The author: - Born in 1952, Hormigueros, Puerto Rico. - Raised and educated in New Jersey, The United States. - Wrote in several literary genres: poetry, short stories, autobiographies, essays, and young adult novels. - Received numerous awards and honors for her writing. - Is currently a Professor of English at the University of Georgia. - was influenced by folktales, myths, and fairy tales told to her by old Puerto Rican ladies. - Her protagonists usually suffer the conflict of becoming wholly American or essentially Puerto Rican The text: - Narrator: The daughter, First person narrator, has a limited point of view. - Main Characters: 1) The granddaughter (round/dynamic) 2) The grandmother (round/dynamic) 3) The grandfather (flat/static) - Characters in the witch’s story: 1) The witch’s husband (flat/dynamic) 2) The witch (flat/static) - Plot: Exposition: introducing the grandparent’s conditions and the problem that the narrator is trying to solve. Rising action: The grandmother starts telling the story of the witch’s husband. Climax: The granddaughter asks her grandmother about the lost year. Falling action: The granddaughter discovers the real reason of why her grandmother went to New York. Resolution: The granddaughter accepts her grandmother’s wishes of not wanting to go to the nursing home. Theme: Element of folklore – Personal needs/space Zeinab Hassan A’Shaatha Al-Sharji