Advanced Placement Students
Before assigning the novel, I want my students to research some background information about the author and the socio-economic conditions of her native city, East Los Angeles, and the living conditions of the working poor, the homeless and undocumented people. This initial work is important because my students do not know anything about the social environment H.M. Viramontes recreates in her novel. I will suggest that they search in the archives of
The New York Times
and
The Los Angeles Times
, which has interesting videos about migrant people and their daily struggles. They can also search in the archives of Historical Newspaper in the USA from 1700s to 2000s, and in those of the Library of Congress. My students will work in groups and they will write a brief paper illustrating the results of their research. In class, each group will present the results of their research and during that presentation I will lead them to analyze, discuss, and reflect on the various texts they have found (photographs, videos, or written texts).The specific strategies for the newspaper articles are in the Lesson Plans Section.
For the visual texts (photographs), I will ask them
- What details do you see?
- How do these details contribute to the theme of the visual text?
- What do they tell you about the migrant people? How?
- What is the tone/atmosphere of the visual text? How do you know?
- Who do you think is the audience? Why?
- What is the occasion? What detail(s) reveal the occasion? Why? How?
- Do you notice bias or prejudice? Why? How? So what?
For videos or video clips, I will ask the same questions, but I will also ask them to focus on how the film has been structured. For instance, I will ask
- Do you think that the director of this video might have started the clip with a different image? If so which, and what result might have been achieved? More effective? How? Less effective? How?
- What would you change in the video? Why?
When the research results have been presented and discussed, my students will start reading the novel. I plan to assign them one chapter at a time and since we do not have class every day but every other day, I expect to finish the first reading of the text in a couple of weeks.
In class, I will begin the study of this novel with a brief writing activity (Quick Write) where they will have the chance to express their initial reactions and reflections about the characters and their conflicts. During our discussion, I will also ask them:
- What does the entire novel tell you about human nature?
- Do you notice differences and/or similarities between the main character's experience (and/or Perfecto, Estrella's step-father and/or Petra, Estrella's mother) and the videos, articles and photographs you researched? How?
Soon after these initial reflections I will focus on the first chapter of the novel. The class will divided in groups of four and will analyze the characterization of Estrella, her mother, Petra, step-father, Perfecto, and Alejo, Estrella's love, through:
- Setting
- Diction
- Imagery and figurative language
- Syntax.
For each literary technique, the students will have to explain how the literary device reveals the character and how it helps the reader understand who the character is. The group which will analyze the importance of setting will have to determine how the environment affects or does not affect Estrella or any other character. They can also determine whether setting contributes to tone, or whether it foreshadows the character's inner feelings. (The specific instructions on how to analyze each literary technique are in the Lesson Plans sections). Each group, then, will share. At this point, I expect my students to reflect on possible differences and/or similarities between the fictional text and the videos, photographs, and articles they have previously analyzed.
When this discussion is over, but before passing to the second chapter of the novel, I want my students to respond to the following prompts:
- The first two pages of the novel present a dramatic situation. Read the excerpt carefully. Then, in a well-organized essay, show how Viramontes's techniques convey the impact of the environment on the main character, Estrella.
- In the first chapter of Viramontes's novel, Estrella and her family are confronted with a mystery which leads them to start an investigation. Write an essay in which you identify the investigation and discuss what it reveals about human nature.
- Creative assignment: In this chapter, Estrella remembers her "real father."
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After reading this page, write the letter Estrella writes to her father. Remember that you are the author now, you are the first person narrator but you might want to include other literary devices like imagery or figurative language.
We will pass, then, to the second chapter of the novel which focuses on Estrella, Alejo, and Perfecto and their respective struggles with their work in the fields, and their intimate relationships. In class, I will open the lesson with a ten minutes writing. On the board, I will write the following prompt:
- "Alejo struggled …. His grandmother has reassured him, this field work was not forever. … Estrella carried a full basket with the help of a sore hip and kneeled before the cluster of grapes. … Perfecto Flores thought it best not to get angry."
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Describe and discuss the conflicts these characters face in this part of the novel
Immediately after sharing their reflections and initial analysis of the conflicts Estrella, Alejo, and Perfecto face, I will ask them to close read:
- Estrella's experience in the fields picking grapes in comparison to Alejo's
- Perfecto's struggle with the memory of his early love
- Alejo's poisoning with pesticides.
