas, highlight the persistence of diasporic groups, and provide new frameworks for reinventing the Americas’ identity.

The poetry of Roque Dalton provides a compelling perspective through which to see the intertwined history of the Americas. His writings consistently promote solidarity and resistance while offering critical assessments of US involvement in Latin America. Dalton’s poems provide insight into the intricate details of these common pasts via themes of cultural identity, colonial
legacies, and international solidarity. He successfully blends poetic expression with perceptive social commentary in poems like “O.E.A.”, “EL Salvador”, “Like You”, and “Memory and Questions”, demonstrating the political complexity of his work and his unique dual role as a poet and social critic. “O.E.A” is one of his poems’ best demonstrates of political topics. At first glance, the poem cites the names of many Latin American presidents, like Somoza and Stroessner, while simultaneously emphasizing the U.S. president’s overall authority. This systematic repetition underscores that, while these countries technically have their presidents, actual power is typically wielded by other powers, primarily the United States. Many of the presidents described in the poem were Cold War leaders who received assistance from the United
States. For example, Somoza’s dictatorship remained in power primarily thanks to tight connections with the United States. This demonstrates how the United States engaged in Latin American issues by supporting authoritarian dictators to protect its interests. Through an
understated tone and continuous repetition, the poet progressively shows that “the president of my country” is only a figurehead, with genuine authority dispersed among outside powers such as the United States and other leaders influenced by external forces. This tone heightens the poem’s sarcastic quality. Finally, the poem’s main issue is the decline of sovereignty in Latin
American countries. Despite having their presidents, actual power frequently rests with the United States, demonstrating the region’s reliance and vulnerability in the global system.

El Salvador Will Be, in contrast, turns its attention from criticizing outside forces to speculating about the potential for domestic change. As a “beautiful and dignified country,” El Salvador can be restored with the help of the working class and rural communities, according to
the poem’s optimistic opening vision. This optimism is contrasted, meanwhile, with a gloomy assessment of the nation’s current state, which is seen as being plagued by poverty, illness, and inequality. He refers to these profound structural problems as the “historical hangover” that has hindered El Salvador’s development and made it dependent on outside forces. Similar to “O.E.A.”, “El Salvador Will Be” draws attention to the widespread effects of institutional exploitation and outside interference, but it strikes a balance between criticism and a call to action. Dalton moves the emphasis to a vision of communal action and resilience by highlighting
the role of local people and their capacity to regain sovereignty.

By concentrating on the inner conflicts that people who live under oppressive institutions encounter, Memory and Questions expands on this investigation. This poem adopts a more introspective stance, portraying the psychological and emotional toll of systematic injustices, in contrast to the structural critique of “O.E.A.” or the communal hope in “El Salvador Will Be”. The poet contrasts their own goals with the crushing weight of internal and external limitations as they consider their “native poverty” and the “enormous helplessness and thirst” that define their civilization. The poet specifically refers to attending a university to study law, yet the purported process of “learning the architecture of justice” falls short of “finding the anatomy of reason,” illustrating the futility and ridiculousness of formal education. With striking metaphors like “the soul that wanted to be a flag returning” but was changed “into a despicable rag,” Dalton
challenges the structures that stifle both individual and group potential. While this poem aligns with “El Salvador Will Be” in its subtle awareness of the need for resilience and reconstruction, it also complements “O.E.A.” by offering a more personal viewpoint on the same themes of lost sovereignty and the common reach of foreign influence.

Finally, Like You broadens the discussion by highlighting our universal humanity. Through its universal message of solidarity and the conviction that “poetry, like bread, is for
everyone,” Dalton bridges the gap between personal and societal hardships. The poem captures the continuing spirit of Latin American diasporic groups that overcome adversity, start new lives, and stay connected to their cultural heritage by focusing on empathy and resilience rather than political critique.

“Harvest of Empire” by Juan González examines how American activities in Latin America have influenced current migration trends. For example, the Cold War-era U.S. military presence in El Salvador caused extensive social and political unrest, which compelled many
people to leave and eventually build robust immigrant populations in places like Los Angeles (González, 2011). González questions accepted theories on migration by arguing that American political and economic domination, not the failings of the migrants, is the cause. He illustrates
their resilience and capacity to recover in unfamiliar settings despite structural obstacles by using
case studies, such as Salvadoran communities in Los Angeles and Cuban immigrants in Miami.

By placing Roque Dalton’s poetry’s abstract ideas of resistance and solidarity in a historical context, González’s study gives the work more depth. Dalton criticizes oppression via metaphor, but González’s historical perspective gives these criticisms substance and draws attention to the larger systemic injustices that underlie migration. Together, they highlight the power of diasporic
communities and the long-lasting effects of inequality, illuminating the close and continuous relationships between the United States and Latin America (González, 2011).

Through the narratives of child migrants, Valeria Luiselli’s “Tell Me How It Ends” examines the compassion and difficulties of migration. Luiselli explores the experiences of Latin American children negotiating the U.S. immigration system, drawing on her background as an
immigration advocate and interpreter. She illustrates via these accounts how structural problems like poverty, crime, and the drug war caused further migration from Central America. Her portrayal of families from Honduras, Guatemala, and El Salvador traveling in danger is
reminiscent of Juan González’s historical interpretations and enhances the critical viewpoints in Roque Dalton’s poetry. A questionnaire used in the legal intake procedure for juvenile migrants seeking residence serves as the foundation for Luiselli’s novel. This concept emphasizes how dehumanizing and bureaucratic immigration laws are.

The legal system presents major problems, which are shown by seemingly simple queries like asking youngsters to recollect particular events regarding their arrival (Luiselli, 2017). Luiselli shows the children’s resiliency in the face of hardship while also highlighting the pain and terror that were a part of their migratory experiences via their replies. Her story raises the conversation about migration to a moral and emotional level, going beyond simple policy criticism. By establishing the issue in intimate, human tales, Luiselli’s profound empathy goes beyond Dalton’s appeal for international cooperation. Her writing serves as a reminder to readers that migrants are unique people who should be treated with compassion and respect, not merely the result of historical circumstances.
And, “Tell Me How It Ends” asks readers to reframe migration as a profoundly human issue rather than a political one and to treat it with compassion by fusing historical background with modern stories.
Roque Dalton, Juan González, and Valeria Luiselli’s writings provide insight into the common history and hardships of the Americas. Luiselli’s “Tell Me How It Ends” humanizes these challenges through personal tales, González’s “Harvest of Empire” gives historical
background for migration, and Dalton’s poetry celebrates resiliency while criticizing the loss of sovereignty. Collectively, they oppose disparate accounts and promote a cohesive and compassionate understanding of the Americas.

Work Cited
Dalton, R. (1981). El Salvador será [El Salvador Will Be]. In Poesía Elegida. Guaymuras, Tegucigalpa, Honduras.
Dalton, R. (2000). Como Tú [Like You]. In M. Espada (Ed.), Poetry Like Bread: Poets of the Political Imagination. Curbstone Press.
Dalton, R. (2023). Recuerdo y preguntas [Memory and Questions]. In Historias y poemas de una lucha de clases / Stories and Poems of a Class Struggle. Seven Stories Press.
Dalton, R. O.E.A [O.A.S.]. In Poesía Elegida (pp. 23–24). Guaymuras.
González, J. (2011). Harvest of Empire: A history of Latinos in America. Penguin Books.
Luiselli, V. (2017). Tell me how it ends. Fourth Estate