1. By Cam McGuire, Tyler Messenkopf and Kyle Guzinski

2.  Rafaela, Rafaela’s husband, Rapunzel and the kids.  Rafaela is lonely  Home all alone  Drinks coconut and papaya juice  Tuesday nights  Locked in her home while her husband is out playing dominoes.

3. 1. Coconut and Papaya juice is an alternative to being lonely because her husband is gone.  Juice is a symbol for loneliness 2. Rafaela has coconut and papaya juice  Wants something sweeter  Always wants something better Examples: “Dreams her hair is like Rapunzel’s”(79). “Wishes there were sweeter drinks”(80).

4.  She is trapped in her house by her husband who is out having a good time.  Loneliness because she is all alone in the house and has nothing to do.  Wants out of house and to be free 

5.  Who can you relate Rafaela to?  If Rafaela had the chance to leave her husband and be free do you think she would? Why or Why not?

6. Sally wears black and nylons. All of the boys like her because she is beautiful Sally's father doesn’t like the way she dresses Esperanza likes the way she dresses and wants her shoes

7.  Her father says, “To be this beautiful is trouble.”  Father worries that she will have problems with bums like in the story The Family of Little Feet where Lucy almost kissed the bum for a dollar  Theme is loneliness and discrimination  Lonely because all guys said they did stuff with her  Judged by her friends because they think that she is easy.  Main idea is she is trapped in this little neighborhood  Everybody thinks she is easy

8.  Why do you think Sally’s friends are judging her because of a false rumor?  Why is it so dangerous for Sally to be wearing black at her age?

9.  Girl Minerva has two kids and a husband  Esperanza’s age  Husband neglects her and her kids  She wanted to end relationship  He beat her and left Minerva and the kids  Every night she writes herself to sleep  To depressed to do anything else  Her mom takes care of the two kids

10.  Women aren’t always treated the greatest.  When you are depressed you don’t have the strength to do anything  Minerva can’t take care of kids

11.  How do you think Minerva’s mom feels knowing that her daughter is depressed and she can’t take care of her kids?  How do you think Esperanza feels knowing that the world isn’t the best place for a female?