Focus

Woman in Front of the Sun: On Becoming a Writer
by Judith Ortiz Cofer
A Prayer, a Candle, and a Notebook

What "Growing Up Themes" do you see in the essay? Include Page numbers.

• Facing death pg. 22
• Family dynamics pgs. 21-23, 27
• Cultural, family or community customs & traditions pgs. 23-24
• Experiencing conflicts with social and cultural realities such as:
• biculturalism/bilingualism  pg. 24-25
• Religion pgs. 28-29

4. Focus
a. Who or what is this selection about-a person, a place, an animal, an object?
This selection is specifically about Cofer's parents and their transition from Puerto Rico to American life.

b. Describe in a phrase or two the relationship between the narrator and this person or place.
Cofer has a distinct relationship with each of her parents. The way she shares her stories about each of them tells us that she tended to have a difficult time with connecting with her mother and had a closer connection with her father, but loved both equally for their characteristics

c. How is the importance of the relationship revealed—through thoughts of the narrator, or the narrator’s feelings? Or the writer’s use of details and description? Or the writer’s sharing of memories about experiences or events in connection to this relationship? Find 2 passages to support your conclusions.
The importance of the relationships are revealed by the way she explains her stories. She references her past and describes how each of her parents took the transition into the U.S. On page 22, Cofer shares the death of her father and how that affected her and her mother. She shares some grief because not only did she lose her father, she loses her mother because she decided to go back to Puerto Rico. Starting on page 28, Cofer explains her mother's religious practices and her relationship with her mother when purchased her mother's cuentos de amor.