"Dusting". , "First Muse". "Ironing Their Clothes". "Queens,1963. "Sometimes the Words Are So Close". All these are poems by Julia Alvarez. I can provide poems if they are unavailable online.
Queens, 1963: Why is it significant that Alvarez titles her poem with the date and location? What various reactions to the new family do you observe in the poem, and do they make sense to you? Consider Alvarez's focus on "foreign dirt" iun the beginning of the poem. how does this connect or contrast with her image of overgrowth at the poem's end? Consider the parallel between the speaker and the new family's daughter. Can you understand the speaker's behavior?
Dusting: What is the symbolism of the mother erasing the girl's scribbling in the dust on the furniture?
Ironing Their Clothes: This poem is also part of the housekeeping series - how is the tone and focus different than "Dusting"? Alvarez notes that sound was very significant to this poem - did you feel differently after reading it aloud? What is the "excess of love" the speaker feels? Is it resolved?
Sometimes the Words Are So Close: In this poem, Alvarez identifies herself with her work - saying it is even more real that she is. Why does she make this comparison, and how might it affect young writers? Also, Alvarez pays homage to two of her favorite poets. What do you think of the way she uses their words for her own purposes?
First Muse: How does Alvarez react when she hears she is only supposed to be writing in Spanish, her first language? Why does she accept this so easily? What is positive about her "first muse"? do you see anything negative about this muse?