“El Olvido” by Judith Ortiz Cofer: A Critical Analysis

“El Olvido” by Julia Ortiz Cofer: A Critical Analysis

Introduction: “El Olvido” by Judith Ortiz Cofer

“El Olvido” by Judith Ortiz Cofer first appeared in her debut poetry collection Terms of Survival (1987), published by Arte Público Press. The poem is centered on the dangers of cultural amnesia, warning against forgetting one’s heritage, language, and faith in the pursuit of assimilation. Through vivid imagery, Cofer stresses that “it is a dangerous thing / to forget the climate of your birthplace” and to “spurn the clothes you were born to wear / for the sake of fashion,” suggesting that detachment from roots leads to spiritual and emotional displacement. The mother’s fervent prayers before “plaster saints” highlight the tension between inherited traditions and the alienation of migration, especially when her child lives in “a bare, cold room with no pictures on the walls, / a forgetting place.” Its popularity as a textbook poem stems from its accessibility, clear moral warning, and resonant themes of cultural identity, immigration, and generational tension, making it a staple in discussions of Latina/o literature and diasporic identity. By ending with the emphatic refrain “el olvido is a dangerous thing,” Cofer underscores the universality of memory as both survival and resistance.

Text: “El Olvido” by Judith Ortiz Cofer

It is a dangerous thing

to forget the climate of your birthplace,

to choke out the voices of dead relatives

when in dreams they call you

by your secret name.

It is dangerous

to spurn the clothes you were born to wear

for the sake of fashion; dangerous

to use weapons and sharp instruments

you are not familiar with; dangerous

to disdain the plaster saints

before which your mother kneels

praying with embarrassing fervor

that you survive in the place you have chosen to live:

a bare, cold room with no pictures on the walls,

a forgetting place where she fears you will die

of loneliness and exposure.

Jesús, María, y José, she says,

el olvido is a dangerous thing.

