Civil flag of the Dominican Republic.
CLOSE RE AD
Analyze Literature
Personal Essay What does
the author want to
communicate to the reader
about her attitude toward her
name?
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cha•ot•ic (k6 5t> ik) adj.,
in a state of disorder or
confusion
CLOSE RE AD
Use Reading Skills
Meaning of Words Knowing
the meaning of foreign words,
such as madrina and comadre,
can be helpful. Identify the
meaning and origin of the
following foreign words and
phrases: que sera sera, eureka,
and ad nauseam.
29
Julia Pérez rochet González.” I pronounced it slowly, a name as
chaotic with sounds as a middle Eastern bazaar or market day in a
South american village.
my Dominican heritage was never more apparent than when my
extended family attended school occasions. For my graduation, they
all came, the whole lot of aunts and uncles and the many little
cousins who snuck in without tickets. They sat in the first row in
order to better understand the americans’ fast-spoken English. but
how could they listen when they were constantly speaking among
themselves in florid-sounding phrases, rococo 6 consonants, rich,
rhyming vowels?
Introducing them to my friends was a further trial to me. These
relatives had such complicated names and there were so many of
them, and their relationships to myself were so convoluted. There
was my Tía 7 Josefina, who was not really an aunt but a much older
cousin. and her daughter, aida margarita, who was adopted, una
hija de crianza. 8 my uncle of affection, Tío José, brought my
madrina 9 Tía amelia and her comadre 10 Tía Pilar. my friends rarely
had more than a “mom and Dad” to introduce.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
198
rococo. Fancy, flamboyant
Tía (t7> 5). Aunt (Spanish); Tío (t7> 9) is uncle.
una hija de crianza (1> n5 7> h5 de kr7 5n> s5). An adopted daughter (Spanish)
madrina (m5 dr7 n5). Godmother (Spanish)
comadre (k9 m5> dr6). Close friend (Spanish)
UNIT 3 NONFICTION CONNECTIONS