LITERARY ANALYSIS PAPER
We read T.C Boyle's The Tortilla Curtain in class and discussed the major themes, symbols, and literary devices that make up this book. We were also asked to keep track of what we read and took away from the book in a reading log that we filled in after reading every chapter. Once we finished the book, we had to each write a Literary Analysis paper on a major theme or symbol that was mentioned in the book. Our teacher gave us a writing packet where we had to write out a draft to each of the paragraphs included in our paragraph. We were assigned a pier editing partner who had to edit, revise, and comment on our drafts. Once all of the edits were made, we typed our our final draft where our teacher made comments. Below I have images of my Reading Log, writing packet, and a draft of my essay that has my teachers comments.
Monica Morales
9th grade Humanities
Britt Shirk
2/25/2012
Literary Analysis Paper- The Tortilla Curtain
The Tortilla Curtain by T.C. Boyle is a satirical novel brilliantly told in the form of many literary devices such as similies, metaphors, and motifs. The story itself is about two families: the Mossbachers, a wealthy family who lives in Arroyo Blanco; and Candido and America, illegal immigrants who came to the United States in search of the “American Dream”. Throughout the book, their lives intertwine as the environment drives them closer to each other, bringing out the best and worst in both families. Throughout this book, we discussed in class most of the motifs, or reoccurring objects, in the story and their symbolism; all of which is very important in the understanding of this book. However, there is one object in this story that we did not pay very much attention to and has a greater meaning behind it, and that is the Chinese Market where Candido and America get most of their food. It is not only a market, but it also represents Candido’s motivation, his safety, and his goal.
( You have a very strong introduction paragraph with some great points. Remember to keep your essay objective by writing in 3rd person. This stylistic choice makes your writing more credible and professional.- Ms. shirk)
Candido is the man of the family; He is the one who is supposed to work and earn a living for his wife. In order to do so, he must go to the labor exchange every day in hope of finding work. However, Candido would not be working if there was no reason to work, so this is why the Chinese market is Candido’s motivation for wanting to work. Candido wants to be able to buy food from the market; he wants to get food for his wife, America. So because the Chinese Market is there, it gives Candido another reason to work. It is there so that whenever he feels like giving up, it is still there saying that it is possible, the American Dream is not so far away. “...and climbed up the hill to the Chinese market, where they wouldn’t be so sure to recognize him, and went in to buy cheese, milk, eggs, tortillas, and half a dozen disposable diapers.” Candido works hard and earns money even in these times; he manages to buy food from the Chinese Market even at a time like this, when he is right in the center of his own collapsing world. It makes me think that Candido and America are closer to economic safety because he manages to buy food from the Chinese Market. However, although it may provide motivation as well as economic safety, it also provides physical safety in some parts of the story.
( You did a great job choosing your textual evidence. I would like to see you stay more focused on your point in your thesis. Remember that this entire paragraph should be proving that the market is a symbol of Candido’s motivation.- ms shirk)
Chapter Two of Part Three in The Tortilla Curtain, the most dangerous, dramatic scene in the book where Candido and America are caught in the middle of a tremendous fire that, ironically, was caused by Candido. Candido and America run up the hill desperately trying to escape the malignantly grasping fingers of the flames, but there is nowhere to go, aside from the Chinese market. ...
(I don’t think you need all of this background information. Also, the questions in the middle of the paragraph take the reader out of your topic and make your paper seem too conversational. Remember to keep a professional tone throughout your essay in order to make the reader rely on your insights.)
“Candido took his wife by the hand and hurried up the road to the Chinese store – closed and shuttered and without a car in the lot – and ducked around the back… They collapsed there, behind the store…” Not only does the market represent economic safety when Candido earns enough money to buy something from the store, but in this case, it provides physical safety by providing Candido and America a temporary safe haven where they can rest while running from the flames. I also think that Candido is safe when in or near the store because he is closer to reaching the American Dream, his dream, his goal.
The American Dream - Candido and America’s primary goal. Since day one in the novel, they have been stuck living in the canyon, barely managing to get one day’s worth of food with the little money they earn. By what was mentioned in the story, the Chinese Market was not the nicest market in town, but still not the worst.-awkward sentence In my opinion, it is because of the Chinese store’s location- not yet in Arroyo Blanco, where Delaney and Kyra live, or in the wealthier parts of L.A., but it is not in the poor parts of it either - it may make Candido feel like he is closer to accomplishing the American Dream.
