An Analysis Of Judith Ortiz Cofer's 'Silent Dancing'

Gabrielle Roy's "The Move", highlights a young girl's longing for adventure and travel toward unknown destinations. However, as she realizes what is truly present outside her imagination, a surge of disillusionment comes over her. The child's description of horses, spearheading an adventure, but then falling ill and tired, illustrates the girl's realization that excitement and joy in the world cannot amount to her vivid imagination. In the short story, the image of weary moving horses parallels the child's sudden grasp of reality, illustrating the naive character's loss of innocence.

Lola experiences a period of change in her life where she felt the need to alter her physical appearance to create a new identity because she did not like being the perfect Dominican girl for Beli. She says, “I looked at the girl in the mirror for a long time. All I knew was that I didn’t want to see her ever again… So now you’re punk? Karen asked uncertainly. Yes, I said” (Díaz 59). Lola is not comfortable with her life in Paterson, New Jersey and her identity as a young Dominican female, which comes with the responsibility of upholding their societal standards to please her mother. A woman’s hair in the Dominican Republic is a symbol of her beauty, and removing her hair shows her refusal of the beauty standards set in place by the men in society who determine what makes a woman beautiful. Her mother’s visceral response to her decision to cut her hair proves how deep-rooted the beliefs that a woman’s beauty is dependent on her physical appearance is in Dominican culture. Díaz writes, “The next day my mother threw the wig at me. You’re going to wear this. You’re going to wear it every day. And if I see you without it on I’m going to kill you!” (Díaz 59). Beli, like most other Dominican women, is conditioned to believe that the level of attention they receive from a man is a reflection of their beauty. She fears that Lola will embarrass her by disowning the values and ideas she upholds about a woman’s

This chapter takes a broad look at the relationship between human movement, framed as dance, and important identities such as religion, ethnicity, gender, and social status. While not specifically focused on issues of identity in America, this chapter will provide an important foundation in understanding the broader scope of how dance can be seen as a representation of cultural values, which will underlie the remainder of our coursework.

Service to others is the rent you pay for your room here on earth. ― Muhammad Ali. Being successful doesn't make you great, but helping other does. In the fictional story, “Abuela Invents the Zero,” by Judith Ortiz Cofer illustrates the idea of helping and caring others through the story of Constancia(Connie) and Abuela(Grandmother). In a brief overview, Abuela comes from Puerto Rico to visit her family for the first time to the U.S.. Abuela decides to go to the church this Sunday while deciding to take Connie with her. While in the church, Abuela gets lost and Connie fells humiliates by the way she acts in the church, but later learns but later learns from her mother the importance of her Abuela and the impact she had on her life and that you should highly respect and help others when in need of help because if it wasn't for them she wouldn’t be there.

On May 24, 1933, a role model, advocate for women’s rights, and a literary star was born. Marian Engel was born in Toronto, Ontario, to a single eighteen year old girl, and put up for adoption. Frederick Searle and Mary Elizabeth (Fletcher) Passmore adopted a beautiful baby named Ruth, who they renamed Marian. Marian spent her younger years growing up in a variety of towns across Southern Ontario as her family moved frequently for her father’s work. Engel began her education at Sarnia Collegiate Institute & Technical School in Sarnia, Ontario, and later continued on to complete a Bachelor of Arts at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario. She graduated from McMaster in 1955 and without hesitation, enrolled in a Master’s program for

In the documentary, Mad Hot Ballroom, viewers follow New York City students and their journey to learn about ballroom dancing and dance competitions, the ups and downs of child/adolescent development, and the overall influence dance lessons have on them. Throughout the documentary it switches between showing the students learning about the dances and talking to the

Stereotypes exist in many different forms with the most common referring to gender and culture. Roxanne Gay talks about the difficult struggles that women have to deal with such as the usage of birth control and the process of having an abortion. While Judith Cofer takes a similar route with a few differences. Her article talks specifically about the struggles of a Latin woman. Both articles talk about the obstacles women are faced with while also taking the time to focus on specific topics. “The Alienable Rights of Women” by Roxanne Gay and “The Myth of the Latin Woman” by Judith Cofer complement each other because they both discuss how women are perceived and stereotyped by others/society.

