"Nani" by Alberto Rios Response Blog

1.     2-3 Quotes I highlighted from the Poem

“ All my words make her smile. Nani never serves herself, she only    watches me with her skin, her hair.”

 -I picked this quote because it signified how much she really cares for her grandson and how she puts him first. It’s second nature for her to love her grandson and this quote shows that.

“I wonder Just how much of me will die with her”

   -I chose this quote because it adds sympathy for the boy because one he’s sad about losing his Grandmom and second he doesn’t want to lose his culture or traditions because she’s gone. And he’s scared of losing it. I think this is the most important line of the poem.

“She asks me if I want more, I own no words to stop her. Even before I speak she serves”

   -This is the last stanza of the poem and it just clarifies the passion the Grandmom has for caring for her grandson and shows that the Grandmom is always looking out for what her grandson needs. 

SENSORY DETAIL:

    When I was reading “Nani” by Alberto Rios there was a lot of sensory detail throughout the poem that stood out and caused attention to what was actually going on in the story.  The line “ I watch the mama warming more tortillas for me. I watch her fingers in the flame for me” showed the dedication of the Grandmom and the feelings of fire. By using the word flame it gave me the feeling of fire and how hot it would be to touch. Rios used this word choice to add to the sensory detail of touch and sight. Even though he used these word choices for sensory detail it also shows the Grandmoms dedication to do anything for her son.  Another quote that stood out to me was “ Near her mouth, I see wrinkle speak of a man whose body serves the ants like she serves me.”  When you read the word wrinkle you think of her old age and how fragile she must be and when he uses the word “man” you picture a strong person who is powerful but in reality she’s an old lady who just has an overpowering desire and passion to be the best Grandmom she can be.  The last quote that stood out to me with sensory detail was “her insides speak through a hundred wrinkles how more than she can bear, steel around her shouting.” I have already stated how wrinkles show her old age and when Rios uses words such as steel you think of something strong. Also when you read the word “shouting” and “her insides speak” you picture someone struggling and wanting to get out. The sensory detail add so much to this poem because it allows me as a reader to picture the Grandmom and what she’s doing and how she’s feeling. 

Observations about the writers style:

Rios uses a lot of literary devices to strengthen the poem and to clarify the main idea. Rios starts off by using a strong diction choice. For example instead of saying soup he decided to use “sopa de arroz”. Also he uses personification when saying “ I see a wrinkle speak of a man whose body serves the ants like she serves me” The wrinkles are being personified to show her age and how willing she is to care for her grandson. Also there seems to be a lot of repetition throughout the poem. And all the most important words that were continuously used are all found in the last stanza. “ She asks me if I want more. I own no words to stop her. Even before I speak, she serves.”