Here are my answers to the selcted discussion questions:
1. I liked the selected piece because she finds solace in hearing her uncle's captivating stories about his adventures. She is transitioning into adolescene and desires to have a prince in her life. In a way, I could relate to the author because she felt isolated in becoming a teenager and wanted something exciting in her life. She reminds me of myself and how girls want so much out of life or expecting alot to happen so suddenly.
3. I found the relationship between the author and her uncle interesting from a writer point of view. Her uncle doesnt seem like a role model in the eyes of the family, but the author finds him quite captivating through the seductive stories that he tells her. At her age, she wants to fit in and figures out that the power of her words can be used to seductively grab someone's attention. His stories helped her find her intuituve voice through seducing and using stories to do that made her writing much stronger.
5. What bored me was that the author continued to talk about her uncle instead of the impact of how his stories helped her become a better writer. I think she elaborated too much on him and didnt talk about herself. instead of me wanting to know more about the author, she lost my attention altogether. At the end, she did write her own piece about her uncle, but she added it too late to her piece and it seemed rushed to me.
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
A Mentor In Disguise
A revision of a paragraph I wrote in English class. Enjoy!
In the short story “My Rosetta” written in Judith Ortiz Cofer’s book Woman in Front of the Sun: On Becoming a Writer, the main character Rosetta, a nun, is introduced as an asset during the narrator’s young impressionable years at the Catholic Church. During this time, the narrator still lived in New Jersey around the year of 1966. Also, this was at a pivotal point in the narrator’s life where she was learning maturity through the expression of her words. Since the narrator is remembering a moment in her childhood that evoked memories about a specific person, this type of writing is considered a memoir. Sister Rosetta becomes her mentor that greatly influences the narrator’s knowledge in the written and spoken word. Sister Rosetta indirectly shows the narrator that her words are powerful through reading adequate books and through her Catholic teachings. She teaches the narrator to not only think, but actively write using the power of language. From reading the memoir, I gained insight on how important mentors are in people’s lives especially when they need them most. They always seem to bring out the best in someone when they don’t see it in themselves. I personally liked this memoir because of the relationship between the narrator and Sister Rosetta. They bonded over writing and their passion for words. It reminds me of my writing mentor who helped me construct my thoughts into writing as well.
Monday, September 13, 2010
Write What You Feel...Feel What You Write
This is an essay I did on Judith Cofer's short selection called "And Are You A Latina Writer?" Enjoy!
In reading the short essay “And Are You A Latina Writer” written in Judith Ortiz Cofer’s book Woman in Front of the Sun, the author reveals her thoughts about being known as a Latin “writer” and finds herself categorized in her writings influenced by two distinct cultures.
After reading this selection, I liked how the author talked about the transformation of her writing over time and letting the readers indulge into her writings. By integrating both of her cultures in her written work, I was able to relive the exact moment through the author’s point of view and grasp the meaning of her powerful words. Not only that, but I like how she embraced her love for writing and her intercultural background. When the author inquired more about her self and let her words speak, her writings became more unique to the readers instead of glancing through blatant memories in a vague setting.
What I found interesting, from a reader’s point of view, is that she didn’t want to be considered a Latina writer, but her writings express more interest in her Puerto –Rican culture than her American roots. The author struggled at first with her family background, but in this selection she finally knows who she is and claims her heritage proudly when she writes about it. I like this phrase “Because I am the daughter of Puerto Rican Diaspora, English is the language that gives life to my work, the characters I create, and that stimulate me as a writer.” Even though she writes in English, she intensifies her writing with her native Spanish language. The author writes from her memorial experiences and wants to evoke a sense of connection from the reader to her written work.
My favorite piece of writing in this selection was the poem called “Claims” and it was written about her grandmother. I like how the author captured the essence of her life through the descriptive wording. This poem helped me delve deeper into what influenced her to write and why she is passionate in identifying with her Latin side. I interpreted this poem to not to solely talk about her grandmother, but women being strong and delicate like her in general. I think she sees herself blossoming through the mothers of her time and reminisces in a poem. It points out that women in her life and women writers of all literary background were a major contribution to her upbringings in becoming a writer and in her own life as well.
