Ch. 30
Fill in the blank:
_________ and _________ are juxtaposed in Ch. 30 to highlight the contrast between the comfort of what’s familiar and the fear of something new.
Spanish & English
What does Rafaela wish she could do before she gets old?
Dance
"On the corner there is music from the bar, and Rafaela wishes she could go there and dance before she gets old." (Cisneros 79)
Both Sally and Rafaela are not allowed to...
Dance.
Why does Esperanza identify with Minerva? What common interest do they share?
Writing poetry
Name at least two literary devices that are being used in the following quote:
"The man had to pull her, the taxicab driver had to push. Push, pull. Push, pull. Poof!" (Cisneros 76-77)
Alliteration: "p" sound
Anaphora: repeated "Push" at the start
Epistrophe: repeated "Pull" at the end
Asyndeton: lack of conjunctions
Onomatopoeia: "Poof!"
What could sweetness represent in this chapter?
"Rafaela who drinks and drinks coconut and papaya juice on Tuesdays and wishes there were sweeter drinks, not bitter like an empty room, but sweet sweet like the island" (Cisneros 80)
Freedom & Autonomy
What do the people who lock Sally and Rafaela away in the house have in common?
They are both men.
All of the women who sit by their windows so far are trapped, and gazing out the window symbolizes their wishing and dreaming for a better life.
Why can't Minerva do this?
Her husband threw a rock through her window.
It symbolizes how Minerva is in the most personal danger of all the women sitting by their windows.
Why does Mamacita get upset when the baby starts speaking English?
Mamacita gets upset because she still cannot speak English and is punished for that by her husband, and now, even her baby she brought over from Mexico can speak English.
Is Esperanza isn't actually voicing all of those questions she has to Sally in Ch. 32.
She's asking a type of question that is not expected to be answered. This technique is used to lay emphasis on some point being discussed.
What are those types of questions called?
What does Esperanza mean when she says that Minerva's little poems "smell like a dime?" (Cisneros 84)
Dimes are worth something, but not much. Often, this coin is not valued. Though Minerva's poems are meaningful and valuable, she believes that they will remain small and worthless to others.
In Ch. 30, SHOES show up as a motif. What do shoes represent in the novel & in this chapter?
Femininity, Maturity, & Adulthood
Read the following quote where bitterness & sweetness are being juxtaposed.
"Rafaela who drinks and drinks coconut and papaya juice on Tuesdays and wishes there were sweeter drinks, not bitter like an empty room" (Cisneros 80)
QUESTION: what larger concepts are being juxtaposed?Freedom & Imprisonment
When Sally's father said that her being beautiful is "trouble," he means that men could be violent towards Sally because of her looks.
Instead of taking actual measures to protect Sally, her father locks her away and treats her as if she is the dangerous one.
This is another example of ________ in the novel.
Misogyny.
It is misogynistic to punish a woman for the potential violence that could be inflicted on her. Instead, the people inflicting the violence should be held accountable. Locking her away is another way of controlling her, which prevents her from being her real self at home.
In Ch. 33, Esperanza tells a story about Minerva that comments on the cycle of abuse.
The Cycle of Abuse is very real pattern of behavior that happens when the victim of physical, emotional, or sexual abuse allows their abuser to return into their life. Victims will stay for many very real and very difficult reasons. One of the big ones being that they have children together.
What does Esperanza mean when she says...
"Next week she comes over black and blue and asks what can she do? Minerva. I don't know which way she'll go. There is nothing I can do." (Cisneros 85)Esperanza is showing just how impossible it can be to help someone escape the cycle of abuse. She feels helpless in this situation.