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Why Central Valleyrooms Should Read Esperanza Rising

1544 Words7 Pages

The American dream, hope, and perseverance are the many qualities of Pam Munoz Ryan’s (2000) book Esperanza Rising. The book brings to life the many struggles immigrant families face when trying to build a better life elsewhere. Ryan (2000) shows how hard it is for those to leave all that they know to start over again. She paints a picture of what living was like for migrant workers at that time. She also shows how hard work takes its toll on people. However through it all, with the help of family and friends, one can overcome hardships and find a way to make their dream of a better life become a reality. Esperanza Rising is such a valuable book to use in any Central Valley classroom because it allows migrant students to connect and relate …show more content…

A migrant worker is a person working outside of their home county. Some move from different places doing seasonal work while others remain in one place. Most migrant workers find jobs in the agriculture related industry. The Central Valley in California is home to many migrant families. “Unemployment rates remain high in much of the valley despite strong job growth because of the cyclical nature of employment in one of the valley’s key industries (agriculture)” (Johnson & Hayes, 2004, p. 56). The Central Valley provides food for California and most of the rest of the United States because of the diverse regions and climate. These job opportunities keep migrant workers coming to California looking to build a better life for themselves and their families. Esperanza Rising takes place in the San Joaquin Valley, which is the Central Valley that makes it even more relatable. It mentions places like Bakersfield and other valley towns that make it come to life for the …show more content…

In a conversation with Esperanza Miguel talks about life in Mexico. He says “‘my father and I have lost faith in our country. We were born servants here and no matter how hard we work we will always be servants’” (Ryan, 2000, p. 35). He continues to talk about life in the United States saying, “ ‘the work is hard in the United States but at least there we have a chance to be more than servants’” (Ryan, 2000, p.35). There are many reasons migrant families leave their countries. They might be forced out, for political or economic reasons, or because they have family already living in the United States. However, the main goal for many is to become more like Miguel explained. For any migrant child living in the Central Valley they can connect to this American dream because that is what their family is trying to do. When talking to a student at Roosevelt Elementary in Hanford, CA he explained the reason his family moved to California. He said, “My father wanted me and my brother to have a better life than him.” This book can help immigrant children make a connection because they see their families, working hard, trying to achieve this better life for

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“Don’t be afraid to start over. ”These are the words that come from immigrants all over the universe. Immigrants have a rigid life. Some of them may have been very rich, but lost everything. Esperanza is just like one of these immigrants in the book Esperanza Rising by Pam Munzos Ryan.

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721 Words | 3 Pages

This book was Pam Muñoz Ryan 's 13th book ever published out of 40. In the book, Esperanza Rising, it describes how there are many ups and downs during your life but to never be afraid to start over. The author of this book, Pam Muñoz Ryan, tells the main character 's story in the best way possible. Pam Muñoz Ryan wrote this book so it would have an impact on everyone who read it.

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They moved in the hope of finding better jobs and higher wages and for a time they found those things. Yet in the wake of a long-term decline in manufacturing in the United States, the economic

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1042 Words | 5 Pages

In 2000, when Ryan wrote Esperanza Rising, nothing really big was going on at the time. Pam Munoz Ryan is half mexican, which inspired her to write this book. Ryan ha received many awards that reflect her writing such as the NEA’s Human and Civil Rights Award, the Virginia Hamilton Literary Award, and the Ludington Award for body of work.

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Ch. 13 Latino Lives: Trying for the Americano Dream This chapter presents an idea of the American dream to the readers with the use of surveys and focus groups. For starters, chapter 13 opens up with the idea of the “American dream” being a subjective idea – something I, Alicia, will explain to the class (10 minutes). For some people, it implies monetary or material gain and success, for others, it implies the idea of freedom and opportunity. The idea of the “American dream” has lured countless of people, including immigrants, to migrate to the United States in hopes of a better life. However, there is this idea that assimilation must occur in order for Latinos to achieve their very own definition of the “Americano dream” as well (Fraga,

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Family, Home, and Community in The Grapes of Wrath In the novel The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck, a major theme is that of changing home, family, and community. Throughout the book, the characters' experiences change their views on the varying importance of these things. From the very first chapter to the last, the importance of family is emphasized even as the concept of family changes. The meaning of home also changes over the course of the story.

