Biography:
Julia Alvarez was born in New York City, New York in 1950. At only three months old her parents moved their family back to the Dominican Republic where they lived there for ten years until her father's involvement with the political rebellion forced them to flee the country and come back to the united states. At only 13 years old Julia Alvarez was sent to a boarding school because her parents believed the schools in their area were not worth Alvarez's time. At boarding school she was able to focus and learn more about writing, which is what she wanted to pursue as a career. Julia Alvarez worked hard and wrote many great pieces of literature. She has written novels, essays, poetry, and more. Currently Alvarez is teaching creative writing at Middlebury College to spread her love of writing to other people. Now Julia is 66 years old and is married to a man by the name of Bill Eichner and they live together in Champlain Valley, Vermont. Julia Alvarez is now considered one of the greatest Latina writers by most literary critics. She uses her experiences in the Dominican Republic to include many themes regarding cultural expectations and stereotypes regarding women and how we need to combat those. Her honesty makes her writing stand out to readers because it is never some fake story. What she writes is the real and the raw of life, and most people like to read things like that. Another aspect that Julia Alvarez includes in her writing is her unique perspective of being Dominican-American. Her background with being a Dominican-American woman creates a unique tone and personality in her writing that results in admiration from many of her readers. With the characters Alvarez chooses for her stories, one can clearly see the influence that her culture has on her writing. With the cultural aspects, along with her push to open the conversation about stereotypes and prejudices involving women, Alvarez creates storylines like no other. She captures so much heart, emotion, and fearlessness in her writing, which is truly extraordinary and that is what makes so many people appreciate her literary works.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julia_Alvarez
"New Clothes" by Julia Alvarez
My favorite poem by Julia Alvarez is her poem, "New Clothes." The imagery she includes in the story really brings the story to life. I love reading a poem when I feel like I am really right there as the poem is taking place, and Alvarez does a great job of this.
https://kimblekorner.wikispaces.com/Julia+Alvarez
Poetry Devices Used by the Author:
a. Device Example 1:
“The fabric rounding and flattening as it neared the flatbed” (20, New Clothes.) Alvarez uses distinct imagery throughout this poem. The reader can really picture what the fabric looked like on the machine as they were being made into clothes by her mother.
b. Device Example 2:
“I remember the whirr and whine of her black Singer” (13, New Clothes.) Alvarez uses more wonderful figurative language when she uses onomatopoeia to open her second stanza. The sounds “whirr” and “whine” are perfect sound words to use, because to everyone who knows what an old Singer machine sounds like, those words describe it perfectly.
https://kimblekorner.wikispaces.com/Julia+Alvarez
Evaluation:
While researching and learning about the writer Julia Alvarez, I gained a lot of respect for her not only as a writer, but also as a person. Alvarez writes with such grace and her unique, sensitive style was very appealing to me. Her extravagant imagery kept me engaged and wanting to read more. Her use of imagery also made her writing come alive, and I as the reader was able to really dive into her pieces of writing and feel what she was trying to express. I really enjoyed her poem, “New Clothes,” because it made me think of my grandmother who used to make all sorts of different things on her Singer machine. Especially when Alvarez described the sounds the sewing machine made, I felt like I could hear exactly what it sounded like. The descriptions and poetic devices that Julia Alvarez uses are different and unique compared to other poets. I can completely see why most literary critics refer to her as one of the world’s greatest Latina writers. The thought and emotion showed throughout her writing is absolutely incredible. Just by reading her poems and other literary pieces by her, I feel like I have learned a lot about how to tweak my writing style to make it more appealing not only to me as the writer and creator, but also to all of the readers as well. I really gained a lot of respect for Julia Alvarez as well as her work, and I look forward to reading more from her in the future.
While researching and learning about the writer Julia Alvarez, I gained a lot of respect for her not only as a writer, but also as a person. Alvarez writes with such grace and her unique, sensitive style was very appealing to me. Her extravagant imagery kept me engaged and wanting to read more. Her use of imagery also made her writing come alive, and I as the reader was able to really dive into her pieces of writing and feel what she was trying to express. I really enjoyed her poem, “New Clothes,” because it made me think of my grandmother who used to make all sorts of different things on her Singer machine. Especially when Alvarez described the sounds the sewing machine made, I felt like I could hear exactly what it sounded like. The descriptions and poetic devices that Julia Alvarez uses are different and unique compared to other poets. I can completely see why most literary critics refer to her as one of the world’s greatest Latina writers. The thought and emotion showed throughout her writing is absolutely incredible. Just by reading her poems and other literary pieces by her, I feel like I have learned a lot about how to tweak my writing style to make it more appealing not only to me as the writer and creator, but also to all of the readers as well. I really gained a lot of respect for Julia Alvarez as well as her work, and I look forward to reading more from her in the future.
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