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Almost a Woman
By Susan Thurman

Combining the viewing of a cinematic production with a reading of the actual text of a memoir is an effective way to teach literature. In this era of high tech media and entertainment, students benefit greatly from being exposed to both representations of Esmeralda Santiago's story.

Below is a resource guide to help your class get the most from viewing and or reading Santiago's Almost a Woman. The guide will benefit students of all grades, levels, and abilities. Whether your teaching interests lie in history, literature, film and other performing arts, or cross-cultural relations and ethnic integration/assimilation, among others, you may use these ideas to enhance your lessons of the memoir.  The guide is organized as follows:

I.   Preparation, Comprehension, and Analysis

  • Pre-Viewing/Reading Discussion Questions
  • Post-Viewing/Reading Discussion Questions
  • Writing/Research Topics

II. Supplemental Information

  • Additional Online References for Teachers and Students
  • Literary Devices
  • Vocabulary List, English
  • Vocabulary List, Spanish

I.   Preparation, Comprehension, and Analysis

 Pre-Viewing/Reading Discussion Questions

Below is a list of 64 discussion questions to pose to your students before they view the film or read the book. These questions serve to stimulate students' thinking about the various themes in Almost a Woman.  

  1. What do you remember about the residence(s) where you grew up? What did it (they) look like on the inside and outside? If you have moved from that (those) place(s), have you been back? When seeing it (them) again, how did it (they) compare to your recollections?
     
  2. Has anyone in your family ever needed serious medical care? Where did your family member have to go to get treatment? How did the illness or accident affect your family?
     
  3. At your current age, do you want a different life than the one you have? What material things would you really like to have? What privileges do you want that you don't have?
     
  4. Have you ever moved to another state or to another city? What were your first impressions about the new place? What differences did you notice in the:
      • weather;
      • food;
      • customs;
      • music; and
      • language or accents?
         
  5.  Has anyone ever said something to you that grouped you in an ethnic or a cultural group to which you don't belong? How did you react? What were your feelings about the person who made the comment?
     
  6.  Have you ever tried to learn a song in another language? How much of the song could you understand? Did you learn the words and their translations or did you mimic what you thought the words sounded like?
     
  7.  Have you ever been the "new kid in school?" What were your first impressions of the school and the students? As a newcomer, how were you treated? What did you have to learn in order to adjust? Have you ever reached out to welcome a newcomer to your school? How did the person react? Have you remained friends with him or her?
     
  8. Do you have any relatives who are from another country? Have you ever talked with them about:
    • their experiences coming here?
    • how they feel about America?
    • why they came here?
    • if they plan to stay here?
       
  9. What do you do when you have big family get-togethers? What kinds of food do you serve? What type of music do you play? What does the conversation usually center around?
     
  10. What stereotypes have you heard about people of the opposite sex? Do you agree or disagree with what you've heard?
     
  11. If you have siblings, do you have any friends who are only children? What do you think about their lifestyles? Conversely, if you're an only child, what do you think about the lifestyle of your friends who have siblings? 
     
  12.  Santiago's friend Yolanda liked to collect pictures in three-ring binders. Do you collect anything, like, perhaps, baseball cards or beanie babies? Do you display your collection or keep it hidden? What other people contribute to your collection?
     
  13. Have you ever been caught in the middle of a feud? How did you react to the people who were involved in the feud? How did they react to you?
     
  14. What difficulties did you have when you learned to read? Who do you remember helping you learn to read? In what ways did these people help you?
     
  15. What children's books do you remember? What about those particular books made an impression on you?
     
  16. Have you ever devised a secret language with someone? Why did you use it? How did you devise it? At what times do you use it today?
     
  17. At what age do you think girls should be allowed to wear makeup? If you're a female, did you ever have an argument with a parent or guardian about your not being old enough to wear makeup? What were your reasons? What were the reasons your parent or guardian gave? What was the outcome of the argument?
     
  18. How many times have you moved to another residence? What was the longest time that you lived in any residence? What do you remember about the worst place that you ever lived? The best place? What made these places so good or bad?
     
  19. Santiago came to know American teenagers by reading Archie comic books. Which comic books do you read? Of all the comics that are published, why do you choose those ones in particular?  
     
  20. At what age should a girl be allowed to go on a date? At what age should a boy be allowed to go on a date? If you gave different answers, why?
     
  21. Have you ever altered what you were wearing after you left your house? If so, why? Did you ever get caught by a relative or teacher? What was that person's reaction when he or she caught you?
     
  22. Has one of your parents or guardians ever accused you of talking back to him or her? At the time, did you think you were guilty? What was your punishment? In retrospect, do you now think you were guilty?
     
