How Do These Explorations Impact Your Own Perception of Humanity - Assignment Example

1. What does your speaker need to overcome? What is at the root of what they are struggling with?

The speaker needed to overcome himself and the root of it is fear because he says it was useless to fake his way through that world that devoured the weak, as the other cons looked for the most insignificant sign that would give him away.

2. Who/what is standing in their way of overcoming this?

Other cons and their thoughts like regrets of what they did and yearning for freedom. For example, when our writer crosses the yard, he experienced strong yearnings of freedom and regrets for allowing life to pass him by which pressed hard against his heart and he felt it might never end.

3. How do you believe s/he is going to be able to confront this conflict?

He is going to confront this conflict by meeting with the counselor who would help him overcome all this. The counselor told him that if he obeyed the institutional rules he would go to school to get his GED and this would help him a lot.

Point of view

1. Describe the kind of world your speaker has built thus far in the text. What are the “rules” of this world?

The kind of world the speaker has built in the text is the prison world because he describes where new cons are taken that is the diagnostic center, he also explains the routine checkup that is four times a day in his prison world. The rules of this world are the prison rules like check-ups four times a day, their mode of dressing.

2. How are different people treated in this world? Who is welcomed, and how? Who is not?

Some people in this world are treated with respect others with fear example the guy who had cooked heroin was treated with respect. Those welcome are the punks as they can pay protection example we do was attacked with a toothbrush to pay for protection hence showing he was not welcome.

3. How does this world internally affect the speaker and others who exist in this world?

Internally the world makes the con regret what they did and also yearn to be free. For example, the writer experienced powerful yearnings for freedom and regret for allowing life to pass by.

Symbols and Tropes

1. Do any repeating symbols or tropes take on new meaning?

Repeating symbols take a new meaning example the repetition of the word Corazon meaning the heart is an emphasis on humanity because they say if you do not have it then every day would be hell.

Other strategies

1. What other strategies does your author use to shape the text?

Use of flashback, the author wrote after he had done his jail term so he recalls his life back in prison. For example ‘I lay back and closed my eyes, he is remembering what he did.

He also recalls about his grandfather who has passed away already and how he used to prepare coffee.

Themes

1. How do continuing themes begin to take a new shape? What new understanding is being conveyed about these themes?

Continuing themes are showing the author from different times of his life example his early life before he went to prison-like how he used to help his grandmother with work and was happy, the new understanding being conveyed here is the unity he had with his family.

His life in prison also shows continuity though he had fear for his life and was involved in several fights all for his survival.