I guess it took me awhile to decide what poet I kind of really want to write about, and I decided to write about Jessica Hagedorn not only because she an outstanding poet, but some of the stuff she writes I can sort of relate to what she is writing about.
Jessica Hagedorn is a Filipino American that was born in the Philippines in 1949. Her father was both Filipino and Spanish, while her mother was Scots, Irish, French, and Filipino, and was known to have one Chinese ancestor. Hagedorn moved to the US at the age of 13 at the year 1963, and began to take lessons in acting and soon became interested in the performing arts which lead her to multimedia work. Hagedorn applies the knowledge that she has learn from the past into the poems that she writes creating her own style writing and performances. Her style includes the mixture of song, poetry, images, and spoken dialogue. In order to improve her literary and multimedia skills Hagedorn moved to New York in 1978. Her novels and poems such as Dogeaters or Something About You, to give people a better understanding about how American culture affects Filipino culture or what Filipino culture is really about. She gives Filipinos a voice to show others what being a Filipino really is really about. Jessica Hagedorn now resides in New York with her family and still continues to be a poet, writer, musician, and play artist.
The poem Sorcery, I believe that Hagedorn tries to tell the readers not to always believe in what you see especially women that a beautiful on the outside. Within that beauty may lay a cheat or “witch” trying seduce you with her charms in order to gain something from you. The poem Something About You in my opinion helps expresses Hagedorns life such as all the people that has helped her in the past, and people in the present. The phrase “and this for” represents her thanks to those who had help her become what she is now. The poem Stigmata, I think gives the readers an outlook of what other people think about other racists, stereotypes. Like “IF HE'S PAINTED GOLD, HOW ARE WE SUPPOSED TO KNOW HE'S BLACK?” Hagedorn is trying to tell us society only looks at people from the outside and determines what they are just from that. Another meaning that I’ve thought of is that some people try to show that they’re different from what others expect like the black man painted gold, he wants to show people he’s different.
Photo: http://www.nationalbook.org/graphics/nba2005/dinner/photos/hagedorn.jpg
