Judith Ortiz Cofer

Judith Ortiz Cofer, "Casa, A Partial Remembrance of a Puerto Rican Childhood"

Judith Ortiz Cofer (1952- ) was born in Hormigueros, Puerto Rico and grew up in New Jersey. She earned a B.A. from Augusta College in 1974 and an M.A. from Florida Atlantic University in 1977. Cofer has taught at many colleges and universities, including the University of Michigan and the University of Georgia, where she's been since 1984. Cofer's a novelist, essayist, and poet. Much of her work is autobiographical, and her books include the novel The Line of the Sun (1989) and Woman in Front of the Sun: On Becoming a Writer (2000). Cofer also frequently contributes to such periodicals as The Missouri Review, Callaloo, and Witness. Among other awards and honors, she's won the Pushcart Prize for her nonfiction, and an O. Henry Award for her short story "Nada." "Casa, A Partial Remembrance of a Puerto Rican Childhood" was first published in the journal Prairie Schooner in 1990 and reprinted in Silent Dancing: A Partial Remembrance of a Puerto Rican Childhood (1991).

CONTENT

1. Describe Mamá's parlor.
2. What are cuentos?
3. How did the nuns at La Escuela San Jose encourage good posture among their students?
4. Name the word Mamá considered synonymous with decent.
5. What two meanings does the author provide for the word macho?
6. Describe the central thing that the girls drew from Mamá's story about María.
7. What contrasts does the author draw between her homeland, Puerto Rico, and Los Nueva Yores?

STRATEGY AND STYLE

1. What do you make of the word partial in the title? How would the meaning of the title change if the author omitted that word? What might the author's usage here say about her relationship to her memoir?
2. Discuss how this piece can be classified as a definition essay. Make sure that you make clear the author's main definition and her types of support.
3. In paragraph six Cofer uses a simile to compare María to a fairy tale character. What's the full comparison and what image does it create? What does this say about some of the things the author learned as a child?
4. Cofer uses exaggeration at the end of paragraph eleven. Describe her use of this literary device and its effect. How can you tie it into the author's approach to learning as described in this essay?

1. What are some of your best memories of childhood? Did any of them come back to you while you were reading this? Did any parts of this essay come back to you when you thought about your memoires?
2. How much does your cultural background affect your self-identity? Imagine switching cultural heritages. Which one did you pick? Why? What about you would change? How can you link these ideas to your thoughts about your reading?

SUGGESTIONS FOR SUSTAINED WRITING

1. Write an essay about the role men play in this piece. What men are mentioned? Where are they and what are they doing? What effect does this have on the women in the essay?
2. Discuss "Casa" as ethnic literature. Using the reading and your own experiences, write about how it positions its audience in terms of inclusion and exclusion. Make sure to make your concept of "audience" clear.

FOR FURTHER RESEARCH

Do some research to find out more about the type of Puerto Rican stories Mamá told. What other ones did you find? Can you put them into categories? How did this research project enhance your understanding of "Casa"?

WEB CONNECTION

Would you like to put Cofer's work into a broader cultural perspective? The homepage of the site HispanicOnline.com will give you numerous things to think about in this regard.

LINKS

Biographical

Want some more information about this author's life? Check out her personal homepage at the University of Georgia. You'll find a photo of her (and some flower photos), as well as links to things like her vita and a bibliography.

Here is Cofer's biography from the New York State Writers Institute. There are also pictures of her and of some of her book covers.

For a slightly different perspective, visit this page, which features Cofer's life from the point of view of The Chelsea Forum, her speaking agency. How is the information focused here?

Bibliographical

Cofer discusses her writing, teaching, and her life in this interview from the AWP Chronicle.

"Don't Misread My Signals: I May Dress in Scarlet, But Don't Mistake Me for a Hot Tamale" is the title of this essay she wrote for Glamour magazine's "Hers" column in 1992.

Ready to read some more of this author's work? Click here for some excerpts from her book Woman in Front of the Sun: On Becoming a Writer.

Cultural

Cofer is of Puerto Rican descent. Interested in the history of Puerto Rican migration to the mainland? This page gives a brief history of the subject, plus related links and a bibliography.

Here is a book review of Cofer's Silent Dancing: A Partial Remembrance of a Puerto Rican Childhood. After reading the review, would you be interested in reading the book? Why or why not?

Did you know that this author also writes for children? Here is some information about a book of children's poetry to which she contributed.