Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

In "Pedro Rojas," César Vallejo brings to life the potent story of an ordinary man made extraordinary by his commitment to his values, and, ultimately, by his death. Vallejo uses the repetitive structure of the poem to underscore the many roles Pedro Rojas occupies - father, man, husband, and railworker - before boiling it down to the essence: Pedro is "still more man" despite the various labels society could affix to him. This repetition, culminating in the basic state of being a 'man,' reiterates that Pedro Rojas is everyman but also uniquely himself.

The story Vallejo crafts is both particular and universal. It's about one man named Pedro Rojas, but it's also about all the "comrades" who share his fate and his cause. The repetition of "Long live the comrades" serves as a eulogy and a rallying cry, engrained in the "air" by Pedro's ethereal finger. Vallejo captures not just the physical killing of a man but also the attempted erasure of an idea, a cause. The power of the poem resides in how it shows that the latter is impossible.

The symbolism of Pedro writing "in the air" has many layers. Writing in the air is transient, yet it's also unrestricted, spreading freely like the cause he champions. Even in death, Pedro continues to write in the air. His message becomes a spiritual truth, unable to be killed, underlining the futility of his executioners' act. Moreover, the simple, plain instrument - the "dead spoon" - serves as a symbol of his working-class life, representing the everyday concerns of men like him who are nevertheless wrapped up in the turmoil of a greater struggle.

The theme of death is given a complex treatment; it's both an end and a continuation. His body is full of the "world," full of the life he lived and the values he held. He dies "smoothly / In the hair of his wife, Juana Vasquez," grounding his death in intimate, personal terms even as he becomes a martyr. While his body dies, his essence or his 'man-ness' becomes fuller, more alive in the ideal for which he stood. The poem, in essence, not only eulogizes Pedro but also brings him back to life, elevating him to a symbol of eternal resistance and community solidarity.

Vallejo has cleverly interspersed the story with elements that make Pedro human - he had "cells," "hungers," and "fragments" and walked "close to everything." These small details make him relatable, not a distant hero but a man of flesh and bone. They also make his death that much more poignant because we are reminded of his human frailties and complexities even as he is deified.

In conclusion, the structure of the poem, the use of repetition, the multi-layered symbols, and the intricate narrative that is both specific and universal, all contribute to creating a powerful portrait of a man and, by extension, of the human condition during tumultuous times. Pedro Rojas becomes not just a man who has been killed but a symbol of indomitable spirit and of the aspirations of his "comrades." Vallejo's poem is a fitting tribute to a life that has ended but leaves a lingering impact, a resonance in the very "air" where Pedro's finger once wrote.

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