Chapters 7-8: Quote and Lens examination
Complete the following graphic organizer. Explain the story or context of the quote (what is going on at
this point of the novel). Be sure to use a different lens to examine each quote. The lenses you should use
are psychological, formalist, feminist, or archetypal. Bear in mind that each quote can be evaluated in
light of more than one lens; your job is to select a single lens to evaluate each quote and provide adequate
justification for your choice.
QUOTE
Soups can cure any
illness, whether
physical or mental—
at least, that was
Chencha’s firm
belief, and Tita’s too,
although she hadn’t
given sufficient
credit to it for quite
some time. But now
it would have to be
accepted as the truth.
(123)
…As you see within
our bodies each of us
has the elements
needed to produce
phosphorus. And let
me tell you
something I’ve never
told a soul. My
grandmother had a
very interesting
theory, she said that
each of us is born
with a box of
matches inside us but
we can’t strike them
all by ourselves;(115)
Mama Elena asked the
doctor to lock the
doorand confided in
him her suspicions
about the bitterness of
the food. John replied
that it might be the
effect of the medicines
she was taking. (132)
DESCRIBE CONTEXT
EXAMINE IN LIGHT OF A LENS
Full of morbid
curiosity, Tita opened
the box. It contained a
diary wiand a packet of
letters written o Mama
Elena from someone
named José Treviño.
Tita put them in order
by date and learned the
true story of her
mother’s love. (137)
John took Tita’s hand
on the way back to the
ranch, and Tita in turn
took his arm, to
emphasize that there
was something more
than friendship between
them. She wanted to
cause Pedro the same
pain she had always felt
seeing him beside her
sister. (139)
Tita was literally
“like water for
chocolate”—she was
on the verge of
boiling over. How
irritable she was!
Even the cooing she
loved so much—the
sound made by the
doves…was
annoying. She felt
her head about to
burst, like a kernel of
popcorn. (151)
The first sight that
presented itself when
she opened the door
was Pedro and John
in heated discussion
about the political
situation of the
country. It appeared
that the two of them
had forgotten the
most elementary
rules at a social
gathering… (155)
He sun lights up a
drop of dew
The drop of dew soon
dries
You are the light of
my eyes, my eyes
I’m brought to life by
you… (156)
As she walked past
the window, she saw
a strange glow
coming from the dark
room. Plumes of
phosphorescent
colors were
ascending to the sky
like delicate Bengal
lights. (158)