She reached the baseball diamond before dusk, the\ f s.kies like whipped clouds with linings of ripe ne~ arine~t~ ed.
Viramontes is able to describe ordinary things by using food. I think this is really fascinating because it ties in food while Estrella and her family are dealing with food injustice. This description made me think about how Estrella and her family are most likley always thinking about when the next meal will be on there table or when they will get a drink of water.
The mother~ upward, straightening-9 nekneethenthe~and Estrella ~o~ • I)an@_'th~ re getting. Li · b · ~t,f,Ji~movement of bee legs._Eventhe black straight skin she ~ JIwore ~eemed tighter and her). elly_s illed over the belt "•of waist, lax muscles of open births, er loose ponytail ,fo'~untidy after the laundry.
I understand what Viramontes is trying to say here because of how descriptive she is. Her word choice of describing the mother helps readers and myself to create our own thoughts and images about hear. When I read this, I felt heartbroken. The way Viramontes relates her veins to a grape vine made my mind think about the women and men. They are working so harvesting and producing these grape vines that they don't even have time to take care of themselves.
The blue bottle and the brand cola and pulp of themoon over the cedar shakes of the ham wouldn't havebeen so strong if she wasn't so thirsty, so hungry, sotired she wanted to curl up in the straw and shut thetrapdoors, let the dust settle in _the dark and close hereyes
The tone and example that Viramontes uses her shows how Estrella and her family are having food injustice issues. The image that readers can paint in there mind of how weak Estrealla is from having no availbility of food nor water. Due to the low income and lifestyle they live, food and water is sacred.
Is that what happens? Estrella thought, people justuse you until you're all used up, then rip you into pieceswhen they're finished using you? She scratched underher hat, the day's sweat working its way into her scalp.She should have taken a drink from the cooling bucketof water before coming
Viramontes signifies the struggle and hardships for Estrella. Helena Viramontes is able to use the imagery of Estrella's life to capture the life she is living. In this specific passage, Estrella is emotionally and physcially attatched to this barn. Vermontes uses questions to make the audience feel what Estrella is feeling. This barn has been a part of her life for multiple years and now, and then poof, it's gone. As I think deeper into this paragrpah, I wonder if the barn does get taken down, won't a part of Estrella?
Don't let them make you feel you did a crimefor picking the vegetables they'll be eating :t~==~JD.~ stop you, i _tty_to p_ull.,y..o.ui~ 6u tell em e birth certificates are under \feet of Jesus ·ust tell them. The mother paused, still not lnirning around and Estrella could see.the track of bra\ JVetched across her T-shirt back
By highlighting all the things that could fail in the family, Viramontes descibes their lives as insatable. Because farmers or laborers are paid by how much harvest, it is the most instable form of work. There are so many variables that play into harvesting that it will end up paying very poorly and offers only short-term work periods. This unstable life forms Estrella's world.
The floodlights aimed at the phantoms in"t:- the field. Or were the lights directed at her? Could the~ spectators see her from where she stood? Where was~ home? A ball hit, a blunt instrument against a skull, A:::S· · player ran the bases for the point~re. Destination:~ late. Who would catch th~ who was hun-gry enou to run th eld in all that light? The perfecttarget. The lushe he element of surprise. Astunned deer waiting or the bullet. A few of the spec-tators applauded. Estrella fisted her knife and ran, hershadow fading into the approaching night
More specifically, Viramontes uses specific moments to describe something far beyond that story. In this case, she is using a metaphor to descirbe Estrella's feelings of humiliation. She wonders what people view her as or if people look down upon her because she works on this farm. She feels very aliniated from others because she doesn't have a "home base." She doesn't have a home that stays in one place. And by reading "deeper" into this novel, it opens new ideas to how Estrella truly feels.
Carrying the full basket to the paper was not hke thepicture on the red raisin boxes Estrella saw in the mar-kets, not like the woman wearing a fluffy bonnet, hold-ing out the grapes with her smiling, ruby lips, the sun.., l a flaf _bjange behind her.
This imagery of the small, red boxes of raisins that I used to eat growing up makes me think deeper about how I never think about where my food comes from. Someone must plant the seeds of the sweet potatoes I get from Whole Foods. Someone must pull and clip the berries that I eat. Helena Viramontes brings up a new thought into my brain by describing the "sterotype" that we see on raisin boxes. The sterotype that the women on the raisan box is the total opposite of what it is actually like. Instead of smiles, it is tears. Instead of ruby lips, it is craked and sun brunt lips. This example that Viramontes states makes my heart ache for Estrella and her family.
carried t e full basket Ith the help of a so ~hip ancllciieeled-15eor C-G ers of grapes. The mus- ~des of her back coiled like barbed wire and clawedagainst whatever movement she made.
While depicting Estrella's field work, Helena Viramontes focuses on the physical labor that the entire family has to endure. For Estrella, the work was brutal and exhausted. On page 53, Viramontes states, "Estrella carried thr full basket with the hlep of a sore hip and kneeles before the clusters of grapes, The muscles of her back coiled like barbed wire and clawed against whatever movemnt she made." By using these descirptive words, Viramontes is able to ephasize the grueling pain that Estrella faced while working on the farm.