Annotations: “El Olvido” by Judith Ortiz Cofer

Line	Explanation	Literary Devices
It is a dangerous thing (Line 1)	The poem opens with a warning that forgetting something important is risky, setting a serious tone about the consequences of losing cultural roots.	🔴 Repetition (Line 1: “dangerous” repeated throughout), 🔴 Tone (Line 1: cautionary and urgent tone established)
to forget the climate of your birthplace, (Line 2)	“Climate” symbolizes the cultural and emotional environment of your homeland. Forgetting it means losing your heritage and identity.	🟢 Metaphor (Line 2: “climate” for cultural roots), 🟣 Diction (Line 2: “climate” evokes cultural connotations)
to choke out the voices of dead relatives (Line 3)	“Choke out” means silencing ancestors’ memories and guidance, suggesting a forceful rejection of family history.	🟢 Metaphor (Line 3: “choke out” for suppressing heritage), 🟣 Imagery (Line 3: vivid image of silencing voices), 🔵 Alliteration (Line 3: “choke” and “voices”)
when in dreams they call you (Line 4)	Ancestors reach out in dreams to remind you of your roots, showing heritage persists in your subconscious.	🟤 Personification (Line 4: voices “call” in dreams), 🟣 Imagery (Line 4: dream imagery), 🟠 Enjambment (Lines 3-4: flows without punctuation)
by your secret name. (Line 5)	The “secret name” symbolizes your true cultural identity, tied to family or heritage, which is at risk if forgotten.	🟡 Symbolism (Line 5: “secret name” for identity)
It is a dangerous (Line 6)	Repeating “It is a dangerous” reinforces the warning about losing cultural roots, acting as a refrain.	🔴 Repetition (Line 6: “dangerous” repeated), 🔴 Tone (Line 6: continues cautionary tone)
to spurn the clothes you were born to wear (Line 7)	“Spurn” means rejecting traditional clothing or cultural practices, implying a risky abandonment of heritage.	🟢 Metaphor (Line 7: “clothes” for traditions), 🟠 Enjambment (Lines 7-8: flows into next line)
for the sake of fashion; dangerous (Line 8)	Choosing modern trends (“fashion”) over cultural traditions is shallow and risky, with “dangerous” repeated for emphasis.	🔴 Repetition (Line 8: “dangerous”), 🟠 Enjambment (Lines 7-8), 🔴 Tone (Line 8: cautionary)
to use weapons and sharp instruments (Line 9)	“Weapons and sharp instruments” metaphorically represent unfamiliar ideas or practices, which are dangerous if not understood.	🟢 Metaphor (Line 9: “weapons” for foreign practices), 🔵 Alliteration (Line 9: “sharp instruments”), 🟠 Enjambment (Lines 9-10)
you are not familiar with; dangerous (Line 10)	Using unfamiliar things risks harm, with “dangerous” repeated to underscore the warning.	🔴 Repetition (Line 10: “dangerous”), 🟠 Enjambment (Lines 9-10), 🔴 Tone (Line 10: cautionary)
to disdain the plaster saints (Line 11)	“Disdain” means rejecting religious statues (“plaster saints”), symbolizing cultural or spiritual traditions, which is risky.	🟡 Symbolism (Line 11: “plaster saints” for faith), 🟣 Diction (Line 11: “disdain” conveys rejection)
before which your mother kneels (Line 12)	The mother prays before these statues, showing her deep faith and connection to tradition.	🟣 Imagery (Line 12: vivid image of mother kneeling), 🟠 Enjambment (Lines 12-13)
praying with embarrassing fervor (Line 13)	The mother’s passionate prayer is seen as “embarrassing,” highlighting a generational divide in views on tradition.	🟣 Diction (Line 13: “fervor” evokes intensity), 🟣 Imagery (Line 13: intense prayer), 🟠 Enjambment (Lines 12-13)
that you survive in the place you have chosen to live: (Line 14)	The mother prays for the speaker’s safety in a new, unfamiliar place, fearing their disconnection from roots.	🔴 Tone (Line 14: maternal concern), 🟠 Enjambment (Lines 14-15)
a bare, cold room with no pictures on the walls, (Line 15)	The new place is empty and unwelcoming, symbolizing a life without cultural warmth or identity.	🟢 Metaphor (Line 15: “bare room” for loss of identity), 🟣 Imagery (Line 15: vivid description), 🟠 Enjambment (Lines 14-15)
a forgetting place where she fears you will die (Line 16)	The “forgetting place” is where the speaker risks losing their identity, leading to emotional or spiritual “death.”	🟢 Metaphor (Line 16: “forgetting place” for loss of heritage), 🟣 Imagery (Line 16: sense of loss)
of loneliness and exposure. (Line 17)	“Loneliness and exposure” describe the emotional and physical vulnerability of living without cultural roots.	🟣 Imagery (Line 17: vivid emotional description), 🟣 Diction (Line 17: “exposure” evokes vulnerability)
Jesús, María, y José, she says, (Line 18)	The mother invokes the Holy Family, a Hispanic Catholic prayer, showing her reliance on faith to protect her child.	🟡 Symbolism (Line 18: Holy Family for faith), 🟢 Cultural Allusion (Line 18: Hispanic Catholic reference)
el olvido is a dangerous thing. (Line 19)	The poem ends by repeating the warning in Spanish (“el olvido” means forgetting), emphasizing the mother’s cultural perspective.	🔴 Repetition (Line 19: “dangerous”), 🟣 Diction (Line 19: “el olvido” ties to cultural identity), 🔴 Tone (Line 19: cautionary), 🟢 Cultural Allusion (Line 19: Spanish language)

