Annotate & Explain

I chose the poem “Prospective Immigrants Please Note.” The title seems to suggest a warning to people to deeply consider leaving their home country to come to the United States. Once you’ve decided your fate is in your own hands. The first paragraph says either you will go through the door or you won’t. This means that it’s a big decision and should take it seriously. The second paragraph talks about there always being a risk and reminding you to remember your name. This is telling you to not forget where you came from or your traditions and culture. There is always a risk of losing your culture if you go to a new place. The third stanza tells you that people look at you doubly, which means that they will take extra notice of you and be hard with you: you just have to take it. It’s like a zoo. You will be the animal in the zoo and strangers will stare. It means you don’t have a lot of choices and you just have to let it happen. The fourth stanza says that if you choose not to leave you can still live a good life. The fifth stanza says that you can keep your culture and keep your head up and still be important if you choose not to leave. The sixth stanza says “but much will blind you and much will evade you at what cost who knows?” This is the most important stanza I think because it is telling you, don’t live your life full of regrets never knowing what’s going to happen. Sometimes you have to take a leap of faith and try, even if you think you could fail you have to give it a go. Much will evade you means that you probably will not achieve everything you dream of achieving. The line that is my favorite is “at what cost who knows?” I think this sums up the poem. Maybe you could be the next president or own the largest sports team in America, or build the railroads that cart your grandchildren around town. You could do anything, your possibilities are limitless. But you will never know if you don’t go and try. The last paragraph is funny because the door itself makes no promises, it is only a door. It is very literal, it means that it is just an opportunity that you make everything happen with the opportunity that the opportunity itself is just meaningless unless you take it because it is just a door.

 

This poem says a lot about immigrants. Immigrants are willing to walk through that door, because they are brave and they are willing to take a chance that the New World can offer things that the old world simply couldn’t. It also is a warning that the promise land does not really exist. You bring your ideas and your hard work with you but nothing is certain. If you are unproductive and weak in the old land then you will be unproductive and weak in the new land as well because the door is just a door and it doesn’t offer any miracles. It describes people who are willing to immigrate as being willing to take a chance at starting something new.