... that the written word has the power to be more honest than what it attempts to describe. If the growth of a woman does not contain enough difficulties, Julia Alvarez stands tall against a tidal wave of trouble. Roberto Echevarria beautifully explains the immigrant experience. "If becoming an adult is a trying process under ordinary circumstances, doing so within varying and often conflicting expectations ... though they have moved onto a writing stage, the power of the voice is what carries them (Starcevic 11)." However, Alvarez herself believes strongly in a "mandate of silence" associ...

• Word Count: 2799
• Approx Pages: 11
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... about society and life. Trujillo is the president of the Dominican Republic and he uses both sexism and violence to try to control these sisters. He succeeds in disrupting these women only in some cases but he can never truly control them. They go through many hardships and sufferings because of Trujillo's plans to manage them but even after breaking down ... in tears, their spirit is still strong. Trujillo loves most young women because of what they can give him. If they"re pretty and young, he"ll do anything in his power to basically rape her. The first incident that happened between ...

• Word Count: 655
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School

The poem, "Fog," by Carl Sandburg, and the poem, "Dusting," by Julia Alvarez, show literary elements including imagery, figurative language, sound, rhythm. "Fog" by Carl Sandburg starts off right with a metaphor, he says, "The fog comes on little cat feet," it is also imagery because he wants us to...

• Word Count: 544
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: High School

... 't have anyone else to blame but myself. Most people would say that my writing process is embarrassing. As a kid, I had severe ADHD, and it really affected my learning. ADHD is short for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. I couldn't control myself in the classroom and didn't receive the same teaching as most kids in my class. My mind was in a million different places ... ...

• Word Count: 2024
• Approx Pages: 8
• Grade Level: High School

... television with their father every year, Julia and her sisters longed to be like the American girls in the pageant. The sisters all wanted to fit in but with their short, frizzy hair and olive color skin they felt they needed to make some changes. The Miss America pageant gave them ideas of how to be acknowledged as an American. American ... ...

• Word Count: 245
• Approx Pages: 1
• Grade Level: High School

... four girls. However, not only does she show the individual heart, but the heart as it is a part of the four girls. Alvarez truly depicted the lives of four young women, yearning for a sense of identity, and in the end, finding it. ...

• Word Count: 809
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School

Critique: How I Learned to Sweep The poem "How I Learned to Sweep" is written beautifully. I like the rhyme scheme and the pentameter. I think its very unique how the author, Julia Alvarez, ties together the sweeping with the broom and the sweeping of the weeds from a helicopter dropping off troops. The lines " our soldiers were landing in their helicopters into jungles their propellers swept like weeds seen underwater- gives you a beautiful mental picture. You can actually see weeds underwater swaying and also weeds being swept down from a helicopter. Another visually strong element is this "...

• Word Count: 197
• Approx Pages: 1
• Grade Level: High School