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Jascinth E. Findlay
Literature Circles Extension Project Reflection: Esperanza Rising was easy to read and had my imagination quite active as I am able to relate to several of the themes that emerged. Pam Munoz Ryan brought out vividly Esperanza’s experiences from her fairytale life on a Mexican ranch to life on a labor camp in the United States of America. Esperanza’s life was significantly changed after her father’s death. There is much inspiration in the maturity and responsibility she displayed after a series of challenging encounters. Her mom had to resort to significant life changing decisions. The story has clear depictions of some of the disappointments and resilience that women have to confront. Importantly, it’s their reactions and the context of their decisions that impacts most. My project seeks to highlight some of the glaring themes presented in the story. The moral of the story has relevance to many present day encounters. It forces attention to the realities of many immigrants who participate in various schemes to enter the United States with the hope for improvement in the quality of their lives. Literature Circles Extension Project Literature Circle Response Project Self-Evaluation Describe the process you went through as you created your project. Much thought went into finalizing the final format of presentation for this project. The book being as compelling as it is, triggered several themes. I decided that these could be represented pictorially accompanied by text. I conducted a detailed Internet search for the most appropriate pictures I thought could represent each theme. Pictures were written about to reflect their context in the book. A PowerPoint presentation was found suitable to display the graphics and related information. I believe the selected themes reasonably depict the essence of the story, Esperanza Rising. In what ways does your project reflect an important part of the book? With the emphasis of my project being themes from the book, it naturally reflects important aspects. Esperanza’s transition from a rich lifestyle to life on a farm is significant. Captured in the project are features of this change. They include her adjustment to a humble individual which helped in her being accepted by her new associates, responsibility she displayed by caring for her mother and actually working and the hardship she endured with a new life on a farm. How does this project show what you have learnt about the book? The project demonstrates much of the main points portrayed by the book. This book in many ways reminds that life may sometimes have an uphill effect and other times, downhill. The reflection on migrant lifestyles on farms in the United States for people seeking “better way of life” is instructive that life does not necessarily get better by being in the United States. The theme of resilience stands out showing that life may present many difficulties but strong personal character will guide individuals to make prudent decisions. |