Literature

The initial part of this question asks for your opinion. Here are some things you might consider to answer this portion:

• Could you sympathize or identify with Rosalba's feelings of being caught between cultures?
• Do you think her efforts in raising her son are proving successful?
• Would Giulio be proud of Rosalba's efforts?
• Do you think it's important for Rosalba to continue to expose Claudio to his Italian heritage?
• Do you think Claudio is justified in wanting to assimilate into the culture of his school and community, leaving behind his heritage?

One literary device used in the story is alliteration, found in this sentence:

Triste leaning lazy against low-slung mountains ...

The repetition of the l sound here becomes almost a slur, mimicking the mood of the description of Triste.

A simile is found later on:

He'd preserved laughter and bittersweet memories like pressed flowers of intense moments with his family and friends.

A simile is a comparison of two unlike things using the word like or as to connect those ideas. Here, Giulio's laughter is compared to pressed flowers; pressed flowers have been transformed from living plants into a different form that maintains the essence of the flowers while removing some of the color and beauty. This is an apt comparison to the memories of Giulio, who has died. The beauty of the way he "had embraced the new way of life" remains with Rosalba, though the vibrancy of those memories has faded with time.