Throughout my life, I have believed that hard work pays off.

That if I merely give it my

all, then I am guaranteed to succeed. If I don’t, then I merely didn’t work hard enough, it
was as simple as that. In 8th grade, I took an accelerated math class and went for
tutoring every week for the entire school year. It never mattered to me if I understood
the material or not, it was the fact that I was putting in the effort and practicing more
than other students. I ended that year with one of the highest grades in the class, and
my motto proved true. I carried this motto onto high school, and ignored the warning
bells.
Soon enough, sophomore year approached and I was recommended for the
Governor's Honor Program in writing and language arts. Governor’s Honor Program
(GHP) is a 6 week study program held at Berry College in Georgia where students are
able to take college classes over the major they were recommended for, as well as a
minor the student chooses. For the 6 weeks, they will live on campus, go to classes
regularly, and be able to use Berry’s facilities. For high schoolers, it is the perfect
opportunity to get a glimpse of what college will be like while studying their interests.
Only sophomore and juniors are allowed to go, and have to go through rigorous tests,
applications, and interviews in order to make it. I wanted to go, but I also focused on
other applications and juggling my classes. I made it to the second round, and chalked it
up to not trying hard enough, before moving on. There was always next year.
Eventually, junior year rolled around and I was recommended again. This time, I
was prepared. It was my last chance, and I knew I would give it my all. I met with
teachers after school to go over applications, I practiced interviewing skills with both the
mirror and my parents, and I rewrote my applications again and again. I worked with
other students trying for GHP, listening to their advice and passing on my own. This
year, I will make it. I passed the second round with a breeze, as well as the third and
fourth round. But after the fifth round, I was informed that I would not be moving on, but
to still be proud of how far I had come.
For once, my belief fell through. Suddenly, I had this failure that was screaming
at me, telling me that somehow I didn’t work hard enough, that I should have done
more. Every other failure could be explained in that I didn’t work hard enough, I didn’t
study enough, I didn’t want it enough. But, this time was different. I had worked hard
enough, I had spent hours writing and rewriting my applications, I had wanted it so
much I could almost taste it. Yet, I didn’t even make it to the fifth round. Questions
flooded my senses, demanding answers and explanations for something I truly didn’t
understand. Why didn’t I make it? Is it even worth trying for anything else? What did I do
wrong?
The answer is nothing. I did nothing wrong. Sometimes, we can try and try and
try, and yet still lose. It is nothing against who we are, it is merely life. It doesn’t mean
that we give up, or that we stop trying for other things, it means the opposite. Knowing
there is always the possibility of failure makes the success that much sweeter. Not
getting into GHP allowed me to see the flaws in my own belief, and at the same time
strengthen my belief. Yes, I will not always win when I give it my all, but that just makes
it more of a challenge. Sometimes we learn more through our failures than we do when
we succeed.

