New Criticism

The poem entitled “Letter to Pedro, U.S. Citizen, Also Called Pete” was literally a letter
from the narrator to Pete or Pedro.

In the first stanza, the narrator told that there isn’t much change happened in their
hometown after Pete had left, which was ironically in a sense. As you can see in the first line,
the narrator use Pete as old friend which showed that even in his friend’s name has change. Then
the narrator kept on talking about the changes in their hometown as seen in the succeeding lines.

“Pete, old friend

there isn’t much change
in our hometown since you left”

In the second stanza, the persona told Pete about the cat named Simeona, which was been
burried at the foot of Miguel’s mango tree. The cat died when they were in grade four, as she
was been hit while crossing the street. And now, her grave went missing due to the road
construction. As it went by, the persona also told Pete about how the farmers sell their agony and
their sweat for a small value of money just to loss in the cockpit and buy liquor as they went
down from the mountains every Sunday. Agony and sweat were used to represent the hard work
of the farmer from cultivating the lands in the mountains.

“The farmers come down every Sunday

to sell their agony and sweat for
a few pesos, lose in the cockpit or get
drunk on the way home.’

In the third stanza, the persona talked about the new constructed bridge named after the
congressman’s wife which spanned the gray river where Tasyo, the old goat, circumcised the
narrator and Pete to be a grown man. The word lizard was used as metonymy for phallus or the
male penis.
 “Tasyo, the old goat, had split the skin of our young lizards
to make us a man many years ago.”

In the fourth stanza, the narrator/persona told Pete about the long blue hills they used to
play and hunt birds with use of slingshots which was now owned by the Mayor’s son. The whole
place was surrounded with barbed wire fence and all the birds were gone.

In the fifth stanza, it described their town mayor who possessed a lot of power in his
hands; he even owned a big sugar plantation, luxury cars and a mansion with the gate overhung
with sampaguita, and guarded by armed bodyguards.

In the sixth stanza, it showed that until then, the persona still went to Konga’s store to
buy some stuff like sardines and sugar and nails for the coffin.

In the seventh stanza, the persona described how the Sunday mass went. Few people
who were difficult to control were attending the mass, only to talk and sleep and kids play inside
the church, that’s why their priest was sad.

In the eight stanza, the author used personification to describe how the storm ruined the
cornfields and all the flowers was been blown away.

“Last night the storm came and blew away

the cornflowers. The cornfields are full of cries.”

In the ninth stanza, the persona informed Pete about the seven whores in their hometown
including his cousin Julia. The author used parallelism to describe why Julia chose to became a
whore. It’s due to her greed; to have good clothes, good food and big money.

“Your cousin, Julia, has become a whore.

She liked good clothes, good food, big money.”
 In the tenth stanza, the persona remembered their happy moments with Pete whenever
they get drunk and be carried by a wheelbarrow. Also, the narrator showed how they missed
Pete.

In the eleventh stanza, the persona talked about Stanley, Pete’s uncle and how he changed
his name from Islaw after wearing all the clothes Pete has sent him last Christmas. Also, the
persona gave his/her regards to Pete’s wife.

Finally, in the last stanza, Tasyo, the old goat sent his congratulations to Pete.

“P.S. Tasyo, the old goat’

Sends your lizard his warmest congratulations.”