What is a Memoir?...Symbolism Francisco Jiménez includes multiple symbols or signs in his autobiography, Breaking Through. Some references to religion, cultural awareness, racial

© Copyright 2013. The Johns Hopkins University. All Rights Reserved. 43

What is a M

emoir?

• A litera

ry g

enre

• A w

ritten, b

rief perso

nal ex

perien

ce or m

emory

• It cap

tures certa

in h

igh

ligh

ts or m

ean

ingfu

l even

ts in o

ne’s p

ast

44 © Copyright 2013. The Johns Hopkins University. All Rights Reserved.

A M

emoi

r•

Ref

lect

s on

th

e m

ean

ing o

f th

at

even

t

(th

eme-

mes

sage

or

less

on

mig

ht

be

revea

led

at

this

poin

t)

• D

escr

ibes

th

e ev

ents

an

d t

hen

sh

ow

s w

hy t

he

even

t is

sig

nif

ican

t

• F

ocu

ses

in o

n a

pro

ble

m o

r co

nfl

ict

an

d i

ts r

esolu

tion

• S

how

s h

ow

an

d w

hy t

he

reso

luti

on

is

sign

ific

an

t to

th

e p

erso

n w

ho

exp

erie

nce

d t

he

even

t


Elements for a M

emoir

• Th

eme

• Settin

g

• Ch

ara

cters

• Voice- w

hat w

e hea

r in o

ur h

ead

as th

e writer ca

ptu

res perso

nality

• Dia

logu

e

• Reflectio

n a

nd

self disco

very

• Poin

t of V

iew- first p

erson

• Su

bject- p

erson

, pla

ce, an

imal, o

r ob

ject


Biog

raph

y an

d A

utob

iogr

aphy

bio

(lif

e)

grap

h (w

rite

)au

to (

self

)

bio

+ gr

aph

= bi

ogra

phy

When

som

eone

wri

tes

the

life

sto

ry o

f an

oth

er p

erso

n, it

is

call

ed a

bio

gra

phy.

auto

+ b

io +

gra

ph =

bio

grap

hyW

e ca

n w

rite

our

ow

n l

ife

story

. W

hen

we

wri

te o

ur

ow

n l

ife

story

, it

is c

alle

d a

n a

uto

bio

gra

phy.


BiographyT

he sto

ry o

f a p

erson

’s life written

by a

noth

er perso

n

The read

ing selectio

ns in

the an

tholo

gy, O

ne More River To C

ross, are bio

grap

hical acco

unts o

f African

Am

ericans w

ho h

ave m

ade sp

ecial

contrib

utio

ns to

society.


Aut

obio

grap

hy

A s

tory

of

a p

erso

n’s

lif

e w

ritt

en b

y t

hat

per

son


Th

ird-p

erson

poin

t of v

iew lim

ited:

is when

a voice o

utsid

e of th

e story

tells the

story. T

he read

er sees the w

orld

thro

ugh o

nly

on

e character’s ey

es, and

kn

ow

s on

ly w

hat

this ch

aracter thin

ks.

First-p

erson

poin

t of v

iew:

is when

a character tells th

e story

and th

e reader

kn

ow

s on

ly w

hat th

is character is th

ink

ing

and

seeing.

Point of View

Th

ird-p

erson

poin

t of v

iew om

niscient:is w

hen

a voice o

utsid

e of th

e story

tells the

story. T

he read

er can k

now

what an

y ch

ar-

acter is thin

kin

g o

r doin

g.

Francisco tells his story from this point of view. H

e describeslife am

ong the Jiménez fam

ily through his lens.


Bio Poem

Francisco JiménezName

Famous for

When

Where

Word that describes

(tell more about)

Another word that describes

(tell even more about)

Selected Nickname

Composers Square


Mam

á

Com

pari

son

Char

t

Both

Papá


Indiv

iduals

Perso

nality

Traits

Sig

nifican

t

Contrib

utio

ns

Your F

eelings A

bout

This In

div

idual

Fran

cisco

Pap

á

Mam

á

Roberto

Early Perceptions

Breaking Through/Personality Chart

Reco

rd in

form

atio

n, a

s requ

ested, in

each

colu

mn

of th

is chart. S

elect an

d co

mp

are tw

o in

div

idu

als. W

rite a b

rief sum

mary

describ

ing th

eir

simila

rities an

d d

ifferences.


