Silent Dancing Analysis

She demonstrates the meaning of Silent Dancing through perspective, imagery, and repetition which depicts how her culture goes through discrimination. Her thoughts become based off on the “typical” immigrant Puerto Rican decor. Furthermore, she includes the history of a girl–Niña– mocked by people in her hometown. She wanted to change who she was, not accepting who she was and the culture she was born in. Initially, the repetition of “la gringa” would overwhelm her mind. Niña becomes traumatized daily by the repetition of “la gringa” which means white female because she wanted to become more Americanized than being Puerto Rican. There is irony in this piece since she never ended up in the U.S., but isolated in the village far away from communities

in Puerto Rico. Furthermore, discrimination can happen within a family. It can lead family rivalry since they are going against each other and physically kicking the person out of their family.
Nancy L.

Chick critiqued Judith Ortiz Cofer’s Silent Dancing by advising that it is a collection of fourteen essays and poems. It talks about Cofer’s adolescence and how she did not achieve the expectations for her to become a traditional Puerto Rican woman (AEW 381). Initially, Mamá is portrayed as an authority figure because she keeps her family in control just by the use of storytelling. With Chick’s point of view, I cannot disagree since it is accurate. Cofer, also disagrees with becoming the traditional Puerto Rican woman from receiving an education and going on her own path to becoming a writer. It is interesting how some of the characters are perceived, although they are considered as fiction since their identities are hidden. Cofer achieves her storytelling by being half fiction and auto-biography since it is written by herself. She reevaluates how women should be known as, but specifically the means of the life of a Puerto Rican

woman.
The Latin Deli: Prose and Poetry takes place in Paterson, New Jersey, where she first encounters discrimination in her childhood during the time of John F. Kennedy’s assassination. Her community comes together as a family in order to mourn for his death, since it deeply affected not only them, but the nation. In the short story, “American History”, Judith Ortiz Cofer uses polysyndeton, pathos, and foreshadowing to demonstrate that discrimination can be exposed to whoever at any time of their life. At such a young age, Elena, the main character, faces discrimination in her school. Her school is a mixture of other cultures, although she stood out more than the rest. While outside jumping rope with the other girls she usually took “a lot of abuse from the black girls” depicting that it was no longer just something friendly (Ortiz Cofer 7). Gail, one of the black girls, yelled at Elena, “Didn’t you eat your rice and beans and pork chops for breakfast today,” for not being able to pump the rope as quickly as expected (8). It was at that moment where she became embarrassed when the other girls started chanting, “pork chop, pork chop, did you eat your pork chop,” because they were making fun of her (8). It’s stereotypical how they assumed what she eats due to her ethnicity. At the same time, they are young and raised in a certain manner that they don’t recognize that it’s being stereotypical. Elena faced the embarrassment of the way that others view her culture and the typical stereotypes that are put upon her and others. Otherwise, she was bullied. Cofer uses pathos to describe the emotions that were going on throughout President Kennedy’s death. The emotions depicted were rather much upsetting since there wasn’t liveliness on the streets “there was an eerie feeling on the streets,” seeking that his death was serious since there was no enthusiasm within the community (12). The typical men that would make “it difficult for women to enter the front door” exemplifies that they felt superior than the women in the building (12). Although, it was different and as a sign of respect due to the death, they were not there that day. The usual exhilaration was not there “no music spilled out from open doors in the hallway” (12). As a result, they paid their respects by the decrease of their liveliness. Overall, the community was not ready for the assassination of President Kennedy, but they came together in unity to grieve despite the differences they faced. Elena’s mother foreshadowed that Elena was going to get hurt by declaring “you are heading for humiliation and pain” when Elena felt in her heart that she did not want to mourn for the President’s death. Her mother knew that Elena was going to jeopardize her friendship with Eugene, especially due to the circumstances that were currently going on.. The death affected the nation, yet all she wanted to do was study with Eugene–it was wrong timing when it occurred. She knocked on Eugene’s door, his mother answered, “You live there?... I don’t know how you people do it” Eugene’s mother was grieving (14). Elena thought she would gain acceptance into Eugene’s house since he invited her over, but it was the wrong timing. Eugene’s mother discriminated the community by specifically calling them “you people” although she shouldn’t have. She was disgusted since Elena lived in El Building where the Spanish-speaking community lives. For this reason, she rejected Elena for who she was and where she lived. Furthermore, Cofer is expressing the unity the community went through during the harsh time. She depicts that discrimination or stereotyping may happen during certain events in life.
Carmen Haydeé Rivera has a positive critique of The Latin Deli. It is a multi-genre book filled with poetry, fiction, fable, and essays (Rivera 926). She refers to the Puerto Rican women and how some of them have to raise American-born children. River reflects that Cofer’s work is “powerful, moving, innovative depiction of the immigrant experience,” where I understand what she is saying (926). Cofer is changing how Puerto Rican women are perceived while doing it through her talent of storytelling. It is incredible how Cofer uses her experiences and continuously uses her previous pieces to explore deeper into the Puerto Rican culture. Cofer depicts that life is not always perfect, but that there is a way to accommodate to “cultural roots and heritage,” which describes the life in el barrio.
In the poem, “Absolution in the New Year,” Judith Ortiz Cofer illustrates allusions, personification, and tone to prove that forgiveness is key.

Cofer would occasionally reference the Bible “I suffered biblical torments,” this would describe the pain she went through is torture (39). It creates a scenery of hell since it gives the description of torment. Her suffering is caused by her father since he read her poems. She felt more than embarrassed. Through this torment, it describes her feelings towards her father-no affection. Furthermore, she releases the guilt she built up over years and forgave her father. Eventually, she demonstrated personification comparing her dad to a starving spirit. It is known that her father is not living, “I’d take my books of poetry as an offering//to your starved spirit//that fed on my dreams in those days” suggesting that he can’t really feed on her dreams (40). Her father’s soul walks by her and encourages her to continue writing as if she were writing to him. Initially, tone characterizes that she is sad, upset, and hatred because of the loss of her father. She overcomes the the hatred when he reads her poems since some were meant for him. She feels at peace once she forgives him “the decade is over, time to begin forgiving old sins,” there is no need to hate him since it was a decade that passed by (39). His death encouraged her to write more than before. Cofer recognizes that there should be forgiveness to live life in peace rather than

having hatred. Altogether, she became inspired to continue writing and has goals of one day to visit her father’s grave to show him her poetry.
Judith Ortiz Cofer is an aspiring writer for bringing her culture into her works. Culture is an important aspect in a person’s life, hence why she involved it in her writing. Not only is she a poet, fiction, and a storyteller, she creates authenticity within her works. The authenticity that is created makes the reader feel as if they were there. The dialect switches between English and Spanish giving the quality of an actual Puerto Ricans vocabulary. Although it switches in between, it helps the reader switch between the languages since it is simple vocabulary. Furthermore, the simple vocabulary creates an effect on the writing creating the actual authencity so that the reader may experience what Cofer went through. Personally, these were terrific pieces of work that I was able to relate to. Although I did not move between countries like she did, it hit home with the storytelling. It was interesting that Spanish cultures can unite altogether like they did. Segregation in huge communities is becoming rare, and writers such as herself help prevent the segregation since cultures, races, and genders are now combining together. It gives the full insight of how Spanish cultures come together.