  23. If you have a parent who does not live near you, have you ever had daydreams about him or her and what life would be like if you lived closer to each other?
     
  24. If your parents are not married to each other, how would you feel if one of your parents informed you that he or she had gotten married--but sent you the news in a letter instead of calling you or preparing you in advance?
     
  25. Have you ever been the only person of your race or ethnic background in a large group of people? Did you feel welcome or like an outcast? What attitudes or actions made you feel that way?
     
  26. Have your parents or guardian ever disapproved of one of your friends? What reasons did they give? In retrospect, do you think they were right in their disapproval?
     
  27. Would you say that your friends' parents or guardians expect the same standards of behavior for their children that your parents or guardians expect of you?
     
  28. Santiago moved five times in one year. What is the highest number of times you have moved in one year?
     
  29. If you are high school age or older, what do you remember about graduating from junior high school? How old were you? Were there any ceremonies or celebrations associated with your graduation? Describe them. If you're still in junior high or middle school, how old will you be when you graduate? Describe the ceremony or celebrations that you'd like to occur.
     
  30. Do you think certain colors of clothes look better on you than others? Why do you think these particular colors are better? What colors do you avoid wearing? Why?
     
  31. At your current age, do you want a different life than the one you have? What material things would you really like to have that you don't have now? What kinds of privileges do you want that you don't have? 
     
  32. When someone gives you a compliment, how do you usually react? Do you find that you try to do even more to please that person?
     
  33. Several superstitions are mentioned in the book. For instance, Santiago says that to announce what was to come was to jinx it. What superstitions are you familiar with? Are there any that you believe in?
     
  34. Have you ever been out on a date with a chaperone? How would you feel if a chaperone were along?
     
  35. When you wanted to go somewhere questionable, have you ever used the "all my friends are going" line with your parents or guardian? What was their reaction? In retrospect, do you think you or they were right in their decision?
     
  36. What do you think about a parent or guardian taking his or her child to a nightclub? Is there anything wrong with it, if both the parent and child are over 21? What if the child is underage? Would going to a nightclub with a parent be all right, since the underage child is accompanied by an adult? Why or why not?
     
  37. Are different attributes given to you and your siblings? For instance, are you called the "smart one" while one of your siblings is called "the athletic one?" How does the comparison make you feel?
     
  38. Santiago says that when she was dancing a salsa number, she felt beautiful for the first time in her life. When was the first time that you felt beautiful or handsome? Was there someone or something that made you feel that way?
     
  39. Have you ever needed to study for an exam but went and stayed out too late to study instead? What were the results of your exam?
     
  40. Do you consider going to school your job? Why or why not?
     
  41. Suppose you invite people for dinner at seven p.m. If the people didn't show up on time, how long would you wait before you began without them? When they did show up, what would you expect from them?
     
  42. Have you ever paid someone else to do something that you were assigned to do? What was the job, and how much did you have to pay? Under what circumstances, if any, might paying someone to do your job be unethical?
     
  43.  Do you remember the first time that you were in the home of someone of another culture? What do you remember about the home?
     
  44. When one of your parents or guardians says, "We'll see," to a request of yours, what does that usually mean? How do you usually react?
     
  45.  Has there ever been a time when one of your parents or guardians has disappointed you in some way? How did you feel? In retrospect, can you now see the other reason or point of view?
     
  46. Have you ever been scolded for being disrespectful to your parents, guardians, or other elders? Did you feel that your comments were disrespectful? How did you handle the situation?
     
  47. Do you think that theater actors are "selling out" if they do commercials? Why or why not?
     
  48. Have you ever behaved badly and felt as if you couldn't forgive yourself for what you did?
     
  49. Have you ever had a job at which you felt others were snubbing you? What did they do? How did you react?
     
  50. In what way do you picture receiving a marriage proposal, or in what way would do you picture yourself proposing marriage? Would the "man-down-on-one-knee" scenario fit in your dreams?
     
  51. Have you ever had a job that you thought was boring? What do you think made it so tedious? What could have improved it for you?
     
  52. Do you think that, on a first date, a young man should go to his date's home to meet her parents or guardian? Why or why not?
     
  53. Have you ever met someone who seemed so sad that you wanted to befriend him or her simply to help them get rid of the sadness? How did the friendship turn out?
     
  54. Think about a time that one or both of your parents or guardians embarrassed you by doing something that you thought didn't express trust in your judgment. In retrospect, were they right? 
     
