Discuss how and why you think the brothers and Mami are shut away inside the apartment.
Short Answer worksheet
Due Monday September 19, 2022
English 16
Professor Liz Dalton
Please write at least one paragraph for each of the following three prompts. Write your answers in a separate document and email me at: e.h.daltonvt@gmail.com
In “Invierno,” Junot Diaz structures the conflicts of a family as a series of borders that separates ‘outside’ from ‘inside.’ Papi pens his family in their apartment, controlling their access to the outside world and exploiting the vulnerabilities of his wife and young sons to secure their continued submission to his authority. Rather than helping his newly arrived family make the transition to a new country and a new language, Papi works hard to keep his family isolated; Mami and her sons remain intimidated by their new surroundings, too insecure to venture out into an unwelcoming environment, and too dependent to escape. However, one by one, Yunior, Mami, and Rafa do eventually step out into the cold.
- Discuss how and why you think the brothers and Mami are shut away inside the apartment.
- How is the family affected by Papi’s efforts to limit their experience and knowledge?
- Discuss Yunior’s relation to Mami.
Some suggestions:
- Make grounded claims based on what you find in the language of the story.
- Quote directly from the story to illustrate your interpretation of the text and don’t forget that analysis of a literary work is a dialogue between you (the writer) and the language of the author.
