IXL | Analyze passages from Esperanza Rising: Part 2

Read the following passage from Esperanza Rising. In this excerpt, Esperanza and Isabel discuss the evening's party as they shell almonds.

Clean and dressed, with still wet hair, Esperanza and Isabel went outside to the wooden table under the trees. Josefina had given them a burlap bag of almonds that she wanted shelled. Isabel bent over and brushed her hair in the dry air. "Are you coming to the jamaica tonight?" she asked.

Esperanza didn't answer at first. She had not left the cabin since she had made a fool of herself yesterday. "I don't know. Maybe."

"My mama said it is best to get it over with and face people. And that if they tease you, you should just laugh," said Isabel.

"I know," said Esperanza, fluffing her own hair that was already almost dry. She dumped the nuts onto the table and picked up an almond still in its flattened pod. The soft and fuzzy outside hull looked like two hands pressed together, protecting something inside. Esperanza popped it open and found the almond shell. She snapped the edge of the shell and pried it apart, then pulled the meat from its defenses and ate it. "I suppose Marta will be there tonight?"

"Probably," said Isabel. "And all of her friends, too."

"How does she know English?"

"She was born here and her mother, too. They are citizens," said Isabel, helping shell the almonds. "Her father came from Sonora during the revolution. They have never even been to Mexico. There's lots of kids who live in our camp who have never been to Mexico. My father doesn't like it when Marta comes to our jamaicas, though, because she is always talking to people about striking. There was almost a strike during almonds but not enough people agreed to stop working. My mama says that if there had been a strike, we would have had to go into the orchard and shake the trees ourselves for these almonds."

"Then we're lucky. What is your mother making with these nuts?"

"Flan de almendra," said Isabel. "She will sell slices at the jamaica tonight."

Esperanza's mouth watered. Almond flan was one of her favorite sweets. "Then I've made my decision. I will come."

Why is Esperanza hesitant about going to the

jamaica?

She is worried that people will tease her.

She is unsure if she will finish her work in time.

She is waiting to see if Marta will invite her.

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Learn with an example

question

Read the following passage from Esperanza Rising. In this excerpt, Esperanza and Miguel give Marta and her mother Ada a ride back to the strikers' farm.

"Are you coming to our camp?" asked Miguel.

"No," said Marta. "As you probably know, I'm not welcome there. We're going a mile or so up the road to the strikers' farm. We were tossed out of the migrant workers' camp and were told either to go back to work or leave. So we left. We aren't going to work under those disgusting conditions and for those pitiful wages."

Ada was quiet and nodded when Marta talked about the strike. Esperanza felt a twinge of envy when she noticed that Marta never let go of her mother's hand.

"There are hundreds of us together at this farm, but thousands around the county and more people join our cause each day. You are new here, but in time, you'll understand what we're trying to change. Turn left," she said, pointing to a dirt road rutted with tire marks.

Miguel turned down the path bordered in cotton fields. Finally, they reached several acres of land surrounded by chain-link fencing and barbed wire, its single opening guarded by several men wearing armbands.

"Aquí. Right here," said Ada.

"What are the guards for?" asked Esperanza.

"They're for protection," said Marta. "The farmer who owns the land is sympathetic to us but a lot of people don't like the strikers causing trouble. We've had threats. The men take turns at the entrance."

Miguel pulled the truck to the side of the road and stopped.

There were only ten wooden toilet stalls for hundreds of people and Esperanza could smell the effects from the truck. Some people lived in tents but others had only burlap bags stretched between poles. Some were living in their cars or old trucks. Mattresses were on the ground, where people and dogs rested. A goat was tied to a tree. There was a long pipe that lay on top of the ground and a line of water spigots sticking up from it. Near each spigot were pots and pans and campfire rings, the makings of outdoor kitchens. In an irrigation ditch, women were washing clothes, and children were bathing at the same time. Clotheslines ran everywhere. It was a great jumble of humanity and confusion.

Esperanza could not stop looking. She felt hypnotized by the squalor but Marta and her mother didn't seem the least bit embarrassed.

"Home, sweet home," said Marta.

What is the most likely reason why Marta and Ada do not seem embarrassed by their living conditions?

They are proud of their decision to strike, no matter what the cost.

They are hiding their embarrassment from Esperanza and Miguel.

They have never lived anywhere else and are used to poor conditions.

solution

The details in the passage support this inference:

green checkmark, They are proud of their decision to strike, no matter what the cost.

The details in the passage do not support these inferences:

red X symbol, They are hiding their embarrassment from Esperanza and Miguel.

The passage does not suggest that Marta and Ada are embarrassed. Marta's and Ada's behavior suggests that they are proud of their decision.

red X symbol, They have never lived anywhere else and are used to poor conditions.

The passage says that Marta and Ada were tossed out of the migrant workers' camp before they came to stay at the strikers' farm.

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Not feeling ready yet? These can help:

J.5Analyze passages from Esperanza Rising: Part 1

G.2Draw inferences from literary texts

Q.2Identify supporting details in literary texts

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B.2Determine the themes of short stories

B.New!Determine multiple themes of short stories

C.2Compare and contrast characters

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