18 pages • 36 minutes read
Juan Felipe HerreraSocial Distancing
Fiction | Poem | Adult | Published in 2020A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Background
Literary Context
Contemporary poet Juan Felipe Herrera has made a name for himself as a prolific writer engaged in numerous literary investigations over the course of his career; “Social Distancing” (2020) is one of his newest works and carries some of the philosophical threads from previous poetic works. Much of Herrera’s poetry is specifically engaged in the Chicano experience—including his most recent published book of poems, Every Day We Get More Illegal (2020). Though it addresses social themes, “Social Distancing” stands out as more intentionally universal in theme; the audience and speaker of the poem are not distinctly named in terms of identity markers. That said, “Social Distancing” relates to much of Herrera’s oeuvre, as it is a piece that directly addresses larger sociopolitical issues and engrosses the reader in thinking about these in new ways.
Socio-Historical Context
The socio-historical context in which Herrera wrote “Social Distancing” is extremely important to consider in understanding the poem. In March 2020, the United States—and much of the globe—was forced to shut down due to the rapid increased spread of Covid-19. The global pandemic had an incredibly painful effect on society-at-large: Over 375,000 people died from the illness by the end of 2020 in the United States alone (CDC 2021). One of the most oft-cited measures of protection against the virus was social distancing—the namesake of Herrera’s poem. While important to slow the spread of the virus, social distancing can have critical psychological and economic implications; since people are forced to be farther apart, many found themselves facing increased mental health issues like anxiety and depression, while a number of people were forced out of work.
Understanding the socio-historical context can help readers interpret Herrera’s piece, which was drafted and published in the midst of the pandemic in 2020. The optimism related in many lines of the poem, thus, could be interpreted as a kind of balm for readers who might be hearing pessimistic, traumatic news on a daily basis. Similarly, the arrangement of the lines as a sun illustrates another kind of positive movement: Herrera is physically bringing light to those who experience the poem.
Another important aspect of the social and political landscape of the United States in 2020 were the intense debates over whether precautions were necessary for the public good. A large body of people, citing mistrust in the government, argued against social distancing, masking, and vaccination as effective strategies for mitigating the virus’ spread. With Herrera’s political leanings in mind, “Social Distancing” can also be read as a plea to readers who might view these measures as impractical or unhelpful. Herrera’s use of the plural first-person invites readers in, arguing that the space “between us” (Line 8) is how “healing begins” (Line 13).
