Prof. Jessica Penner | OL02 | Spring 2021

Alexsis Arvelo, Critique on Anonymous

Upon reading Anonymous’ “Whatever happened to ____” I found this text to be engaging and relatable. Anonymous discusses the struggles women face as they try to make a life for themselves instead of succumbing to solely being someone’s wife. Readers are able to connect to the author because she describes her life as regularly as possible; being a mother, working, pursuing a dream and even down to something as common as cooking chicken. Although her life seems simple, it was far from it and her struggles all go back to a jealous husband. Anonymous does a great job of telling her story in a way that evokes emotion in readers, specifically at the moment she fights for her life while trying to escape her violent husband and protect her daughter. Her short sentences place emphasis on the circumstances she speaks about and in doing so her tone is hopeful. Throughout this piece Anonymous portrays herself to be resilient as she describes her escape from her husband, her fight in court, and her will to continue her career in writing despite the fear of one day being found by her ex-husband. This reading is greatly appreciated and Anonymous is admirable for sharing her story. She was able to show readers that she isn’t just someone’s wife and remained true to her passion.

4 Comments

  1. Amani

    I agree that the author talked about her life “as regular as possible.” That was a great point! She described a typical life anyone could live, but she just so happened to start getting more recognized in the writing world and was tore down because of it. Despite her hardships, we were able to see her overcome some of those obstacles and as you said show that she “isn’t just someones wife.”

  2. Christopher

    I agree with you that this reading is greatly appreciated because this reading can help other women stay strong if they are going through abuse or through any struggles. It can show other women that anything is possible. I also agree with you that Anonymous does a great job of telling her story because to me as a reader I could really feel and imagine her emotions and all she went through.

    • Nuha

      I agree with you; Anonymous didn’t hide how everyone treated her because she’s a successful woman. It was sad to see how her ex-husband was abusive to her in front of their daughter but, because she wrote about her struggles in her life, I felt she’s giving us the confidence as women to speak up. We don’t have to show who we are because what matters is the struggles and success we have endured.

  3. BensonH

    I agree when you said that even though it may seem like her life is simple it was definitely not as she had problems at home to deal with.

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