Erick Cando Ms. Rodrigues Optional SLA reading August 11, 2016 The novel El Sonador is about a boy that finds beauty and wonder everywhere he goes. Neftali is the type of boy who is really shy and likes to spend most of his time alone reading, writing, and daydreaming. When he grows up, Neftali wants to help others that do not have the power of expressing themselves. His father mocks his dreams because he has already planned his son's future.
Guillermo González Camarena was a Mexican electrical engineer who was the inventor of a color-wheel type of color television, and who also introduced color television to Mexico,
Alfredo Corchado — is the author of the book named " Midnight in Mexico:A Reporter's Journey through a Country's Descent into Darkness”. We are, probably, all interested in finding out the facts, news, and gossips about Mexico. This country was always associated with something mysterious. For me personally, the title of the book seemed to be very gripping, I was interested in revealing the secrets of life in Mexico, thus I decided to read this book. I was really curious, what can Alfredo Corchado tell me about the life in this country, the country, where the constant massacre is the picture, people used to see. In his book, the author tells the reader about the real situations, which took place in Mexico, reveals the secrets of the people’s lives and tells the story from the “inside”. He describes the way he lives his life, and does his work. The " Midnight in Mexico: A Reporter's Journey through a Country's Descent into Darkness” is a memoir. Author tries to transform his own experience into the story line. Corchado shows the reader the darkest episodes of Mexican society, while relying on his own experience.
Paragraph 2 says, “Father knew many people in Santiago, and Neftali could not take the chance that Father would discover he was disobeying him. Besides that, he could not stop thinking about what Father had said - that he was an embarrassment to the family.” He suppressed his dream, trying to hide it from his Father, until one day, he started reading a poetry book. He read about a character named Paolo, and said the name aloud. It didn’t feel right to him, so he translated it into Spanish, getting Pablo. At that point, he made a decision. He would use the name Pablo Neruda as a pseudonym so that his Father wouldn’t know that it was actually Neftali. The next day, Neftali left his home, so that he could go somewhere where he could write freely. Paragraphs 8-11 say, “The following morning, he slowly packed his belongings into a metal trunk: clothes, books, pens, and, of course, something for which he would never be too old - his sheep. He carefully sorted his collections into storage boxes, taking one box with him and taking the other to Laurita’s for safe keeping. He stood in the doorway and handed her the box. “Do not let it go up in flames.” She smiled. “I will guard it with my life.” That night and throughout the next day, he rode third class in a car full of peasants. It smelled of damp wool from rain-soaked ponchos and wet feathers from unhappy chickens that had been tucked into
By reminiscing on his upbringing from living in Lima, Peru, a third world country. Father would constantly recall his biographical anecdotes to share with the family. Some stories were beyond gruesome in detail. Going in depth to the painful memories that still lingers around like a scar, my father told us how our grandfather, his own father, was abusive for even the most minute things. For instance, when my father would wore outfits that did not meet my grandfather’s standards, or looked into his father’s eyes fearfully when he was being punished, and even when he did not walk my grandmother to and from the grocery store. The mistreatment had reached the end of father’s patience when he became a rebellious son, breaking curfews and refusing to return home at the end of the day. In Junot Díaz 's short story Fiesta, 1980, narrated by an son, Yunior, who describes the hardships he and his Dominican family shared as they drove to a party in the Bronx in New York City. At the age of twelve, Yunior loses his innocence as a result from the never-ending verbal, emotional, and physical abuse his father, Papi, had taunted him with. This lost innocence was caused by what he had said, did, and did
I really enjoyed all of the characters and this book tremendously. Both Lupe's and Juan's mother were very strong and God fearing women. They had a very strong bind between their children who were taught values and morals. This book made me want to know my ancestral routes and learn more about my culture. Since this book was a true story about Victor Villasenor's family, it made the stories even more real. I would recommend this book to everyone who loves to read.
The video “La Raza de Colorado: El Movimiento” and the exhibit “El Movimiento” at UNC’s Michener Library chronicle the struggles and triumphs of Mexican Americans in Weld County and throughout the state of Colorado. Visitors of the exhibit can see different graphics and pictures posted on the walls depicting many of the important events such as the protests against Kitayama farms in the 1960’s which aimed at improving working conditions and pay, especially for women. Not only were farm workers being exploited, but factory workers lacked appropriate conditions as well, to help with this, several groups such as United Farm Workers, Brown Berets and Black Panthers organized a united front in order to launch strikes and boycotts against offending farms, factories and businesses which oppressed and exploited minority workers. Another source of dissent was the Vietnam war. Minority groups felt that White America was waging a war against colored
The Boy Kings of Texas is a memoir written by Domingo Martinez. It is a Mexican-American coming of age narrative that has received the National Bok Award. The book is about a junior boy named Martinez and the traumas a young person can face while growing up in Brownsville, Texas. The boy was subjected to beatings from his father and never got the love he wanted from his mother. Moreover, Martinez and his siblings had a rough time to bond in the unique clash of the cultures in South Texas and this affected their lives. Martinez was born in a family of an abusive father and an uncaring mother, and due to this complicated relationship with his parents, the protagonist ended up with devious behaviors.