  55. Have you ever felt that you didn't know enough etiquette for some situation? How did you respond?
     
  56. Is it important to know how to set a table correctly? Why or why not?
     
  57. Have you ever been told one thing by your elders and then watched as they did what they told you not to do? What was your reaction?
     
  58. Have you ever competed with a friend for the affections of someone else? How did the two of you resolve the situation?
     
  59. Do you think that you can have a friend of the opposite sex, one with whom you share friendship alone and not a love interest? Why or why not?
     
  60. Have you ever seen a picture of yourself that unnerves you, one that captures something about you that you'd prefer to keep hidden? Where did the picture come from? What has happened to the picture?
     
  61. Have you ever walked into a room and felt out of place, different from the others in the room? Why did you feel that way? How did you react? How did the other people react?
     
  62. Have you ever made a decision that you knew was right, but that you also knew would cost a great deal of money? Do you still feel that you made the right decision? What do you think would have happened had you not made that decision?
     
  63. Pretend you are a sales clerk, and a customer asks if a certain item that you're selling looks good on him or her. You think the item looks atrocious. Do you have an obligation to tell the truth to the customer or to evade the truth and try to make the sale? Defend your answer.
     
  64. Fill in the blank, then give your reason: At this point in my life, I would not date anyone more than _____ years older than I am, because….

Post-Viewing/Reading Discussion Questions

Below is a list of 29 discussion questions for you to pose to your students after they view the film or read the book. These questions also serve to stimulate students' thinking about the various themes in Almost a Woman.

  1. Have you ever been "embarrassed and pleased" at the same time, as Santiago was when Mr. Barone announced over the speaker that she had been accepted at the Performing Arts High School? Why were you pleased? Why were you embarrassed?
     
  2. Santiago says, "I liked [Dr. Norman Vincent Peale's] theory that negative thoughts result in negative actions? Do you agree of disagree with Dr. Peale's theory? Why?
     
  3. When the children were on welfare, they talked about what they'd buy when they had jobs. Alicia said she'd buy the factory where they make Sno-Balls, and Raymond said he'd open a candy story so he could eat Baby Ruths and Almond Joys. If money were no object, what type of food would you buy? Why?
     
  4. Performing Arts High School had a dress code. Does your school have one? If so, do you find any parts of it unfair? Why do you think those rules are part of the dress code? If your school doesn't have a dress code, do you wish it did? Why or why not?
     
  5. Santiago says that when she danced in high school, her body moved "free, open to possibilities, unafraid." Is there a particular way that you feel when you dance?
     
  6. Santiago's teachers claimed they could tell what borough their students came from simply by listening to them speak. Do you feel that you have a distinctive accent? Can you tell what part of the country others are from by the way they speak? Is any accent more pleasing to you than others?
     
  7. Santiago says that, at Performing Arts High School, she "saw first-hand what being 'advantaged' meant." Would you say that certain groups of students in your school are more advantaged than others? If so, what privileges do you think that these students have?
     
  8. At age 15, Santiago says that she "stopped being a little girl because Mami wouldn't be outmothered by Provi." At what age do you think you stopped being a little girl or boy? What was a defining moment or reason?
     
  9. To get to Performing Arts High School, Santiago had to leave home at 5:30 each morning. What is the earliest time that you've had to leave for school? If you really wanted to attend a certain school, would you be willing to leave for it at 5:30 a.m.?
     
  10. When a man on the morning train exposed himself to Santiago, she wondered what she'd done to provoke him. Can you think back on a time when you were innocent but felt guilty? What made you realize that you were the innocent party?
     
  11. In Santiago's secret life, she was an educated, "confident, powerful woman" who had no family and no responsibilities. Sometimes she was a movie star, sometimes a scientist. Do you have a secret life, one that you dream about? Who are you in your secret life?
     
  12. Given the circumstances under which the family lived, do you feel it was right or wrong for the children to give their mother most of the money they earned in outside jobs? Be sure to defend your position.
     
  13. Santiago says that she found the beach, "with its interminable, crashing waves, terrifying." What do you feel about the beach? Do you enjoy it, or are you also terrified of it?
     
  14. When Santiago's brother Hector was 12, he was allowed to have a job but Santiago was not, even though she was older. "But he was male, and I was female, and that was the difference." Have you ever encountered a difference in privileges due to a sibling's gender? How did the person granting the privileges explain the different standards? In retrospect, do you agree or disagree?
     
  15. Once, after they left a dance, the family was stopped by a policeman while they were walking on Park Avenue. What are upscale sections of your town? If you could live anywhere in your town or county, where would you live?
     
