A199 – MIDTERMS REVIEWER
HOMELESS TO HARVARD: THE LIZ MURRAY
STORY
Characters:
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Elizabeth Murray – Liz/Lizzie is a child who
hoped for a nice home with a nice family.
- worked as a bagger and she pump gas
Lisa Murray – Sister of Liz
Jean Murray – the drug-addicted,
schizophrenic mother of Liz, who has AIDS
and is practically blind
Peter Finnerty – father of Liz; a drug addict
who is intelligent, but also has AIDS, lacks
social skills, and is not conscientious
Chris – a girl who is being abused at home,
whom liz ran away with
WHEN I WAS PUERTO RICAN By: Esmeralda
Santiago
Esmeralda Santiago
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Characters:
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Important details:
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Liz’s mom and aunt was sexually abused by
her grandfather
Cocaine – drugs the Liz’s parents mostly take
AIDS – Jean’s cause of death (along with
tuberculosis) which she contracted from
sharing needles during her drug-abusing
years
In 2 years, Liz finished her highschool
Liz earns a scholarship to Harvard University
through an essay contest sponsored by the
New York Times
Class 2004 – class she’s on in Harvard
Moral Lessons:
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Hardwork
Forgiveness
Opportunity always knocks your door
Focus on your goals
May 17, 1948 – birthday
Macun, Puerto Rico – birthplace
Eldest of 11 children - raised by a single
mother.
Works:
 When I Was Puerto Rican (1993), Almost
a Woman (1998), The Turkish Lover, and
Conquistadora
Stroke – affected her brain making her
unable to read write in both Spanish and
English
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Negi - The protagonist and narrator of the
book a nickname as an infant because her
skin was nearly black.
Mami/Ramona - Negi's mother. She's a lightskinned woman and in Negi's perception, is
always pregnant.
Papi/Pablo - Negi's father.
Abuela - Papi's mother
Tata - Mami's mother.
Chico - Tata's brother.
Don Julio - Tata's "friend."
Delsa - second child
Norma - third child
Héctor - fourth child. He's born when Negi is
four years old.
Alicia - fifth child
Edna - sixth child
Raymond - seventh baby. He got his foot
caught in a bike chain
Doña Andrea - When Mami moves her
family to El Mangle, she moves in with Doña
Andrea.
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Tío Lalo - Mami's uncle. He owns a shop that
sells Puerto Rican street food and is famous
for his stuffed potato balls.
Angelina - Mami's aunt.
Gladys - one of Mami's cousins, though she's
Negi's age.
Angie - one of Mami's cousins, though she's
Negi's age. Angie is spoiled by her parents
Francisco - Mami's boyfriend in Brooklyn.
He's ten years younger than she is and Tata
doesn't like him.
Abuelo - paternal grandfather. He sells
oranges from a cart.
Tato - Doña Lola's son. He and Negi inspect
each other's genitals, but when Negi decides
she's done, Tato tries to grab her.
Doña Lola - one of Negi's neighbors in
Macún and is Tato's mother.
Juanita - Negi's best friend in Macún
Don Berto - Juanita's ancient grandfather.
Miss Jiménez - an English teacher at Negi's
school in Macún.
Gloria - young woman in Macún who cares
for Negi and her siblings while Mami is at
work.
Doña Ana - one of Negi's neighbors in
Macún. She is Gloria's mother.
Provi - one of Papi's “putas” (whores). She
and Papi have a daughter,
Margie – daughter of Provi and Papi who is a
year older than Negi
Tío Cucho - one of Negi's uncles in Santurce.
Rita - Tío Cucho's girlfriend.
Jenny - Negi's cousin. She's an only child and
is very spoiled. Responsible for Raymond's
foot injury.
Senora Leona - Negi's teacher in El Mangle.
She insists on using Spanish only and is very
mean.
Don Luis - Negi's piano teacher and a school
principal.
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Titi Generosa - stays with Negi and her
siblings while Mami is in New York.
Johannes Vélez - Negi's first crush. His father
is in the United States Navy.
Mr. Grant - works in the office at Negi's first
school in Brooklyn.
Miss Brown - Negi's first teacher in Brooklyn.
Franky - child of Mami and Francisco in
Brooklyn.
Mr. Barone - a guidance counselor at Negi's
high school who helps her apply for the
Performing Arts High School.
Negi's Mentor - one of the women who
conducts Negi's audition for the Performing
Arts High School. She's tall, elegant, and
always seems to be trying to hide a smile.
Important details:
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Story revolved when around when Negi is 414 years old
San Juan – where they transnferred when
Negi’s a child
10 – age of Negi when her mother worked at
a local brassiere factory
12 – age of Negi when Mami gave up her
relationship with Papi
4 months – time it took for Negi to learn
English
14 – age when Negi auditioned
Themes:
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Identity
Women, sex and power
Family
Love and Relationship
Moral Lesson
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Family conflict and poverty are not obstacles
to success
Grab all opportunities
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Never give up, never lose hope
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THE SCARLET LETTER By: Nathaniel Hawthorne
Important details:
Nathaniel Hawthorne - was an American short
story writer and romance novelist
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July 4, 1804 – birth
Salem, Massachusetts – birthplace
May 19, 1864 – death; in Plymouth, New
Hampshire
Nathaniel Hathorne Sr. – Father; a sea
captain
Elizabeth Clarke Manning – Mother,
descendant of blacksmiths
Bowdoin College – school he attended
The Scarlet Letter & The House of Seven
Gables – best known works
Dark Romanticism – genre of most of his
work
- distinguished by an emphasis on human
fallibility that gives rise to lapses in judgment
that allow even good men and women to
drift toward sin and self-destruction
Moby-Dick – dedicated to Hawthorne by
Meville
Hawthorne was formerly a Transcendalist
Brook Farm – founded by Hawthorne; a
utopian experiment in communal living
Blithedale Romance – a satirical novel that
where he fictionalized experiences of Brook
Farm
Characters:
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Hester Prynne - a young beautiful woman,
Hester Prynne who was being punished was
because of adultery
Roger Chillingworth – husband of Hester
was believed to be lost at the sea and dead
- practiced medicine
Arthur Dimmesdale – father of Pearl; young
and eloquent minister
Pearl – daughter of Hester
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Puritan Settlement (Boston) – place of the
story
17th Century – time of the story
Golden Scarlet letter A – sewed on Hester’s
chest
Adultery – sin of Hester and Dimmesdale
Seamstress – job of Hester
7 – age of Pear when she and her parents
stood in the scaffold
Europe – where Hester and Dimmesdale
decided to flee to after four days
1 year – after the death of Dimmesdale,
Chillingworth died
European aristocrat – husband of Pearl
Symbolism:
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Scarlet letter “A” – Adulterer or Able
Meteor – indicator for Dimmesdale to wear
a mark of shame.
- seen by the community as an Angel (Gov
Winthrop
Pearl – sin and blessing