Absolutenglish is a site for students and teachers of English, grades 9 -12.

ROSARIO FERRE

This is part of a multi-disciplinary project at Le Lycée du François, initiated by Jocelyne Rosette, the school's librarian.

To read a description

 

  • Print the following table HERE, and fill it in using the information
Date
Title of work
genre
Main themes
Public concerned
1970
       
1972
       

1976

1991

       
1977
       
1980
       
1980
       
1981
        
1982
       

1987

1990, 1992

1988

        
1989
       
1986
       
1990
        

1990

1992

       
1990
       

1989

1992

       
1992
       
1993
       
1994
       
1995
       
1998
       

 

  • Pair- work activity : work in pairs, and ask each other questions to fill in Ferré's biography

    Get the worksheet to print here

Student A : ask questions to student B so as to complete the following elements of Ferré's biography.

 

 

 
Rosario Ferré was born in Ponce, Puerto Rico, in 1938, daughter of Lorenza Ramírez de Arrellano and Luis A. Ferré. She earned her Bachelor of Arts degree from _____________________ College, New York, her Master's degree from the University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras, and her Doctor of Philosophy in Latin American Literature from the University of Maryland, College Park. The title of her dissertation is "La filiación romántica en los cuentos de Julio Cortázar." She is married to _________________ and resides in San Juan. Ferré has ___________ grown children by a previous marriage. During her career as a professor of Latin American literature, she has taught at the University of California, Berkeley; Rutgers University; Harvard University; The Johns Hopkins University; and the University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras. Besides being a finalist for the National Book Award in 1995, Ferré was the recipient of the 1992 "Liberatur Prix" from the Frankfurt Book Fair. She was also awarded an honorary doctorate Honoris Causa from Brown University in _____________________

- To test yourself on Hot Potatoes, click HERE ( easy wh_questions)

 

- To find grammatical help onWh_questions Click here (gramster website).
Student B : ask questions to student A so as to complete the following elements of Ferré's biography.

 

 

 
Rosario Ferré was born in Ponce, Puerto Rico, in ______________, daughter of Lorenza Ramírez de Arrellano and Luis A. Ferré. She earned her Bachelor of Arts degree from Manhattanville College, New York, her Master's degree from the University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras, and her Doctor of Philosophy in Latin American Literature from the University of Maryland, College Park. The title of her dissertation is "______________________________." She is married to Agustín Costa and resides in ________________. Ferré has three grown children by a previous marriage. During her career as a professor of Latin American literature, she has taught at _________________________, Berkeley; Rutgers University; Harvard University; The Johns Hopkins University; and the University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras. Besides being a finalist for the National Book Award in 1995, Ferré was the recipient of the 1992 "Liberatur Prix" from the Frankfurt Book Fair. She was also awarded an honorary doctorate Honoris Causa from Brown University in 1997

- To test yourself on Hot Potatoes, click HERE ( easy wh_questions)

 

- To find grammatical help on Wh_questions, Click here (gramster website).

http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbnInquiry.asp?userid=6VRH1WK1AU&isbn=0452277078

about the "he said/she said" format in The House on the Lagoon

(activity adapted from a text originally written by Jill Marquis)

  • Read the following review of The House on the Lagoon carefully
  • Then fill in the first paragraph with the appropriate personal pronoun or possessive adjective

She, her, he or his.

Do this exercise online here with Hot Potatoes

 

In The House on the Lagoon by Rosario Ferré (1995) , a wealthy Puerto Rican woman decides to fulfill ________ lifelong dream of becoming a novelist, much to ____________ husband Quintin's chagrin. Isabel Monfort writes what ___________ knows--the history of _________ family and Quintin's family, dating back to the turn of the 20th century. When Quentin discovers the work in progress, ___________ is dismayed at ___________ factual errors and unhappy that she reveals so many family secrets. Every couple of chapters, Quintin interrupts Isabel's narrative to tell __________ version of events and worry aloud about __________ marriage. At first, he tries not to let __________ wife know _________'s reading the novel, but soon __________ cannot resist writing comments in the margins. This "he said/she said" format allows Rosario Ferré to explore sexual divisions in Puerto Rican society and evaluate the blurred boundaries between fact and fiction. Ferré also examines Puerto Rico's severe economic and racial divisions in evocative ways. She describes when Quintin's sisters were children, and they grew weary of playing with one of the servant's babies--the two girls decided it might be more fun if the baby were white, so they painted her. The lead paint made the infant deathly ill, and she had to be rushed to the hospital. "Another half an hour of being white, and Carmelina would have died." Isabel remarks. At times this book is confusing because there are so many characters to keep track of, but the family tree at the beginning of the text makes it a bit easier to follow. Isabel is an engaging narrator who has plenty of racy and tragic stories to tell. The House on the Lagoon is a fascinating introduction to Puerto Rican history and culture.

Check answers here

 

 

 

  • Some words in the text above are in bold letters: "century, dismay, aloud, blur, boundary, weary"
Place them in front of their corresponding definition
Click HERE to do this exercise with Hot Potatoes
..........................

 

-adj. 1. Physically or mentally fatigued. 2. Expressive of or prompted by fatigue. 3. Having one's interest, forbearance, or indulgence worn out. 4. Causing fatigue; tiresome

 
..........................

 

--tr.v. 1. To make indistinct and hazy in outline or appearance; obscure. 2. To smear or stain; smudge. 3. To lessen the perception of; dim. v--intr.v. 1. To become indistinct. 2. To make smudges or stains by smearing

 
..........................

.

-n. 1. Something that indicates a border or limit. 2. The border or limit so indicated

 
..........................

 

- adv. 1. With use of the voice; orally

 
..........................

 

- tr.v. 1. To destroy the courage or resolution of by exciting dread or apprehension. 2. To cause to lose enthusiasm; disillusion. 3. To upset or alarm. - n. A sudden or complete loss of courage in the face of trouble or danger.

 
..........................

 

-n. a. A period of 100 years.