Discovering Self Worth through Spoken Word in "The Poet X" Olivia F. Vega 11th Grade

In Elizabeth Acevedo’s young adult novel, The Poet X, fifteen-year old Dominican-American Xiomara Batista describes her aspirations and personal life experiences in the form of poetic verse. Through her narration the reader learns that Xiomara’s relationship with her mother is strained due to her mother’s strict expectations for how she should behave as a young woman. Xiomara is treated inferiorly to her twin brother and routinely sexualized and objectified by the men in her community, including her own father, causing her to feel doubtful when a boy named Aman treats her with respect throughout their budding romance. It is not until Xiomara is encouraged to join the school slam poetry club that she begins to realize the empowerment that she can attain by speaking the poetry she writes, aloud. Xiomara’s self-expression through spoken word poetry reflects her desire to be heard and respected for her intelligence and ideas rather than objectified for her body. Acevedo’s portrayal of Xiomara’s self-discovered strength subverts traditional understandings of a coming of age narrative as Xiomara is a female protagonist who forms an identity based entirely on her own skills and talent without the assistance of a male figure.

The first...