  16. About West Side Story, Santiago says, "…it's the only movie about Puerto Ricans anyone has seen." What films have you seen that feature people from a different race or ethnicity? Do you feel that the characters were treated fairly? Why or why not?
     
  17. When reading The Power of Positive Thinking, Santiago followed the advice to list good things in her life. List ten good things--either big or small--in your life.
     
  18. Mami said that decent girls didn't wear pants unless the girls were on a horse. What fashion statements have your parents, guardians, or teachers made that you disagree with? Explain both your position and the opposing one.
     
  19. Santiago says that when she danced, she had no tongue, but she was capable of anything. "I was a swan, I was a goddess, I vanquished devils." Do you have any hobby that makes you "capable of anything"? What do you enjoy about your hobby?
     
  20. Santiago found out that "Mami was not immune to the seductive power of a man with a sweet tongue and a soft touch." She was discovering that her mother was human. At what age do you think that children realize their elders have faults?
     
  21. "The only way you're leaving my house, Mami vowed when I broached the subject," is as a married woman." Was this fair of Mami? At what age should a child be allowed to leave a parent's house and go live somewhere else?
     
  22. Shanti told Santiago, "I see your soul even if you don't." Do you have a friend or relative to whom you're very close--one whose soul you think you can see? What about this person do you see that he or she cannot?
     
  23. Santiago said that she felt "worldly" when she returned home after having traveled. If you have been to a different city or state or country, how did you feel when you returned home?
     
  24. Why would this Puerto Rican family have a portrait of Martin Luther King, Jr., in their living room?
     
  25. Avery Lee told Santiago that "…it wouldn't look right…for me to have a Spanish wife." Do such stereotypes still exist? Defend or refute your opinion.
     
  26. What do you think that Ulvi kept in the large suitcase with a combination lock?
     
  27. Why do you think that Santiago left home (as we learned in the first chapter) when she was 21?
     
  28. Soshana told Santiago that, to become a woman, Santiago must rebel against her mother. Do you think that a person must rebel against his or her parents to become an adult? Why or why not?
     
  29. "To be with him, I had to discard who I was and evolve into the woman he wanted to be with." What would you be willing to change about yourself for a person you were dating?

Writing/Research Topics

Below is a list of 46 topics that may serve as the focal points of writing and research assignments. Depending on how assignments are structured, they may require students to (1) conduct research through library and Internet resources; (2) think in a multidisciplinary fashion; and (3) make creative leaps in their analysis and interpretation of the novel.

  1. Mondegreen, a coined word, means " lyrics that were misheard." For instance, Santiago thought that she was hearing "Shilbee cominrun demuntin wenshecomes, toot-toot" instead of "She'll be comin' round the mountain when she comes, toot-toot." Also, she thought "The Star-Spangled Banner began "Ojo sé. Can. Juice. ¿Y?" She thought that Jim Morrison of the Doors sang "Come and maybe like my buyer," when he was really saying "Come on, baby, light my fire." Research other common mondegreens; you can start by looking at these Internet sites:
    2.
  2. Santiago first became associated with American teenagers when she read Archie comics. Read about the current Archie comics at:
    • http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/6067/learn.html

      and then report to the class.

      If you're artistically inclined, create a comic book of your own. Whom will you include as your main characters? What will be your setting and your plot? How will your comic book be more ethnically and racially diverse than the Archie comics are?
       
  3. Santiago said, "By not including us in his decision to marry, Papi had excluded us from the rest of his life." Do you think that this reasoning was fair of her? Why or why not?
     
  4. Santiago and her siblings watched the 1960s television show Candid Camera (which was later updated and aired again for a number of years). Research the original show. One place to look is:
    5.
  5. Santiago writes in a journal. Try keeping your own journal for a short time. Be sure to include details about your everyday life so that you can look back on your journal in years to come, just as Santiago did.
     
  6. King Wehrle, Santiago's voice and diction teacher, listed a number of famous actors (Cary Grant, Eve Arden, Lauren Bacall, Judy Garland, John Wayne, Anne Bancroft, Tony Curtis, and Kirk Douglas) who had changed their names so that their names would be shorter or easier to remember or more American. Do you feel that actors today need to change their names to become famous? Why or why not? If you had to change your name, what would you choose as your new name and why?
     
  7. In Santiago 's secret life, she was an educated, "confident, powerful woman," who had no family and no responsibilities. Sometimes she was a movie star, sometimes a scientist. Read James Thurber's short story, "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty," and then compare and contrast it to Almost a Woman.
     
