Lindsay Barber
The Earl of Tennessee
The vignette begins by vividly describing the setting as old
and used, but also beautiful. The
flowers show the beauty in it, even though they are described as dusty and
infested with cockroaches. The tone is
mysterious, creating confusion for the reader when it describes the few times
the children actually see Earl is when he goes to work. His blinds are always drawn during the day
with a heavy old wooden door that moans when he returns late at night. Earl is depicted as a man who is very
predictable, he always has a routine; he wakes up, goes to work, and wears the
same felt hat everyday. This conclusion
can also be drawn by the motif of the damp, moldy smell that follows him around
like a thick fog. The theme of loyalty
is explored here because everyone seems to have a different idea of what his
wife looks like, when each of these women have quick, short visits to his
house. Since the point of view is being
told matter of factly, it’s hard to tell what feelings are felt by Esperanza,
so the reader can make their own thoughts and opinions.
Sire
As Esperanza is growing up, she notices the looks that she
gets from boys on her street. The boy
Sire who lives on her street, and also the boy she has a crush on, frightens
her. She knows that she gets attention
from him as she walks down the street, but never looks him back. I feel emotions of sympathy for her because
he is not liked by her parents who warn her that he is a punk and not to talk
to him. When she meets his girlfriend,
she studies her physical appearance and notices the pink polish on her toes and
her made up face; but starts comparing actual skills such as tying shoes. A skill Esperanza has and she doesn’t. Lois doesn’t have common sense or the
knowledge of many basic things; she is the girl that wonders into dark alleys,
Mama warns Esperanza. Towards the end of
the vignette she becomes envious that she doesn’t have someone like how Sire
and Lois have each other and she longs for someone to be with.
Four Skinny Trees
I feel upset upon reading the first paragraph where
Esperanza feels that she has no one. No
one understands her or could possible know how she feels besides four skinny
trees. She feels that she is a raggedy
excuse for a person who just takes up space like the trees planted by the
city. The reoccurring theme of being
optimistic and her ability to find the best in anything or anyone shines
through. Esperanza that their strength
is a secret, just like hers. Her unseen
talent is compared to that of the hidden tree roots underground. I am overwhelmed by feelings of inspiration
once I finished the vignette. She was
able to recognize that they are her own inspiration. When there is nothing else to look at,
Esperanza finds solitude, her reason to push, and reach for the stars.
No Speak English
As Esperanza observes the man’s wife, Mamacita, she noticed
how she not once, left their house. She
missed Mexico, a part of her that she would never get back. Although the woman is hugely fat, she is
still found to be beautiful in the eyes of Esperanza. Mamacita sits by the window all day; similar
to how Esperanza’s unhappy grandmother did when she was not satisfied with her
life. Esperanza is able to simplify
things, down to where she believes that she is kept in the house out of fear of
not being able to speak English. The
vignette remarks about the loud yelling and arguments between the two and how
she is always kept inside. Because of
her young age and naïve, she might not able to comprehend the full situation. It breaks her heart that he insists to speak
the ugly language that she is unable to understand.
Rafaela Who Drinks Coconut & Papaya Juice on Tuesdays
Rafaela is another
woman trapped up in a house when her husband is away, demonstrating the path that
Esperanza wants to avoid at all costs.
Rafaela is so beautiful and in love that she sacrifices her freedom to
be with her husband. Even if it means
that she is sometimes miserable.
Esperanza categorizes her into a certain group of women that are drawn
to oppressive men. This is evident when
she suggests that even when she was to become independent, she would just go to
another bar and find another one.
Esperanza exemplifies greater writing skills along with her own internal
and external conflicts that she explores such as her sexuality and
autonomy.
Sally
Sally is another
girl who attends Esperanza’s school and idolizes her. She represents a kind of sexual maturity that
Esperanza finds intriguing. As time goes
by, Sally starts to slip away when she returns home each day to her overly
religious father who finds her beauty have a potential for creating
trouble. Esperanza pities her and wishes
that she could just move somewhere else away from him and his ways. Esperanza romanticizes Sally, and it is clear
that she is beginning to choose Sally’s path, at least temporarily. Now that Esperanza wants to be Sally’s new
best friend, Rachel and Lucy begin to slowly fade away from the story
line.
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