AP Study Form Title: The Poet X Author: Elizabeth Acevedo Year of Publication: 2018 Main characters (and a one-sentence description of each): Xiomara, the main character of the book, is a 15-year-old girl that experiences puberty growing up. She likes writing poetry and often rebels against her mother and questions religion Xavier (Twin), Xiomara’s twin, the favorite child of the family because of his good grades and how religious he was, secretly gay and hides it from his parents. Altagracia (Mami), Xiomara and Twin’s mother, very religious, try to make her children as catholic as her. Minor characters (and a one-sentence description of each): Papi, Xiomara, and Xavier’s father were distant and had little to no interaction with them. …show more content…
Men always seem to have some sort of comment over her body. It’s tiring for Xiomara because she knows her worth is more than her body. She has feelings and emotions that are more complex and valuable than her body. 3. “My mouth cannot write you a white flag, it will never be a Bible verse. My mouth cannot be shaped into the apology you say both you and God deserve” (Acevedo 234). Xiomara emphasizes how toxic religion is to her state of being. She expresses that she will never be the devout Catholic that her mother intends for her to be. She does not want to recite Bible verses and prayers, even if her mother makes it seem like an obligatory thing to do. It reveals another way in which Xiomara disengages from religion. 4. “Mami wants me to be her proper young lady. Papi wants me to be ignorable and silent. Twin and Caridad want me to be so I don’t attract attention. God just wants me to behave so I can earn being alive” (Acevedo 333). Xiomara reveals the family dynamic that goes around, and how broken their family is. It is a list of what everyone wants for Xiomara, but not once do they all care or acknowledge how Xiomara wants to live her life. It’s a hassle for Xiomara to fit into these expectations that set her back in her development. AP Study Form Title: The Kite