Find a fairy tale that has a person turned into a bird or an animal, and use its situation to illuminate the situation described here.

A modern-day equivalent to turning a little girl into a princess might be turning her into a music star. Think of several similar possibilities that might concern a modern American mother and use them to write additional verses for this poem.

Pick a contemporary politician and report on the relationship she or he has with her or his mother.

Do you think that this poem could have been written in Chile today? Why or why not?

Write a letter from this little girl to her mother, explaining what she wants to be when she grows up.