Reading Extended Response #3: "El Olvido," "One Art,"& "Fiesta 1980" 

In a well-organized, point-by-point comparison essay, respond to the following 

prompt.  

In "El Olvido" by Judith Ortiz Cofer, "One Art" by Elizabeth Bishop, & "Fiesta 
1980" by Junot Diaz how do how do the authors address the question of when to 
hold on and when to let go?  

In the texts "El Olvido" by Judith Ortiz Cofer, "One Art" by Elizabeth Bishop, and "Fiesta 
1980" by Junot Diaz, the authors address the question of when to hold on and when to 
let go. In "El Olvido", Cofer states that it is a dangerous thing to let go. In "One Art", 
Bishop states that there is an art of letting go, moreso the loss of things, and that there 
is an inevitability to it. In "Fiesta 1980", Diaz states that holding on too tight to 
something is what hurts us the most. Amongst the three texts, however, the action of 
holding on and letting go is present in only "El Olvido" and in "Fiesta 1980". 
The action of letting go is one that won't ever be easy but at times, it is necessary. 
Holding on to someones hand is easier than holding on to some barbed wire. In "El 
Olvido", Cofer states that it is dangerous to forget one's past. Cofer writes "It is a 
dangerous thing to forget the climate of your birthplace...", which meaning that if you 
choose to forget, you're choosing to lose family, culture, safety, security, and yourself. 
In "One Art", Bishop states that losing is not a choice but something that is meant to 
happen. Bishop states, "...so many things seem filled with the the intent to be lost that 
their loss is no disaster.", there's an art to losing whether that be just simple car keys 
or someone you love, loss is inevitable. Losing comes easily compared to finding 
things. If lying to one's self is what eases the hurt of loss and letting go and is what 
helps one to accept it, then one does it. No one is a master of losing and letting go 
because of what comes after. In "Fiesta 1980", Diaz demonstrates throughout the story 
that holding on to an aspect of one's life is what damages one the most. In the text, 
Yunior states, "I still wanted him to love me, something that never seemed strange or 
contradictory until years later..." Despite the treatment his father inflicted on him and 
both his siblings and mother, Yunior was still a child that did not understand that 
when you got to let go, you have to let go. His character, despite being his father, was 
a toxicity that his family did not need around them. The longer you wait to let go of 
something that does not want to be held onto, the worse the pain will be until you let 
go. Letting go comes in different forms. You can't let go or you will lose yourself. You 
let go and loose things by force and you have to accept it. You have to let go of things 
to heal yourself.