Lesson through the Pages

In Judith Ortiz Cofer's book Woman in Front of the Sun: On Becoming a Writer, she not only shares stories about herself, but also expresses her style of writing through her essays. As I read “My Rosetta,” “The Woman Who Slept with One Eye Open,” “Taking the Macho,” “A Prayer, a Candle and a Notebook,” I could identify some skills she used to make her writing descriptive and interesting. From reading these selections, I learned that using word choice, allusions, and compare and contrast in my writing are important in order for me to become a stronger writer.

To start with, Cofer begins her book with “Sister Rosetta,” a descriptive essay about her mentor Sister Rosetta. Within this essay, she uses word choice in order to define Sister Rosetta and her own feelings throughout the selection. While reading her story about her experience, I was able to learn that word choice is a very essential skill in writing. It made it more interesting to read about what Sister Rosetta was like and how she had an impact on Cofer's life. This selection has pushed me to be careful with my word choice so that I can improve my writing.

Throughout “Taking the Macho,” Cofer uses multiple allusions. She references a variety of people, events, and even mythical creatures. The way Cofer used her allusions was intriguing and it only made her essay make more sense. This made me want to use allusions in my own writing because I could see how it would strengthen a point I want to make. It will also allow me to be more descriptive and make my writing more interesting.

Lastly, in the essay “The Woman Who Slept With One Eye Open,” Cofer compares and contrasts as to how she felt about the challenge it was to become a writer. She uses two different stories with two different women as the main characters. It was interesting how she applied this to the other stories such as the story about her writing class and how the students were struggling to be either the “macho” Maria Sabida or the heartbroken Maria la Loca (Cofer 85-90). I think it would be interesting to use this in my writing because it supports a point that is wanted to be made immensely. If I were to practice this in my writing, it would be a backbone to the message that I am trying to get across.

All in all, reading these essays gave me a lesson on how it is important to use word choice, allusions, and compare and contrast. Each selection had its own purpose, not only for the author, but for the readers as well. I will continue to refer to this collection of essays, as I know it is an essential source for me to strengthen my writing.