Cofer's Gift

In Judith Ortiz Cofer's memoir, Woman in Front of the Sun: On Becoming a Writer, I've decided to answer the following questions based on her selection of "The Gift of a Cuento."


1. I liked (something) because . . .
I liked Cofer's anecdote about her uncle because it explained how Cofer may have been influenced by her uncle to pursue the art of storytelling for the sake of others. In addition I liked the uncle's somewhat provocative story about a woman, because it really gave me an example of how the uncle delivered his story with such enthralling details that it kept me captivated to know what would happen next.


3. I found (something) interesting from a writer's point of view because . . .
I found Cofer's description of her uncle interesting from a writer's point of view because she utilizes adjectives very eloquently to pain a vivid picture of her vivacious uncle. As a writer, often times describing certain things may seem too intricate, but Cofer harnesses the skill of detailing that it serves as an epitome for depiction.


5. What bored me was (something) because . . .
What bore me the most about this selection was Cofer's leading events to Christmas day, because she only briefly mentioned what her uncle gave her for Christmas. Moreover, Cofer could have gone into more detail of her disappointment towards her uncle's appearance at Christmas and his quick departure. Cofer coud have shared how she felt let down by her uncle's actions.

In conclusion, "The Gift of a Cuento" was partially interesting. I liked that Cofer echoed the intro in her conclusion of how a cuento helps someone, because in the end, Cofer gave her uncle joy through her own stories.

"Taking the Macho" Questions

In Judith Ortiz Cofer's memoir, Woman in Front of the Sun: On Becoming a Writer, I've decided to answer the following questions based on her selection of "Taking the Macho."

1. I liked (something) because . . .

I liked how Cofer on page 69 suggests to the reader to liberate the personified "macho." By advertising everyone to conquer the macho, one is faced to confront certain syllogisms and completely dominate the long lasting stereotype that all girls are "girly" and all boys are "macho."

2. I didn't like something because . . . 

I didn't like that some of the said history of women warriors/chiefs died off through time, because maybe some of the stereotypes would evaporate if the now generation knew what they were capable of doing.

3. I found (something) interesting from a writer's point of view because . . .

I found Cofer's description of conquering the macho as a matador would fight a ball an interesting metaphor, because although a writer may not be physically fighting anyone or anything specifically, when you write you have to conquer your fear of what others might think and instead write from the heart.

4. I found (something) interesting from the reader's point of view because . . .

 I found the storytelling in this selection interesting from a reader's point of view because Cofer gives a brief fictional story about how women were once in control. For example, although the idea is demeaning to marriage, when she discussed how women decided when they desired "to lie with their husband," it showed a shift in power and over all breaking the generalized idea that men are always in power.

7. I learned a couple of important things from reading this. The first was _____ and I think that's important because . . .  The second was ____ and that's important because . . . 

In this selection I learned a couple of important things, such as that we learn from society, that men are meant to be "macho" but women can also be "macho" without having the supposedly necessary anatomy. In addition, I also learned that as a write it is necessary to conquer the "macho" because if we continuously fear failure we will be ultimately doomed to never claim the "macho."

In conclusion, overall I enjoyed the essay because I could relate to Coffer's feelings of restraint as she grew obligated to follow the old fashioned Hispanic traditions of young girls acting and being feminine. I hope to follow her advice of trampling the "macho" and break free from these outdated traditions by finally claiming the "macho" for myself.