The Latin Deli: An Ars Poetica” by Judith Ortiz Cofer, PDF

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This a well-written essay about "The Latin Deli: An Ars Poetica” by Judith Ortiz Cofer." I got another A+ on this essay because the professor looked over it before I turned it in. ...

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A Home Away From Home The little things in life can bring back so many memories from the past. They can make a person feel at home, loved, and complete. In the poem “The Latin Deli: An Ars Poetica” by Judith Ortiz Cofer, a small deli offering Latin American goods grasps the attention of those seeking hard-to-get products from their far-away home countries. Consequently, the Latin American immigrant clientele make frequent visits to the deli for a comforting native meal and coveted essentials. This little business is unlike any other establishment; it is a place where the customers can speak and be understood. In “The Latin Deli: An Ars Poetica,” Ortiz illustrates through setting, symbolism, and point of view that it does not matter the background, race or religion, the one thing we all crave is the feeling of unity that food provides. The setting of the deli plays a crucial role in connecting the customer's present and past experiences. In the “Latin Deli” Cofer not only produces the atmosphere, but she describes it by blending some of the five senses using synesthesia, creating a vivid image in the reader's mind about the atmosphere in the deli. The smell of “dried codfish” and the sight of “green plantains / hanging in stalks like votive offerings” (5-6) make the reader feel like a customer because the poet brings out those feelings using synaesthesia. The setting of the deli influences the type of clientele who shop and have flashbacks in their minds when they step foot in the place. They “read the labels of packages aloud, as if / they were the names of lost lovers” (26-27). In other words the owners’ clients feel excitement to see products from their home land. Symbolism helps define the meaning of a poem beyond the text written. The symbol in “The Latin Deli” is an object that can bring anyone together: food. In this composition, Cofer uses multiple of examples of how people enjoy the food presented to them. The deli provides “the stale candy of everyone’s childhood” (28). In fact, this shows how even thus the smallest

item can bring pleasant childhood memories to the customers. The food in this deli is a little more expensive than a regular supermarket, but the reader can assume that it is packed with love. As the owner is “slicing jamón y queso and wrapping it in wax / paper tied with a string,” it shows that the owner takes her time and slices everything by hand and packages it all with maternal love (30-31). The food in this deli brings back many memories for people from all different backgrounds, “conjuring up products / from places that now exist only in their hearts” (34-35). Indeed the owner provides the customers with authentic goods from their country. The poem is told from a third person perspective. The speaker of the Latin Deli is very descriptive, making the reader feel like she is a customer, enticing her to make daily visits. The person describing the deli remains unknown and can be anyone. It can be a customer who makes regular visits or the author, Judith Ortiz Cofer, herself. Even though the person describing the deli is unknown, one of the things that he/she does is give such an evocative setting. Customers feel very comfortable speaking their language; “Mexicans who pass through, talking lyrically” (16). Everything is described from the customers to the walls. Without the immense description, of the deli it would be challenging to imagine the small store and what a great variety, of pleasant emotional it offers to its customers. The only concept that can be concluded is that the owner of the deli is a woman because she is described as, “the Patroness of Exiles, a woman of no-age who was never pretty”(8). Without a doubt this woman is devoted to her customers giving them, the best experience in her deli. Many customers might view her as a second mother, a loving mother who sees her customers as her own children. In the “Latin Deli: An Ars Poetica” by Judith Ortiz Cofer, a woman owns a deli that provides a feeling of nostalgia for their long lost home to many of her customers. The theme is supported by the setting, symbolism and point of view which help portray that no matter what

background an individual comes from, the one thing that can bring us together is food. Customers feel at home once they step foot in the deli, “all wanting the comfort / of spoken Spanish”(18-19). The clientele do not mind paying a little extra for the products purchased because they not only receive what they shop for but they also get a little piece of home. To the child of parents originally from Zacatecas, Mexico many of the issues the customers encounter can be related. Any person can fall in love with a particular establishment but it is rare if that location brings back memories from one's beloved missed country.

Work Cited Cofer, Ortiz Judith. “[The Latin Deli: An Ars Poetica].” The Norton Introduction to Literature. Ed. Kelly J. Mays. Shorter 11th ed. New York: Norton, 2013. 761. Print....