  8. Santiago was teased for being from the mountains of Puerto Rico and was called a jíbara. Musica Jíbara refers to type of music popular in Puerto Rico. Research it here:
    9.
  9. Santiago says that the family "bawled when John-John saluted the coffin [of his father, President Kennedy] as it went past." If you have never seen a photograph of that salute, look for it at these web sites:
    10.
  10. One popular short story that has themes similar to those in Almost a Woman is Sandra Cisneros's "Only Daughter." Read this short story and then compare and contrast it to Almost a Woman.
     
  11. Santiago learned Method acting while she was in Performing Arts High School. Study the various components of Method acting. You can begin by looking at these sites:
    12.
  12. Santiago says that, in 1963, "radio and television brought us news of how at least 30 neighbors heard Kitty Genovese screaming as she was being stabbed to death and no one came to help." Research more details of this sad event:
    13.
  13.  Santiago wrote that the "summer of 1964 was when whole neighborhoods like ours turned against themselves." Research the riots that began in July of that year. Internet sites that might be helpful include these:
    14.
  14. During her time at Manhattan Community College, Santiago and her friends often ate at a nearby Automat. If you're not familiar with Automats, research them and report to the class. You can look at these sites:
    15.
  15. Santiago's work in Yiddish theater in the 1960s was an eye-opening experience for her. While you may not be able to see a production of Yiddish theater, you can still enjoy Yiddish entertainment via a celebration of Yiddish radio. National Public Radio, along with Sound Portraits Productions and Living Traditions, has established the following site that offers videos, photographs, and audio renderings of radio routines:
    16.
  16. Santiago mentioned a number of ballet movements and other vocabulary associated with ballet. Do further research on the world of ballet and create either a written report or a visual presentation. Here are two sites to help you:
    17.
  17. Research the contributions by any of the following real-life show business, literary, or fashion celebrities whom Santiago mentions:
    • Carol Lawrence
    • Bel Kaufman
    • Diana Ross
    • Chita Rivera
    • Natalie Wood
    • Rita Moreno
    • Pearl Bailey
    • Ethel Merman
    • Robert Mulligan
    • Mary Martin
    • Tad Mosel
    • Bel Kaufman
    • Sandy Dennis
    • Maureen Stapleton
    • Ruth White
    • Roy Poole
    • Mary Martin
    • Eileen Heckart
    • Vinette Carroll
    • Elizabeth Taylor
    • Richard Burton
    • Greta Garbo
    • Red Skelton
    • Johnny Carson
    • Ed Sullivan
    • Eileen Ford
    • Twiggy
    • José Ferrer
    • Kim Novak
    • Angie Dickinson
    • Sid Solow (film producer)
    • Manos Hadjidakis
    • Hulya Kocigit (sometimes spelled Kocyigit)
    • Bela Lugosi
    • Satyajit Ray
  1. Almost a Woman is a continuation of Santiago's memoirs, which began with When I Was Puerto Rican . Read the earlier book and write a paper comparing and contrasting it to Almost a Woman.
     
  2. Santiago writes about Matteo teaching the ancient dance forms Kathakali and Bharata Natyam. Research both of these dance forms. You can begin by looking at these sites:
    3.
  3. Santiago says that "the world went black" one night, and this darkness turned out to be the famous blackout of New York and the rest of the Northeast." You can begin to research this historical event by looking at these web sites:
    4.
  4. Famous dancer and choreographer Martha Graham was the inspiration for Miss Cahan's interpretation of the Virgin Mary. Research Martha Graham and report to the class at these; web sites you can use include these:
    5.
  5. To foster her acting career, Santiago bought copies of Backstage and Variety every week. Get your own copies of these periodicals and research the types of information they contain. Alternately, you may read online versions at:
    6.
  6. At one point, Santiago thought that if a boy liked her, he would show it by, among other things, hiring mariachis to serenade her. Mariachis are members of a strolling band who play traditional Latin folk music. Research mariachis and their music at these web sites:
    7.
  7.  Santiago's one-time boyfriend Neftalí was drafted into military service, as were many men during the Vietnam War. Research the draft by looking online at:
    • http://www.sss.gov/hist.htm <http://www.sss.gov/hist.htm

      or interview people who were of draft age during the 1960s.

      Using either a video camera or an audio tape recorder, interview people who were involved in the Vietnam War and record their memories about their service.

      Don Julio and Don Carlos had both served in the Korean War. Using either a video camera or an audio tape recorder, interview people who were involved in the Korean War and record their memories about their service.
       