Literary And Poetic Devices: “El Olvido” by Judith Ortiz Cofer

Device	Definition, Example, and Explanation
Allusion 📖	Definition: A reference to cultural or religious elements. Example: “Jesús, María, y José.” Explanation: Alludes to Catholic prayers, highlighting cultural and religious heritage.
Anaphora 🔁	Definition: Repetition of a word/phrase at the beginning of successive lines. Example: “It is dangerous…” Explanation: The repeated phrase emphasizes the multiple risks of forgetting one’s culture.
Assonance 🎶	Definition: Repetition of vowel sounds. Example: “to choke out the voices of dead relatives.” Explanation: The long “o” sound elongates the rhythm, reinforcing suffocation and loss.
Consonance 🎵	Definition: Repetition of consonant sounds within words. Example: “voices of dead relatives.” Explanation: The soft “s” and “d” sounds enhance the mournful tone of ancestral voices.
Cultural Symbolism 🌎	Definition: Using cultural elements to convey identity. Example: “plaster saints before which your mother kneels.” Explanation: Represents faith, tradition, and cultural continuity across generations.
Diction ✍️	Definition: Word choice that conveys tone. Example: “dangerous,” “embarrassing fervor,” “forgetting place.” Explanation: The chosen words reinforce anxiety about disconnection from roots.
Enjambment ↩️	Definition: Continuation of a sentence beyond a line. Example: “praying with embarrassing fervor / that you survive…” Explanation: Creates a natural flow mirroring ongoing concern.
Epistrophe 🔚	Definition: Repetition of a word at the end of lines. Example: Repeated ending with “dangerous.” Explanation: Reinforces the central theme that forgetting leads to danger.
Foreshadowing 🔮	Definition: Hinting at future consequences. Example: “a forgetting place where she fears you will die.” Explanation: Suggests that cultural disconnection could lead to metaphorical or literal death.
Imagery 🌅	Definition: Vivid sensory description. Example: “a bare, cold room with no pictures on the walls.” Explanation: Evokes isolation and the emptiness of cultural erasure.
Irony 🎭	Definition: Contrast between expectation and reality. Example: Forgetting one’s culture to “fit in” leads to greater loneliness. Explanation: Highlights the paradox of assimilation bringing alienation.
Metaphor 🌌	Definition: Comparison without using like or as. Example: “el olvido is a dangerous thing.” Explanation: Forgetting is personified as a tangible danger rather than an abstract act.
Parallelism ⚖️	Definition: Use of similar grammatical structures. Example: “to spurn… to use… to disdain…” Explanation: Reinforces rhythm and highlights the list of cultural dangers.
Personification 👤	Definition: Giving human qualities to abstract ideas. Example: “to choke out the voices of dead relatives.” Explanation: Memory and ancestors are given voices, stressing their living presence.
Repetition 🔄	Definition: Repeating words/phrases for emphasis. Example: The constant use of “dangerous.” Explanation: Creates urgency and emphasizes the consequences of cultural loss.
Symbolism 🔑	Definition: Using objects or images to represent ideas. Example: “plaster saints” = cultural faith; “bare, cold room” = isolation. Explanation: Objects symbolize the clash between memory and forgetting.
Tone 🎤	Definition: The poet’s attitude conveyed through language. Example: Somber and cautionary tone in “el olvido is a dangerous thing.” Explanation: Warns readers of the existential threat of erasure.
Visual Imagery 🖼️	Definition: Appeals to sight. Example: “no pictures on the walls.” Explanation: Highlights emptiness, symbolizing the void left by forgetting roots.
Warning Motif 🚨	Definition: Recurrent theme of caution. Example: “It is dangerous…” repeated across the poem. Explanation: Frames forgetting as a constant threat to identity and survival.

