Today you will analyze passages from two novels. As you read these texts, you will gather information and answer questions about the characters and points of view so you can write an analytical essay.

Question

Tortilla Sun

by
Jennifer Cervantes

(1) Clang cla-clang, clang clang. The next morning, I found Mom in the kitchen with a chisel and hammer, chipping away at the kitchen counter. Little flecks of white flew through the air like ceramic snow, landing softly on her olive-colored cheeks.

(2) I ducked as a piece of tile flew at me. "Hey!"

(3) She turned toward me with a look of surprise. "Morning, Izzy. I didn't see you standing there."

(4) "Wha . . . what are you doing?" I asked.

(5) She stepped back and surveyed the half-demolished counter the way someone stands back to study a newly hung photograph. Wiping her cheek with the back of her hand she said, "There was this"—she searched the mess on the floor— "this one broken tile poking out and I thought I should fix it and . . ."

(6) I pushed past her to get the broom but she grabbed me by the elbow. A feeling of nervousness swelled inside me.

(7) "Izzy, wait. I have something to tell you."

(8) There it was. My heart buckled in my chest. Something was wrong.

(9) Mom leaned back against the counter and sucked in a great gulp of air. "It's strange actually. I wasn't expecting it, but then at the last minute the funding came through." She folded her arms across her waist. "I'm going to Costa Rica to finish my research."

(10) Her words buzzed around me like a swarm of confused bees. "When? For how long?"

(11) "I'll be gone for most of the summer. I leave Tuesday."

(12) Mom wouldn't leave me. We'd go together. Right? "But that's only three days away." I stepped away from Mom and the shards of tile.

(13) "I don't have a choice."

(14) "But what am I supposed to do? That's three whole months."

(15) "Two. I'll be home at the end of July. And after this I can finally graduate. Our lives will change then." She reached over and stroked my hair. "For the better."

(16) I rolled those three words around in my mind: for the better.

(17) Suddenly last night's phone call made perfect sense. I inched closer and pushed at the broken tile with my toes.

(18) "Are you sending me to Nana's?" I asked. "In New Mexico?"

(19) A flash of surprise crossed Mom's face. Like she knew I had heard her phone conversation. "She's so excited to have you and ..."

(20) "What happened to all your talk about you guys not seeing eye to eye?" I asked.

(21) "It's not that we don't see eye to eye. We just don't see the world the same way."

(22) "Why can't I go with you?" I said.

(23) "Izzy .. ."

(24) "New Mexico is worlds away from California. And what am I going to do for two whole months with someone I haven't seen since I was six? That was half my life ago. She's a stranger!" I felt a sudden urge to bolt for the front door and run.

(25) Mom rolled her eyes. "Oh, Izzy. She's hardly a stranger. She's family. I already have your ticket. You leave Monday." Mom opened the refrigerator and took out a diet soda, pressing the cold can against her face before opening it.

(26) I stared at the mess on the floor. "Why can't I stay here? Alone." My voice quivered.

(27) Mom took a swig of her soda, then closed her eyes and took a deep breath. When she opened them, she spoke slowly and deliberately.

(28) "You're going to New Mexico and that's final."

(29) I swallowed hard and tried not to cry. "Why do you always get to decide everything? We just unpacked and I—I had plans."

(30) She raised her eyebrows, surprised. "Plans?"

(31) Mom was always bugging me to make friends, which I didn't see the point of, considering we moved every few months. And we moved for all sorts of reasons: closer to the university for her, better school for me, quieter, prettier, bigger, smaller.

(32) "I was going to try and find some girls my age here in the complex so I wouldn't have to be the new kid in school again," I said, trying to sound believable.

(33) "Honey, you can make friends at your new school in the fall. Besides, this is a wonderful opportunity for you."

(34) "Opportunity? For me? Or for you?"

(35) I stormed off to my room and threw myself onto my bed. I ached inside. Like the feeling you get watching a lost balloon float far into the sky until it becomes an invisible nothing.

(36) I reached for a story card and scribbled:

(37) Gypsy was sent to prison for stealing the magic ball. And when she was tossed into the dungeon below the castle she found the word "opportunity" written across the stone wall.


Part B
Selecting from paragraphs 32-34 and 36-39, choose the paragraph that most directly reinforces the tone created in paragraph 35.
A
(32) "I was going to try and find some girls my age here in the complex so I wouldn't have to be the new kid in school again," I said, trying to sound believable.
B
(33) "Honey, you can make friends at your new school in the fall. Besides, this is a wonderful opportunity for you."
C
(34) "Opportunity? For me? Or for you?"
D
(35) I stormed off to my room and threw myself onto my bed. I ached inside. Like the feeling you get watching a lost balloon float far into the sky until it becomes an invisible nothing.
E
(36) I reached for a story card and scribbled:
F
(37) Gypsy was sent to prison for stealing the magic ball. And when she was tossed into the dungeon below the castle she found the word "opportunity" written across the stone wall.
G
(38) Staring at the card, I wondered what should happen next. Maybe a daring escape or a sorceress could rescue her. When nothing came to me, I scratched out the word opportunity until it was a big blob of blue ink and tossed the card on the floor.
H
(39) I heard Mom's footsteps coming toward my closed bedroom door. I held my breath, hoping she wouldn't knock.

Answer 1

To analyze the tone created in paragraph 35—where Izzy feels an intense sense of loss and longing, comparing her emotions to a lost balloon becoming an "invisible nothing"—we should look for a paragraph that reinforces this sense of despair or frustration regarding her situation.

Option C (34) stands out: "Opportunity? For me? Or for you?" This line punctuates Izzy's feelings of suspicion and resentment towards her mother's definition of "opportunity." It reveals her sense of betrayal and skepticism about her mother's intentions, emphasizing her emotional turmoil and the divide between what she desires versus what is being imposed upon her.

Thus, the paragraph that most directly reinforces the tone created in paragraph 35 is C.