(You have a very interesting point in this paragraph, but it needs to be backed up with textual evidence in order to make it stronger. For example, maybe you could include an excerpt from the passage about the description of the market and how the man who owns the store represents the American Dream being played out because he himself is a foreigner. Let’s talk more about this because I think we could find some interesting pieces of evidence that would prove your point.- ms shirk)
The Chinese Market represents way more than an ordinary store where Candido buys food for his family. It also symbolizes Candido’s ambition, his sanctuary or safe haven, and his ultimate objective. It could be said that ,in a way, the Chinese market defines or shapes Candido, just like how it is now. Every generation is defined by a store: The current generation might be known as the “Apple Generation” because of all the innovative technology that we have access to; previous generations may have been known as the “Rock and Roll Generation” based on all of the classic dinners. In this case, Candido is defined by the Chinese Market in the ways that he is not at the lowest class possible but not yet at the top levels, and the Chinese market is not some super well known or conspicuous market in town, but it is also not completely unknown.
( I really appreciate you going beyond our class discussion of the novel and finding a new nuance of the story. I believe that with a little adjusting and reworking, your essay can be very professional and thought provoking. Let’s go back and simplify some of the descriptions and take out the 1st person voice and see where you can insert even more meaningful analysis. You did a wonderful job and I think you will find that through your revisions you will see even more potential aspects to analyze in order to further prove your awesome thesis. - ms, shirk)
9th grade Humanities
Britt Shirk
2/25/2012
Literary Analysis Paper- The Tortilla Curtain
The Tortilla Curtain by T.C. Boyle is a satirical novel brilliantly told in the form of many literary devices such as similies, metaphors, and motifs. The story itself is about two families: the Mossbachers, a wealthy family who lives in Arroyo Blanco; and Candido and America, illegal immigrants who came to the United States in search of the “American Dream”. Throughout the book, their lives intertwine as the environment drives them closer to each other, bringing out the best and worst in both families. Throughout this book, we discussed in class most of the motifs, or reoccurring objects, in the story and their symbolism; all of which is very important in the understanding of this book. However, there is one object in this story that we did not pay very much attention to and has a greater meaning behind it, and that is the Chinese Market where Candido and America get most of their food. It is not only a market, but it also represents Candido’s motivation, his safety, and his goal.
( You have a very strong introduction paragraph with some great points. Remember to keep your essay objective by writing in 3rd person. This stylistic choice makes your writing more credible and professional.- Ms. shirk)
Candido is the man of the family; He is the one who is supposed to work and earn a living for his wife. In order to do so, he must go to the labor exchange every day in hope of finding work. However, Candido would not be working if there was no reason to work, so this is why the Chinese market is Candido’s motivation for wanting to work. Candido wants to be able to buy food from the market; he wants to get food for his wife, America. So because the Chinese Market is there, it gives Candido another reason to work. It is there so that whenever he feels like giving up, it is still there saying that it is possible, the American Dream is not so far away. “...and climbed up the hill to the Chinese market, where they wouldn’t be so sure to recognize him, and went in to buy cheese, milk, eggs, tortillas, and half a dozen disposable diapers.” Candido works hard and earns money even in these times; he manages to buy food from the Chinese Market even at a time like this, when he is right in the center of his own collapsing world. It makes me think that Candido and America are closer to economic safety because he manages to buy food from the Chinese Market. However, although it may provide motivation as well as economic safety, it also provides physical safety in some parts of the story.
( You did a great job choosing your textual evidence. I would like to see you stay more focused on your point in your thesis. Remember that this entire paragraph should be proving that the market is a symbol of Candido’s motivation.- ms shirk)
Chapter Two of Part Three in The Tortilla Curtain, the most dangerous, dramatic scene in the book where Candido and America are caught in the middle of a tremendous fire that, ironically, was caused by Candido. Candido and America run up the hill desperately trying to escape the malignantly grasping fingers of the flames, but there is nowhere to go, aside from the Chinese market. ...
(I don’t think you need all of this background information. Also, the questions in the middle of the paragraph take the reader out of your topic and make your paper seem too conversational. Remember to keep a professional tone throughout your essay in order to make the reader rely on your insights.)
“Candido took his wife by the hand and hurried up the road to the Chinese store – closed and shuttered and without a car in the lot – and ducked around the back… They collapsed there, behind the store…” Not only does the market represent economic safety when Candido earns enough money to buy something from the store, but in this case, it provides physical safety by providing Candido and America a temporary safe haven where they can rest while running from the flames. I also think that Candido is safe when in or near the store because he is closer to reaching the American Dream, his dream, his goal.
