Starting in his literary work The Performance of Becoming Human, Chilean-American author Daniel Borzutzky uses grotesque diction to express social issues such as state-sanctioned violence , injustice and immigration. Initially, after reading about the author, I expected to encounter a literary work that expressed the social justice issues of Chile and the United States and the ambiguity that accompanies biculturalism. Although Borzutzky's work has these elements, I found his language extremely intense. Specifically, in his poem “The Performance of Becoming Human,” he discusses the issue of refugees immigrating to a new country and the inhumane treatment they received. The author goes on to paint a vivid picture of immigration by stating, “I move underground and I don't sleep and I try to cross the border from one sick part of the world to another” (p. 15). Here Borzutzky highlights the dehumanization of human beings that occurs in various countries around the world. The image it provides is hellish, as it gives a picture of human beings moving underground from one place to another, as if they were traveling from one earthly hell to another. Considering this, I believe the author is a realist. Not only does he articulate what critics would describe as "things best left unsaid", but he expresses the darkness that surrounds human beings in their daily lives and accentuates the truth through his choice of words. Likewise, the following quote shows how Borzutzky uses the image of bodies to emphasize the injustices within our society: “They chopped up two dozen bodies last night and I have to pick up the laundry today” (p. 19) . At this point in the piece, I connected with the author's depersonalized word choice. Borzutzky used the word “bodies” rather than humans, or people, to show how our society neglects the lives of individuals after their suffering and death. Let's get on with our daily lives and "pick up the laundry," as the author says, instead of putting their stories on paper, writing down the ugly truths of our history, and acknowledging injustice. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Turning to his work In the Blazing Cities of Your Rotten Carcass Mouth, Borzutzky talks about the privatization of urban places like parts of Chile and Chicago, where inequity plagues the city. I found the story itself extremely animalistic as the author provides quotes such as "I dream of a giant parasite that feeds on the infested bones of decaying citizens" (p. 24). Once again, the author's images of carnivorous organisms help shed light on the darkness surrounding the privatization of the economy and the economic impact on ordinary citizens. Furthermore, it is important to note the apocalyptic element in Borzutzky's diction throughout his book. In the ending of In the Blazing Cities, the author proclaims “And this is where the story should end. But end-of-the-world bedtime stories don't end where they should. They end up awkwardly, in the middle of a mess that probably wasn't worth making in the first place” (p. 24). Ultimately, the author recognizes the fact that not all stories have a happy ending, reality is not a fairy tale, and writes with this awareness in his book. Overall, I connected with Daniel Borzutzky's work and remained engaged throughout The Performance of Becoming. Human because of the choice of words and points of tension he discussed. I also noticed that his literary work was shaped by authors such as Raul Zurita, Allen Ginsberg and Cesar Vallejo who..