Words that Transgress Walls

Abstract

In this text, I intend to demonstrate the importance of writing, of saying, for those who are socially and politically marginalized, as well as to appreciate writing as vital for psychic elaboration and social bond reconstruction. I elaborate on the experience of a woman, Milagros Chávez, who was imprisoned for 23 years and through poetry was able to name herself and make herself heard. Her speech, however, actually lends a voice to many other women who I hear and read only when visiting the prison. My objective is that their life experiences inside prison may help in this problematic present age we, as humankind, live. I believe that the voices of these women can reveal creative ways of living in a dehumanizing world and perhaps stimulate our minds in order to address new issues.