Choose one of the following for your essay, which should be 4-5 pages typed. Paper must adhere to MLA rules.  See Turnitin.com for due dates for both the rough and final drafts. See the Literary Analysis handout in  the “Getting Started” module.

Essay Topic 1

How do you think being raised around all men with machismo affected the girls in their lives? How do they end up viewing men like their father and other men from the island? Are they attracted to men like this in later life? What about Otto? Does he possess these same qualities?

Essay Topic 2

The story is filled with sexual overtones. What role does sexual independence play in the lives of the girls? How does this cause conflict with their parents and family? As adults, how do the daughters view sex?

Essay Topic 3

It seems that every member of the family must overcome a mental problem. Are all the problems the same or do they manifest differently? Why? Do you think their mental issues are caused by the trauma in their family and their move to the U.S.? Why? Do you feel, at the end of the story, that the problems still exist? Why?

Essay Topic 4

Compare life in the Dominican Republic and life in America for the girls. What changed when they moved to America? What was better? What was worse? How did their relationships with their cousins change? How did their parents change? Discuss daily life and school life as well as their change in social class.

Note: You must quote and cite evidence from the book. You must have both parenthetical citations as well as a Works Cited paper which is properly constructed and formatted based on the rules (see the MLA module for assistance with varied rules).