Directions: Write 3– paragraphs report

where you include the epoch, main works,

and themes of this author’s work and extra
information, as well as a paragraph where
you respond to the following question: How
does literature shape or reflect society?

Julia Alvarez was born in New York City on March 17, 1950, the second of four
daughters. Three months later, her parents returned to their native Dominican
Republic after a self-imposed exile from General Rafael Trujillo’s dictatorship.
When her parents became involved in an underground movement to overthrow
Trujillo, the Alvarez family was forced to flee the Dominican Republic in order to
escape imprisonment. They returned to the United States in August of 1960.

How the García Girls Lost Their Accents, Alvarez's first novel, was published in
1991, and was soon widely acclaimed. It is the first major novel written in English
by a Dominican author. Released in 1994, her second novel, In the Time of the
Butterflies, has a historical premise and elaborates on the death of the Mirabal
sisters during the time of the Trujillo dictatorship in the Dominican Republic. In
1997, Alvarez published Yo! a sequel to How the García Girls Lost Their
Accents, which focuses solely on the character of Yolanda.

The immigrant experience and bicultural identity is the subject of much of

Alvarez’s fiction and poetry, and that is the topic of her previously mentioned
novel How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents. Interrelated stories narrated by
the four Garcia sisters describe their difficulties adjusting to New York City after
leaving the Dominican Republic. In the Name of Salome, published in 2000, is
based on the life of Dominican political poet Salome Urena and her daughter,
Camila.

About the question “how does literature shape or reflect society?” I think that the
environment in which an author is born will always influence in some way in what
he/she writes. They transport their experiences to books, so, certainly regardless
of the genre of the author's text, we can always notice, sometimes more than
others, something of the socio-economic and political environment in which the
author lived. A work can also be used as a political tool, because it can be used
to magnify what the politic, in this case, wants you to focus on.
1. Analyze: Why does Yolanda pretend not to speak Spanish?

Yolanda pretends that she does not speak Spanish because it was the most convenient
because of the situation she was in, with the two suspicious-looking men. Furthermore, it
was his only defense, saying something that the two men were not able to immediately
understand.

2. Literary Analysis: Use this chart to list events that are part of the plot.

Climax:
She is in the grove, The men help her fix the car,
she gets the guavas, in addition, they believe that
however, she cannot he is American, that is, that
get out because of a he does not speak Spanish.
flat tire.

Yolanda drives from The men help her fix the

the south to the north car, in addition, they believe
coast, comes to that he is American, that is,
Altamira and tries to that he does not speak
get guavas Spanish.

While the situation of

the country is not Yolanda returns the boy
well, Yolanda drives to the village and
from the south to the
resumes his trip to the
north coast, comes to
Altamira north coast

3. Reading Strategy: Think about how you might feel if someone warns you that
an activity is dangerous before you do it. How might her aunts’ fears about
traveling alone affect Yolanda’s feelings?

I believe that Yolanda's aunts' fears of traveling alone affected her by generating
tremendous mistrust of anyone around. She was probably influenced by the fear of being
kidnapped by communists that her aunts passed on to her. That explains her position so
defensive when she meets the two men who in the end ended up helping her solve the
problem she had.

4. How do people in our context see “outsiders” nowadays? Take into

consideration money, social inequity, and language issues. Exemplify

I believe that the way people in this region view foreigners, of course, depends on
the prejudices that are held about the different countries from which they may
come. Typically, an American is associated here with someone who is wealthy, has
good socioeconomic status, and is generally accepted, even admired, by
everyone. However, when we talk about a Central American or South American, I
think we tend to see them as people from a moderately low social stratum, who
have come here to have a better quality of life.