Imagine: you have everything in the world handed to you on a silver platter, a family who loves you, and loyal friends and servants. Then consider, your father is killed, your house is set aflame, and you are forced to flee your home land to escape your greedy uncle’s grasp, only to find out in your new home, you will be reduced to half the life you once led. In Esperanza Rising, the title character is forced to make a drastic life change and faces incredibly difficult bumps in the road, or “mountains and valleys,” as her grandmother calls them. Forced to flee her home with her mother and a handful of close servant- friends, Esperanza crosses the border to California from Mexico to become a farmhand, a very drastic change from her privileged life before. Through manual labor she has never experienced and heartache she could never imagine, Esperanza begins to learn the value of intangible things and small pleasures over her previous notion that money could buy all of her happiness. Like any true coming-of-age story, Esperanza grows into a very able young woman whose view of the world has changed from a spoiled rich girl to a responsible, more spiritual and grateful young lady.
If I was to teach this novel, I would begin with introducing some background information and reading on the Mexican Revolution, eventually supplying information on the Great Depression. It would help for students to read about the state of the farms that a family like Esperanza’s worked on so they truly understand the horrible conditions. Photographs of the farms would be a great way to show students how they actually looked. Eventually, I think it would be a great learning experience to have to students write a few diary entries as Esperanza dealing with difficult events that happen once she is in California, finding new ways to rise above her situation and the differences between her old and new life.
Here are images of Field Workers in California:
You can also find information on the web about the Great Depression and the
Here is a lesson that is a great starting point for discussing the novel and leaves a lot of doors open to direct different activities from it.
Discussion Questions:
1. Esperanza means “hope” in Spanish. In what ways does Esperanza struggle with finding hope throughout the novel? How does she recover to once again find hope? How do the Mexican traditions portrayed in the book help Esperanza become the young woman she ends up being at the end of the novel? What matters more to making Esperanza who she is; the people she is with or the difficulties she encounters?
2. When Esperanza moves to California, she longs to hear the heartbeat of the land as she did with her father back on her family’s ranch. Why can she not hear the heartbeat? Why can she hear the heartbeat at the end of the novel? Why is the heartbeat so significant to Esperanza’s growth?
3. At what moment do you believe Esperanza’s view of her new world begin to change? Can you pick out an example to elaborate on? How does it show her ability to look at the world through a new set of eyes? How is Esperanza like the roses from her Papa?
4. “Mountains and valleys. Mountains and valleys. So many of them, thought Esperanza” (Muñoz Ryan, 246). Abuelita’s blanket holds a great significance in the book and to Esperanza’s life. How does Esperanza relate to the blanket? What does she believe about the blanket? Is Esperanza holding on to a false hope about the blanket or is she right to believe in its “powers” of healing (in more ways than one)?
5. How does Esperanza’s relationship with Miguel change throughout the book? Are they still on opposite sides of the river? How does her relationship with her heritage and her sense of self-worth change by the end of the book? Give a couple examples that you think are significant.
Pam Muñoz Ryan is a nationally acclaimed author for young readers with books ranging from picture books to young adult novels. She was born and raised in San Joaquin Valley, California. Through reading her biography and finding that she has a very large family, it is clear that Muñoz Ryan takes a lot of inspiration for her novel Esperanza Rising, from their influence. Muñoz Ryan “considers herself truly American because her cultural background is an ethnic smorgasbord. She is Spanish, Mexican, Basque, Italian, and Oklahoman” (http://www.pammunozryan.com/bio.html).
Pam's Family:
Her grandmother, Esperanza Ortega at age 19
Her grandmother, Esperanza, and her grandfather, Jesus Muñoz (the inspiration for Miguel)
Pam’s great-grandfather, Sixto Ortega, with his two sisters who were nuns in a convent near Aguascalientes, Mexico.
(http://www.pammunozryan.com/familyph.html)
Podcast: http://www.brighthorizons.com/bookfair/podcasts/ryan.htm
I would like to see this book co-taught with a Social Studies teacher about immigration in an 8th grade classroom. While the book provides a nice story, it also offers the opportunity to discuss the immigrant experience in the United States as well as labor unions in the U.S.
ReplyDeleteThis book seems like a powerful text to teach. I agree with Kaleen's comment about co-teaching this text with the Social Studies teacher. I think that a thorough understanding of the time period and its historical events is vital to the comprehension of Esperanza Rising. Webquests that explore the Great Depression and Mexican Revolution can even be designed for students to participate in either prior to or during reading to build background knowledge.
ReplyDeleteI really like your idea of using photos as one way to give students background information on the topic you're teaching. Photos are a way to allow students to really see what a time period was like that they never had the chance to experience. Reading about a place or event is one thing, but actually seeing it gives students a whole new level of understanding.
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