Brandy Satterfield “Representing your culture and background in a outstanding way” 2-4-11
Julia Alvarez was born in the Dominican Republic; this author uses background and
culture in her writing. Her personal experiences are most important in her essays. For example
she uses when she was a little girl and flees the Dominican Republic to America in “My First
Free Summer”. She also uses her experiences in her poem “Exile”, short story “Antojos” and
lastly her other essay “All American Girl” like how when she entered school she got make-up to
try to look like the other girls, do her hair and even speak like them to fit it. Alvarez uses
imagery, theme, and characterization to develop her style.
In “My First Free Summer” Alvarez uses imagery by explaining her opinion on English
which she stated was like “rocks-in-your-mouth” (265). Which meant that it was a very hard
language for her to learn and she thought it was “ugly” to speak. When Alvarez uses taking a
trip to the beach as a symbol of her and her family going to the U.S.A.Deep waters-meaning
roads, stroking-meaning driving, past the gates-meaning past secret police in her poem “Exile”.
In “All American Girl” she is worried about looking like an American, putting on make-up,
doing her hair, and trying to talk just like her other American girl-friends. In “Antojos” Yolanda
states what she sees when she is driving after dropping off the little boy “above the picnic table
near the post, the post, the Palmolive woman’s skin shone; her head was thrown back, her mouth
opened as if she were calling someone over a great distance”.(283) This is showing a little of her
background in a way , like where she is from because at that time the Dominican Republic was
going through a rough time with money so either you were very poor or very rich, but around the
parts where she was at everyone was very poor so to see a bulletin board trying to advertise to
sell dish detergent was kind of ignorant since no one could barely even afford food to eat let
alone name brand dish detergent.
Brandy Satterfield “Representing your culture and background in a outstanding way” 2-4-11
In all the stories “My First Free Summer”, “Exile”, and “all American Girl” the theme is
to “fit in” “First Free Summer”- it is her first time moving especially all the way from the D.R to
America where it is free, not under a dictator. “Exile” she is trying to find her way and right
place in America. ‘All American Girl” is a major story where the theme is pointed out extremely.
Getting make up just like all the other girls, doing her hair just like them and even trying to talk
exactly like them without having an accent. In “Antojos” the theme is how Yolanda has forgotten
or changed from her background. When Yolanda is talking to her aunt’s they say “any little
antojo, you must tell us!” “What exactly is does it mean? antojo? “Yolanda asked.(277) This is
an example of how she uses theme because it’s stating how she doesn’t even know what this
word means even though she is Spanish and used to speak Spanish all the time. She has been in
America for long so long and is starting to forget her “background” it seems like. Or it is fading
away to her. Also In “Antojos” Yolanda does not even use her background to help her in her
conflict instead she uses to pretend not to know it to help her. She does this when she becomes
very afraid when two strange men come up to her when she is all alone, she explains them and
says one man was short and dark, the other tall light-skinned and slender , wore ragged work
clothes stained with patches of sweat, faces drawn and tired, having machetes on their sides.
Yolanda was by herself with two strange men she did not know and states “Language is power”
she now knows English so well she can pretend that she does not know any Spanish only English
so they think she is just another foreigner and will hopefully leave her alone. (281)
In 1st Free Summer she characterizes the characters in a complimentary way. Especially
toward her family because in her culture family is a very serious thing and family is always very
tight. For example, her mother has being very strong and afraid at the same time like when there
Brandy Satterfield “Representing your culture and background in a outstanding way” 2-4-11
in there Dominican Republic home and they are packing she is trying to stay strong for her
daughters but they can tell she is extremely scared and doesn’t have much hope especially when
she say’s “It’s a trap” I heard my mother whisper to my father (267).Throughout everything
though she still kept calmed and collected to comfort her children. In “Exile” her father is
covering up where they are really going telling them they are taking a trip to the beach instead of
being honest and telling them they are going to America “The night we fled the country, Papi,
you told me we were going to the beach” (268). He does this so the children will not get scared
and if the secret police were to pull them over they would not tell on them by telling them were
moving and leaving the Dominican Republic. In “All American Girl” she explains how she does
not feel like she is really fitting in like she thinks she is should, and she feels as if she is
“different” from everyone else just because she is from another place. In Antojos Yolanda uses
her hiding her background to feel safe alone with the two strange men by pretending not to know
Spanish. Through her use of imagery, themes, and characterization, Alvarez has become a
cultural author. Her work presents her readers with a simple social relevant truth. No matter
whom we are white, black, Spanish, we all have felt like we don’t belong whether or not it’s in
school, in your family or job. It is a part of the human trait to crave to become a part of a group.
Alvarez shares her experiences along with her background/ culture in hopes that she can calm the
discomfort of others, and this author does a very good job and doing so.