Problems with Hurricanes by Victor Hernandez Cruz - 736 Words

A Literary Analysis of â€Å"Problems with Hurricanes† This poem was written by Victor Hernandez Cruz. â€Å"Victor Hernà ¡ndez Cruz was born on February 6, 1949, in Aguas Buenas, Puerto Rico. He moved with his family to New Yorks Spanish Harlem at the age of five.† (Kannelos) He moved to America in 1954 and began writing in 1964, when he was 15. He published his first collection of poetry in 1969, at the age of 20.Victor Hernandez Cruzs poem â€Å"Problems with Hurricanes† is a poem addressing dark problems in a lighthearted and humorous way. â€Å"Problems with Hurricanes† is part of Cruzs collection of poems titled Maraca: New and Selected Poems. The poem is a first person recollection of some advice given to the narrator by a latin citizen. This poem explains the power and danger of hurricanes while being relatively dark humored it also has a serious tone in the fact that a hurricane is no laughing matter. The tone of the poem is visible from the ver y beginning. It starts with a campesino (native of a Latin-American rural area) talking to the narrator. Cruz then writes With hurricanes its not the wind or the noise or the water. Ill tell you he said: its the mangoes, avocados Green plantains and bananas flying into town like projectiles. (â€Å"Problems† 3-9) This to me is stating that its not always the flood waters and obviously deadly objects thrown by the wind are not the only things you have to worry about in a hurricane. There are also other meanings you can