Each group will have to analyze the character's experiences from the narrator's perspective, diction, and syntax. A share-out will follow the group work, but, before concluding this part, I will ask my students to rewrite some passages from chapter two in first person point of view:
- "Alejo struggled … to mother's pull"
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- Alejo's grandmother … his money order"
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- "Estrella gathered … the approaching night"
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- "Perfecto contemplated … he forgot his way home?"
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After rewriting in first person point of view, they will add their reflections of the effect(s) a different narrator has in conveying conflict.
Before continuing our analysis of Viramontes's novel, I will assign my students Part One of
Go Tell It On The Mountain
by James Baldwin. I expect them to read it, take notes about the main character, his family, his environment, and conflict, so they can compare to Viramontes's characters, setting, and conflict.
When we start our analysis of chapter three, I will follow the same strategies I have used for the previous two chapters, and after the in-class group work and discussion, I will assign them the passage describing Alejo's health struggle with the pesticides poisoning:
- "With the help of Perfecto Flores, Gumecindo carried his cousin into the bungalow … her face looking as if she took her sleep seriously."
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They will first read and annotate, then they will respond to the following prompt:
- After reading this scene from chapter three, analyze the speaker's attitude toward Alejo and Estrella. You may want to take into consideration literary techniques as organization, tone and imagery.
Before passing to the next chapter, I will also ask my students to discuss Estrella's and Alejo's journey to adulthood. What difficulties and/or struggles do they encounter? How do they overcome them, or don't? Why? How does Estrella's journey illuminate the work as a whole?
In the last two chapters of the novel, Estrella begins to act more and more as an adult, and the author constantly compares her to her mother, Petra, who is silently torn between letting Estrella pursue her journey or stop time and keep her innocent for ever. Estrella's journey to adulthood ends after the family leaves Alejo in the hospital and returns to the shack. Estrella is finally a woman, but instead of feeling liberated, she feels filthy. The excerpt that follows is an intense page where mother and daughter are juxtaposed (Estrella took off the muddied dress … the mother was trying to hide her back inner body
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). I will assign this passage and expect a thorough comparison of Estrella's attitude and Petra's attitude. They can analyze the two women's attitudes through the use of diction, details, narrative structure, and syntax.
Before concluding the novel, I will assign them the ending excerpt of the novel in which Estrella finds comfort at the barn.
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In class, we will discuss how the imagery contributes to reveal who Estrella has become. I will also touch upon the theme of womanhood and its meaning in the novel. In particular, I want my students to compare Petra and Estrella and their femininity. Who is the woman they depict? How different is this woman from other models they know? How is this woman different or similar to the model they recognize with? What makes Petra and Estrella different? How? Why? To complete this paper, I expect my students to analyze an excerpt for the novel
John Got His Gun
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, research other essays, poems, and any articles or videos they can find.
As last assignment before the final assessment, I will assign two essays,
Dwellings
by Linda Logan and
No Name Woman
by Maxine Hong Kingston. The first essay discusses coming of age conflicts, and the second illustrates the immigrants' social and personal struggles. As written assignment they will have to:
- Compare and contrast the conflict(s) presented in the essays and the conflict that Estrella, Perfecto, and Petra experience in the novel
- Analyze the effect figurative language, point of view, details, dictions, and tone have on the overall meaning of the essay.
College Students
The first lessons will be entirely devoted to discussing, writing and researching the theme of growing up before introducing the situation of migrant people and the related issues on labor protection. Specifically, my first class will begin with ten minutes writing:
- Growing up is an important component of everybody's life. Why? What issues does it imply? Why? What is your personal experience? Describe it.
I will let my students share their thoughts and briefly discuss the issue(s) they identify as obstacle(s) or problem(s).
When the discussion is over, I will show them a brief video,
Childhood and Growing up
by Gothikahl, which touches upon the speaker's numerous problems: solitude, a place to call home, his room, his freedom, and his bleak vision of coming of age.
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Next to the video, I will also give them the poem
A Path Between Houses
by Greg Rappleve.
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As homework, I expect them to write a poem on one of the issues we discussed in class today.
