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  • Essay / Literary Analysis of Under the Feet of Jesus by Helena Maria Viramontes

    In Viramontes' novel, “Under the Feet of Jesus,” the resilient nature of Estrella, or the main character, results from her life experiences past and the trials and tribulations she endured during her life. Viramontes reveals this through the use of selective details, figurative language, and tone. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay At the beginning of the passage, a question is asked of the reader by Viramontes. The question is “So what is it?” » This question is important because it signifies how much Estrella is thirsty for knowledge and doesn't want to discover much. The scene begins with Estrella looking through Perfecto's toolbox. She's trying to figure out what all the tools are and what they're all for. She describes them as “foreign” and “funny-shaped”. The tone is immediately set: confusion. It becomes increasingly clear that Estrella is frustrated by her own lack of knowledge and this confusion turns to anger. Her lack of knowledge overwhelms her and therefore she is unable to control her emotions. The selective details the author adds to the work also reinforce Estrella's appearance of resilience to the reader. The narrator adds an additional story that happened earlier in Estrella's life. This story is meant to give us insight into her character and why she gets so easily frustrated and confused. The verb used here is "hate", which makes the story feel like it's a strong, passionate situation. This tone is the tone that will follow the story for the rest of time. Estrella honestly states that one of her teachers “never gave her the information she wanted.” As a result, Estrella remains ignorant of certain things, through no fault of her own. This is also why she is so curious. The figurative language also gives the characters insight into her resilient nature. An example of this is she calls her trachers "crumpled kleenex", this shows her direct personality, she is willing to say what needs to be said. When PErfecto enters Estrella's life, she begins to develop more. For example, she asks about her tools, this may be a seemingly insignificant detail but it shows Estrella's thirst for knowledge. This thirst is maintained by Perfecto. The selective details also establish a solid foundation that is necessary for understanding the context of Estrella's life. Figurative language is able to provide the emotional background we need and want for the story. The selective details are structured so that we can learn just enough about Estrella's life without knowing too much. Keep in mind: this is just a sample. Get a personalized article from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay Finally, tone and Didlouges in the passage are essential tools we need to fully understand the story. This helps the author make the character perceived as he was intended to be perceived. She is a strong and resilient woman and this is very clear throughout the passage. Works Cited Castillo, A. (1996). Latin charcuterie: prose and poetry. WW Norton & Company. Chávez, LR (2008). The Latino Threat: Building Immigrants, Citizens, and the Nation. Stanford University Press. Cisneros, S. (1991). The house on Mango Street. Vintage. Gonzalez, J. (1995). Harvest of Empire: A History of Latinos in America. Penguin Books. Heffernan, J. A. W. (2017). A writer's reference. Bedford/St. Martin's.Herrera-Sobek,.