Comparing 'The Medicine Bag And An Hour With Abuelo'

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The Medicine Bag by Virginia Driving Hawk Sneve and An Hour with Abuelo by Judith Ortiz Cofer are similar stories in which two boys overcome their embarrassments about their grandfathers and realize the importance of their families’ traditions and heritages. In The Medicine Bag, there is a boy named Martin. He would tell tales about his grandfather as a Native Indian to his friends. But in An Hour with Abuelo, there is an obnoxious high-school boy named Arturo. Arturo was told that if he read and pass all the reading tests, he would be in the AP English class he so desires. But, his Summer vacation is almost over and he hasn’t started on reading the books. He also has a dying grandfather that his mom begs him to visit him. Both boys will learn …show more content…

Martin has an embarrassed feeling about his great Grandfather visiting him. Martin says, “Oh, no! It’s Grandpa!” On pg. 43 (I.R.) This quote tells the reader that he isn’t excited at all to see his great Grandfather visiting him by surprise. Arturo, on the other hand, has an obnoxious attitude towards his Grandfather, basically towards everyone. Arturo says, “And really the Abuelo always has a lot of relatives visiting him, so I’ve gotten out of going there.” On pg. 128. This quote tells the reader that he just cares about himself. Both Martin and Arturo had to deal with their feelings about their grandfather …show more content…

Martin learns that he doesn’t need to be ashamed of his family. “I heard one of them (Martin’s friends) murmur, “Wow!” On pg.122. This quote tells the reader that Martin’s friends had reacted differently than he would have thought they would. Arturo learned something differently than Martin. He learns that if you spend time with your family, you’ll learn something fascinating about them. When Arturo’s hour with his grandfather is up, he said this, “I want my mother to wait for a little...to make sure she knows I’m not in a rush.” On pg. 133 proves that after Arturo spent an hour with Abuelo, Arturo wanted to learn more about his