Evén González Rhetoric April 12, 2002 An Invisible Character           Sometimes we treat people of lower occupations differently, and take them for granted. It is our ignorance of these individuals that makes them invisible to us. As a result, these people might feel bitter and lonely. We often think our own occupations are far more important, and in a funny way, we might think the work done by these individuals gets done by itself. It is with this in mind that Martin Espada writes a poem called "Jorge The Church Janitor Finally Quits." In this poem, Espada writes about Jorge, a janitor who goes unnoticed during his hours of duty and therefore decides to quit in hopes of moving on to a better life and finding the recognition he rightfully deserves.           Many people go unrecognized when they perform duties considered unrespectable. In the first stanza of the poem, Jorge explains how he has been working for a very long time at the church, and people do not even know his name or where he comes form (1, 5, 9, 10). To illustrate this point Espada uses the phrase "no one" in repetition to emphasize that no one cares about janitors and that it is an ignored occupation (1, 9, 23). This suggests Jorge feels it is unfair that he works so hard to make sure the church is clean and everything is in place, and no one even knows his name; he even suggests people might think he is "from the country of janitors" (4). "This sarcastic tone makes it sound as there is no other alternative for Jorge except being a janitor. In this phrase Espada sarcastically points out the ignorance of people who act as if there is actually a country where all janitors come from" ( "I must be from the Country of Janitors"). He then goes on to complement his point by saying that people underrate Jorge as a person just because of his job (1,  8). This is illustrated by Jorge when he says, "Honduras, you are a squatter's camp" (6). This phrase indicates an example of humorous irony. Honduras is a country, not a small place. However, the speaker calls it a camp to show the reader this palace is not worth much and is of little value according to the people surrounding him ("Honduras Squatters"). Espada's humorous irony allows the reader to understand Jorge's feelings of loneliness and repression because this line of the poem implies that Jorge is not worth much. Moreover, Paul Shoul writes that Espada probably contrasts this point with a Latin American county because of his Latin ethnic background.           In the second stanza, Jorge goes on saying that while he works so hard to clean the toilet, he loses the essence of his true self (15, 16) "when the guests complain / about toilet paper" (17, 18). Here there is reference that he has lost the identity of his name when people complain about unmeaningful things and make it seem as if the toilet paper is more important than he is. In this part of the poem, Espada illustrates how people do not care about Jorge, and they still demand his job be done to perfection.           In the third stanza, the pattern of repetition of "no one" is broken, to illustrate how Jorge feels others view his attitude. To make this point Espada uses the word "They" (19). In this stanza the word "they" refers to the people in the bathroom who think Jorge has a bad attitude; however, it is their attitude that has kept Jorge a janitor of little importance ("They"). Espada's analysis lets the reader see how people view Jorge.           In the last stanza, Espada returns to the repetition of the phrase "No One" (23). This shows no one will acknowledge Jorge's absence because of the view people have about his occupation. However, Jorge proclaims, "I quit tonight" (24) in hopes of reaching a higher status in society. Then Jorge adds "maybe the mop will push on with out me" (26). Jorge's sarcastic tone emphasizes the importance of his job. Jorge feels without him the mop would be "sniffling along the floor / like a crazy squid" (27, 28). Espada uses a simile where he compares a mop to a squid, and it illustrates how ridiculous a mop moving on the floor might look without someone to push it. The last line of the poem is a sarcastic reference to the people calling the squid "Jorge." Once again Espada is trying to portray Jorge's invisibility and how it would take the audacity of a squid just to get the recognition Jorge deserves.           Espada is successful in his portrayal of a lonely janitor through the use of repetition, irony, sarcasm, and simile. These poetic elements reveal Jorge's pain while constantly unnoticed, and his desire for a better life becomes evident. After reading this poem, people should have a new found of appreciation for janitors and the work they do. Sources Cited Espada, Marin. "Jorge The Church Janitor Finally Quits." 21 Apr. 2002           <http://members.tripod.com/~cabby01/poem/poem.html>. "Honduras & Squatters." 22 Apr. 2002 <http://members.tripod.com>. "I Must Be From The County of Janitors." 22 Apr. 2002 <http://members.tripod.com>. Shoul, Paul. "Martin Espada." 24 Apr. 2002. <http://nortonpoets.com>. "They." 22 Apr. 2002 <http://members.tripod.com>.