Dreaming in Cuban
“You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view . . . until you climb into his skin and walk around in it.” Atticus Finch says this famous quote in the classic novel To Kill a Mockingbird when he is teaching his daughter, Scout, the importance of understanding people from different backgrounds. This quote accurately depicts the character development in Dreaming in Cuban. Our first impressions of such characters are obscure; however, we only fully understand their behavior until we “climb into [their] skin.”
Task:
Identify and analyze 2 main women characters (Celia, Lourdes, Felicia) and 1 minor character (the children of Lourdes or Felicia). In your opinion, what is their attitude, outlook, behavior on life? How and why did they become this way? Is their attitude, outlook, behavior justifiable considering their circumstances? Provide examples and explanations to support your 3 characters for your 3 body paragraphs.
Then, identify and discuss 3 forms of literary devices such as style, imagery (symbolism, metaphor, simile), language and/or tone that Garcia uses to enhance the development of your chosen characters. Provide examples and explanations in this single body paragraph of figurative language. For example, your chosen characters can be Lourdes, Felicia and Ivanito. Select ONE literary device for each character.
NOTE: Please do not used examples that we already discussed in discussion forums or in your R/Rs. Challenge yourself!
Finally, provide your overall thoughts on this novel.
Requirements:
Identify three characters
Support with convincing examples from our readings
Provide proper set-up of introduction with a brief summary and thesis
Provide proper set-up of conclusion and with your final observations/solutions
Use of figurative language devices
Review the requirements of format; this is similar to your R/R#1; for a review, you can also look at the Module “Format and Grading Rubrics” and review the link “Essay Guidelines and Format”
Minimum 3 FULL pages – 4 FULL pages maximum
MLA format (please use a balance of quotes and paraphrase for examples); for a review on MLA format and guidelines, you can look at the Module “MLA References”
General Reminders:
No “Works Cited Page” needed
Avoid copying and pasting from your own R/R journals or discussion forums
FINALLY—USE YOUR OWN ANALYSIS! DON’T RELY ON INTERNET!
Strong Paper:
Structured essay: general introduction with thesis, 3 body paragraphs, and conclusion
Respond and stay focused on the assigned topic
Reflect on HOW and WHY with your evidence as well as analyze how such evidence support your claims–both topic and thesis
Make effective use of evidence that do not fall into lengthy story-telling
Free of grammatical errors; minor grammatical errors are ok but as long as it does not distract from its meaning
Essay General Guidelines
Minimum 3-4 pages (with the exception of the final Research paper) that consists of:
typed: using Microsoft Word, GoogleDocs
double-spaced
12-point font
1” margins all around
MLA format (when specified in the assignment)
that focuses your thoughts and responses to the assigned readings and/or of the assigned question by your instructor.
Essay Format
Include the following information at the top left of each essay:
Your name
ENGL 1B
Instructor’s Name
Essay # ___
Due Date
Creative Title
