As Medina transitions from Cuba to a New York public school, he changes his perspective on the move. He explains how “the snow on the ground did not stay white for very long. Nothing does in New York” (Medina 72). The comparison of nothing in New York to the white snow with neither remaining white, or pure, suggests to the audience that his perspective of the United States has changed from bright to darkness. Medina describes his new school as “a typical New York school, a microcosm of the city where all races mingled and fought and, on occasion, learned” (72). Medina’s use of sarcasm towards the kids of his school about rarely learning reveals how he was hoping he would become more educated, but instead the school fights about race more than