Exploring the Text

1. How would you describe Marjorie Agosín’s opening strategy in the first two paragraphs? How effective are the two paragraphs in capturing the reader’s attention and establishing the author’s ethos?

   Chapter 10 - Always Living in Spanish - Exploring the Text: How would you describe Marjorie Agosín’s opening strategy in the first two paragraphs? How effective are the two paragraphs in capturing the reader’s attention and establishing the author’s ethos?
2. What does Agosín mean by the allusion to “a Babylon of languages” (para. 3)?

   Chapter 10 - Always Living in Spanish - Exploring the Text: What does Agosín mean by the allusion to “a Babylon of languages” (para. 3)?
3. What is the effect of the following statement, an example of antithesis, by Agosín: “I had left a dangerous place that was my home, only to arrive in a dangerous place that was not” (para. 4)?

   Chapter 10 - Always Living in Spanish - Exploring the Text: What is the effect of the following statement, an example of antithesis, by Agosín: “I had left a dangerous place that was my home, only to arrive in a dangerous place that was not” (para. 4)?
4. Why is the first translation of a poem of Agosín’s meaningful for her?

   Chapter 10 - Always Living in Spanish - Exploring the Text: Why is the first translation of a poem of Agosín’s meaningful for her?
5. List the ways Agosín describes Spanish. How would you describe these descriptive terms? Contrast these descriptions with the way Agosín refers to English. How do the differences contribute to the effectiveness of her essay?

   Chapter 10 - Always Living in Spanish - Exploring the Text: List the ways Agosín describes Spanish. How would you describe these descriptive terms? Contrast these descriptions with the way Agosín refers to English. How do the differences contribute to the effectiveness of her essay?
6. What is Agosín’s thesis, or claim, in this essay? Find a sentence that seems closest to a directly stated thesis.

   Chapter 10 - Always Living in Spanish - Exploring the Text: What is Agosín’s thesis, or claim, in this essay? Find a sentence that seems closest to a directly stated thesis.
7. What does Agosín mean when she says, “To write in Spanish is for me a gesture of survival” (para. 8)?

   Chapter 10 - Always Living in Spanish - Exploring the Text: What does Agosín mean when she says, “To write in Spanish is for me a gesture of survival” (para. 8)?
8. How would you describe the tone of this essay? Cite specific passages to support your response.

   Chapter 10 - Always Living in Spanish - Exploring the Text: How would you describe the tone of this essay? Cite specific passages to support your response.
9. This essay was published in Poets & Writers, a magazine for writers. Discuss why and how Agosín appeals to this audience.

   Chapter 10 - Always Living in Spanish - Exploring the Text: This essay was published in Poets & Writers, a magazine for writers. Discuss why and how Agosín appeals to this audience.
10. Agosín alludes to the way her “grandparents had sung in their own tongues in diasporic sites” (para. 4). What does she mean by “diasporic sites”? Are they literal geographical places? Discuss the concept of diaspora as it applies to a group in the contemporary world (for example, the African diaspora, the Chinese diaspora).

    Chapter 10 - Always Living in Spanish - Exploring the Text: Agosín alludes to the way her “grandparents had sung in their own tongues in diasporic sites” (para. 4). What does she mean by “diasporic sites”? Are they literal geographical places? Discuss the concept of diaspora as it applies to a group in the contemporary world (for example, the African diaspora, the Chinese diaspora).