"The First Job"
About what age do you infer Esperanza is in this vignette?
13-16 years old (high school age but not old enough to work legally)
What aspect of growing up does this vignette discuss?
Dealing with death
How does this example develop characterization? "When lunchtime came, I was scared to eat alone in the company lunchroom with all those men and ladies looking, so I ate real fast standing in one of the washroom stalls."
It reveals Esperanza as someone who is anxious or nervous in new situations or around adults.
What ethnicity is Esperanza? How do you know based on this vignette?
Mexican since her father has to fly to Mexico.
Similar to the drunks in "The Family of Little Feet," how does the Oriental man lure Esperanza?
He acts friendly and warm and asks her to be friends.
What burden is put on Esperanza? Why?
She has to tell her siblings since she is the oldest.
What example of flirtatious foreshadowing do we see early in the vignette?
She says Tito pushes her in the water but she sort of lets him -- implying she was ok with him putting his hands on her.
"He crumples like a coat and cries" is an example of what? Also, what does it represent?
It is a simile. It represents how her father's posture or body language is lifeless, crushed, or disheveled like a a coat by itself.
What is a potential theme from this vignette?
Must mention the patriarchy, men preying on women in the workplace, can't trust strangers, part of growing up is losing your innocence, etc.
What style choice does the author implement? What is the effect?
"My Papa. his thick hands and thick shoes, who wakes up tired in the dark, who combs his hair with water, drinks his coffee, and is gone before we wake, today is sitting on my bed."
Syntax: long, rambling, run-on sentence.
Effect: We are overwhelmed with the rough details of his life, just like her dad is overwhelmed with the news of losing his father.
What type of style choice does the author use here to describe Geraldo? What is the effect on the reader?
"She met him at a dance. Pretty too, and young. Said he worked in a restaurant, but she can't remember which one. Geraldo. That's all. Green pants and Saturday shirt. Geraldo. That's what he told her."
Syntax: short, fragments
Effect: We get tiny little snapshot details about him, which is what Marin knew: very little about him. It also creates a little mystery or suspense by giving us a list of vague details.