The Myth Of The Latin Women By Judith Ortiz Cofer

As people age they will often still recall a good childhood story. A well told, meaningful story can go a long way when attempting to argue a point or convey information. In the essays, ''The Myth of The Latin Women: I Just Met a Girl Named Maria" by Judith Ortiz Cofer, "Gains and Losses" by Richard Rodriquez, and "Piecing It All Together" by bell hooks, the authors connect to the reader and create a better audience through their writing. Through the portrayal of a story the authors help the reader understand their point of view, they transfer information to the reader with better ease, and keep the reader engaged the authors argue a point or convey information more efficiently.
Initially, understanding an individual's point of view is essential to a discussion or argument. In the essay, ''The Myth of The Latin Women: I Just Met a Girl Named Maria" Cofer attempts to illustrate the effect stereotypes have in a Latina's life. Throughout the piece, she writes of her personal experience and how the positive side of being Latina is being downgraded by stereotypes, she writes, "We cannot change this by legislating the way people look at us. The Transformation, as I see it, has to occur at a much

The author cannot ague a point or convey information without a fully engaged or entirely interested reader. In the essay, "Piecing It All Together" bell hooks keeps readers engaged through the childhood stories she utilizes to emphasizes the importance of culture. Bell hooks introduces the idea of childhood stories into her writing and says, "We tell stories about the ways we maintain a sense of worth and dignity in tolerable situations. I first heard such stories listening to Baba talk about living in slavery and beyond" (hooks 344). She strategically introduces childhood stories triggering the audience to engage. Once the reader is engaged she can effectively make her point by providing