  8. When Santiago didn't get the acting or dancing job she wanted, she accepted a job in the mailroom at Fisher Scientific, a company you can research at:
    9.
  9. Santiago's Brazilian colleague Regina admitted that she was in culture shock. Interview people who have moved here from another country and ask them about the culture shock they experienced. Among the questions that you can use to begin discussion are these:
    • Which customs practiced in the United States are different from those in your homeland?
    • What kinds of foods do you miss from your homeland?
    • What kinds of music do you miss from your homeland?
    • What do you miss most about your homeland?
    • What US practices to you wish your homeland would adopt?
       
  10. Ilsa, one of Santiago's supervisors, was a survivor of a Nazi concentration camp. She even had numbers tattooed on her left arm. Research the horrors of concentration camps during World War II. Online sites include these:
  11. If you have culinary interests, try some of the foods that are mentioned in the book. You can find recipes at the web sites below:
    12.
  12. Santiago attended Performing Arts High School in Manhattan in the 1960s. That school later became known worldwide in 1980, when it was the setting for the movie Fame and later for the television show of the same name. View the movie and write a critical review of it. Alternately, research other spin-offs of Fame (including plans for a remake) by reading the web site:
    13.
  13. A number of famous sites in or around New York City are mentioned in Almost a Woman. Research some of these and report to the class.
    14.
  14. Santiago appeared in the film version of Bel Kaufman's Up the Down Staircase. View this film and then write a critical review of it. Alternately, read the book and write a review of it.
     
  15. Santiago often mentions West Side Story. Rent this movie or read the play; then, write a critical review of it.
     
  16. American idioms are often challenging for people who do not speak English as their native language. Research common idioms and see if your classmates are familiar with them. Try these sites:
    17.
  17. Throughout the novel, Santiago mentions or alludes to a number of songs or groups that were popular in the 1960s. Find recordings of some of the following to share with your class:
    18.
  18. Superstitions appear throughout Almost a Woman. Research widely-believed superstitions and write a report on them. Online sites about superstitions include these:
    19.
  19. If you're interested in learning more about Puerto Rican culture, visit the official Puerto Rican web site:
    20.
  20. Read the short entry "Jumping the Puddle," another account of a Puerto Rican coming to the US. Then compare and contrast it to Almost a Woman. You can find it online at:
    21.
  21. At the end of the book, Ulvi tells Esmeralda that he is going to Florida for an operation. "He didn't know when, or if, he'd come back to New York." Then, as you know, Esmeralda makes her decision to stay with her family. Now reread the first chapter. What took her to Florida when she was 21? Do you think that Esmeralda changed her mind about Ulvi? Write a continuation of Santiago's life, as you think it may have been.
     
  22. In Face Forward, famous makeup artist Kevyn Aucoin shows amazing transformations that he created through his creative and unconventional use of makeup. Through his artistry, Calista Flockhart became a double for Audrey Hepburn; Gwyneth Paltrow one for James Dean; Marthan Stewart for Veronica Lake; and Cher for Alexandra von Furstenberg. Get a copy of his book and show the class how these transformations came about. Then, write a report about the other makeup tips that Aucoin suggests in his book.
     
  23. Esmeralda's teachers claimed they could tell what borough their students came from simply by listening to them speak. Two plays that have a similar theme are Pygmalion and My Fair Lady. Read either one and then compare its themes to Almost a Woman. (In the case of My Fair Lady, you may choose to view the film.)
     
  24. Esmeralda's mother had dropped out of elementary school. Interview the older members of your family to find out how much education they received and where they received it. Ask them how they think their lives would be different if they had had less or more education.
     
  25. Esmeralda says that her mother "must have had dreams once, but…those dreams ebbed further and further as she focused on making sure we had dreams of our own." Do you ever imagine what life was like for either of your parents when he or she was your age? Ask your parents what they dreamed of at your age, and why they have or haven't achieved those dreams or if they abandoned their dreams.
     
  26. Ulvi kept a large suitcase that had a combination lock. Using Ulvi as the main character, write a short story centering around the contents of this suitcase.
     
  27. At her job at Lady Manhattan, Santiago tried to help name the colors for clothing for the next season. Her suggestion of "teal" was changed to "midnight blue," and her "dark orange" became "pumpkin spice." Use your creativity to describe certain colors.
     
  28. Create a poster that advertises this book. Alternately, pretend that the book has been made into a film and create a poster for the film.
     
  29. As Esmeralda did, read Dr. Norman Vincent Peale's famous book The Power of Positive Thinking, which today has been translated into 15 languages with more than seven million copies sold. After you read the book, write a report about its philosophy and share your report with your class.

    The Power of Positive Thinking suggested that the reader list ten good things in life. Write your own list of ten good things in your life. The items on your list can be either big, like being thankful for your home, or small, like being thankful for seeing a rainbow on the way to school today.

