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From Katie Zelaya, Latino Student Union

Friday, December 16, 2011

Period 3 (10th Grade English): Week One

After reading about Esmeralda Santiago, answer the following two questions:

1) Why does Santiago say her life has been about coming to terms with "ifs"? What "ifs" do you think she is referring to?

2) How much do you think WHERE you live affects WHO you are? Explain your response.
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17 comments:

  1. prudence ahumarezeDecember 16, 2011 at 1:23 PM

    finally i did it

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  2. EddieDecember 16, 2011 at 6:05 PM

    1)She is trying to say that her life is getting better and wants to do good in life. When santiago mentions "ifs" she refers to the question of "what would my life be if I had never left Puerto Rico." This question has a lot of weight becaue according to her migration is what made her identity.


    2)I think that where you live probably affects us about 20 to 30 percent because its not very important to some people.Individuals still have the power to control their lives.

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  3. carlos garciaDecember 19, 2011 at 1:44 PM

    1) Probaly she is trying to explain that
    puertorico was a better place.

    2)Yes it affects us in our community , it also affects me because not many people get to go to school

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  4. johnnyDecember 19, 2011 at 3:27 PM

    1)that her homeland didn't have alot of teaching so her family moved to america, so she can be educated and get a degree that's when she published her first book

    2)it does because i see children selling candy,chip,etc.I feel like they should get the education, rather than me wasting teachers time

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  5. jules blogDecember 19, 2011 at 3:43 PM

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  6. jules blogDecember 19, 2011 at 3:47 PM

    1. Santiago refers ifs as a general question to the curiosity of her life, for instance what would've of been if she had never migrated?, how would her life be if she had done something different? and what if she was a different person?.


    2. I think it affects me 50/50 because im still wondering who im really am. Where i live right now might not or might help me with that. But what i can say is that there are a lot of factors that can help me with who i am but it is my will to seek it. Note; Its really important to know who you really are.

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  7. prudence ahumarezeDecember 19, 2011 at 6:33 PM

    1).I think that she is trying to define her life that if she wasn't a puertorican, if she wasn't a child raised by a mother, if her family didn't move to New York and if she didn't go to school and become a writer that what would her life be like. I think she is referring to curiosity and she is being confused of being who she is.


    2).I think that it depends on the % of the characteristics of the person that wants to live in certain types of neighborhood.Some might even be on the rent because it is unafordable,some might be on the likening of the house or the type of people that live around them.I think about 60%/40%.People who live i bad neighborhood don't have to be bad.

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  8. prudence ahumarezeDecember 19, 2011 at 6:55 PM

    This comment has been removed by the author.

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  9. zuleica guillenDecember 20, 2011 at 10:29 AM

    1. I think that she is trying to say that she wants a better life that what she had when she was younger.

    2.It affects basically a lot because some children don't be able to go to school and might not have any money or anything for living

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  10. MaxDecember 20, 2011 at 2:31 PM

    1.)I think that she is trying to say that she had a better life in Puerto Rico.And when she said"I suppose that my life today is about looking at and trying to come to terms with ifs".This means that she has a better life and she has to move on her life.

    2.)I think like a 50% because not all people have that same emotions like others and others kids rather help there parents in their job they should just go to school to get a education and do something in your life.

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  11. @Roxana MarizDecember 20, 2011 at 4:52 PM

    1.Santiago is trying to say that she has a better life in Puerto Rico. And she was a different person in Puerto Rico.

    2.Where we live affect us in so many ways by the people around us. Because there so many negativity around us. And not a lot of people choose to go to school to have a better life.

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  12. hernandezrubyDecember 20, 2011 at 5:08 PM

    1. Santiago is probably talking about her childhood days in Puerto Rico. She may say that her days were good or bad, but in what she's saying, probably she had a good life experience there. She refers that her life Puerto Rico affected how she was.

    2. Where me and my family doesn't affect as much, but probably like a 40%-30% chance. Where I live, its pretty tough, but the actions in me doesn't change. Sometimes with other people it depends because probably where the person lives are fights, smoking, or tagging. That person maybe a follower or interested on what 'they' are doing.

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  13. Cruz Jose EDecember 21, 2011 at 9:01 PM

    1) when she says ifs i think she is talkin about the things she could of done and how tht would of changed hiw she was today.

    2) its affects you in the way that in diffrent places you have to depend on the people you have around you and what are there dicisions

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  14. GonzaloDecember 22, 2011 at 6:50 PM

    1 she talking about the "ifs" like her life could change but "if" it shows the whey that she thinks about things
    2 i think that i affects you a lot if you let yourself be influenced by the people in the aria that u live it could by positive or negative,say you live in an aria with good kids that don't get in trouble you can be influenced to be good but say you live in watts some kids might lead you to do bad things in life

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  15. RozmiarekDecember 24, 2011 at 12:08 PM

    THANK YOU FOR POSTING. THE WINDOW FOR WEEK ONE IS NOW CLOSED.

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  16. Juan PerezDecember 27, 2011 at 12:53 PM

    1) I think that she is meaning that many people come to points where they have the problem in which they have to change or not. The "ifs" that she is referring is the ones in which she moves places and then she started changing her life.

    2) I think many things in your life can change a lot depending where you live because you get influence by many things around you especially your friends. Your friends might tell you to do things that can mess up your life a lot but sometimes good friends can help you move on.

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  17. jazmin15bloggerJanuary 2, 2012 at 4:44 PM

    1) I think Esmeralda Santingo is trying to say that her life is better when she move out of puerto rico and that she live in a better life at the united states and what she is trying to say about the "ifs" is how would her life be if she would of stay at puerto rico.

    2) i think where i life affects me because where we live some places are very bad like theres lotes of prombles around the neighborhood and it also depends of how peoples personality when they are around us well i also think that not all neighborhood are like this.

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