Personality Wheel

Papá

Chapters 16-20 Chap

ters

11-1

5

Chapters 6-10Ch

apte

rs 1-

5

Chapters 20-25Write several summary statements describing any changes that have taken place in Papá’s personality.


Personality Wheel

Francisco

Chapters 16-20 Chap

ters

11-1

5

Chapters 6-10Ch

apte

rs 1-

5

Chapters 20-25Write several summary statements describing any changes that have taken place in Francisco’s

personality.


Com

pari

son

Char

t

Caus

eEf

fect

Resu

lts

(eff

ect)

Caus

eEf

fect

Resu

lts

(eff

ect)


ThoughtsWhat thoughts were going through Francisco’s head when the immigration officer came to his classroom? This

exercise has been started for you below.

Internal Conflicts

Example: Francisco was happy and excited about

going to school, but he felt sad since Roberto had to

work.

External Conflicts

Example: Francisco could not take trumpet lessons

from his teacher because the family had to move.


Theme

Th

e au

thor’s cen

tral m

essage o

r insig

ht in

to life th

at h

e or sh

e wan

ts

the rea

der to

un

dersta

nd

.

Th

emes in

Breaking Through:

The sig

nifican

ce of fam

ily u

nity

and h

ow

to su

stain it

The p

ow

er of settin

g g

oals an

d stay

ing fo

cused

on m

eeting th

em

The im

portan

ce of p

ursu

ing an

educatio

n

The n

eed fo

r indiv

iduals to

seek h

um

or an

d u

se it to o

btain

hum

ility

The b

reakin

g d

ow

n o

f barriers

The ab

ility to

main

tain a stro

ng w

ork

ethic

Wh

at o

ther th

emes w

ere ad

dressed

by th

e au

thor?


Styl

eT

he

way a

n a

uth

or

pu

ts h

is o

r h

er t

hou

gh

ts i

nto

word

s.

Sty

le c

an

en

com

pass

an

au

thor’s

in

div

idu

al

word

ch

oic

e an

d s

yn

tax,

an

d t

he

infl

uen

ce o

f an

au

thor’s

per

son

ali

ty o

n t

he

sub

ject

matt

er.

Th

e ty

pe

of

wri

tin

g a

n a

uth

or

use

s to

cre

ate

a m

ood

, in

clu

din

g h

is o

r

her

use

of

sym

bols

, m

etap

hors

, im

ager

y, p

ara

doxes

, an

d i

ron

y.


Style T

he a

uth

or u

ses the fo

llow

ing w

ord

s in h

is mem

oir, “

Th

e Circu

it,”

an

d in

his a

uto

bio

gra

ph

y B

reaking Through. R

ead

each

word

carefu

lly, an

d resp

on

d to

the fo

llow

ing q

uestio

ns:

How

man

y o

f these w

ord

s do y

ou

use in

you

r spea

kin

g a

nd

writin

g v

oca

bu

lary

?

Ch

oose fiv

e of y

ou

r favorites a

nd

write d

escriptiv

e senten

ces for ea

ch.

smirk

ing

strum

min

g

grip

pin

g

clench

ing

screechin

g

bick

ering

rottin

g

dan

glin

g

thin

nin

g

shru

ggin

g

cruisin

g

recedin

g

rootin

g

shred

din

g


Sym

bolis

mF

ran

cisc

o J

imén

ez i

ncl

ud

es m

ult

iple

sym

bols

or

sign

s in

his

au

tob

iogra

ph

y, B

reak

ing

Thro

ugh.

Som

e re

fere

nce

s to

rel

igio

n,

cult

ura

l aw

are

nes

s, r

aci

al

bia

s, s

up

erst

itio

n, et

c., are

em

bed

ded

in

the

text

an

d t

hey

ad

d t

o t

he

rich

nes

s of

the

story

.