 

Supplemental Information

Additional Online References for Teachers and Students

  1. Additional questions, discussion topics, and suggested readings to augment study of Almost a Woman are available online. Look at these sites:
    2.
  2. You can find discussion questions for When I Was Puerto Rican at:

Literary Devices

Below are examples from Almost a Woman that illustrate Esmeralda Santiago's use of literary devices:

  1. "Martes, ni te cases, ni te embarques, ni de tu familia te apartes."
     
    • Imagery: 
       "We stuffed our belongings into ragged suitcases, boxes with bold advertising on the sides, pillowcases, empty rice sacks, cracker tins that smelled of flour and yeast. Whatever we couldn't carry, we left behind:  dressers with missing drawers, refrigerators, lumpy sofas, the 15 canvases I painted one summer."

       "The moriviví weeds and the cilantro choked the dirt yard, creepers had overgrown the cement floor, pinakoop climbed over what was left of the walls and turned them into soft green mounds that sheltered drab olive lizards and chameleons, coquí and hummingbirds."
       
    • Repetition: 

      •  "We moved from country to city to country to small town to big city to the biggest city of all. Once in New York, we moved from apartment to apartment, in search of heat, of fewer cockroaches, of more rooms, of quieter neighbors, of more privacy, of nearness to the subway or the relatives. We moved in loops around the neighborhoods we wanted to avoid, where there were no Puerto Ricans, where graffiti warned of gang turfs, where people dressed better than we did, where landlords didn't accept welfare, or didn't like Puerto Ricans, or looked at our family…and shook their heads."

    • Simile:

        • "…possessions…were as temporary as the walls that held us for a few months…."

  2. "Something could happen to you."
     
    • Foreshadowing:
       "It wasn't hard to imagine that greater dangers lay ahead."
       
    • Metaphor:
       "…[Luigi's] too-big suit flapped around his scarecrow frame."

      Onomatopoeia:
       "Swish spat grunt…."

      "…gestures enhanced with hums, gurgles, grunts.…"

      Personification:
       "Raindrops pounded the hard streets, captured the dim sliver glow of street lamps…."
       
    • Simile:
       "Raindrops…disappeared, like tiny ephemeral jewels…."

       "…Chico rose as if the aroma were an alarm louder and more insistent than the singing animals on the television screen." 

       "…wearing a clean shirt and pants as wrinkled as the ones he'd taken off."

      "…the mentholated smoke…[settled] like a soft, gray blanket that melted into our clothes and hair."

       "Whenever Jalisco came over, I circled him like a febrile butterfly…."
       
    • Simile and Alliteration:

      •  "I stored the sights and sounds of that dreary night into memory as if their meaning would someday be revealed in a flash of insight…."

  3. "I don't care what American girls do."
     
    • Alliteration:
       "…wily women…."

      Imagery:
       "Cockroaches roamed over the counter, inside the cups and glasses, around the edges of the paring knife, in the space between the sugar bowl and its cover."

       "Her bed was white, covered with a ruffled, flowery spread that matched the curtains and the skirt of her dressing table. The linoleum floor was also a flower print….A window looked out over the roofs of two- and three-story buildings."

       "I flew to the warm breeze of a Puerto Rican afternoon, the air scented with jasmine, the coquí singing in the grass."

      "I resisted the square regularity of Brooklyn's streets, the sharp-cornered buildings that towered over me, the sidewalks spotted with crusted phlegm and sticky chewing gum."
       
    • Metaphor:
       "…I imagined snow as a curtain of fancy shapes, stiff and flat and possible to capture in my fingers." 
       
    • Onomatopoeia:
       "…the radiators clinked and clanged…."
       
    • Simile:
       "The syrup was black, bitter, smelled like burned cloves and camphor."

       "Every day we spent in Brooklyn was like a curtain dropping between me and my other life.…"
       
  4. "Are You Going to be Famous?"
     
    • Imagery and Simile:
       "…we were waited on by a woman with frothy platinum hair, turquoise eye shadow, false eyelashes, hot pink lipstick, and a face as wrinkled as a raisin."
       
    • Simile:
       "I felt like a paper doll, stiff and flat.…"
       
  5. "But They're Still Illegitimate…."
     
    • Imagery:
        "…three toothy mouths that snarled and shrieked and spat…."
       
    • Repetition:
       "I wanted a different life from the one I had. I wanted my own bed in my own room. I wanted to be able to take a bath without having to shoo the whole family out of the kitchen. I wanted books without a due date. I wanted pretty clothes that I chose for myself. I wanted to wear makeup and do my hair and teeter on high heels. I wanted my own radio so that I could listen to La Lupe on the Spanish station or Cousin Brucie's Top 40 countdown on the American one. I wanted to be able to buy a Pepsi or a Baby Ruth any time I craved one."
       
