Language

Phrases such as "actions speak louder than words" highlight the notion that to be credible language must be accompanied by corresponding behavior. Ortiz's poem underscores this point. Although the speaker opens the poem by saying that he misses his father's voice, he does not say that he misses what his father says. Rather, Ortiz emphasizes the physical qualities of voice such as "the slight catch" and "the tremble of emotion" when his father speaks. What he really misses is his father's presence, the way in which he interacted with him. By describing his memory of his father showing him the overturned furrow and placing newborn mice in his hands, Ortiz highlights behavior, not words. The link between the speaker's longing "to say things" and missing his father expresses the link between desire and creativity, for Ortiz does "say things" by the act of writing the poem.

Teaching

The...