Exam

ples

of h

ow th

e au

thor

use

d sy

mbo

lism

:

Page

45

Papá

sha

res

that

a c

uran

dera

has

cur

ed h

im. H

e sa

ys t

hat

his

back

is

bette

r be

caus

e th

ecu

rand

era

rem

oved

the

hex

that

had

bee

n pl

aced

on

him

.

Page

46

The

auth

or d

escr

ibes

in d

etai

l how

the

cura

nder

a cu

red

Papá

.


Symbolism

Th

e sym

bols referred

to in

this tex

t can

be a

ssocia

ted w

ith relig

ion

,

sup

erstition

, an

d tra

ditio

ns o

r rituals.

Throughout the autobiography the author sends the message that Papá w

asphysically exhausted because of his m

any years of work in the fields.

The author makes reference to Papá’s m

ood changes, back pain, callusedhands, and depression.


Jour

nal

A w

ritt

en a

ccou

nt

of

wh

at

on

e h

as

don

e, f

elt,

or

thou

gh

t; a

book

kee

pin

g s

uch

an

acc

ou

nt;

gen

erall

y c

on

sid

ered

to b

e

syn

on

ym

ou

s w

ith

dia

ry

Trav

el J

ourn

al E

ntri

esD

ay #

5M

y te

am h

iked

to th

e to

p of

the

San

Yasi

dra

Mou

ntai

ns w

here

the

view

w

as b

reat

htak

ing.

Day

#10

Alth

ough

our

trip

has

bee

n ex

citin

g an

d ve

ry a

dven

turo

us, I

am

gla

d to

be

hea

ded

hom

e.


StoryboardS

um

marize sig

nifica

nt ev

ents fro

m B

reaking Through.

Even

t #1

Even

t #2

Even

t #3

Even

t #4

Conclu

sion


Journal-Chapter Summary StatementsWhen you have completed reading each chapter, think about the author’s message to you as the reader. Summarize

your thoughts, share opinions, and make comments.

Chapter 1 “Forced Out”

Chapter 2 “Home Alone”




Chapter 3 “Stepping Out”

Chapter 4 “Together Again”




Chapter 5 “Back to the Fields”

Chapter 6 “Saint Christopher Medal”




Chapter 7 “Summer Skirmishes”

Chapter 8 “Becoming a Saint”




Chapter 9 “If the Shoe Fits”

Chapter 10 “A Promotion”




Chapter 11 “A Typing Machine”

Chapter 12 “Making Connections”




Chapter 13 “Broken Heart”

Chapter 14 “Behind the Wheel”




Chapter 15 “Turning a Page”

Chapter 16 “Los Santitos”




Chapter 17 “Choosing Sides”

Chapter 18 “Junior Scandals”




Chapter 19 “Running for Office”

Chapter 20 “A New Life”




Chapter 21 “A Test of Faith”

Chapter 22 “A Fumble”




Chapter 23 “A Breakthrough”

Chapter 24 “Graduation Day”




Chapter 25 “Still Moving”


Data CentralComparison Chart

Francisco Jiménez Cesar Chavez

Born (year and location)

Resided

Family Characteristics

Personality Traits

Accomplishments


Data CentralCesar Chavez Quotes

“A word as to the education of the heart. We don’t

believe that this can be imparted through books; it can

only be imparted through the loving touch of the

teacher.”

“Real education should consist of drawing the goodness and the best out

of our students. What better books can there be than the book of humanity?”

“Preservation of one’s own culture does not require contempt or disrespect

for other cultures.”

“Students must have initiative; they should not be mere imitators. They must

learn to think and act for themselves-and be free.”

“Non-violence is not inaction. It is not discussion. It is not for the timid or

weak... Non-violence is hard work. It is the willingness to sacrifice. It is the

patience to win.”

“Violence just hurts those who are already hurt... Instead of exposing the

brutality of the oppressor, it justifies it.”

“When workers fall back on violence, they are lost. Oh, they might win some

of their demands and might end a little earlier, but they give up their

imagination, their creativity, their will to work hard and to suffer for that

they believe is right.”

