Week 8: Literary Analysis of Four Poems of Angel Island and Chinatown

The poems by the detained Chinese immigrants of the years ranging from 1910 until 1940 were inscribed on the wall of the building where they were imprisoned. The translated poems in this anthology allow us to see how desperate the "undocumented" immigrants were to be released to their relatives that were legally documented, immigrants.

The first poem talks about how many depressed cries are written on the walls. The Chinese detainees are all looking for comfort, and because they feel like their circumstance cannot be consoled by another person since they are all experiencing the same misery, they resort into writing their pains against the wall. This poem shows that social class doesn't matter in the face of oppression. But this particular poem sounds hopeful for the poet writes, "Why should one complain if he is detained and imprisoned here? From ancient times, heroes often were the first ones to face adversity (Hicks, p. 354)". The poet still clings to a sliver chance of getting his/her liberty back, and that hope brings comfort to his/her own misfortune.

The second poem talks about a lady who is longing for her husband who hasn't come home. Perhaps, she has given up on her freedom that she decides that the island where she is detained is now her home. She talks about the passing of time, and how it could never be returned. She is quite turning this misfortune to a positive way and wishing to enjoy her remaining years instead of sulking about crying for justice.

The third poem talks about how a man who is detained in the Island has been there for so long he awaits death. He doesn't believe in anything hopeful anymore that he has to resign in his prison which he implies to be the first level of Hell, he awaits King Yimlo at Hell's tenth palace. I think that King Yimlo is the equivalent of Satan in the Chinese culture. This poem also allows us to compare it with Dante's Divine Comedy; a novel where the different levels of Hell are imaginarily created.

The last poem talks about how the Chinese "undocumented" immigrants transform this prison, their hellhole, into a town of merry events. They create their own community and decide that if they weren't going to be with their legally documented relatives, they will celebrate their own lives in the comfort of their people and despite being prisoners, they gain the power of camaraderie. They learn to build and support each other rather than wait for redemption that will surely not arrive, not in this government.