Themes: “El Olvido” by Judith Ortiz Cofer

Theme 1: The Danger of Cultural Disconnection
“El Olvido” by Judith Ortiz Cofer emphasizes the peril of losing one’s cultural identity, portraying it as a dangerous act that leaves individuals vulnerable and rootless. The poem’s repeated warning, “It is a dangerous thing” (Lines 1, 6, 8, 10, 19), underscores the risks of “el olvido” (forgetting), which is not merely personal amnesia but a rejection of cultural heritage. The speaker warns against forgetting “the climate of your birthplace” (Line 2), where “climate” symbolizes the cultural and emotional environment of one’s homeland, suggesting that abandoning this connection severs ties to identity. Similarly, rejecting “the clothes you were born to wear” (Line 7) for “the sake of fashion” (Line 8) illustrates the temptation to forsake traditional practices for modern assimilation, a choice the poem deems shallow and risky. The mother’s fear that the speaker will “die of loneliness and exposure” (Line 17) in a “bare, cold room with no pictures on the walls” (Line 15) vividly depicts the isolation that results from cultural disconnection. By framing forgetting as a life-threatening act, Cofer highlights the importance of preserving cultural roots to maintain a sense of self and belonging in a new environment.
Theme 2: Generational Tension Between Tradition and Modernity
“El Olvido” by Judith Ortiz Cofer explores the tension between the older generation’s adherence to tradition and the younger generation’s pull toward modernity, creating a conflict that threatens cultural continuity. The mother in the poem represents tradition, kneeling “before plaster saints” (Line 12) and praying “with embarrassing fervor” (Line 13) for her child’s survival in a new place. Her invocation of “Jesús, María, y José” (Line 18), a Hispanic Catholic prayer, grounds her in cultural and religious practices that the speaker may reject. The description of her fervor as “embarrassing” suggests the speaker’s discomfort or disconnection from these traditions, hinting at a generational divide where the younger generation feels alienated from or ashamed of their heritage. The mother’s fear that the speaker will live in “a forgetting place” (Line 16) reflects her anxiety that the younger generation’s move to a new environment—symbolized by “a bare, cold room” (Line 15)—will lead to the loss of cultural identity. Cofer uses this tension to illustrate the struggle between preserving ancestral values and adapting to a modern, often foreign, world, showing how this divide can fracture familial and cultural bonds.
Theme 3: The Role of Memory and Ancestral Connection
“El Olvido” by Judith Ortiz Cofer underscores the vital role of memory in maintaining a connection to one’s ancestors and cultural heritage, portraying forgetting as a betrayal of familial legacy. The poem warns against choking “out the voices of dead relatives” (Line 3) who “call you by your secret name” (Line 4) in dreams, suggesting that ancestors actively reach out to preserve the speaker’s identity. The “secret name” (Line 5) symbolizes a personal and cultural identity tied to family history, which persists in the subconscious despite attempts to suppress it. This imagery highlights the power of ancestral memory to anchor individuals, even when they try to move away from their roots. The mother’s prayers (Lines 12-14) further emphasize this connection, as she invokes spiritual and familial protection to safeguard the speaker from the dangers of forgetting. By framing memory as a lifeline, Cofer suggests that honoring the voices and traditions of ancestors is essential for personal and cultural survival, especially in the face of new environments that threaten to erase these ties.

Theme 4: The Intersection of Faith and Cultural Identity
“El Olvido” by Judith Ortiz Cofer weaves together faith and cultural identity, presenting religious traditions as a cornerstone of heritage that protects against the dangers of forgetting. The mother’s devotion is evident as she kneels “before plaster saints” (Line 12) and prays “with embarrassing fervor” (Line 13) for her child’s survival, invoking “Jesús, María, y José” (Line 18), a traditional Hispanic Catholic prayer. These references ground the poem in a specific cultural and religious context, where faith is inseparable from identity. The “plaster saints” symbolize not only religious devotion but also the cultural practices that define the speaker’s heritage, which the speaker risks disdaining (Line 11). The mother’s prayers contrast with the speaker’s potential rejection of these traditions, as seen in the “bare, cold room” (Line 15) that lacks the warmth of cultural and spiritual symbols. Cofer uses these images to show that faith is a protective force, offering emotional and spiritual resilience against the “loneliness and exposure” (Line 17) of a life disconnected from cultural roots. The poem suggests that rejecting this faith risks severing a vital link to identity and community.

