Responses to student presentations on Woman Hollering Creek by Sandra Cisneros November 18 2002

I really enjoyed Cheryl's presentation because she did a great job in relating
her childhod stories to those found in the book. Her story of not having the
nice barbie-dolls to play with like her cousin did, really matched the idea
behind the short story Barbq. The poor girls, like Cheryl did not care that
their dolls were not in perfect condition because they made do with what they
had. The soiled, dirty dolls still served the purpose of allowing the girls
to use their creative imaginations. Chery's poster was also very
interesting. The way she washed out the background, while leaving the doll
box as bright as can be, really portrayed the way the little girls in the book
saw their dolls at the flee market. It was a very effective piece of work
because it allowed me to visualize the flee market scene. Very nice job.

James Cole

I thought that Rosanna's presentation was amazing. She read her stories with
great inflection. The stories in themselves were good but were also fun to
hear because of the color she put into them.

Kimberly Masculine

Michael, the tequitos were very good and so was the guacamole!
I enjoyed your essay on Women Hollering Creek and the comparison to the
"Weeping Woman" Ranchero/Folk tale. The two stories are very similar and
seem to have the same warning for people about staying away from the river
at night when it is more dangerous and when you can hear a "Weeping or
Hollering Woman."
The essay also touched on how life is portrayed on TV shows, and how the TV
can be fantasy and romance, when in reality life can be painfully hard and
lonely.

Elaine Genasci

Rosanna's stories were absolutely amazing!! Even if she did not tell me which
sections each story was meant to fit, I could have figured it out. She
captured Cisneros' style perfectly. I was really impressed with her reading
style; she seemed so confident. She was so animated. It is really neat to
hear someone read her own creative writing.
I was really touched by Anthony's presentation. It takes so much courage to
stand up and share a personal story. I really liked how he connected it to
the short story. I hadn't thought about the story in that way so it really
made me think.

Megan Cooper

I really enjoyed Rosanna's presentation of her three short stories. Not only
were they well-written, but she presented them in an entertaining and exciting
manner. This not only tied into the novel through the format of the stories,
but also in the fun way she read them to us. Sandra Cisneros writes her
stories in a manner that makes even tough topics entertaining in their format
and presentation. Rosanna captured this extremely well.

Meghan MacDougall

I was very impressed by the three short stories that Roseanna wrote in similar
style to that of Cisneros. What I liked the most about them was the way that
she followed the progression from young girl to woman, like Cisneros, and how
there was a clear definition between the ages and the words used in the
stories. She did a great job on matching Cisneros's style of description and
how she lists things to show their importance to the story at large. I also
liked how Roseanna not only read her stories, but she did so with great
emphasis and character which made them a joy to listen to.

Erica Strohmeier

Alma's presentation was very interesting. I didn't know that the quotes at
the beginning of each section were parts of songs. I enjoyed the way she
tied in the style of the singer/songwriter with the period of time each
section represented. It shows that she put a lot of time and thought into
her project.

-Jaime Stevens

I enjoyed Alma's presentation of the three songs that correlated to the three sections of the book. When
i was reading the book, i quickly glossed over the opening songs of each section. By hearing them, it made
the time frame and the mood of each section become more alive. I was able to better feel the culture ties
of the book.

--elisa chapman

I thought that both Regina and Rosanna captured Cisneros' style in there presentations. Rosanna's short stories
were very reminiscent of Cisneros'. I enjoyed the energy and the imagery that all three stories brought to the
presentation and book. I feel that Regina's presentation complimented Woman Hollering Creek in much the
same way that Rosanna's stories did. I particularly thought that her metaphor with the roller coaster was
reminiscent of Cisneros' style. Both presentations captured what Cisneros' writing is.

Greg Blevins

Great job everyone. The presentations very entertaining and
well done. Rosanna's presentation was full of creativity and wit.
It paralleled the witting style of Woman Hollering Moon. It made me
feel how I felt when reading the book, all over the place.

emma cuskelly

I think Anthony's presentation on memories was very well done. After listening
to his presentation I understood what "Women Hollering Creek" is about;
memories. He clearly explained how memories pass us by, and how we should
cherish our memories forever. By using references from the story "Tepayac" he
presented excellent evidence for his argument. Furthermore, he used an emotional
personal experience which enhanced his presentaion. Thus, his presentation was
heart-felt and displayed a logical explanation

.
-Brian Imhoff

I want to respond to Alma's presentation because I was interested in the
lyrics preceding each section. At first reading, I thought these lyrics were
simply insightful quotes, and I didn't understand why Cisneros left them in
Spanish. I tried translating them with the little High School Spanish I knew,
but still couldn't make anything out. I was very amazed in learning that they
were taken from Songs. These allusions are more meaningful to someone who's
heard the songs before, like Alma, so I am glad she shared with us what she
made of them. After learning a little about each song, and being able to hear
them firsthand, the lyrics became more relevant to the stories they preceded.
Cri cri's children song definently emphasized the innocence of children, and
the second song "me importas tu, y tu, u tu..." emphasized the infatuation of
Patricia and the Holy night story. The emotional Betran song also depicted
the betrayl of men in Part III. I think that Alma helped me realize that the
three sections not only represent the three phases of growing up, but also
three raw emotions in the cycle of life and love: pure love, infatuation and
betrayl.

Pennie Tovar

The use of materials in the drawing of Barbie Q were very effective in relating to the story. The medium of
charcol used in the drawing is very similar to the burnt material left from a fire. The crinkled paper further
emphasizes the little girls fascination in trash.

Nate Mohle