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Throughout high school, many books are assigned to be read during the summer with the intent of opening students’ minds to learn. Students who read the books often find them enjoyable, however, there are some books that don’t acquire the same positive impact. Enrique’s Journey by Sonia Nazario, unfortunately, happens to be one of those books. The writer attempts to shine a positive light on immigrants and their struggle to get into the United States for a successful life, but ultimately contradicts her message by the end of the novel when Enrique ultimately throws his life away once arriving. Enrique’s Journey should not be considered as required reading material because the situation portrayed only happens to a small percentage of immigrants

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The Effects of Poverty The American Dream, the reason why many people immigrate to the United States. Seemingly, it seems to be viewed as the land of the great and the free, but with regards to immigration many problems do arise. For example, poverty which can usually be the result of different factors, can ultimately lead to many struggles and repressions. In Junot Diaz’s book Drown, that is a collection of short stories that circle around a family from the Dominican Republic that move to the United States. They face numerous problems especially the protagonist, Yunior, who struggles not only with himself and impoverishment.

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Immigration involves moving from our home country to another in order to get a better life. In Esperanza rising, she goes from having everything to losing everything. How she lost everything is the death of her dad. After learning about Esperanza Rising, Esperanza faced several challenges such as the fire and her Dad's Death! The first challenge that Esperanza faced was not knowing how to do chores.

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1550 Words | 7 Pages

According to Labor Department statistics, “People of color are nearly twice as likely to be out of work as Caucasian Americans, even when they have the same degree” (Rassuli 1). Despite the number of immigrants coming to America in search of freedom and new opportunities, citizens see them as “outsiders” and “unwelcomed” (2). These immigrants come to America for a better life, chasing the “American Dream,” only to be “struck down” by American society (2). Imbolo Mbue explores these challenges that immigrants face and expands on the obstacles they have to overcome in her book Behold the Dreamers. Mbue’s characterization that highlights the contrast between Jende and Neni creates a sense of irony that reflects her theme of how the American Dream is not possible due to the obstacles that separate immigrants from American culture.

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1124 Words | 5 Pages

Estevan opens up to Taylor about the life threatening decisions he and Esperanza had to make to create change in Guatemala. “This is what I am saying: In Guatemala, you are careful. If you want to change something you can find yourself dead” (Kingsolver, ch. 9). Their story proves that immigrants leave their country to be released of the dangers that they had in their past life. Had Estevan and Esperanza stayed in Guatemala their lives along with many others would have been lost.

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1117 Words | 5 Pages

Many people are undermined by the drawbacks of belonging to a low socioeconomic status. In The House on Mango Street, Esperanza is raised in a poor, Latino community, causing her to be introduced to poverty at an early age. This introduction of poverty affects Esperanza in many ways, one including that she is unable to find success. Esperanza struggles to achieve success in life because the cycle of poverty restricts her in a position in which she cannot break free from her socioeconomic status.

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2666 Words | 11 Pages

In All I asking for is my body by Milton Murayama, The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan, and Bread Givers by Anzia Yezierska, the stories of immigrants are told in conjunction with the stories of their children and their respective viewpoints. The way immigration is posed through the lenses of the children of immigrants yields a perspective on the assimilation of a family or bloodline in a new country. While it is ultimately parents of first generation immigrants who decide that the family is to plant new roots in a new place, it is up to the children to decide how these roots will grow and manifest; children become conflicted between their new, modern American surroundings, and the more archaic, traditional view of their parents’ past lives. Before

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1627 Words | 7 Pages

They grow up and they grow down and grab the earth between their hairy toes and bite the sky with violent teeth and never quit their anger. This is how they keep.” (Cisneros 93) Esperanza deduces that she must follow their example, and make her way into the world, and for that, she’ll have to move away to, hopefully she wishes, her dream house – her soil for embedding her

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717 Words | 3 Pages

“In the meantime they’ll just have to move a little farther north from Mango Street, a little farther away every time people like us keep moving in (Cisneros 13).” This quote is a significant part of the story because it shows how Esperanza truly feels about herself and her family. She thinks that because she is poor and lives and a bad neighborhood people move away from her family. Esperanza doesn’t think very much of her or her family at all. She thinks that it is because of their race that people do not want to be near them.

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