Analysis Of Judith Ortiz Cofer's Abuela Invents The Zero

The theme of Judith Ortiz Cofer's "An Hour with Abuelo" demonstrates that one should not let "La Vida" [Cofer 4] get in your way. In the story "An Hour with Abuelo" we can observe the concept of the theme being displayed across the article. In the beginning, the Arturo refuses to go with his dying grandfather simply because "There is a stack of books next to my bed I'm going to read if I want to get into the AP classes I want" [Cofer 4]. In this situation we can make an inference that the books symbolize "La vida"

Too often in mainstream culture are minority groups portrayed in oversimplified ways. It is easy to dismiss these portrayals as easily discernable lies done with intentions to be funny, but, upon closer inspection, these “harmless” stereotypes have real consequences. In her essay, Judith Ortiz Cofer argues that the preconceived ideas of certain races that the media frequently perpetrates are not harmless at all; they are damaging.

I really enjoyed reading “The Other” by Judith Ortiz Cofer. I would interpret the subject/shadow in this poem as the negative feelings you feel such as doubt, disappointment, insecurity but this also can be completely wrong as Cofer continues to refer to her as if she was someone as an actual being. Almost seems to me like a spiritual entity. This poem seems to me like a representation of baggage. I believe as Cofer describes the woman that is shadowing her throughout the day she is dealing with another version of herself where she sees all the baggage. The message to this poem is do not let negatives haunt your life. I believe Cofer is allowing this shadow to control her emotions. Allowing her to feel feeling of fear and anxiety expressed

Judith Ortiz Cofer a Latin American author of short stories, poetry, autobiography, young adult fiction, and essays, as a young child migrated to Mainland America from Puerto Rico with her family, moving into an apartment complex with other people of Latin descent. Although, she spent most of her years in the Continental U.S. her writings are reflective of the strong latin heritage that her mother undoubtedly instilled in her from a young age. This is clear in her short story “Nada” where the narrator makes references to the hispanic community that live at an apartment complex in New Jersey. Cofer’s style of writing and experiences in her life are brought out in this story as well as many more of her writings. She includes some Spanish words throughout the story and ideals of the hispanic culture.

In Abuela Invents the Zero, by Judith Ortiz Cofer, a common theme of respect can be seen. If you treat people without respect, you will lose respect for yourself. For starters, Connie disrespects her grandmother by saying, “I realize to my horror that my grandmother is lost. She can’t find her way back to the pew. I am so embarrassed that even though the women next to me is shooting daggers at me with her eyes, I just can’t move to go get her” (Cofer 14). This reveals that Connie is very embarrassed that her grandmother is lost in a huge church that she’s never been to before. She should be helping her grandma find her way back to their pew, yet heaven forbid someone will see her helping her elderly grandmother, perhaps someone would make

And Grandmam,as I have seen in looking back, was the decider of my fate. She shaped my life, without of course knowing what my life would be. She taught me many things that I was going to need to know, without either of us knowing I would need to know them. She made the connections that made my life, as you will see. If it hadn’t been for her what would my life have been? (11)

In all of the four interviews that are with Judith Ortiz Cofer, I thought there were some important things or I feel that I can relate to what she stated. In the interview “Speaking in Puerto Rican” reported by Rafael Ocasio, Cofer was told that her grandmother was one of her influences in her life. Cofer agreed with Ocasio and she went into saying that she would sit by her grandmother while her grandmother told her stories. I can relate somewhat to it because I didn’t sit around my grandmother while she told me stories, but my grandmother influenced me to succeed in something that I love to do. In the interview “The Art of Not Forgetting” reported by Marilyn Kallet, Cofer was asked why is “not forgetting” so important to you as a writer? Cofer

Stereotypes exist in many different forms with the most common referring to gender and culture. Roxanne Gay talks about the difficult struggles that women have to deal with such as the usage of birth control and the process of having an abortion. While Judith Cofer takes a similar route with a few differences. Her article talks specifically about the struggles of a Latin woman. Both articles talk about the obstacles women are faced with while also taking the time to focus on specific topics. “The Alienable Rights of Women” by Roxanne Gay and “The Myth of the Latin Woman” by Judith Cofer complement each other because they both discuss how women are perceived and stereotyped by others/society.

