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Safety Pays. (n.d.). 12 essential elements for an effective safety incentive program. Retrieved from Vergara, L. (2009). How to develop a fleet safety award program. Retrieved from WONG 1 WONG 1 Rey Wong Professor Michael Holt ENG February 2018 Lessons from Bodega Dreams (Draft) Bodega Dreams is a fiction novel published in 2000 written by American author Ernesto Quinonez. The author was born in 1966 in Ecuador and currently resides in New York, New York. Aside from being a novelist, he was also an elementary public school teacher, and at present, he is serving as an assistant professor in the creative writing program at Cornell University (Gale; PaperBackSwap.com ). He has written another novel titled Chango’s Fire published in 2004 (Gale). Bodega Dreams launched him as a serious writer and earned him several awards to include Village Voice’s “Writer on the Verge” in the year 2000 and the Jerome Dejur award also in 2000 (Gale). The New York Times and Time Magazines gave Bodega Dreams outstanding reviews solidifying Quinonez’s legitimacy as an author ( PaperBackSwap.com ). Analysis of an excerpt from the novel Bodega Dreams (2000) as cited by James et al. (2017) is used in this paper to explore the impact of the novel. The excerpt chronicled an incident that impacted the lives of the three main characters of the story, Chino, Sapo, and Blanca. The events described in the excerpt occurred during a school day in the lives of these three children and two of their teachers Mr. Blessington and Mr. Jose Tapia. It was this defining moment that laid the foundation of how Chino, Sapo, and Blanca will view the world they belong in and it would also influence their actions and choices to survive in it. QUINONEZ’S CHARACTERIZATIONS Often a well-loved piece of literary work is described as one that is remembered because it spoke volumes to its audience. Others find it memorable because it was relevant to the issues of their time. To some, it can be because it captured their imaginations and ignited a sense of adventure. Whatever the reason is, it is undeniable that it takes the expertise of the author to convey the message to its audience. Chino, The Narrator. One of the most effective literary tool used by the author in this novel is the use of a narrator. Ernesto Quinonez used Chino as the narrator to tell the story of his novel. By doing so, the narrator brought a unique sense of familiarity with the characters of the story. It allowed the readers to develop empathy towards the characters because the story was told from the narrator’s point of view. The narration brought a unique perspective and insight to the characters emotions and thoughts allowing the audience to develop a deeper bond with the main characters. Through the use of a narrator, Quinonez also established legitimacy on his description of events. When Chino described and relayed the events, he was able to do so with authority and credibility because the audience sees him as part of the account being told. Without Chino as the narrator Quinonez will not be able to describe events with vivid details and still make it as believable. This vividness is illustrated well in the scene described here: Then Sapo came around and grabbed Blessington’s face in his hands and pulled it toward his own. Sapo spat out a chunk of Blessington’s flesh, bouncing it off Blessington’s left cheekbone. Covered in blood and saliva, Blessington’s eyes were frozen in disbelief. (James et al.124 from Bodega Dreams) Through the eyes of Chino, Quinonez was able to give a first-hand account of how Sapo retaliated to Mr. Blessington’s insults and physical aggression. This scene would not have carried the same impact if it were not told from Chino’s viewpoint. Quinonez was able to describe the scene as an eyewitness account instead of a mere description of events because of Chino’s role as the narrator. Character relatability. Quinonez was very effective in making his characters real and relatable by using casual conversations in the way his characters communicated with each other. The verbal expressions of the characters were done so realistically and naturally. This technique added to the depth of humanization of each character allowing the audience to forget that they are just characters in a fictional novel. The characters of Chino and Sapo came to life as they talk, with the boldness and frankness of kids growing up poor and as a minority, in a world they are trying to fit in desperately. Quinonez also used Spanish and slanged words to convey strong emotions of his characters making them more authentic and realistic. The following was spoken by Sapo as he reasoned out to his teacher Mr. Blessington: “Yo’r the smart guy here, right, can’t you figure that out yo’self?” (James et al.123 from Bodega Dreams ) Quinonez’s ability to portray Sapo as a direct, tough, unapologetic kid is expertly noted in the way Sapo talks. Sapo’s words and the manner by which he pronounced them reflect his roughness and toughness. It is Quinonez’s ability to effectively convey his characters’ emotions and thoughts in a realistic way that made Bodega Dreams a captivating story. Social Impact . Although Bodega Dreams is a work of fiction, it tackles the sensitive subject of how immigrant children navigate the society they are thrust in. Being poor and being a minority further complicates the journey into the pursuit of the American dream. As of 2011, it is estimated that 13% of the U.S population was born outside of the United States (Portes and Rivas, 220). The sheer volume of this statistic makes the positive adaptation of this new generation of Americans a priority. However, the inclusion of immigrant children into mainstream society is not an easy path. Quinonez was able to capture in Bodega Dreams the struggles of the children in their attempts to move forward in the new culture and nation that they now call home. Self-identity and self-esteem of these children have been argued to be of high importance if they are to be successfully integrated into their new society (Portes and Rivas, 228). Often the primary exposure of these children in the mainstream society is through the school system. Sadly, it is also here where stereotypes and prejudice are directly experienced. A study conducted by Werhun and Penner found that negative stereotyping leads to prejudicial treatment even when this prejudiced treatment is expressed as an act of assistance (911). Quinonez’s depiction of Mr. Blessington serves as an example of this prejudice. Mr. Blessington sees himself as a savior of his students. He believes that his teachings about Frost despite his students’ disconnect to the author will bring them culture and sophistication. The prejudice is evident in Blessington’s statement: I know I’m right. I’m doing all of you people a favor. I say these things to you so you can maybe prove me wrong. Now, it’s sad to say, but I’ve yet to see one of my Puerto Rican students, just one, prove me wrong. (James et al. 124 from Bodega Dreams) Blessington clearly does not expect much from his Puerto Rican students, even without saying it is clear that his attempt to help his student is not because he wants them to become better students but because he views them as incapable individuals needing his considerable assistance. CONCLUSION The writer’s unique style and techniques are essential in the crafting of a literary piece if it is to have any effect on its audience. The art of writing plays an important part in how the literary work will be perceived. However, it is the how the author connects with the audience that measures the success of his work. To achieve this, the author needs to have more than just an understanding of the subject matter but also the sincerity and willingness to explore relevant related issues that transcends more than the topic at hand. Works Cited Contemporary Authors Online. Gale, 2007. Web. 25 Feb. 2018. James, Missy, Alan Merickle, Greg Loyd, and Jenny Perkins. Reading Literature and Writing Argument. United States Of America: Pearson, 2017. Print. PaperBackSwap.com. N.p, . Web. 24 Feb. 2018. Portes, Alejandro, and Alejandro Rivas. “The Adaptation of Migrant Children.” Future of Children 21.: . EBSCOhost. Web. 25 Feb. 2018. Werhun, Cherie, and April Penner. “The Effects of Stereotyping and Implicit Theory on Benevolent Prejudice Toward Aboriginal Canadians.” Journal of Applied Social Psychology 40.: . EBSCOhost, doi:10.1111/j..x. Web. 24 Feb. 2018.