    • Simile:
      "…her slanted, left-handed writing crawled across lined paper like rows of barbed wire."

      "The man's fingers [were] round and unwrinkled, like hard sausages."

      "…the obscenities…spewing from me like acid."

      "…each step like needles into my ribs and hips."

      "…the nameless owners' kindness like a weight…."

      "…my dress waited, yellow as lemon peel…."

      "…Mami and I looked like darkest night next to brightest morning."

       
  6. "What's a Cleopatra Dress?"
     
    • Alliteration:
       "…her muffled movements…."

       "…a shameful secret…."
       
    • Imagery and Alliteration:
       "…people hurried up and down the street, across the avenues, into and out of stores, their staccato steps muted by the first horns, distant sirens, muffled radios."
       
    • Personification:
       "A soft roar accompanied the dawn, a low growl that grew louder as the city awoke."
       
    • Repetition:
       "It meant trips to Europe during vacations, extra classes on weekends with dance masters or voice coaches, plastic surgery to reduce large noses or refine broad ones. It meant tennis lessons and swim meets, choir practice, clubs, academic tutoring, dates. It meant money for lunch at the deli across the street or down the block. It meant taxis home."

      • "[Being disadvantaged] meant washing [clothes] and setting them to dry on the barely warm radiators of our apartment and wearing them damp when there was no money to pay the heating bill. It meant a pass so that I could get a free bowl of soup and a half a sandwich for lunch. It meant that, if invited to a party by a classmate, I said no, because there was no money to buy presents for rich people. It meant never inviting anyone over.…"

      "I loved the preparation to act. I loved reading the entire play, even if I performed only a short scene from it. I loved figuring out the character beyond what the playwright had written. I loved designing a costume…."

    • Simile:
       "[Mami's] grief was like a transparent box.…"

       "…[the dancers'] feet turned out from their hips like the hands of a clock at 20 past eight."
       
  7. "Don't you want to sound Puerto Rican?"
     
    • Cliché:
       "Don't count your chickens…."
       
    • Imagery:
       "[Don Julio and Tata] were old, and even through the haze of cigarettes that surrounded them and the slurred speech after too much beer or wine…."
       
    • Simile:
       "…enjoying [good things that came my way] too much would make them vanish like a drop of water into a desert."

      •  "…I extended [the makeup line on my upper lid] to a jaunty angle, like a smile."  

  8. "I don't care if the whole world is going."
     
    • Imagery:
       "I'd never been in such a large room with so many people, so many perfumes and after-shave colognes mingling with the pungent odor of cigarette smoke, hair spray, rum, and sweat. The women were dressed in glittery outfits, the men had slick and shiny hair, jewelry sparkled in the dark. The hot, steamy air of too many bodies too close together was dizzying."
       
    • Repetition, Alliteration, and Simile:
       "I danced until my feet hurt. I danced until my throat was hoarse from yelling to be heard above the music. I danced until my eyes smarted from the smoke in the room, and from the melted makeup that dripped into them. I danced until my eardrums throbbed like Ray Barrotto's congas."

      Personification:
       "…sirens wailed."
       
  9. "She's not exactly Method."
     
    • Alliteration:
       "…rave reviews."
       
    • Foreshadowing:
       "…the only time Mami saw [Don Carlos] was on weekends."

      •  "…Don Carlos's unwillingness to part with his money was interpreted as a weakness of character, a sure sign that there were other, more unpleasant traits in him that we had yet to discover."

    • Irony:  Note that the theme of the play for which Santiago ushered was about a son who had strayed from the traditions his family had brought from their home country to the US.
       
    • Simile:
       "[Living in the hallway off the kitchen] was like living in a long box…."
       
  10. "Stop thinking and dance."
     
    • Personification:
       "Above the scrawny trees, over the ragged flat lines of buildings, tiny bright lights beckoned and danced, the first stars I'd seen since we'd come to Brooklyn."
       
    • Repetition and Metaphor:
       "When I danced, I had no tongue, but I was capable of anything. I was a swan, I was a goddess, I vanquished devils."
       
    • Simile:
       "…a short, swarthy man in a natty uniform that made him look like Napoleon stranded in the wrong century."
       
  11. "It must be a sin to be so disrespectful to the Virgin."
     
    • Foreshadowing:
       "Now that I was almost a woman, I missed my father more than ever."
       
    • Metaphor:  Santiago talks about the