Question

read the excerpt from a genetics of justice by julia alvarez. passage a: given this mandate of silence, i was a real thorn in my mothers side. passage b: unfortunately for my mother, i grew up to be a writer publishing under my maiden name.... when i published a first novel with a strong autobiographical base, she did not talk to me for months. passage c: when the second novel came out, i decided to go ahead and risk her anger. i inscribed a copy to both mami and papi with a note: thank you for having instilled in me through your sufferings a desire for freedom and justice.... days later, my mother. how does the author develop the central idea across these passages? alvarez describes how she and her mother were emotionally distant, but once she moved to vermont, her mother was finally able to bestow praise. alvarez describes events in her childhood to show how the relationship between her and her mother was strained, but improved as she grew older. alvarez traces moments that highlight her mothers desire for silence, culminating in the moment her mother expressed pride in her writing. alvarez explains the difficulty she had in going against her mothers wishes to write about their experiences and how it was worth it in the end.

Explanation:

Passage A shows the author as a problem - maker due to the silence mandate. Passage B shows the mother's disapproval when the author published a novel. Passage C shows the author risking her mother's anger and eventually getting a positive response. The author traces moments highlighting her mother's desire for silence and the change to pride in her writing.

Answer:

Alvarez traces moments that highlight her mother's desire for silence, culminating in the moment her mother expressed pride in her writing.