When I was Puerto Rican
Here is a picture of the book we read I think it's a great book because it talks about many things I can relate to and I think many other people could relate to it as well. Even though at times it may have had some boring or bland parts in the book the climaxes it had made it worth reading. I also think what made this book better was the fact that we discussed each chapter in depth after we finished reading them because by discussing with other people you get other points of view that you may not have |
Discussion Webs
Below you can see my discussion webs which show how much you contribute to the chapter discussions of WIWPR. I tried to talk in every single discussion and I was able to accomplish that goal, I did notice that my participation went up towards the end of the chapters
Final Reflection
Which character did you enjoy the most during your reading of When I Was Puerto Rican?
I tried to go for a character that wasn’t a main character to be unique but I wanted it to be someone that still played an important role or had an impact on someone in the story. So I decided to choose Francisco, even though he may not have been around as much as I would've like and wasn’t a big part the family's life compared to the other characters. When he was present though there he brought happiness to the family and made Mami feel like every women should feel, loved. Not only did he have a positive impact on Mami but she also made Esmeralda happy since seeing her mom happy was something she always wanted especially after everything she had done for her and everything she had gone through.
Identify the climax of the story. Explain why you feel Santiago made that moment the most important in the story.
I saw many different climaxes throughout the book but the one that stood out the most for me was on the last chapter when someone actually believed in her. After getting knocked down many times and not getting any support, Esmeralda would always try her best and on the last chapter it paid off. I thought the new school in Brooklyn was going to be just like all the other ones she had been to where the teachers were usually mean she didn’t seem to fit in but this time it was different. When I started to read that the advisor was actually interested in having Esmeralda go to a better school because they felt like she had potential it I felt some sort of relief and I was surprised at the same time, I couldn’t imagine what it may have felt like to be Esmeralda at that moment. From that moment forward I think we could say that her life only got better and better.
Identify a pivotal moment in the story. If you changed the events, how would that affect the rest of the story?
Just like the climax there were many pivotal moments in this story, I chose to discuss two which are, when we noticed that the reason they wouldn’t leave to Puerto Rico was because of the dad and the second moment was when Francisco was diagnosed with cancer. If Esmeraldas dad wouldn’t of been so attached to the family and Puerto Rico maybe they would’ve left to New York earlier. Which would’ve changed the outcome completely because who knows if mami would’ve found Francisco and maybe Esmeralda wouldn’t of gotten the opportunity to go to the school
Who is a character you feel is treated unfairly? What present day person do you see being treated similarly to this character?
The character who was treated unfairly throughout the whole story was Mami because she was always putting in all her effort into having a functional family yet she never got any reward for her effort instead she would get really bad things to happen in her life and even though she would get knocked down many times through the story she would always get back up. Not only would she get back up but she would also keep trying to find the best for her family and try to get them out of the situation they were in. She was also criticized when she got a job which was completely ok a since she was trying support her family and that is similar to today where sometimes women are not given as many opportunities as men, but luckily times have changed and it isn’t like this anymore. (not as much)
I tried to go for a character that wasn’t a main character to be unique but I wanted it to be someone that still played an important role or had an impact on someone in the story. So I decided to choose Francisco, even though he may not have been around as much as I would've like and wasn’t a big part the family's life compared to the other characters. When he was present though there he brought happiness to the family and made Mami feel like every women should feel, loved. Not only did he have a positive impact on Mami but she also made Esmeralda happy since seeing her mom happy was something she always wanted especially after everything she had done for her and everything she had gone through.
Identify the climax of the story. Explain why you feel Santiago made that moment the most important in the story.
I saw many different climaxes throughout the book but the one that stood out the most for me was on the last chapter when someone actually believed in her. After getting knocked down many times and not getting any support, Esmeralda would always try her best and on the last chapter it paid off. I thought the new school in Brooklyn was going to be just like all the other ones she had been to where the teachers were usually mean she didn’t seem to fit in but this time it was different. When I started to read that the advisor was actually interested in having Esmeralda go to a better school because they felt like she had potential it I felt some sort of relief and I was surprised at the same time, I couldn’t imagine what it may have felt like to be Esmeralda at that moment. From that moment forward I think we could say that her life only got better and better.
Identify a pivotal moment in the story. If you changed the events, how would that affect the rest of the story?
Just like the climax there were many pivotal moments in this story, I chose to discuss two which are, when we noticed that the reason they wouldn’t leave to Puerto Rico was because of the dad and the second moment was when Francisco was diagnosed with cancer. If Esmeraldas dad wouldn’t of been so attached to the family and Puerto Rico maybe they would’ve left to New York earlier. Which would’ve changed the outcome completely because who knows if mami would’ve found Francisco and maybe Esmeralda wouldn’t of gotten the opportunity to go to the school
Who is a character you feel is treated unfairly? What present day person do you see being treated similarly to this character?
The character who was treated unfairly throughout the whole story was Mami because she was always putting in all her effort into having a functional family yet she never got any reward for her effort instead she would get really bad things to happen in her life and even though she would get knocked down many times through the story she would always get back up. Not only would she get back up but she would also keep trying to find the best for her family and try to get them out of the situation they were in. She was also criticized when she got a job which was completely ok a since she was trying support her family and that is similar to today where sometimes women are not given as many opportunities as men, but luckily times have changed and it isn’t like this anymore. (not as much)