From reading this, I learned an important lesson from this selection. No one should interfere with what you write and that the writer is in control of what they write about. Only the writer can decide where the story begins and ends because it’s in their words. The author gave insight into what she wanted the reader to see and brought her cuentos to literary life. I was able to visualize her words in my mind and understand the meanings behind them. I thought that was important because when you write with expression, you gives the words on the page a sense of substance and leaves the reader fulfilled.
Personally, I enjoyed reading this particular selection because I was able to identify with the author. I am a published writer and have a multicultural family as well, so I could relate on a more emotional level through her writing. As quoted from her “I am not confused about my cultural identity. I know what I am because my puertoricanness was not awarded to me: it is apart of me.” (pg. 113) In the end, she fits in the right place between both cultures without hesitation. In her writings, she doesn’t give in to either side because she knows who is on the inside and outside.
Her sense of found identity through her heritage gave me comfort because I knew how it felt to not know which culture you truly belong to. As a writer, I can always run to a pen and paper if I’m not sure what’s going on in my mind just like Judith Ortiz Cofer.
In reading the short essay “And Are You A Latina Writer” written in Judith Ortiz Cofer’s book Woman in Front of the Sun, the author reveals her thoughts about being known as a Latin “writer” and finds herself categorized in her writings influenced by two distinct cultures.
After reading this selection, I liked how the author talked about the transformation of her writing over time and letting the readers indulge into her writings. By integrating both of her cultures in her written work, I was able to relive the exact moment through the author’s point of view and grasp the meaning of her powerful words. Not only that, but I like how she embraced her love for writing and her intercultural background. When the author inquired more about her self and let her words speak, her writings became more unique to the readers instead of glancing through blatant memories in a vague setting.
What I found interesting, from a reader’s point of view, is that she didn’t want to be considered a Latina writer, but her writings express more interest in her Puerto –Rican culture than her American roots. The author struggled at first with her family background, but in this selection she finally knows who she is and claims her heritage proudly when she writes about it. I like this phrase “Because I am the daughter of Puerto Rican Diaspora, English is the language that gives life to my work, the characters I create, and that stimulate me as a writer.” Even though she writes in English, she intensifies her writing with her native Spanish language. The author writes from her memorial experiences and wants to evoke a sense of connection from the reader to her written work.
My favorite piece of writing in this selection was the poem called “Claims” and it was written about her grandmother. I like how the author captured the essence of her life through the descriptive wording. This poem helped me delve deeper into what influenced her to write and why she is passionate in identifying with her Latin side. I interpreted this poem to not to solely talk about her grandmother, but women being strong and delicate like her in general. I think she sees herself blossoming through the mothers of her time and reminisces in a poem. It points out that women in her life and women writers of all literary background were a major contribution to her upbringings in becoming a writer and in her own life as well.
From reading this, I learned an important lesson from this selection. No one should interfere with what you write and that the writer is in control of what they write about. Only the writer can decide where the story begins and ends because it’s in their words. The author gave insight into what she wanted the reader to see and brought her cuentos to literary life. I was able to visualize her words in my mind and understand the meanings behind them. I thought that was important because when you write with expression, you gives the words on the page a sense of substance and leaves the reader fulfilled.
Personally, I enjoyed reading this particular selection because I was able to identify with the author. I am a published writer and have a multicultural family as well, so I could relate on a more emotional level through her writing. As quoted from her “I am not confused about my cultural identity. I know what I am because my puertoricanness was not awarded to me: it is apart of me.” (pg. 113) In the end, she fits in the right place between both cultures without hesitation. In her writings, she doesn’t give in to either side because she knows who is on the inside and outside.
Her sense of found identity through her heritage gave me comfort because I knew how it felt to not know which culture you truly belong to. As a writer, I can always run to a pen and paper if I’m not sure what’s going on in my mind just like Judith Ortiz Cofer.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)