Eugene is the boy that the narrator likes and she mentions how smart he is and he felt the same way about her. What we do know is that he just moved to Paterson, New Jersey and he goes to Elena's school.
b. The narrator is coming of age other than starting her period she begins to like a boy named Eugene. She also has a strong passion for reading and she's very bright. On page page 11 she says, "As for me, I was going to go to college and become a teacher." This shows us that she's very driven and she's working toward her goal.
3 a. The narrator is in ninth grade and the story is set in the 1960's. This chapter also talks about the death of President Kennedy and how the people in El Building dealt with his death.
b. The chapter takes place in Paterson, New Jersey and Elena and her family are immigrants who migrated from Puerto Rico. She lives in El Building with other immigrants who came from "the island" and they're always ". . . blasting out salsas from open windows as the residents, mostly new immigrants just up from the island, tried to drown out whatever they were currently enduring with loud music."(pg. 7). The quote also states that these new immigrants are new to the Untied States and they must adjust to their new lives.These are people who have been through many hardships before they came to America and they have a long way to go.
4 a. "American History" is a slice of the narrator's life growing up. We're exposed to her experiencing racism for the first time and developing feelings for a boy who didn't reject her. She also shows us how her mother becomes wary after she had her period. Lastly, we get to experience the death of President Kennedy and how Elena's mother and El building dealt with it,
9 a. Socio-cultural issues are customs, lifestyle, and values that characterize a society. There are many examples of socio-cultural issues in "American History", but these were that I picked. On page 8 the narrator has expressed her strong feelings of being miserable because she forgot her gloves and her knuckles were turning red from being so cold outside. As we go into the next page an African American girl named Gail said, " 'Didn't you eat your rice and beans and pork chops for breakfast today?' " Elena begins to feel insecure about herself because she can't keep up with these girls. Then she begins to go into detail about her insecurities, "They always seemed to warm while I froze.'' (pg. 8) Another example is when Elena goes to Eugene's house to study and she's confronted by his mother. Elena is blown away by how sweet his mother's voice is, but its not friendly. " ' . Eugene doesn't want to study with you. He is a smart boy. Doesn't need help. You understand me. . .' " (pg. 14). Elena experiences racism for the first time. She realizes that this woman has a clear meaning behind her words. Her tone is harsh and unwelcoming. Elena's feelings are hurt and she tried crying for the death of President Kennedy, but her tears came from somewhere deep inside her.
Issues
- Prejudice
- Racism
- judgement
- Immigration
- American Society's views on immigration
- Insecurity
- Lack of Empathy
- Adjustment
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