In order to understand the setting of a novel,
you must know where the novel takes place and when it takes place.
Understanding where is as simple as referring to a map to pinpoint
the main geographic location(s) of the story. Understanding when a
story takes place is sometimes a more complex task. Esperanza Rising
is set during the Great Depression in the United States. Esperanza's
story also stems from a series of historical events in Mexico. Her
story bridges two cultures and two countries.
Activity One is designed to build on your background
of the historical context for the novel. Your task to select one of
the topics below, visit the links under that topic, and then choose
one site to become an expert on. You and your partner will write a
summary of the information given at that site.
History of Mexico
The Great Depression
Migrant Labor
Be sure to review
Tips
for Writing a Summary and The
Essence of a Summary. Refer to the Scoring
Guide for Summary Writing before and during the writing process.
Activity Two: An Interview
With Esperanza Ortega, Migrant Farm Worker (Group Project)
What was the migrant camp experience like for
Esperanza and the thousands of real Mexican farm laborers who crossed
the border in the 1930's? Your task is to research, develop, and present
a "live" interview with Esperanza Ortega. The purpose of
your interview is give your audience an understanding of the day-to-day
challenges faced by Mexican migrants. Your interview may be presented
"live" in front of the classroom or as a pre-recorded audio
or video tape. In addition to an interviewer and Esperanza, you will
need one or two additional characters from the book to participate
in the interview.
You might want to listen to the taped interviews
of Jose Flores and Augustus Martinez, two Mexican migrant workers
interviewed in the 1930's. Esperanza Ortega is a "somewhat fictional
character" (author Pam Munoz Ryan created Esperanza from her
recollections of stories her grandmother told her about her own migration
from Mexico to the fields of California). Jose Flores and Augustus
Martinez, however, are real characters who labored as migrant farmworkers
during the 1930's, just like Esperanza. Their interviews are now online
at the Library of Congress's Voices of the Dust Bowl Collection: Interviews
with Jose
Flores and Augustus
Martinez.
As you and your teammates begin Activity Two,
be sure to refer to the Scoring Guide
for a Live Interview to help guide and organize your research
and presentation.
Activity Three: I Am Poem (Individual Project)
Esperanza experiences many changes in her life.
Her early years in Mexico are in stark contrast to her life in California.
Your task is to write an "I Am" poem to tell the story of
Esperanza's migration to the fields and migrant labor camps of California.
Using information from the novel and from the online sources listed
above in Activity Two, you will write a three-stanza poem in honor
of Esperanza's travels, challenges, losses, and victories. When you
have finished creating your poem, mount it on poster board and illustrate
it with original art or primary source images. Create your poem using
the I Am Format.
For full credit, your "I Am" poem
must include the following:
First Stanza
-
Information and thoughts
about Esperanza's life in Mexico
-
Information and thoughts
about Esperanza's family
-
Information and thoughts
about the Mexican Revolution
Second Stanza
-
Information and thoughts
about Esperanza's life in the migrant camp
-
Information and thoughts
about the Great Depression
-
Information and thoughts
about her life as a Mexican farm laborer
Third Stanza
-
Esperanza's personal setbacks
-
Her growth as a character
-
Her sources of strength
and encouragement
Be sure to use the Scoring
Guide for I Am Poem as a guideline.
Learning Advice
In order to meet the deadlines
for each activity and to be well prepared, you will need to work together
cooperatively and make every minute of classroom and at-home research
time count. You will be completing a Group
Participation Evaluation for Activity One and
Activity Two.
Conclusion
The setting for Esperanza Rising is a migrant
labor camp in California during the 1930's. What have you learned
about child labor during the Great Depression? Do you think that present-day
working and living conditions have changed significantly for farm
laborers?
Note: The photograph of
the migrant children was copied with permission from the Library of
Congress online collection Voices
from the Dust Bowl.
Comments or questions? Please contact
Gail Desler.