Self belief is shown through the realistic dancing of the Spanish community and Fran’s family compared to the exaggerated and unreal images of the ballroom community, dominated by flashy costumes and insincerity. At the Toledo Milk Bar the earthy and sensual colours of reds and browns allows us to feel the real spirit of dancing. When Rico, Fran’s father challenges Scott to dance the Paso doble, Scott is laughed at by the way he dances. “What is so funny about the way I dance?” Fran’s Family and the Spanish community soon teach Scott that the real value of dancing comes from the heart and Fran’s grandmother shows him where he needs to really feel the rhythm in his body.

Her clothing, which falls in many layers, both obscures and reveals her figure. The only areas of her person which are visible are her eyes, both hands, and one extended foot. Even though only a minimal amount of skin is exposed, her heavy clothing does not necessarily entail a virginal or innocent demeanor. The express intent of her dancing is unclear. The heavy fabric which clings to her hips and sides could convey seduction.

In the first section, Desmond focuses on “movement style and meaning” (pg. 31). She explains how movement is learned through our communities. In some locations, some dances may be seen as proper because that is what they learned in their community, but if performed in another community, those people may see their dance as “improper.” Desmond provides the example of how in the nineteenth century the waltz was seen as “too sexually dangerous” when introduced in North America and Europe. Their reasoning

In Athol Fugard’s play “Master Harold”… and the Boys dance becomes a metaphor for how society can work harmoniously together, yet there are conflicts that prevent it from happening. Specifically, ballroom dance becomes a metaphor to show the conflict between a cooperative society and the disappointment associated with life and our inability to force change. This is expressed by Sam teaching Willie the mastery of dance and also educating Hally on the significance of the championships, and ultimately through the final dance performance.

     In Jane Austen's novel Pride and Prejudice, set in the Regency Period, dance performs several important functions.  Dance patterns emulate courtship rituals, marking dance as a microcosm for courtship and marriage - two main themes of the novel.  The Regency period propagated the belief that no ingredient was more essential to a courtship than dancing:  "To be fond of dancing was a certain step towards falling in love..." (Austen 7).  Therefore, knowledge of dance - dance steps as well as dance etiquette - was a crucial necessity and was often acquired through study and awareness of conduct codes.  These crucial codes were disseminated through popular courtesy/conduct books, which

ANGIE At the tender age of eighty nine Angie wanted to dance. She was celebrating the Fourth of July as she always has, surrounded by her family and friends. A child of Italian immigrants, she was proud of her heritage and equally proud of her birth country, America Basking in the atmosphere of joy and delight with the beautiful assortment of homemade delicacies so lovingly prepared.

The dance that I will be focusing on is entitled: thinking sensing standing feeling object of attention. The dance, to me, symbolizes the socialization of persons in Western civilization concerning gender roles. In the beginning there are gestures that are separated from emotion and full-embodiment, but as the dance progresses the gestures become more meaningful and recognizable. The lighting starts out very specific and narrow, then the light encompasses the entire stage, and eventually the dancers are silhouetted as they return to a familiar movement motif in the end. The music is mainly instrumental with occasional soft female vocals, and the lyrics suggest emotion, which is interesting because the dancers do not convey emotion until

In her essay “Throwing Like a Girl,” Iris Marion Young examines why women move differently than do men. She discusses the apparent observable differences in bodily comportment, physical engagement with things, ways of using the body in performing tasks, and bodily self-image of feminine existence. Young makes the argument that the differences between men and women are not caused by a mysterious “essence” or by any biological or anatomical limitation, but, rather, we are socialized into “being” in our bodily space by the situation surrounding our existence.