Throughout the book, Negi struggles to find a stable cultural identity which will allow her to live in the United States while still retaining her Puerto Rican heritage. ... Whenever Negi looks inside herself, she finds deep rifts in her cultural and ethnic identity.
What is the tone of When I Was Puerto Rican?
The story is overall written in a hopeful tone though there are aspects of the story that are filled with despair. The hopeful tone may be at least partly attributed to the fact of Esmeralda’s youth.
What is the summary of When I Was Puerto Rican?
When I Was Puerto Rican tells the story of Esmeralda Santiago, called “Negi” by her family, as she moves from Puerto Rico to New York City and comes of age . The memoir opens in the early 1950s when Negi is four.
When were Puerto Rican quotes important?
Preview — When I Was Puerto Rican by Esmeralda Santiago
“ What doesn’t kill you, makes you fat .” “I dressed to their murmurs in the other room, their voices soft but strained, and I wondered if men ever talked like this, if their sorrows ever spilled into these secret cadences.”
What does Jibaro mean in When I Was Puerto Rican?
In Puerto Rican culture, the term jíbaro is used in the way hillbilly is used in American culture. Puerto Rican society views jíbaros, or “peasants ,” as ignorant and backward. ... Later, Mami becomes one of the first women in their peasant village to get a job.
Who are the main characters in When I Was Puerto Rican?
- Negi. The protagonist and narrator of the book. ...
- Mami. Mami is Negi’s mother. ...
- Papi. Papi is Negi’s father. ...
- Abuela. Abuela is Papi’s mother and Negi’s grandmother (“abuela” means grandmother in Spanish). ...
- Tata. Tata is Mami’s mother. ...
- Delsa. ...
- Doña Andrea. ...
- Tío Lalo.
Why does Esmeralda hate Brooklyn?
The judges thought that Esmeralda’s Puerto Rican identity made her special, although Esmeralda thought that she didn’t get in because she wasn’t being “American” enough. So she hates Brooklyn and in Manhattan where the school is, Esmeralda will be away from Brooklyn a lot.
How old is Esmeralda in When I Was Puerto Rican?
The protagonist and narrator of the book. Negi’s real name is Esmeralda; she was given “Negi” as a nickname as an infant because her skin was nearly black. She’s the first child that Mami and Papi have together and is four years old when her memoir begins.
What is the main idea of dreams of a better life?
It began as a plain but revolutionary notion: each person has the right to pursue happiness, and the freedom to strive for a better life through hard work and fair ambition. But over time, this dream has come to represent a set of expectations about owning things and making money.
Where did Negi live in Puerto Rico?
When Negi was a young girl, she lived in a tin house in Macún, Puerto Rico . Her family moved around a great deal because of her father’s unsteady job and her parents constant bickering. They moved to Santurce, a suburb of San Juan, several times.
Who wrote El Jibaro quizlet?
Who wrote El Jibaro? Manuel Alonso .
When was when I was Puerto Rican set?
When I Was Puerto Rican is a 1993 autobiography written by Puerto Rican native Esmeralda Santiago. ... This first book begins by describing Santiago’s life in Macún, a sector of Candelaria barrio in Toa Baja, Puerto Rico . It details the circumstances that led to her mother bringing her and her siblings to New York.
What did Negi learn during her stay to her grandmother Abuela?
Devastated, Negi sulks in silence, knowing “that somehow I had been used.” Abuela spends most of her day in prayer or crocheting . ... Days pass, and Abuela teaches Negi to crochet, which she loves. She marvels at her work, “amazed at what my hands had made.” Abuela also teaches Negi how to pray, which confuses her.
How many siblings does Negi have?
Negi, being the oldest, chronicles the birth of her eight brothers and sisters and the steady evaporation of Mami and Papi’s sometimes passionate, sometimes turbulent common-law marriage.
Why did Mr Barone call in Esmeralda?
Barone, a guidance counselor, calls Negi to his office to ask her what she wants to be when she grows up . Negi think that she’s wanted to be a jíbara and a cartographer, but hadn’t thought about it since moving to Brooklyn. She tells Mr. Barone that she reads as a hobby, and he looks disappointed.
Why does Esmeralda want to attend the performing arts school?
Why does Esmeralda want to attend the performing arts school? So that she could leave Brooklyn every day and eventually never return. Because she hated her current school . Because being an actress had always been her dream.
