Barrio Boy Questions and Answers
by Ernesto Galarza

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• Barrio Boy
  Galarza describes the setting and what it is like to live in a mountain village. An old man tells him, “the forest doesn’t belong to anyone, and it belongs to everyone.” How does Ernesto interpret this?
  In the book Barrio Boy, author Ernesto Galarza describes the culture of the rural mountain village of Jalcocotán, one of the oldest towns in the Mexican state of Nayarit. Ernesto Galarza writes his...

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• Barrio Boy
  What evidence is there that Miss Hopley does not speak Spanish?
  In Barrio Boy, Miss Hopley is the principal of the Lincoln Elementary School. Ernesto describes her as a "giant," as she is rather tall, but she is also very kind and friendly. We learn that she...

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• Barrio Boy
  What different kinds of socio-cultural tensions are there in the book Barrio Boy?
  Barrio Boy is in large part the story of Ernesto's immigration to the United States and his attempts at maintaining connections to his heritage while adjusting to US society. Given this, one might...

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• Barrio Boy
  What is the most important idea in the first paragraph of Barrio Boy? Cite specific evidence from the text to support your answer.
  The most important idea in the first paragraph of "Barrio Boy" is that America is different from Mazatlan. The story states, "It was a new building, painted yellow, with a shingled roof that was...

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• Barrio Boy
  How do Miss Hopley’s actions in paragraph 7 and 8 of Barrio Boy help Ernesto decide whether the principal is a possible friend or a menace? What does he decide about her? Cite specific evidence from the text to support your answer.
  It is evident that Ernesto decides that Miss Hopley is a possible friend based on the descriptive details attributed to her in the text. She is described as having a "warm welcome" in her eyes. She...

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• Barrio Boy
  Look at Ernesto’s description of his new school in California and his old school in mazatlan. What do you notice about his choice of words and expressions? How does his language reveal his feelings?
  The first thing that Ernesto mentions is the size of the school, which took up a half block and was three stories tall. The wooden building was also new and painted yellow. A specific difference...

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• Barrio Boy
  What are the fictional and nonfictional elements used by Galarza in this story?
  Mexican American literature struggled to be published before the beginning of the 1970s. It was only in this time that the genre of nonfictional Mexican American literature finally began to find...

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• Barrio Boy
  In the book Barrio Boy, the author uses chronological order to reveal the details of the story. Discuss whether the use of this technique is effective or not.
  Barrio Boy is an autobiography that was written by Ernesto Galarza. It is about the experiences of a Mexican boy who moves from a small village in Mexico to a barrio in Sacramento, California....

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• Barrio Boy
  What is the author's experience like on his first day of school in Barrio Boy?
  Initially, young Ernesto is scared and intimidated by his new school. Much of his fear stems from the fact that he has a very limited command of the English language, which is the main language of...

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• Barrio Boy
  In "Barrio Boy", how did Ernesto and his mother communicate with Miss Hopley, the Principal?
  Ernesto and his mother communicate with Miss Hopley with the aid of a student interpreter. After Ernesto and his mother are comfortably settled in her office, Miss Hopley opens a door in the far...

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• Barrio Boy
  Who are the main characters in Barrio Boy by Ernesto Galarza?
  The plot revolves around the main character, Ernesto Galarza, who is raised by his mother, Dona Henriqueta. Dona was divorced by Ernesto's father when Ernesto was just an infant. This is a story of...

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• Barrio Boy
  Who is the narrator of the story "Barrio Boy" by Ernesto Galarza?
  In "Barrio Boy," Ernesto Galarza tells the story of his life from the time he lived in a small town in Mexico to his family's move to California in the United States. Even though he was very young...

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• Barrio Boy
  In Barrio Boy, how does Ernesto Galarza develop a personal philosophy of virtues (when, where, and how)?
  A personal philosophy of values can be defined as an individual making personal choices to define right and wrong behavior as opposed to external laws or culture determining right and wrong for the...

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• Barrio Boy
  “Barrio Boy” and “No Gumption”. How are these two memoirs similar? How are they different? In what ways are the authors’ choices and depictions related to the subject matter of their stories?
  The two memoirs are similar because the center on boyhood experiences that include poverty and hard work; they are different in locations and family situation, and the authors are different...

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• Barrio Boy
  What are examples of the technique of speech, actions and interactions of the characters in the story that the author uses to bring the characters to life throughout the story Barrio Boy?
  Galarza uses dialogue and direct characterization to describe the events of his childhood. Galarza often incorporates dialogue directly into the paragraph when he characterizes someone, such as his...

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