Now that the holidays are approaching, a certain long-lived adage makes its yearly debut: the feeling of giving is better than the feeling of receiving. Of course, it is generally said in the context of gift exchange. However, who is to say it cannot be a life lesson? Far too often, people are so very involved in themselves that they lose sight of what truly matters, such as family or even community. They believe their own problems to be far too great to “waste” time on helping others, which is exactly the common schema Edgar Lee Masters refuted in his poem “Lois Spears” as a part of his collection of poems, Spoon River Anthology. Lois Spears is a woman who, despite having to live without sight, is incredibly happy with how she lived her life. She dedicated herself to serving others and joyfully did so; her story did not convey an ounce of spite or bitterness. Masters ultimately wrote the poem “Lois Spears” in order to display how looking away from one’s own hindrances or troubles and dedicating oneself to improving the lives of others can bring true happiness.

Every day there are people doing something good to help people, animals, their neighborhood, the whole society or the world. It can range from a little tiny thing, helping a person carrying their stuff, or to a bigger thing, advocate for people’s rights. Every day, everywhere, there are someone doing something good to make other people’ lives better. In the book Walk in Their Shoes, after a world trip on “finding the meaning of his life”, the author Jim Ziolkowski decided to do something good to help other people. Inspired by the event he had seen during the trip, after a thoughtful thinking and discussions with his friends and family, Ziolkowski decided to quit his job and established an non - profit organization called Building with Books

This woman’s actions help demonstrate the kindness that is in all individuals and the yearning that all humans have to help one

I have been blessed beyond measure in my life with the love and support of my family. It is because of that love and support that I feel a strong obligation to be the best person I can be by working hard and caring about the world around me. Through my volunteer work, I have participated in many fundraisers, food and clothing drives. However, my greatest personal growth has come from more direct acts of kindness that go largely unrecognized to anyone other than the recipient. My first experience meeting someone in very unfortunate circumstances occurred when my mother suggested we deliver meals for an Atlanta based organization called Open Hands. Open Hands prepares individualized healthy meals for very ill people living on their own. Open Hands conducted training on a

One small act in this world, whether it is significant or not, can change the life of someone forever. Miep Gies, a woman who once went unknown to the world, once said, “But even an ordinary secretary or a housewife or a teenager can, within their own small ways, turn on a small light in a dark room.” (Goodreads 1). The woman who went unheard of by the world around her, turned on this light during the dark experiences of World War II. From being a small business secretary to saving the lives of people around her, Miep Gies made a name for herself, and that name is now well known by many. All it took was one simple action of kindness for the world to remember her name, and now we celebrate the actions Miep made and the lives she changed.

By realizing and admitting that she is not the good person that she fancied herself to be, the Grandmother redeems herself in a way. She dies finally understanding that her hypocrisy is no more righteous nor holier than The Misfit’s acts of murder. By acknowledging that both she and The Misfit are sinful and in need of God’s grace, her old desires to appear better than others are eradicated. O’Connor shows the reader that the Grandmother has been changed, dying in a

Erin was explaining how her father had an impact on her daily life. “I’ve learned to be less selfish and to help others in need. During last Thanksgiving, he brought my sister and I to a local soup kitchen. For a few hours, we made and packaged food to give to the homeless” (Kinaci). This describes how Erin’s dad is trying to get her into the habit of volunteering to do good deeds for people who are not as privileged as her. When you finally stop thinking about yourself and start to think about others, you are lending them a helping hand and pulling them from their dark struggles such as poverty to the light-filled side of opportunities such as a new beginning. As a role model, it is important to be selfless because you are giving hope to those who need it in order to keep going. You are also voluntarily leading others to the path of accomplishment and