1) “By the Rivers of Babylon”: Exile as a Way of Life (Diaz, 149-163) is an essay about how a Cuban in exile relates her life story to Psalm 137. It is about sorrow, longing, nostalgia, hope, vengeance, struggle and forgiveness of those exiled from Jerusalem to Babylon and the Cubans who seek refuge to the United States of America since Castro’s regime. The writer explained through a literary review why she keeps holding on the Psalm as she tries to keep life going in a foreign land. Like the Christians who were forced to exile in Babylon when Jerusalem was destroyed, the Cubans in exile even after three decades still feel the sorrow of being away from their land of origin. They [Cubans in exile] still longs to return to their homeland given any chance despite the fact that they have lived in the US more than they lived in Cuba. The Psalm 137 helped them maintain their hope that change will happen for the betterment of the new generations of Cubans. It is also Psalm 137 that keeps them struggling to make the change happen through participating in negotiations among others.
On the other hand, unlike the Psalm which has a vengeful part at the end, the writer does not think that revenge is helpful. The writer believes that forgiveness is necessary in their present struggle to make radical change. The change that she longs will give justice to their sufferings. Also, the writer believes in the lines of a song that goes “There is no wring that does not bring good, so say the wise. There is no wrong that lasts 100 years” (Diaz, 163).
2) The author’s thesis revolves around the phrase “lest we forget” (Diaz, 158) which means that the present situation of Cuba is not just and it should not stay as it is for the next generations. It is the role of the Cubans in exile and those in Cuba to never forget that they have had a nice situation pre-Castro. The Psalm 137 helps them remember their glorious days and not to forget their sufferings. Their glorious days and their present sufferings serve as their drive to push for change. As long as they [Cubans] never forget, the hope for change will still be alive.
3) The lyrics of Psalm 137 and its relevance to the lives of Cubans in exile caught my interest to the essay. It is interesting that there are parts of the Bible that contains messages of vengeance. I liked that the writer visited history to explain the origin of the Psalm. The sufferings that were experienced by the Christians when Jerusalem was razed and when they were forced to be subjugated by the Babylonians explained the sorrowful and vengeful lyrics. The lyrics goes “For there those who carried us away captive required us a song, and those who plundered us required of us mirth, saying, Sing us one of the songs of Zion!” (New King James Version, Psalm 137).
Moreover, it is interesting that most of the people of world not only the Cubans in exile can relate to the most of the lyrics. All the races in diaspora voluntary or otherwise can relate to it especially in the lyrics that goes “How shall we sing the Lord’s song in the foreign land? If I forget you, O Jerusalem, Let my right hand forget her skill” (New King James Version, Psalm 137). The lyrics exalt nostalgia and identity. For the Cubans in exile, it brings back good memories that cannot be done in a land that is not theirs. It also strengthens their will to struggle not to forget identity and to struggle to be able to go back to their homeland.
4) For me, the essay is a relevant interpretation of the Psalm as it is applied in the present context of humanity. It just showed that people have longed for justice and liberty from time immemorial. The interpretation shows that the Bible scripture encompasses time, race, and ethnicity. Also, it is a nice interpretation because the writer’s basis is her reality which most can relate with.
Works Cited
Diaz, Ana Marie. “By the Rivers of Babylon: Exile as a Way of Life.” Reading From This Place (1995): 149-163. Web. 14 Feb. 2016.
Bible. “Psalm 137.” New King James Version: 839.
