From the days pilgrims first kissed the land so rich, to the days they proclaimed the songs of liberty, America was indeed "the land of the free," as Francis Scott Key once said. Those who flocked to America had the same dreams of freedom which they have been denied the right of in their mother land. They came to America with the pursuit of happiness. Once they obtained their happiness, their new found freedom, they undoubtedly revolted against all those who stood against their beloved treasure. Before any of this could be achieved, many struggled. Tears of anguish, disappear, and agony have been shed through years of hunger and slavery, yet little was done to give people the right to live as if "all men [were] created equal." Many groups struggled to get the freedom we now have. I am Joaquin, Necessary to Protect Ourselves, and What Is An American all portray group struggles for freedom, which persuade others to fight for freedom many of us still have not achieved through the reader's appeal to their emotions.
I am Joaquin is a story of an immigrant "lost in a world of confusion." This epic poem traces the adventure of Joaquin through his courageous deeds, which portray the values of his race. Using "loaded language" rich in connotations and vivid imagery, the author captures a scene of suffering, not just the suffering of one individual, but of his whole race. Phrases such as, "I shed the tears of anguish/ as I see my children disappear," (lines 24-25) and "I have survived the toils and slavery/ of the fields," (45-46) creates such imagery and terror in ones heart that they sympathize for the speaker and move them to agree with their call for freedom. The whole poem is a connotation for the speaker's cry to just accept him for who he is. The reader can sympathize with the speaker's feeling of rejection. This sympathy leads to acceptance, acceptance of the speaker and his call for freedom.
