When I Was Puerto Rican: A Memoir (2020)

Lesson 2
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ELA

Unit 9

7th Grade

Lesson 2 of 29

Objective


Identify and explain the symbolism of the guava in the prologue: “How To Eat A Guava”.

Readings and Materials


  • Book: When I Was Puerto Rican: A Memoir by Esmeralda Santiago  pp. 1 – 11

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Target Task


Multiple Choice

What do the two different guavas symbolize for the narrator?

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Sample Response

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Which piece of evidence best supports the answer to Part A?

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Sample Response

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Writing Prompt

What does the guava symbolize for the narrator? Explain in 5 sentences using details from the text.

Key Questions


  • Is the narrator a child or an adult? How do you know?
  • Read the excerpt: "Today, I stand before a stack of dark green guavas, each perfectly round and hard, each $1.59. The one in my hand is tempting. It smells faintly of late summer afternoons and hopscotch under the mango tree. But this is autumn in New York, and I'm no longer a child" (p. 4). What does the green guava symbolize? How do you know? (The quote signifies Esmeralda Santiago's own child-hood experience of guavas, both ripened and unripened. Her comparison of the two was not one of preference, but rather the experience of being one fruit wrapped in two worlds. What she once enjoyed, she no longer could accept.)
  • What is revealed about the socio economic status of the Santiago family based on the description of the house on page 7?

Notes


  • You may want to include a mini lesson on symbolism within today's lesson.
    • Symbolism allows people to communicate beyond the limits of language.
    • A symbol is a person, place, or object that stands for something beyond itself. Symbols can succinctly communicate complicated, emotionally rich ideas (Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, English Language Arts and Literacy Massachusetts Curriculum Framework - 2017, p. 184)
    • National, religious, and cultural symbols have standard interpretations as well as a personal significance for each individual. For example, the American flag symbolizes the United States of America. The personal significance, however, varies. A U.S. army veteran cherishes its meaning. A terrorist, on the other hand, may find it despicable.
    • For more analysis of the symbolism of the prologue, see Eating Guavas: An Analysis of Esmerelda Santiago's When I Was Puerto Rican as a Tool for a Nuyorican Liberating Theology included in this lesson's materials.

Common Core Standards


  • RI.7.4 — Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative, connotative, and technical meanings; analyze the impact of a specific word choice on meaning and tone.

Next

Identify and analyze the symbolism of the jibaro.

Lesson 3
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