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First Muse

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Francis Martinez Literary Analysis “First Muse” The story “First Muse” by Julia Alvarez tell us about her childhood in the Dominican Republic and her life in the United States. Since she started reading the thousand and one night book under her bed she saw herself reflected in the dark haired almond eyed girl on the book cover. Alvarez compared herself with the bright ambitious girl stuck in a kingdom that didn”t think female were very important. Scheherazade gave Julia the courage to explore the power of storytelling. When Alvarez came to the United States it was very difficult for her especially for a child who got teased on the playground because of her accent. Julia had a lot of obstacle in her life but she overcome all of them and became a writer. Alvarez childhood in the Dominican Republic was not the best. According to the article “She was living in another country and in another language under a cruel dictatorship” She didn’t like the life that her parents decided for her. When she was only three months her parents moved back to the Dominican Republic but they never imagined how different were going to be their lives back there. Her father was plotting to overthrow and she was forced to go to school everyday even if she didn’t want to. Her education was a colonialist one, not imposed from the outside but from the within her own family. The thousand and one night books was the only thing that keep her alive. Julia path as a writer began after she moved back to the United States. When she started school she didn't understand the English language so well reason why her classmate bullied her. The article states that “ I can see that my path as a writer began in that playground. Somewhere inside, where we make promises to ourselves. I told myself I would learn English so well that Americans would sit up and notice. I told myself that one day I would express myself in a way that would make those boys feel bad they had tormented me” In other words Julia Alvarez path as a writer began on her school playground after some of her classmate started to bother her because she didn’t understand the English language. She promised to herself that she’ll learn English one day and she’ll come back and show them that she succeed. Everyone in Julia family suggested her to get married before she became a writer. Her mother and aunts told her “to be smart and get married while you’re still young and pretty and can attract a good man. Have your children while you’re still young and energetic and have the energy for children. You can always write” Julia family’s wanted her to has her family before she became a writer. Julia got married twice and before she turned thirty she was divorced. Both marriages were brief. When Julia was married she didn’t write a lot, but Scheherazade was there in her head causing trouble, waking her up in the middle of the night with her stories of the life she could be leaving if she trusted herself, if she became her own women, if she followed her heart’s desire and brought forth what was inside her to brief forth.

Ten year after her second marriage happiness surprised Julia, she knew the man who became her third husband. The true companero for the women she had become. The “first Muse” by Julia Alvarez show us that we have to overcome our obstacle in order to get successful. Julia had to deal with a dictatorship and bullying at her school but that didn’t stop her to become a writer. She got married and divorced twice but at the end she met the perfect man for the women she had become. Julia was glad that Sheherazade came into her life and into her imagination so early. She was her first muse long before she knew what a muse was. “First Muse” is a very important story. It tells you that you always have to be yourself and not that person that your parents want you to be. If you want something keep working on it and try to overcome yours obstacle and at the end you will succeed.

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