Vocabulary
The author writes that Señor Noboa squeezed "small landholders so they would sell him their small properties for a pittance."
What does pittance mean?
A very small or inadequate amount of money
In “Señor Noboa,” why do the laborers turn their backs and refuse to look at Señor Noboa when he comes to visit?
They superstitiously believe that looking in his face causes death.
What is a conflict in literature?
The central struggle between opposing forces—typically the protagonist and an antagonist or obstacle
How did Señor Noboa grow his inheritance?
By forcing small landowners to sell him their land cheaply.
What evidence does the author give to support the legend/curse?
The multiple deaths of laborers that have occurred after Señor Noboa's visits in the past.
The laborers are described as peons. What does peon mean?
a low-ranking worker or peasant
In “Señor Noboa,” what does Señor Noboa do when he encounters his laborers from the camp?
He makes a harsh speech to threaten them into continued hard work.
What is the central conflict in Señor Noboa?
He is visiting the camps.
What can the reader infer from the following detail about the laborers?
"The peons turn their backs and refuse to look him in the face, because the legend has gone around that every time Señor Noboa visits those places, a laborer dies of some illness or accident."
The laborers are afraid of Señor Noboa.
The workers fear that Noboa's visit causes a laborer to die. How does the ending create situational irony regarding this "curse"?
It is situational irony because everyone expects a laborer to die, but Señor Noboa is the one who dies.
The author describes Señor Noboa as "the omnipotent buyer/owner of all that effort of sweat-soaked labor that topples the banana stalks with lightning blows from sharpened machetes."
What does omnipotent mean?
all-powerful; having unlimited power
What does the author state is Señor Noboa's most valuable possession?
The banana tree
What are the two forces in conflict with each other in Señor Noboa?
Señor Noboa and the workers/peons
What can the reader infer about the character of Señor Noboa from the following detail?
"Señor Noboa is quite familiar with the legend that time has woven around him, and he enjoys it fully. It fascinates him to be able to instill that double fear."
He enjoys people being afraid of him
Noboa calls the final camp the troublemakers' camp because of their previous strikes. Based on the reader's knowledge of the mirror trap, why is his attempt to threaten them already a failed mission before he even starts?
He has already lost his power before he finishes his first sentence. His threats are in vain because they have set a trap to get rid of him.
The author writes that Señor Noboa laughed "inwardly, convinced that his legendary power is a potent ingredient for thoroughly crushing those who question his authority by alleging salary or health claims.
What does authority mean?
power or the right to make decisions
What does Señor Noboa feel is the truth about the deaths of the workers?
That they died from accidents or work-related risks.
How does the conflict end?
Señor Noboa dies from the curse/legend
What two things can the reader infer from the following detail about the laborers?
"his lands are covered with green-gold stalks and clusters that are watered by the sweat of thousands of laborers, who never earn more than ninety dollars a month."
That they are hard-working and poor
Explain the symbolism of Señor Noboa falling off his horse as he dies.
His fall from his horse symbolizes his fall as "master." The laborers have mastered Señor Noboa.
The author writes, "Señor Noboa lets loose a tirade in a stentorian voice."
What does stentorian mean?
loud and powerful
Why does Señor Noboa enjoy the legend about him?
He feels it keeps the peons from challenging him or something similar.
When Señor Noboa is visiting the camp, the workers won't look at him. He thinks this is because they fear him, but really it's because ________.
They have prepared a trap with a mirror to use the superstition against him.
How does the reader's original perception of the laborers change when they expose the mirror to Senor Noboa?
They are no longer viewed as timid, fearful people. They are now the "master" because they caused his downfall.
Explain the symbolism behind the mirror.
Just as Señor Noboa's curse was a psychological tool to keep the laborers in line, the mirror is a psychological tool for the laborers. By forcing him to look at his reflection, he realizes he is just as mortal as the workers and subsequently dies of shock.