Plot
Why does Laetita's mom refuse to declare her citizenship as either Canadian or American?
Because she has 3 nationalities
imprint
Definition-To leave an impression of yourself or someone
Example- The president's speech about tearing down the Berlin Wall left quite an imprint on his audience.
what figurative language is this?
-"Mrs.Manyfingers, gone after some man like a balloon or a string."
Simile
- "some man like a ballon or string"
what is the point of view in this short story?
First person
What part of the plot is this:
The mother and son spend multiple nights in their car by the duty free shop because the mother won't say she is Canadian or American.
rising action
unprecedented
Definition- Not experienced before
Example- Officials didn’t comment on the new border wall, except to say that “we live in unprecedented times where what was normal yesterday is not normal today.”
What figurative language is this?
-"She found a good job and rented an apartment with a pool." "And she can't even swim, my mother told Mrs. Manyfingers.
Irony
- Because she rented a apartment with a pool but didn't know how to swim.
what is the sisters name?
Laetitia
What part of the plot is this:
The mother and son live on the Blackfoot reservation. Laetitia lives in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Exposition
advocate
Definition- To support an idea
Example- Monique was the only mayor to advocate for taking down the border wall.
what figurative language is this?
- "We got postcards from Laetitia regular and, if she wasn't spreading jelly on the truth , she was happy."
Metaphor - direct comparison, not using like or as.
who is Mel?
The guy who works at the duty-free shop
What part of the story happens in flashback?
When Laetitia looks through brochures about Salt Lake City.
lament
Definition- To express sadness or regret
Example- Ernesto lamented the fact that his mom put up a fence to keep wildlife out because he loved watching the rabbits hop across the lawn.
what figurative language is this?
-"...to chase rainbows down alleys."
Hyperbole-exagerration
what is the conflict in the story?
The conflict is that the mother is stating blackfoot as their nationality, and this is not going to cut it, and she wont answer Canadian or american.
What character vs. self conflict do we see in "Borders"?
Laetitia has to decide whether she will stay at home or move to Salt Lake City.
deterrence
Definition- the act of keeping people from behaving in a particular way or from doing something you don’t want them to do
Example- China’s Great Wall provided a deterrence against enemy invaders.
what figurative language is this?
"You would expect that Sweetgrass which is a nice name and sounds like it is related to other places such as Medicine Hat...would be on the Canadian side and that Coutts which sounds abrupt and rude would be on the American side..."
Allusion: expression which calls something to mind without mentioning it explicitly.
what is the main theme of the story?
The main theme of the story is pride in your heritage, and injustice/justice.