Freewrite #1

Why is "Para Teresa" written in English and Spanish?

In the poem "Para Teresa" a woman is having a flash back to a problem she had with another girl at Allamo had-to-be-its-name Elementary School. The other girl, Teresa, had a issues with her being a good student because Teresa saw it as conforming to be the way the the teachers wanted them to be. The author uses Spanish in the poem relating the characters back to their roots, and putting focus on the differences that come about from Spanish child growing up in a English speaking world. She also uses it with her character making both the Spanish and the English a part of her character.

According to the narrator this fight takes place when the narrator was a child and the poem is written when the narrator is an adult. What do you think triggers this reflection and why does the narrator now have a greater understanding of Teresa?


When the narrator looks back at what happened with Teresa during her time at Allamo had-to-be-its-name Elementary she is able to see it from a clearer perspective then she was when she was in the moment. She is actually able to take a step back and look at Teresa from a different perspective and she comes to find the she respects her for what she is trying to do. Just like the narrator is trying keep the pride of her people alive through being the best she can be, Teresa was trying to keep it alive by objecting to the teachers way, and governments, to keep her culture thriving.


Make a connection between the Introduction to Rereading America and what you learned about the influence of culture to any aspect of "Para Teresa." For example, think about how family influences the narrator's decisions in the poem. Be sure to briefly summarize the information about culture first.

In the introduction to our textbook it talked about the myth of America being the melting pot of cultures, although in some ways this is true, it is not the same ideal the was form along side this country. All of the cultures in this world have differences from one another, you can put them all together and have them all work together and play together, but sometimes there will be conflicting interests between cultures and that is unavoidable. Such as the way children are raised, which varies not only culture to culture but from family to family as well, someone who is raised to fight might have a problem with another person who is raised to obey and follow rules. Although this is troublesome, it is also natural and is bound to happen at some point.