Call Me Maria

María navigates multiple languages throughout the novel. How and why does her use of Spanish, English, and Spanglish change over the course of the text? Use several key examples to illustrate the shifts that take place.

The novel makes frequent reference to the two different types of Puerto Rican people: those who are on the Island and those on the mainland. Why does Ortíz Cofer portray María as being in the middle of this tension?

In what ways does Mami and Papi’s relationship impact María? Use precise moments from the novel to characterize this impact.

Read through María’s poems over the course of the text. How is her voice reflected in the poems? In what ways does it change? Use specific examples.

Early on, Ortíz Cofer establishes that María has different selves. What kinds of moments characterize the different Marías? Analyze several moments to draw your conclusions.

In school, María deals with a variety of teachers who perceive her and treat her in different ways. How are these teachers described, and why does Ortíz Cofer include these different adults in the narrative?

Nature plays an important role in the novel, and María references several different elements of nature frequently in her writing. Analyze how nature informs and affects the overall conflict and resolution in Call Me María.

The novel is not quite verse, not quite epistolary, and not quite prose. Instead, it blends all three. Analyze this authorial choice and how it affects the overall message of the text.