A Perspective On the Subject: Transcending the Familiar

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 Analyze 
Use the basic features.

One challenge in profiling something very close to us—a family member, a friend, our own identity—is that it can be hard to find enough distance from the subject to see it clearly and from new angles. Although it isn’t possible to be completely objective under such circumstances, it is possible to gain some new insights.

ANALYZE & WRITE

Write one or two paragraphs analyzing how Chambers gains perspective on a subject that is very close to her in “The Secret Latina”:

  1. Skim paragraphs 8–10, making notes about what Chambers observed and experienced in Panama and about how this shaped or changed her view about what it means to be a “secret Latina.”
  2. Write a few sentences about what Chambers does, other than visiting Panama, to understand her Panamanian identity and her mother more fully.

    Question