Read the excerpt from Judith Ortiz Cofer’s poem “El Olvido.” a bare, cold room with no pictures on the walls, a forgetting place
where she fears you will die of loneliness and exposure. Jesús, María, y José, she says, el olvido is a dangerous thing. Which strategy would be most helpful in enhancing the reader’s comprehension of the poem?
skimming the lines for familiar words
establishing the meaning of words in English and Spanish
breaking the lines into shorter phrases
rewriting each line by hand.
<span>establishing the meaning of words in English and Spanish
Understanding that the phrase "el olvido" means 'oblivion' would help the reader get a better sense of what the poem is about. When a poem has elements of two languages, it's important to make sure you know what all the words mean before continuing to try to understand the message or theme.</span>
