The lady's British accent
was fake, years later it still
infuriates. Her Cambridge estate
had china, flush toilets, English lessons,
in exchange for chores she taught me to speak
in full sentences, cured me of my accent,
a colored girl's dream, room and board.
She taught me to say what I mean,
though to this day she refuses
to hear what I mean.
Ah, but she'd been round
the world, photographing
revolutions, toasting with Daniel
Ortega, she knew what was best
for a spic like me, nightly I
recited Chaucer by the Greek
column and the peach tree.
Miss, you tap the porcelain teapot,
time for your nicotine fit,
poof smoke away from my
face but we're in the
same windowless room.
All I wanted was the vote,
the right to remain silent,
now you call me ungrateful,
me, writing a new constitution
full of truth and bad grammar.
Trouble, trouble, educating
coloreds. Those years I picked
your tobacco and you botched
my lungs. You taught me to spell
trigger, now I've got your gun.
Run Jane run run run
Lady, dear lady,
the empire
is done.
Imagery:
In her poem “Imperialism,” Martinez alludes to much different imagery; however, the technique used and the ultimate message of her words is very similar to that of “Discovering America.” Here, the narrator’s first words depict the privileged British aristocracy. The “Cambridge estate,” “china,” “flush toilets,” and “English lessons” all paint a picture of British high society (lines 3-4). Martinez even uses the “lady’s British accent” to achieve a haughty tone for the character’s overall representation, which is later reinforced when the “protégé” states that her own learning “cured me of my accent” (1,6). These images are in stark contrast with the narrator’s own portrayal as a “colored girl” who does “chores” in exchange for tutoring in English (5-7). As the poem continues, the girl’s tutelage in “Chaucer,” “Greek columns,” and even “peach tree[s],” emphasize her involuntary assimilation (16-17). By contrasting the images and symbols of the two women, Martinez indicates the class distinctions between much more than just a master and a servant. She uses her simple comparison and broadens it to the overarching travesty of imperialism. Therefore, the girl’s forced assimilation is not a rejection of her own cultural roots, but rather a celebration of them as she actively fights against the lady’s teachings. The political imagery in “Imperialism” is also another distinct aspect of the British woman’s characterization. She travels around the world “photographing revolutions,/ toasting with Daniel Ortega” (12-14). However, despite her seemingly cultured and manicured life, the woman is tainted by her associations. She memorializes revolutions in photographs, and because of her role as an outsider, does not understand the true cost of life. Furthermore, her toasts with the Nicaraguan President only emphasize her lack of actual understanding of South American life and culture and the harsh realities of Ortega’s reign. Through these little glimpses into the woman’s life, her outer worldliness is transformed into silly naiveté.
Audience:
Much like in “Discovering America,” Martinez utilizes the same technique in “Imperialism,” however a marked difference is the gender of her audience. The British woman, who is blatantly referred to as the audience because of the first person conversation, symbolizes Britain, but most importantly imperialists in general. Here, instead of a relationship between two lovers, the association of the lady of the house and her servant portrays the connection between the colonizers and the colonized. Again, the audience reveals the themes of misunderstanding, assimilation, and also ignorance. One line that is especially important is, “She taught me to say what I mean,/ though to this day she refuses to hear what I mean” (8-10). Though the lady believes she knows what will ultimately best benefit the narrator, she cares naught for the true effects of her tutelage. Her supervision of Martinez’s protagonist is purely superficial which is evidenced by the line “she knew what was best/ for a spic like me” (14-15). Word choice here is extremely important as “spic” is a common racial slur for those of Hispanic descent. Though perhaps the woman believes she is improving the speaker’s status in life, she still views her as an inferior, regarding the narrator as more of a project than a human being. The lady believes that her shallow interactions with revolutions and the Nicaraguan president prepare her to fully understand and interact with the speaker; however, they only serve to perpetuate her previously held beliefs and torment her charge. To further this idea, Martinez also introduces the harmful side-effects of second hand smoke – “time for your nicotine fit,/ poof smoke away from my face but we’re in the same windowless room” (19-22). Despite the courtesy of not blowing the smoke directly at the narrator, the fact that the two of them are in the same room without windows to air out the smoke reveals that the lady does little to protect the girl from nicotine’s harmful smoke in spite of her external actions. The British woman’s acts are extremely similar to those of imperialists. They force assimilation for the “better” of the community but cannot understand the true difficulties of having one’s culture and identity stripped away.
Tone:
Martinez’s voice in “Imperialism,” is more forceful in its reclamation of her culture. She uses the education given to her to combat the neglect of the British imperialists as she writes, “You taught me to spell trigger,/ now I’ve got your gun” (31-32). The ending also separates “Imperialism” from “Discovering America” because of her recognition of the power of knowledge. Though learning English perpetuates her assimilation into imperialist culture, the narrator can use it now to break her ties with the colonizers, “Lady, dear lady, the empire is done,” and most importantly, preserve her own identity (34-36).