Literary Theories and “El Olvido” by Judith Ortiz Cofer

Literary Theory	Application to “El Olvido”	References from Poem
Postcolonial Theory 🌎	Examines how immigrants negotiate cultural identity in a dominant society. Cofer’s poem warns against erasing one’s heritage in the face of assimilation pressures.	“It is a dangerous thing / to forget the climate of your birthplace” highlights the risks of abandoning one’s homeland identity for acceptance in the colonizing culture.
Feminist Theory 👩‍🦰	Focuses on the mother figure’s role in preserving tradition, faith, and survival. The mother embodies female resilience and cultural guardianship.	“praying with embarrassing fervor / that you survive in the place you have chosen to live” shows maternal devotion as protective strength in patriarchal and foreign environments.
Psychoanalytic Theory 🧠	Interprets the poem through unconscious desires, fears, and familial ties. The dream voices of ancestors represent repressed memory and collective unconscious.	“to choke out the voices of dead relatives / when in dreams they call you / by your secret name” suggests identity crises rooted in suppressed ancestral memory.
New Historicism 📜	Reads the poem in the context of Puerto Rican migration to the U.S. in the late 20th century, reflecting struggles of assimilation, memory, and cultural survival.	“a bare, cold room with no pictures on the walls” reflects immigrant displacement in America and the cultural void produced by forgetting traditions.

Critical Questions about “El Olvido” by Judith Ortiz Cofer

Question 1 🌎: How does the poem explore the dangers of cultural forgetting?
In “El Olvido” by Judith Ortiz Cofer, the poet emphasizes that “It is a dangerous thing / to forget the climate of your birthplace,” equating memory with survival. The metaphor of climate ties identity to the homeland, suggesting that forgetting one’s roots is a rupture in the self. Cofer repeats the warning “dangerous” to underline how neglecting ancestral ties endangers both spiritual wholeness and cultural continuity. The poem frames forgetting not as harmless neglect but as a peril that undermines identity.

Question 2 📜: What role does religion play in shaping identity within the poem?
In “El Olvido” by Judith Ortiz Cofer, religion appears as a maternal safeguard against erasure. The mother prays “with embarrassing fervor” before “the plaster saints” for her child’s survival in a foreign land. Although the speaker hints at unease with such intense devotion, these prayers are shown as protective rituals that connect the immigrant to cultural memory. The act of kneeling becomes symbolic of resilience, showing how religion and tradition fortify identity amid displacement.

Question 3 🔥: How does the poem represent the immigrant’s struggle with alienation?
In “El Olvido” by Judith Ortiz Cofer, alienation is powerfully captured through the stark imagery of “a bare, cold room with no pictures on the walls.” This space, stripped of memory and symbols, is described as “a forgetting place,” embodying the immigrant’s disconnection from heritage. The absence of cultural reminders translates into “loneliness and exposure,” underscoring the cost of assimilation without memory. Cofer reveals that the loss of cultural ties breeds emotional emptiness and existential isolation.

Question 4 ✨: How does repetition function to heighten the poem’s message?
In “El Olvido” by Judith Ortiz Cofer, repetition drives the poem’s urgency and rhythm. The phrase “It is dangerous” recurs like a warning chant, framing acts of forgetting—whether abandoning traditional clothing, religious devotion, or ancestral voices—as life-threatening choices. The poem builds toward the final emphatic line, “el olvido is a dangerous thing,” transforming the refrain into a universal truth. This repetition mirrors prayer and warning at once, reinforcing that forgetting is an existential risk, not a neutral act.

Literary Works Similar to “El Olvido” by Judith Ortiz Cofer

“Legal Alien” by Pat Mora 🌎 – Like Cofer’s poem, it explores the tension of living between cultures, showing how bicultural identity can feel both empowering and isolating.

“Bilingual/Bilingüe” by Rhina P. Espaillat 📜 – Similar to “El Olvido”, it highlights language as a carrier of memory and cultural survival, warning against the loss of heritage through assimilation.
“The Latin Deli: An Ars Poetica” by Judith Ortiz Cofer 🔥 – Written by the same poet, it parallels “El Olvido” in portraying cultural spaces and rituals that preserve identity amidst displacement.
“Child of the Americas” by Aurora Levins Morales ✨ – Like Cofer, Morales emphasizes ancestral memory and hybridity, affirming that forgetting origins erases an essential part of selfhood.

