Jontay B

As I read the prompt, the first immigrant that came to mind for me was my grandfather. My grandfather was born and raised in Trinidad and Tobago, with his mother, father, and two siblings. His family struggled at times, but he managed to get by. He lived in the Caribbean until he was able to save enough money to move to the states. Upon his arrival, he hopped from job to job, until he started driving buses for schools which became his profession. After driving a handful of years for a company, he eventually opened up his own bus company which he worked and ran until he was seventy. He recently just retired in 2019, and was finally able to purchase his dream home in Florida a year before. This reminded me of chapter forty-three because Esperanza was describing to us her dream home and how it’s going to be set up when she gets it. My grandfather used to do the same thing, telling me where and how he wants his own house to be when he gets it and starts settling in. Another reason why this vignette stood out to me was Esperanza expressed that she didn’t want any males allowed in her home and wanted the home to be solely owned by her. This was the author’s way of expressing the desire she had of finally being freed from all male power and dominance. My grandfather in a way was just like this because he expressed how when he moved in he wanted to live alone. He said he didn’t mind us visiting, but he’s been through so much in life living with others that he just wants to be in the comfort of his home alone and peaceful. The second vignette that stood out to me was chapter thirty-eight because it reminded me of situations that happened within my life that ripped me of my innocence in ways. My experiences may not have been as bad as Esperanza’s was when the boys attacked her, but they did leave me traumatized. I’ve seen and been put in situations where my life could’ve ended, and I didn’t blame anyone but myself, similar to Esperanza. I felt like I would’ve gotten in more trouble had I said something to my parents because most of the time I was somewhere doing something I wasn’t supposed to. Had I not been moving so fast at times I felt like I could’ve easily avoided many of the situations I was put in that made me feel this way.