Q1: character
Character analysis / 25 points
Please identify the following characters – protagonist, antagonist, major characters, minor characters–in I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter. The novel has many characters. You get to choose who you see as the 5 most important major and minor characters.
Be sure follow to define the term, provide character name(s), and explain in 1-2 sentence how/why the character is the/a:
· protagonist
· antagonist
· major characters (5, besides the protagonist and antagonist)
· minor characters (5)
Q2 Tone
Tone / Paragraph response / 25 points
· Masterclass says, “In literary terms, tone typically refers to the mood implied by an author’s word choice and the way that the text can make a reader feel.”
· In a paragraph, respond to the following question: What would you say is the tone or mood of this novel? Why? How does Julia’s diction contribute to this tone/mood?
· Please be sure to follow the PIE paragraph frame, making sure to use textual evidence from the novel to support your analysis.
Q3: Setting
· Setting / Paragraph response / 25 points
· In a paragraph, respond to the following question: What do you think it the most important setting in the novel? Why? Be specific.
· Please be sure to follow the PIE paragraph frame, making sure to use textual evidence from the novel to support your analysis.
Q4:Mental Health
Mental Health / 25 points
This question is adapted from the Reading Group guide at the end of the novel. And this is a question in honor of Mental Health Awareness month (May).
Throughout the novel, we see Julia unravel. Eventually, she is diagnosed with severe depression and anxiety. She’s also experiencing deep grief, and she lives in a mixed-immigration status home (meaning she is a U.S. citizen, but her parents are not). In other words, she has a lot of factors impacting her mental health. To add to that, as the Reading Guide mentions, “in Mexican-culture, seeking mental help is taboo, a sign of weakness.”
Many of my students (not just those who grew up in Mexican families) tell me that they can relate to Julia. That discussing mental health is also taboo in their families. Here are the questions you want to respond to: Is that true for you? In other words, is mental health a taboo topic in your family? And if so, how does reading about Julia’s experiences impact you as a reader? If not (meaning mental health is an open topic in your family and/or own personal life), what advice might you offer Julia about ways to take care of her mental health?
For this question, you can choose how you want to respond. Here are some ideas; you can:
· write a paragraph
· create a pamphlet or flyer or Instagram post
· make a TikTok video/short
· write a journal entry
· write a letter
· write a series of text message exchanges between you and Julia
· draw something
You get to choose. Just be sure you are specific to Julia’s experience, even as you address your own.
Q5: Plot & Theme
Plot & Theme / 25 points
Read, Write, Think says, “The Plot Diagram is an organizational tool focusing on a pyramid or triangular shape, which is used to map the events in a story. This mapping of plot structure allows readers and writers to visualize the key features of stories.”
To help you visualize the novel’s development, map out the plot on a plot diagram/triangle, using just the chapter titles you already created.
Then, In a short answer (3-5 sentences), explain: After looking at your chapter titles on the plot diagram, what seems to be the primary theme you emphasized in your chapter titles? Why? (We’ll discuss theme in Module 15).
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Plot Diagram tools:
· Interactive ToolLinks to an external site. from Read, Write, Think
· Google SlideLinks to an external site.
You can also draw out the plot diagram – you don’t have to use technology! (Until you have to upload your handwritten diagram 😁).
Q6：The Big So What
The Big So What/ Paragraph response / 25 points
In a paragraph, respond to this question: would you recommend this book? If so, to whom? (Don’t say everyone – that’s too general. Maybe its English 1B students? high school immigrants? Your own parents or siblings? These are just ideas! You get to choose if you would recommend the book and to whom). If not (and that’s perfectly ok!), why not? Be sure to support your topic sentence with concrete textual evidence that you logically explain.
