An Analysis Of Helen Maria's Viramontes Under The Feet Of Jesus

In the excerpt of Helen Maria’s Viramontes’ “Under the Feet of Jesus,” protagonist Estrella is depicted as intrigued and persistent in her pursuit of knowledge. This is conveyed through the use of literary elements such as selection of detail, figurative language and tone. Selection of detail is employed throughout the excerpt to explain Estrella’s intrigue and persistence. The excerpt begins with Estrella asking, “So what is this?” an early indication of her curious personality. The third and fourth paragraph both contain flashbacks, selected to exhibit that Estrella has always been curious and always wanted to learn more. To start with, “Estrella hated”—a rather overly passionate word to use—“when things were kept from her,” believing that the teacher purposely would not answer her. Nonetheless, “Estrella would ask over and over,” an example of how tenacious she is for learning more. “So tell me,” she then demanded from her teachers. The memory was selected to show that while she is rather ignorant of the optics of ordering people around, she is nonetheless intrigued for more knowledge and persistent in receiving it. Her teachers wished her good luck for the harvest season, “reserving the desks in the back of the classroom for the next batch of migrant children,” a detail selected to suggest Estrella is of an immigrant and perhaps impoverished background. Because of this, her teachers are disinterested in giving her answers, believing that she is disposable and will not be around for long and they therefore ruminate over trivial things such as if she bathes properly. It explains why “she

Nonetheless, Estrella remains intrigued and persistent in her pursuit of knowledge. Estrella’s character is developed through the use of selection of detail, figurative language, and