“You are never strong enough that you don’t need help.”

Breaking Through


Word Play

How many words can you make from the words...

MIGRANT WORKERS

IMMIGRATION


Word Meaning Different Form

analyze to separate the whole into parts for study analysis

apply to put to use application

assess to make a judgement about assessment

categorize to classify by placing in specifically defined divisions category

cite to quote as an authority citation

clarify to make clear and understandable clarification

compare to describe similar comparison

conclude to bring to an end conclusion

construct to form by assembly or combine parts construction

contrast to show differences contrasting

create to make or bring into existence creation

describe to give account of in words description

design to think and plan out in the mind designed

develop to make or become clear development

differentiate to make or become different differentiation

distinguish to find and explain the differences distinguished

elaborate to express at greater length elaboration

evaluate to test or estimate evaluation

examine to inspect examination

explain to make understandable explanation

generalize to speak or write in a nonspecific manner generalization

illustrate to clarify by use of examples illustration

imply to express or indicate indirectly implication

infer to conclude from evidence inference

interpret to explain or clarify meaning interpretation

justify to demonstrate to be right, or valid justification

paraphrase to give the meaning in different words paraphrased

predict to make known in advance prediction

solve to answer a problem solution

summarize to review essential points summarization

verify to determine or test the truth verification

visualize to form a mental image or vision visualization

Thinking Skills Vocabulary


Accuracy

Adjusting

Administration

Algae

Alphabetical

Aluminum

Analyzing

Announcements

Antlers

Anxious

Argue

Aspirins

Auditorium

Bandaged

Barracks

Bedpan

Bickering

Binders

Bleachers

Blurted

Brochures

Calculated

Cannery

Caressed

Cast

Ceramic

Ceremony

Certificates

Chamois

Chuckling

Clenched

Comments

Commercial

Compliment

Concentrate

Concrete

Confidently

Consumed

Contractor

Corridor

Creaked

Cruising

Curandera

Dangling

Darted

Dashboard

Decal

Deported

Depression

Detergent

Difficulties

Disappointed

Disheveled

Distract

Doted

Emotionally

Emphasized

Enthusiasm

Eventually

Exaggerating

Examined

Exhausted

Explorations

Fascinated

Feather-dusted

Fidgety

Floated

Gangly

Garages

Grammatical

Gratitude

Gripping

Gulped

Haggard

Hernia

Hesitated

Hexed

Humorous

Hysterically

Illegally

Imagination

Imitating

Immigration

Incense

Interior

Interrupt

Khaki

Labor

Lapels

Lectern

Lettuce

License

Linoleum

Lip-synch

Listless

Breaking Through Vocabulary

Breaking Through Vocabulary Continued

Machete

Mange

Mannerly

Melancholy

Memorable

Memorize

Mentioned

Miniature

Mistreated

Moaned

Mosquito

Murky

Mushy

Muttered

Navel

Old clunker

Opponent

Palm

Pants

Partially

Pelted

Penguins

Peppered

Petition

Petrified

Plumed

Podium

Pouted

Pricking

Pronouncing

Proposed

Protested

Puckered

Quivered

Raspy

Receding

Reclining

Rectangular

Rendering

Representatives

Reputation

Reservoir

Rival

Rotting

Ruptured

Scanned

Scarce

Scolded

Screeching

Scrunched

Segregation

Separate

Shed

Shirtsleeve

Shredding

Shrugging

Signatures

Skirmish

Skits

Sluggish

Smirk

Snickering

Sophomore

Sparse

Splinters

Sputtered

Squeegee

Squirmed

Squirted

Straightening

Strumming

Stuttered

Substitute

Suffocating

Summarized

Swirled

Tadpoles

Tents

Thinning

Treasure

Tuberculosis

Underneath

Underweight

Upholstery

Varicose veins

Visas

Vise

Wearily

Weird

Whistled

Winced

Wire-rimmed

Wiry

Wreaths

Yanked


Documents

What is a Memoir?...Symbolism Francisco Jiménez includes multiple symbols or signs in his autobiography, Breaking Through. Some references to religion, cultural awareness, racial