Representative Quotations of “El Olvido” by Judith Ortiz Cofer

Quotation	Context	Theoretical Perspective
🔴 “It is a dangerous thing” (Line 1)	This opening line sets the poem’s cautionary tone, introducing the theme of the risks of forgetting one’s cultural roots. It establishes the central warning that forgetting is not just a loss but a perilous act.	Postcolonialism: This line reflects the postcolonial struggle of maintaining cultural identity in the face of assimilation pressures, highlighting the danger of losing one’s heritage to dominant cultural influences.
🟢 “to forget the climate of your birthplace” (Line 2)	The “climate” symbolizes the cultural, emotional, and social environment of the speaker’s homeland, emphasizing the importance of remembering one’s origins to maintain identity.	Cultural Studies: This quotation underscores the importance of cultural memory in preserving identity, a key concern in cultural studies, where the loss of heritage is seen as a threat to selfhood in diasporic contexts.
🟣 “to choke out the voices of dead relatives” (Line 3)	This vivid image describes the act of suppressing ancestral memories, portraying it as a violent rejection of family history that risks severing cultural ties.	Psychoanalytic Theory: The “voices” in dreams suggest the subconscious persistence of ancestral influence, reflecting Freud’s idea of the unconscious as a repository of repressed cultural and familial memories.
🟡 “when in dreams they call you” (Line 4)	Ancestors reach out in dreams, indicating that cultural heritage persists in the subconscious, even when consciously ignored, urging the speaker to reconnect with their roots.	Psychoanalytic Theory: Dreams as a medium for ancestral voices align with Jung’s concept of the collective unconscious, where cultural and familial archetypes persist across generations.
🟠 “by your secret name” (Line 5)	The “secret name” symbolizes the speaker’s true cultural identity, tied to family and heritage, which is at risk of being forgotten in a new environment.	Identity Theory: This quotation highlights the personal and cultural identity tied to naming, a concept in identity theory where names anchor individuals to their community and heritage.
🔵 “to spurn the clothes you were born to wear” (Line 7)	Rejecting traditional clothing or cultural practices for modern “fashion” (Line 8) represents the abandonment of heritage for assimilation, deemed risky by the poem.	Postcolonialism: This reflects the postcolonial tension between maintaining indigenous cultural practices and adopting the dominant culture’s norms, often at the cost of authenticity.
🟤 “to disdain the plaster saints” (Line 11)	The “plaster saints” symbolize religious and cultural traditions, and disdaining them suggests rejecting the spiritual foundation of the speaker’s heritage.	Cultural Studies: This quotation critiques the dismissal of religious traditions in favor of secular modernity, a common theme in cultural studies examining the erosion of cultural practices in diasporic settings.
🟢 “praying with embarrassing fervor” (Line 13)	The mother’s intense prayer is seen as “embarrassing” by the speaker, highlighting a generational divide where the younger generation feels distanced from traditional devotion.	Feminism: This line reflects feminist concerns about the marginalization of women’s emotional and spiritual labor, as the mother’s fervent prayers are dismissed as excessive by the younger generation.
🟣 “a bare, cold room with no pictures on the walls” (Line 15)	This image of an empty, unwelcoming space symbolizes the isolation and loss of cultural warmth that result from abandoning one’s heritage in a new environment.	Postcolonialism: The “bare room” represents the alienation experienced in a diasporic setting, where the loss of cultural symbols (like pictures) mirrors the erosion of identity in postcolonial contexts.
🔴 “el olvido is a dangerous thing” (Line 19)	The poem’s closing line, in Spanish, reiterates the warning that forgetting (“el olvido”) one’s cultural roots is perilous, giving voice to the mother’s cultural perspective.	Postcolonialism: The use of Spanish and the final warning emphasize the postcolonial resistance to cultural erasure, asserting the importance of linguistic and cultural heritage in maintaining identity.