Vocabulary
•la frontera – the US/Mexican border
• El Rancho Blanco – The White Ranch
•mi’jo – my son
•Cantinflas – a famous movie star from the past
•Dios le quiera – God wishes it
•Otra vez la burra al trigo – again the donkey in the wheat (you are being bothersome)
•Panchito – Little Francisco
•la migra – the immigration officials
•viejo/vieja – old man/old woman
•comal – metal skillet used over an open fire
•verdolagas – green fruit (wild)
Border: The line that officially separates two countries
Enroll: to register at a
school
Farm Worker: A person hired
to work on a farm
Feigned: Not real; fictitious
Foreman: The person in charge
of a group of workers
Furrows: Narrow trenches in
soil made by a plow
Jalopy: A rickety or battered
old car
Labor Camp: A place where
migrant farm workers dwell
Makeshift: Providing a
temporary and usually crude substitute
Outskirts: The areas at the
edge of town
Questions
1. Where did they start from? Where are they now? What problems did they encounter along the way?
2.Why is the family undertaking such a trip? Do you think they knew very much about where they were going? Why or why not?
3.Why does Roberto think that they are definitely in California when the train conductor drops off the package of fruit and candy?
4.How do you feel about this family now that you know they are illegal immigrants? Would it make a difference to you if they had crossed the border legally? Why or why not?
5.Author’s Purpose: Why did he include this memory? What is its significance to him?
Nice post.
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