In the novel, Bless me, Ultima by Rudolfo Anaya, a boy goes through many more experiences than any child in the hot summer days in Santa Rosa, New Mexico. He witnesses the deaths of his close friends and family. This boy expresses his emotions and grief through his dreams, only to wake up with fear and confusion in his mind. Antonio’s life is filled with dreams that foreshadow future incidents, as well as influences Antonio’s beliefs of religion and ideas of innocence.
The relationships between mothers and daughters is a topic that authors often call upon to tell a story. It is an important part of every culture, which makes the topic relatable to any reader who picks the book up. Junot Diaz understood the universality of mother/daughter relationships and incorporated it in his novel The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao. Although the book is mainly about Oscar, an overweight Dominican boy from New Jersey and his quest for love, the book also spends a lot of time exploring the relationships between Oscar’s sister Lola and their mother Beli and Beli’s relationship with her mother figure La Inca. Junot Diaz does not write mother/daughter relationships in an honest way and focuses on the conflict in the relationships
Young Yunior has a crush on his older brother, Rafa’s, girlfriend in Nilda,by Junot Diaz. Running from an alcoholic mother, Nilda often spends the night in the brothers’ shared bedroom, unbeknownst to their unsuspecting mother. Forced to keep the mother from becoming suspicious, Rafa and Nilda engage in sexual intercourse while the infatuated Yunior is pretending to sleep in the same room. The conflict occurs as Yunior tries to reconcile the innocent girl he became infatuated with to the new Nilda she becomes through her promiscuous sexual explorations. The conflict resolves itself as Yunior becomes aware that Nilda’s sexual explorations have led her down a self-destructive path which has changed her both physically and emotionally.
...ment in which the story takes place. His ellaborate description of the llano shows you the beauty of Spanish America and helps you to understand the restless culture of the vaqueros who wander across it. Also, Anaya gives you a detailed description of El Puerto. The village in which the Lunas reside. The imagery in this description also helps you to understand the culture of the farmers, the calm and quiet people who plant their crops by the light of the moon and live in peace. Imagery plays and important role in this novel because without it, certain aspects such as the point of views of both the Lunas and the Marez faimy, would never be understood .
This novel is a story of a Chicano family. Sofi, her husband Domingo together with their four daughters – Esperanza, Fe, Caridad, and Loca live in the little town of Tome, New Mexico. The story focuses on the struggles of Sofi, the death of her daughters and the problems of their town. Sofi endures all the hardships and problems that come her way. Her marriage is deteriorating; her daughters are dying one by one. But, she endures it all and comes out stronger and more enlightened than ever. Sofi is a woman that never gives up no matter how poorly life treats her. The author- Ana Castillo mixes religion, super natural occurrences, sex, laughter and heartbreak in this novel. The novel is tragic, with no happy ending but at the same time funny and inspiring. It is full of the victory of the human spirit. The names of Sofi’s first three daughters denote the three major Christian ideals (Hope, Faith and Charity).
Miguel enjoys writing and literature but his father does not believe that is what Miguel as a male should be doing. As Gladding (2006) points
Being a colored nerd is difficult, but being a Dominican immigrant colored nerd is virtually hopeless. Oscar lives in a world that reflects the history of his country. In Junot Diaz’s The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, the use of historical references is important to the book as a whole in order to understand the present day life of Oscar. Although the book is about Oscar, a majority of the novel tells the story of the de León family history and their life according to the fukú curse. For Oscar’s family, being an immigrant was difficult due to how history has affected the family. Living in the Dominican Republic during the time of a horrible dictatorship was not an easy life for Oscar’s mother Belicia. The way that she has been treated and her family has been treated is a reflection of how Oscar’s identity has been shaped. For Oscar, being a Dominican immigrant, lives a life struggle after struggle in order to prove to others how truly Dominican he is despite what others think. While people think he is the complete opposite of a masculine Dominican, Oscar tries to prove them wrong. His struggle to find love and be in a stable relationship also reflects the way his family’s romantic history with the constantly failed relationships. All the mishaps, events, and unavoidable conflicts in Oscar’s life are a direct representation of the history of his family’s past. The cultural, political, and family history explains the similarities between the past and present that ultimately leads Oscar to his inevitable fate.
At first, the plot seems to be easily kind of expected. Before watching movie, I thought the plot would be like about a boy who chased after his dream, never gives up his dream and even achieves what he wants after difficulties. While watching the movie in the theater, I realized how the plot has a twist in that. It is not a typical movie with expected plot. It is not about the idea of a young boy who always follow his own dream. It is about the family meaning throughout the movie. When Miguel was lost in the Land of the Dead, his death relatives try their best to bring Miguel back to his home. Or when Miguel learns the truth about his great-great grandad, his real great-great grandad was almost being forgotten because no one in the Living Land remembers him. Miguel went back home to try his best to help his great grandma Coco remember his dad again by singing her favorite song “Remember Me”. The importance of family is emphasized throughout the movie. Family are still family after all the difficulties. Instead of the easy story, the writer and director bring an unexpected plot in the movie, which had made Coco more enjoyable with a heartfelt message that everybody can see from