In Tony Went to the Bodega but He Didn’t Buy Anything, Martín Espada shows how culture shock can affect someone who is a minority. The poem starts off by telling us “Tony’s father left the family” (line 1) and immediately I felt sad for Tony, but then it goes on to say that he was a boy who was “nine years old who had to find work” (lines 4-5). Not only does Tony not have a father figure growing up, but due to his financial situation, he now must find a job despite being so young. This is not uncommon because race and socio-economic status are tied, so many minorities have to find jobs at younger, even illegal ages to support their families.
At the bodega, Tony not only learns more about his workplace, he learns more about Latino culture. Music is very important in Latino culture, so that is why he “learned the steps of the dry-mop mambo, banging the cash register like piano percussion” (lines 9-10). At the bodega, Tony felt more at home because of the environment, and the fellow Latinos in it.
When Tony grows older, he goes to law school in Boston with a scholarship. When Tony goes to Boston, he “left the projects too” (line 17) just like his father. Tony was no longer home so he couldn’t continue to work and help his family. This made me think of how his father did basically the same thing, but Tony was going to school
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Many Latino cultures eat rice and beans as a staple of their meals, and that’s what Tony came from. Tremont Street in Boston is a very culturally diverse area, with a large Latino presence, so moving there was a success to Tony. Although people may see success as moving into an expensive loft or buying a big house in the suburbs of Boston, he was happiest where he felt most at home. This poem shows that really no matter where you are, there will be people like you and you can find a place to fit in even if it takes
The two go on a road trip together because Don has performances across the country. Tony sees Don as a genius who has a talent for the piano. Instances of racism are when Tony requests for Don to play a better piano and gets denied because of his race. Tony forces them to get a better piano because he doesn’t
His Passion is Football. He went to college in Eastern Illinois University. It is located on Charleston. When Tony started playing
He speaks much of his parents in a classroom setting and the respect both of them showed their students: “My dad believed you can’t teach only one way with only one syllabus, because while some students might get it, others won’t” (Dungy 14). Tony respected his father’s mind set on teaching and how he treated each individual student. I believe this mind set was passed down to Tony. I’ve noticed in my 18 years of life how hard it can be for some people to give credit to people who have gotten them where they are today.
Anaya writes after Antonio is situated in school, “Miss Maestas sent a note telling her that I was progressing very well, and my mother was happy that a man of learning was once again to be delivered to the Lunas.” (64). Education becomes a large factor in Tony’s life because he’s so intelligent and successful in that regard. Others recognize this, including his teacher, who notifies his family of a new educated Luna. This ends up contributing to the central conflict of his parents clashing beliefs.
The pressures he faced from his family were no longer relevant to the ideas of a future that he had conjured up for himself. Having questioned ideals that seemed imperative he was able to uncover his true feelings toward the subject of independent thinking. And after the life changing events that took place, Tony no longer relied on others and came into his own. Considering the timeline of Antonio’s adolescence it is clear he grew to a point of maturity and independence that allowed him to prepare in choosing his own path in
Tony Dungy 's childhood was different than those around him. Unlike his classmates who were raised under the belief that they would grow up and work at a factory, his parents raised him with the belief that whatever he wanted he could achieve, including college. Tony was raised in a uneducated town with educated parents who made it their mission to help kids be their best. With this childhood Tony is able to see the world very differently. Unlike other coaches, Tony doesn 't give up on his players, he sticks with them and tries different ways of explaining.
However, the outcome of Vance’s life was different as he was graduated from Yale Law School, able to get a well-paying job and currently living the American Dream with his wife Usha. The purpose of the author in this memoir was to understand the reader of how social mobility feels and more importantly, what happens to the lives of the white working-class Americans, in particular the psychological impact that spiritual and material poverty has on their children. J.D Vance provides an explanation for the loss of the American dream to poor white Americans living in a toxic culture in this Ohio steel town.
The loss of Tony’s innocence from situations he counters plays an important role in the maturity he develops by the end of the story. As he is guided by Ultima, lessons are learned and she encourages him to be whatever he wants to be, and grow up into someone that he will be proud of. Magical realism overall contributes to his childhood experiences and his interactions with the world, which shape him into the man he
Many people are undermined by the drawbacks of belonging to a low socioeconomic status. In The House on Mango Street, Esperanza is raised in a poor, Latino community, causing her to be introduced to poverty at an early age. This introduction of poverty affects Esperanza in many ways, one including that she is unable to find success. Esperanza struggles to achieve success in life because the cycle of poverty restricts her in a position in which she cannot break free from her socioeconomic status.
Narrator father is hard workingman who works two jobs to provide enough needs of family so, they won’t be looked poor in community. Narrator dad first job was paper mill and second job was at moonlighter as janitor. The narrator dad was treated well in community even white people because of their financial measure. They were allowed to seat in Cut-Rate Drug Store where no blacks were allowed to sit down. One day, narrator and his dad were walking home and they stop at the Drug Store.
The impoverished conditions in which the residents of this community live are difficult based on the surrounding violence and discrimination they face. Tre, Ricky’s best friend, is able to survive the surrounding violence and discrimination through his father’s sensational leadership; he therefore knows what to do in situations he faces among his friends. However, his friends are not so lucky. For example, Dough doesn’t have great leadership or a father figure, but is raised by a single mother who is determined to get her children to succeed; nevertheless, her main focus is Ricky because he has the most potential; he is an
Tony has five siblings, but his three brothers are fighting in the war and are away. When the brothers finally return, the family is reunited. Unfortunately, not for an extended period of time. Eugene and León soon leave again, and Andrew eventually follows after them. Throughout the story, Tony prays for the act of contrition for three people who pass away.
Although Bodega Dreams is a work of fiction, it tackles the sensitive subject of how immigrant children navigate the society they are thrust in. Being poor and being a minority further complicates the journey into the pursuit of the American dream. As of 2011, it is estimated that 13% of the U.S population was born outside of the United States (Portes and Rivas, 220). The sheer volume of this statistic makes the positive adaptation of this new generation of Americans a priority. However, the inclusion of immigrant children into mainstream society is not an easy path.
In Sandra Cisneros’ The House on Mango Street, the character of Mamacita has the strongest ties to her home she left, and perhaps the strongest desire to escape from Mango Street and return home. Mamacita is a woman with a husband and child, who moved to Chicago from a latin american country. She is somewhat overweight, doesn’t know much English, and stays mostly in her apartment for unknown reasons, singing songs from her native country and crying. Her husband fights with Mamacita, often over her desire to return, and her child is becoming assimilated into American society against her will. Because Mamacita has such strong ties to her heritage and origin, she clings to it tightly, resisting assimilation in any way possible, and highlights
Tony Turry is a Pauper, living in a placid neighborhood known as The Pond, Tony lives on the good side of The Pond, but still has a sullen homestead, with bad smells, no water, and some old chinese food from who knows where. Tony realized that if he did not take action he would soon be evicted and needed to do something, his resume was good, but nobody wanted to hire a depressed worker, they want an elated attitude and a welcoming personality, two things Tony lacked. He never gets calls from his family and only has one friend in his area, Buk Lau, he owns a chinese restaurant near the lakefront. Tony keeps a vigilant eye on all the passers of his house, “the teens always seen enthralled about what’s inside my house”. Maybe this was just Tony