The American Dream - Candido and America’s primary goal. Since day one in the novel, they have been stuck living in the canyon, barely managing to get one day’s worth of food with the little money they earn. By what was mentioned in the story, the Chinese Market was not the nicest market in town, but still not the worst.-awkward sentence In my opinion, it is because of the Chinese store’s location- not yet in Arroyo Blanco, where Delaney and Kyra live, or in the wealthier parts of L.A., but it is not in the poor parts of it either - it may make Candido feel like he is closer to accomplishing the American Dream.
(You have a very interesting point in this paragraph, but it needs to be backed up with textual evidence in order to make it stronger. For example, maybe you could include an excerpt from the passage about the description of the market and how the man who owns the store represents the American Dream being played out because he himself is a foreigner. Let’s talk more about this because I think we could find some interesting pieces of evidence that would prove your point.- ms shirk)
The Chinese Market represents way more than an ordinary store where Candido buys food for his family. It also symbolizes Candido’s ambition, his sanctuary or safe haven, and his ultimate objective. It could be said that ,in a way, the Chinese market defines or shapes Candido, just like how it is now. Every generation is defined by a store: The current generation might be known as the “Apple Generation” because of all the innovative technology that we have access to; previous generations may have been known as the “Rock and Roll Generation” based on all of the classic dinners. In this case, Candido is defined by the Chinese Market in the ways that he is not at the lowest class possible but not yet at the top levels, and the Chinese market is not some super well known or conspicuous market in town, but it is also not completely unknown.
( I really appreciate you going beyond our class discussion of the novel and finding a new nuance of the story. I believe that with a little adjusting and reworking, your essay can be very professional and thought provoking. Let’s go back and simplify some of the descriptions and take out the 1st person voice and see where you can insert even more meaningful analysis. You did a wonderful job and I think you will find that through your revisions you will see even more potential aspects to analyze in order to further prove your awesome thesis. - ms, shirk)
When we first started reading the novel, I didn't like it very much because I thought it was a bit boring. However, now I found that I appreciate the message and main plot of the story. There were so many literary devices and so much symbolism used by the author that made the story much more dramatic. That is why it was so hard to choose which one i was going to write my literary analysis paper on. In the end, I decided to challenge myself by writing about a symbol that was no so obvious to everyone else, so i wrote about the Chinese Market. Throughout my essay, I proved that the market represented Candido's safety, motivation, and goal.
like I mentioned before, I had decided to write my essay on a more challenging topic. This proved to be a not so good idea because tehre were not many places in the book where they talk about the Chinese Market. So I had to use the three major citations that I found throughout the book and fit them into all my body paragraphs. I also used mainly opinion throughout my essay, along with fact, because there were not many facts about the Chinese market. This entire experience was very tiresome and rough, but we found that through t he process of self-refinement and pier editing, I believe that we were all able to type up a great paper and learn a lot about new writing techniques as well.
Throughout the process of reading the book and writing our papers, we learned a lot about the themes and moods that tie into the book. However, what i enjoyed the most were the literary devices that the author uses to give the book a certain feel of desperation to each chapter. I thought it was so amazing how even a simple metaphor or simile can make you take away so many things from the book. I also learned a lot about different writing styles that authors use to convey a message. All of those tools that we learned are helping me develop my own writing style, and although I am not quite sure exactly what my writing style is, i am certain that if we do more projects like this, I will find it.
like I mentioned before, I had decided to write my essay on a more challenging topic. This proved to be a not so good idea because tehre were not many places in the book where they talk about the Chinese Market. So I had to use the three major citations that I found throughout the book and fit them into all my body paragraphs. I also used mainly opinion throughout my essay, along with fact, because there were not many facts about the Chinese market. This entire experience was very tiresome and rough, but we found that through t he process of self-refinement and pier editing, I believe that we were all able to type up a great paper and learn a lot about new writing techniques as well.
Throughout the process of reading the book and writing our papers, we learned a lot about the themes and moods that tie into the book. However, what i enjoyed the most were the literary devices that the author uses to give the book a certain feel of desperation to each chapter. I thought it was so amazing how even a simple metaphor or simile can make you take away so many things from the book. I also learned a lot about different writing styles that authors use to convey a message. All of those tools that we learned are helping me develop my own writing style, and although I am not quite sure exactly what my writing style is, i am certain that if we do more projects like this, I will find it.