English LAL

LA writers often traveled to
Cuba, where most came into
contact with Fidel Castro.
They were enthusiastic
about the victorious ______,
and this historical event
came to mark the beginning
of the LA literary boom.

Cuban Revolution (1959)

LAL is rooted in myths and oral tradition, but it became
uniquely hybridized when it was forced to change because
of colonization, adapting to the language and religion of...?

European invaders.

The LA Boom was political,
experimental, confident, filled
with magical realism, and
worried about modernization.
However, the more negative
post-Boom writers pushed
back against much of what the
Boom held dear in what
became known as the...?

Boom Backlash.

Esperanza spends a lot of
the novella unhappy with her
assigned role in her family,
community, and culture.
What does she want more
than anything else?

a house of her own
(freedom to live her own life)

This folktale shows
multiple ______ between
individuals, cultures, and
worldviews. In the end,
the NA gets the better of
the priest in a rare
example of the oppressed
triumphing over the
oppressor.

external conflicts

Alicia’s death is directly
caused by a feather pillow
dwelling parasite (devil
spider!), but indirectly her
death is caused by her
_______ from others
(confined to bed, no female

family or friends).

isolation

Focused on immigration
and remembering culture
and heritage, the overall
_____ of Diaz’ children’s
book is that a person’s
home is always with them
or influencing them (even
when geographically far

away).

Theme

Pablo Neruda’s work is
noted for its vivid poetic
language and powerful
word choice. In “Full
Powers,” what contrasts
are established using this

rich imagery?

coming / going
water / fire
light / dark
life / death
(most important)

Judith Ortiz Cofer’s essay
focuses on the unfair and
damaging stereotypes faced
by Latinas, a message
inspired by her own
embarrassing experience of
being serenaded with the
song “Maria” from the
Broadway musical...?

West Side Story

Born in the Dominican
Republic but has lived in the
US since six-years-old;
focuses on the many
challenges of the
immigrant’s life. Known as
the Streetwise Scholar.

Junot Diaz

Born in Chicago, one of seven kids (only girl). Her
unique style of prosetry and vignettes has earned her
critical acclaim, and recently, President Obama
presented her with a National Medal of Arts.

Sandra
Cisneros

Uruguayan writer who penned
stories inspired by the jungle
before committing suicide in
1937\. Similar to Poe in style
and in his life filled with
inappropriate relationships
and death. He is considered
among the greatest LA
storytellers of all time.

Horacio Quiroga

Chilean poet-diplomat
and politician (writing
under a pen-name),
won the Nobel Prize
for Literature in 1971.
Wrote sensual poetry
inspired by and in the
style of Walt Whitman.

Pablo Neruda

Fled Dominican Republic
because father tried to
overthrow its dictator. Being
caught between cultures is a
prevalent theme in this
author’s well-known novels
like How the García Girls Lost

Their Accents.

Julia Alvarez

Columbian author of Love
in the Time of Cholera
beloved for his brand of
magical realism (called
Gabo). Grew up listening
to family tales, eventually
becoming a journalist and
Noble Prize winner.

Gabriel Garcia Marquez

Home country of Gabriel Garcia Marquez, one of the
most ethnically/linguistically diverse countries in the world
with a rich cultural heritage reflecting many influences.

Colombia

Birthplace of Junot Diaz, a country that shares the island
of Hispaniola with the nation of Haiti and is the most visited

destination in the Caribbean.

Dominican Republic

What basic test (two
named female
characters...who have a
conversation...about
something other than a
man) is meant to
highlight how women are
underrepresented in
today’s media?

Bechdel Test

Cukita (the daughter)
believes that her mother’s
last invention is literally
Cukita’s ___________, but
symbolically her mother’s
last invention is Cukita’s
own creativity/writing.

speech for her teachers

Birthplace of Judith Ortiz Cofer

Puerto Rico

Birthplace of Sandra cineros

Mexico

Birthplace of Horacio Quiroga

Uruguay

Birthplace of Revolution that Launched the Latin Boom

Cuba

Birthplace of Pablo Neruda

Chile