Pat Mora was a Mexican-American poet born in a time when discrimination was at its height in the nation. He formed his cultural identity by writing poems about how he felt about society. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay “Sonrisas” by Pat Mora is a poem that describes groups of women in two separate rooms. The title, "Sonrisas", means "smiles" in Spanish, however, the poem is not just about smiles; focuses on the activities of two groups of women. The narrator comments on their conversations, clothes, coffee, and culture. The poem is made up of two stanzas that have similar words but very different meanings. The themes are parallel throughout the poem and are found in similar areas of the separate stanzas. The content of both verses is similar, however they have surprising differences. What is the point of having the verses in “Sonrisas” mirror each other? The first stanza, which is an octave, begins with the lines “I live in a doorway/between two rooms” (Mora, page 528, lines 1-2 ). Even though he doesn't actually live in this door, his life is lived between two distinct places. The narrator explains what happens in the first of the rooms; a professional group of women drink black coffee and discuss “budgets, tenure [and] resume[s]” (lines 3-5). Black coffee shows the meekness and simplicity of women at work; it's a staple in most people's work routines and can be found in offices of all types. These women are “dressed in cool beige/dresses, quick beige smiles/that rarely creep into their eyes,” which shows how the atmosphere in the room is professional and serious (lines 6-8). The narrator only hears what is happening in the room, but is able to describe what is happening inside it. This conveys the narrator's familiarity with the situation. The second stanza, consisting of nine lines, begins with “I peek/ into the other room” which reflects the opening actions of the poem (lines 9-10). Since the narrator “peeks” into the room, one can infer that she is not entirely part of the group of women. The act of peeking shows that the narrator feels as if he cannot fully venture inside, but only feels comfortable from afar. The women in the room are not called ladies, but are instead called “señoras” (line 10). This choice of words does not provide concrete work for the women but reveals their ethnicity; se?oras is Spanish for women. They wear “faded clothes” implying a lower socioeconomic class than the women in the first stanza (line 11). The room is filled with “laughter” and “steam of fresh tamales” (lines 12-13). Unlike the women in the first room, the women in the second room do not silence their actions. However, women are forced to “reprimand each other” for laughing too loudly; they try to hide their smiles by pursing their lips to curb their enthusiasm. The narrator simply "peeks" into the second room but is able to see all the intricate details on their clothes, milk, tamales, and smiles, thus demonstrating her connection to the women within the room. “Sonrisas”, it is evident that the women belong to different ethnic backgrounds in each of the separate rooms. In the first stanza, the women have “beige smiles” (line 7). Beige, which is a light brown color, implies that the women are not white but we are not aware of what ethnicity they truly belong to. In contrast, we are positive about the ethnicity of the women in the second verse. The narrator calls the women "señoras" in line 9 and refers to their "Mexican eyes" in line 19. Although the narrator's ethnicity is unknown, these descriptions imply that the narrator has aMexican as well as being a mix of cultures.Another difference in the poem occurs with the sounds of each stanza. The first stanza repeats a harsh sounding consonant "k". Mora uses words like “quiet clicks…cups” “coffee,click, click…facts,” “resume,” “attentive,” and “crisp” (lines 4-6). Lines 7 and 8 begin a shift to the second stanza because they repeat a softer consonant sound with the repetition of the “s”; “suits, quick beige smiles / that rarely creep into their eyes.” This acts as a transition between the two different stanzas because the “s” and “k” sounds blend together in the last lines. The consonant “s” is repeated up to the second octave. The women in the other room are called "señoras" who "stir sweet coffee/milk" where "whirling laughter" (lines 10-12). The softer consonant is repeated with “sh,sh” and “lips”. The “s” and “l” sounds make the second verse softer than the first. Sweeter sounds convey a preference to the second group of women; the narrator seems to be more fond of Mexican women and is irritated by the first group. The sounds when reading or speaking the poem are different from the sounds caused by the women in the poem. The “click, click” in line 4 represents the sounds that occur in an office, and the topics of discussion are work-related issues: “budget, tenure, resume” (line 5). The women in the first room only talk about work, which helps us compare them to the women in the second room where we see more personal interactions. The women in the second verse have to calm each other down because they are laughing too loudly. A woman in the room says, “Sh, Sh, mucho ruido,” which means “shh, too loud” in Spanish. These sounds refer to their ethnicity which highlights the situation as they eat tamales and drink sweet coffee. There are many subtle differences seen between the two rooms. The first variation between the groups of women in the two stanzas is seen in their coffee. The first groups of women drink “cups of black coffee” which demonstrates their predictability, hastiness, and blandness (lines 4-5). This type of coffee reflects their relationship with work. Coffee isn't something to be enjoyed excessively, it's simply part of their routine because they enjoy the predictability of it. The Mexican women in the second room “mix coffee with sweet milk” which takes longer to prepare and is tastier than black coffee. This shows their ability to enjoy life. Another slight distinction is seen in the use of color in both stanzas. The Mexican women in the second stanza “press their lips, trap smiles / in their dark, Mexican eyes” (lines 16-17). This highlights their loud nature and the excitement the room is filled with. Their dark eyes contrast with the “faded clothes” but they are both powerful images (line 11). This contrasts with the first stanza where the women are dressed in “fresh beige dresses”; the word beige is used again to describe these women's smiles (lines 6-7). Beige is a bland and simple color that mixes brown and white. This mirrors the emotions of the women in the first room because they are real people who mix changes because work is integrated into their lives. Both stanzas end by emphasizing the eyes and smiles of the women in each room. The first verse ends with: “quick beige smiles/ that rarely creep into their eyes.” The professionals in this verse are forced to hide their smiles, and when they do, they are not authentic. A genuine smile can be seen all over a person's face, especially in the mouth and eyes. These women don't smile because they are in a serious, work-related environment. The second stanza ends as the narrator describes women as "pressing their lips, trapping smiles / in their dark eyes,, 2006. 528.