Elizabeth Acevedo’s “La Ultima Cacique” and “The True Story of La Negra” retell the story of a
girl who was haunted by the sexism created from her society. Acevedo is an author who utilizes
her poems to reflect the Feminist Theory: the theory of the relationships between sexes,
specfically on gender inequality and the role of woman in society. “La Ultima Cacique” spins the
tale of the historical leader Anacaona and the struggle that she went through when Spanish
conquistadors invaded her land and forced her people against her. “The Story of La Negra”
follows an unknown girl’s life as she is brutalized by society. Although “La Ultima Cacique”
covers history while “The True Story of La Negra” covers an idea, the discrepancy is diminished
by the fact that both girls were abused and manipulated by society. Through these poems,
Acevedo utilizes historical background, structure, and rhetorical devices in order to emphasize
the feminist theory that society alters women in order to fit into their ideals, while ulitmately
leading the women to their end.
Through Acevdeo’s own background, she effectively creates the tone of a manipulative
and harsh society. When she was just a teenager, Acevedo attended a classmate’s funeral who
had been brutally killed by her boyfriend. The girl’s cries had been ignored by society, and her
boyfriend escaped without punishment. In a Ted Talk, Acevedo asks the question, “Is this the
last poem I will write about a girl like you?”. Her question reveals that she uses her words to
fight for women whose voices have been ignored by society and treated unjustly. Acevedo
wields her words as if they were a sword to protect women against society’s treatment. With
Acevedo’s historical background, the foundation of a cruel society has been laid for both poems,
but in “La Ultima Cacique” the historical background of Anacaona and the structure then molds
the foundation to showcase the gender inequality and bias that society forces on women.
In “La Ultima Cacique”, there are six stanzas total that follow the history, and the first and last
two have equal amounts of lines. Anacaona was the sister of the Jaragua chief and wife of
Maguana, making her a powerful Taino chief. As seen in the first stanza, the setting is created
to embellish Anacaona as the hero of the poem(Acevedo 1-6). However, when a new governor
of Hispaniola arrives, Nicolas de Ovando deems Anacaona a dangerous enemy, one who
seduced his men and charmed them to her will. This belief leads to him torturing and burning
the most influential Tainos until they turn against Anacaona and slander her, which is described
in stanza five as the conquistadors betray Anacaona (Acevedo 24-29). Then, stanza six
describes her death (Acevedo 30-35). The Spanish conquistadors represent society, as
throughout the poem they take precedence and control. Stanzas five and six parallel each other,
showcasing how quickly society takes control over women’s life while acting as an antithesis to
stanza one, reflecting how Anacaona’s true self did not matter and was easily trampled by the
last two stanzas. These corresponding stanzas and the historical background emphasize how
society quickly changed her and took control of her life. In the beginning she was viewed as the
hero, a powerful and trusted leader of her tribe, but when the Spaniards changed their minds
she was viewed as a seductress. Their opinion led to her death, showcasing how society has
control over women’s lives and manipulates it to their will.
While “The True Story of La Negra” is not based on a specific historical tale, its structure
emphasizes how society’s ideals take precedence over women. In the poem, there are two
stanzas, the first having eight lines and the second only three. The first stanza sets up the
horrors that La Negra is dealt and creates a ghastly description of her, a description created by
society (Acevedo 1-8). However, in the second stanza, only three lines, it describes her death
as a result of society (Acevedo 9-11). Through society, La Negra was ruined, emphasizing how
society will change and mold women until they are dead. The ratio of lines between the first
stanza and the second showcase how heavy society’s judgement and views are weighed,
creating the effect that her death is unimportant to society.
In each poem, rhetorical devices emphasize how society molded and manipulated the women to
its own ideals and beliefs, ultimately leading to their ends. In the beginning, “La Ultima Cacique”
establishes Anacaona as the victim, stating, “She knew she’d have to hide, when those men
began to show their skins did not clothe gods” (Acevedo 3-6). Contrasting the Spaniards against
the gods showcases how society is not overpowering, and is meant to be non-threatening.
However, it is meant as a double-edged sword, as the Spaniards are not as kind or as holy as
god, just as society is not as good as it is meant to be. On the other hand, in “The True Story of
La Negra”, it begins from society’s perspective, and begins to destroy La Negra. It starts with
“La Negra is a beastgirl” (Acevedo 1). The simple sentence creates a sharp and factual tone, as
if La Negra could only be what society believes, as established by the metaphor. It showcases
how society’s opinion takes precedence, as La Negra is not even provided the opportunity to
defend herself from these claims.
Unlike La Negra, Anacaona is given the opportunity to fight against the men and society, and
through her opportunity she tries to remain peaceful, to remain as herself: “but when they came
she merely tried to soothe them like frothing dogs that could not be patted to rest” (Acevedo
9-11). The simile emphasizes how vicious society can be to women, just like dogs that do not
care who they hurt, only focused on their gain. Historically, when her husband and brother were
killed and she became chief of both tribes, in order for her people to survive she treated the
conquistadors cordially. She worked on creating friendly relations and integration through the
marriages of powerful Tainos and conquistadors (Chards). However, she was called weak for
her actions, demonstrating how society only sees what it wants to see. Similarly, La Negra is
viciously treated, as it says, “the doctor pulled La Negra from her mother’s throat: a swallowed
sword, a string of rosary beads” (Acevedo 3-5). The symbolism of the sword showcases how
society views her as a dangerous weapon, a direct antithesis to the rosary beads, a symbol of
holiness and prayer. The sword represents how society’s perspective overtakes who La Negra
might truly be: an answered prayer for a mother, someone good and holy.
Once society molds Anacaona to their standards, it kills her, and the poem ends, saying, “as
she was lowered and a world ended and a new one cracked open: swallowed us all” (Acevedo
33-35). Historically, she faced a public trial where she was sentenced to hang for treason.
Before she was hanged, she was offered the chance to save herself by becoming a concubine
for a Spanish Official (Chards). When she refused, she was defeated, and with her, her tribe
succumbed to the Spainiards. Society’s victory over her is represented as the new world was
created; a world where society’s perspective reigned. Although in “La Ultima Cacique” a new
world is created, in “The True Story of La Negra”, it does not create a new beginning, merely
ending La Negra; it says, “This is where she will end: enveloped in candle wax. Scratched &
caught beneath your nails.” (Acevedo 9-11). The description and symbolism emphasizes how
society controlled and ruined her. The candle wax references how she was a candle burning
bright, but society blew her out in order to control her, abandoning her as an empty and broken
candle. The diction of “scratched” and “caught” emphasize how brutal society was to her in
controlling and making her submit to their ideals. Through the rhetorical devices, the poems
emphasized how society molds the women into its ideals and beliefs, leaving women destroyed.
Through the use of background knowledge, structure, and rhetorical devices, Acevedo
effectively emphasizes how society manipulates and twists women into society’s version of
themselves in “The True Story of La Negra” and “La Ultima Cacique”. In “The True Story of La
Negra”, the experiences that Acevedo witnessed merge into how the poem is written and what
devices are used. In “La Ultima Cacique” she utilizes the historical background in order to create
the story of Anacaona and showcase how society morphed her. The poems utilize structure in
different ways in order to reflect how society takes control; “The True Story of La Negra”
showcases society’s control from the beginning, while “La Ultima Cacique” demonstrates how
women are gradually forced to lose their control. Throughout the poems the rhetorical devices
then finalize and highlight the control and viciousness of society. In the end, both poems lead to
the woman’s demise due to society.