Sunday, January 31, 2010

Esperanza Rising

I really enjoyed Esperanza Rising! I hope that I will be able to teach it one day, if I have an age-appropriate class. Grapes of Wrath is one of my favorite pieces of American Literature, and I think Esperanza's story beautifully compliments the original tale. It creates a story involving the American depression and dust bowl and gives it a multicultural spin as well as a child narrator.

The style of writing was easy to read, and I enjoyed the Spanish terminology thrown into the story. To me, this is what true multiculturalism is about, languages and cultures and sayings. I believe there are pieces of the story that represent Hispanic culture, such as laying against the ground to feel the heart beat of the land and the inclusion of Miguel and Esperanza's status differences.

I believe the most important theme of this novel was that true riches are not material wealth but love and family. However, the story does keep this in perspective, including the necessity of money for these things, a place to live and the retrieval of her grandmother.

The novel could be extremely relevant in classrooms today due to the current economic recession, the continued influx of Mexican immigrants, and the focus on family values.

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