The next two or three lessons will continue with a similar plan, I will make them share their homework that can be the writing of a poem and a short video clip (they can use their smart phones for the video) with their observations, reflections, or complaint on the same theme of growing up. I will also use the materials they bring to class for textual analysis (the specific plans for the textual analysis is in the Lesson Plans Section). We will also read
Coming of Age at a Sour Time
published by Chrystia Freeland.
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In groups my students will compare and contrast the differences between the old generations' obstacles and today's generations (the strategy for the textual analysis is in the Lesson Plans Section). Another article, which was published by Margiorie Kaufman in
The New York Times
on May 11, 2007, is
Girls Coming of Age Explored in a Novel
. This text is a review of the novel
What Girls Learn
by Karin Cook and it is also a great opportunity to analyze how the author of the article blends references to the novel and criticism. It will also help my students understand how to express tone in writing an analytical piece.
After having introduced the theme of 'coming of age', I will introduce the other theme, the migrants and their connected issues. As I did previously, I will write the following prompt on the board:
- Who is a migrant?
Many of my students might not know anything, but I hope to have someone who has some knowledge to start the conversations. If no one knows anything, I will show them the picture of the various photographs of the
Migrant Mother
by Dorothea Lange
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and will ask them to describe the details they notice. Since there are five different photographs, each group will analyze one photograph, but they will all respond to the following questions:
- What details do you notice? Describe them accurately.
- What is the attitude of the woman? How do you know? Why?
- Who do you think she is? Why?
- Describe her life style. How do you know?
After sharing out their analysis and reflections of the
Migrant Mother
, I will juxtapose it to Maria Silver's
Migrant Mother's Life
published in
The Los Angeles Times
.
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I will also assign them to research other photographs of migrant workers and I will also suggest them to start from the archives of
The Los Angeles Times
. I do not exclude, however, the possibility to search video clips on You Tube, copy them and bring them to class. This will certainly help them understand who the migrant is and his/her various issues.
My next step is to make them research, read, and analyze one or more articles from
The New York Times
and
The Los Angeles Times
(the specific articles I may assign are listed in the Lesson Plans Section together with the instructions for their analysis). When we discuss the articles and the photographs and/or videos, I will take the opportunity to show them how the author uses logos, pathos, and ethos. Once they have understood, I will ask them to write a brief letter to the editor of one the papers (most likely
The Los Angeles Times
since it often discusses the situation of the migrants, or
The New York Times
) arguing their vision on this topic.
At this point, my students are ready to read Viramontes's novel. I will assign it as homework and in class we will begin every lesson with a brief sharing of the pages they read followed by initial reactions and/or comparison to some of the previous articles and/or photographs we have analyzed about both themes: coming of age and migrants. My students will be responsible for researching and bringing to class lyrics, more photographs and/or any art work they create on the same themes.
In class, we will be spending the first thirty minutes of each class (until we finish the novel), or more, discussing the differences and/or similarities between Viramontes's characters and my students' visual or written texts. The leading questions might be:
- After reading this excerpt from Viramontes's novel, what character stands out to you? Why? How?
- What conflict do you notice? How?
- Present or describe your text (the student's text they have researched for homework).
- What stands out to you? Why? How?
- What is the conflict or problem it presents?
- What similarities or differences do you see?
The first time we will compare and contrast the novel and the student's researched text, I expect them to write their responses. After they have familiarized with the analytical process, they will respond orally.
After our daily initial comparison between the novel and other texts, we will analyze (close read) short passages (the specific passages and the analytical strategy will be listed in the Lesson Plans Section). We will also discuss the main character, Estrella, her conflicts in her family, at school, and as a migrant worker. Of course, we will analyze Perfecto, Estrella's step-father, Petra, Estrella's mother, and Alejo, the boy Estrella falls in love with, and their personal and social conflicts.
Before passing to the final assessment, we will read
No Name Woman
, an essay written by Maxine Hong Kingston.
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The author reflects on the struggles immigrants face in their survival journey in a new country. Even though Viramontes's novel deals with migrants who then return to their native country when the seasonal work ends, both immigrants and migrants experience similar social and personal issues. In class, we will read the texts and will first annotate for tone, imagery, figurative language, and theme(s). Once we have finished, I will ask them:
- What strikes you most? Why?
- What issues/struggles the aunt experiences? Why? And what is the cause of these issues?
- What does it tell you about human nature? What specifically in the text supports your claim?
- What similarities and/or differences do you notice?