Characters
Where did Bella live originally?
Calia, Italy
How does Jane's father view women?
He sees them as useless and incapable of holding jobs/education.
dramatic irony
When the audience knows something the characters do not, authors use this effect to create humor or suspense.
yiddish
a language used by Jews in central and eastern Europe before the Holocaust (spoken by many girls in the factory/Yetta).
Explain the situation of Bella being upgraded to a sewing machine and her pay being docked.
One of her coworkers went home for the day, so Bella took over her sewing machine fo her. Her pay would be upgraded to $4.25, but she cut one shirtwaist on her first try and only got paid $3.10. The guards searched her and touched her before she left because they thought she would steal a shirtwaist.
Where is the factory located?
Nyc
Why are yetta and Rahel fighting in the strike?
They are fighting for a new union
foreshadowing
A narrative device / literary device that is used to give hints about what is about to happen; used to create suspense, make the reader curious, or warn that things may not be the way they appear.
strike
Nonviolent refusal to work until a problem is resolved.
Explain what happened after the day at work where signor carlotti was being extra nice.
There was a strike outside, yetta was in it, she saw Bella and Frances and tried to keep them form getting hurt. She got arrested for it, so Bella found Rocco and persuaded him to tell the policeman it was wrong, he did and they ran.
Why did Bella move from Calia?
To make money for her family (famine back home)
What group of people barged into the strike?
Policeman and prostitutes
juxtaposition
the placing of two or more, often contrasting, elements side-by-side to highlight their differences, create irony, or evoke a dramatic effect
boarder
A person who rents a room or bed from another family, for example, an immigrant who does not have a place of their own (may be in bad conditions).
Explain what happened when the policeman and prostitutes barge in on the strike.
The prostitutes attacked, and the policeman came in and broke it up, but arrested the strikers. One of the policeman knocked yetta out with a club, and she woke up in a filthy cell. The strikers and policemen were hired to attack them (scabs or strikebreakers).
Who gives Bella a job?
Pietro
What did Bella have to do for the lucianos now that pietro is gone?
Make flowers to make up for his lost rent
foil
a character, setting, or event that contrasts with another character—usually the protagonist—to highlight specific traits, values, or motivations, making the main character's qualities stand out, often enhancing their brilliance, goodness, or flaws
historical fiction
A genre of realistic fiction that takes place in a particular time period in the past. Often, the setting is real, but the characters and dialogue did not happen; the author creates them.
Explain the situation with Bella being lied to.
Bella learns her family is dead and that the Lucianos have been stealing the money she thought she was sending home to her family.
What is yettas sisters name?
Rahel
What did signor carlotti do that was considered extra nice at work?
He gave the girls extra lunch, and played dancing music over lunchtime.
internal monologue
a narrative technique providing direct access to a character's inner thoughts, emotions, and motivations as they occur, often in the first-person, present tense
Shtetl
In Yiddish, a shtetl means "little town." It refers to the small Jewish market towns and villages that existed in Eastern Europe before World War II, often associated with a particular way of life and a strong sense of community and shared values.
Explain the pivotal moment when all of the girls meet (Bella, Yetta, and Jane).
Bella, Yetta, and Jane are all brought together on the same side of the strike! This happens when Bella needs someone to help her read Rocco's letter and runs after Yetta then Jane's car hits Bella as she is crossing the street and Jane reads the letter to her.