Lidia Soriano

March 28, 2008

english cp 1

The Plum Plum Pickers’ Essay

In the passage when Manuel finally stands up to Roberto Morales and learns a new important lesson that all mean should experience some sort of honor or pride sometime in their life or life is just not worth living the author suggests that the main experience of manhood all men should experience is a sense of honor and pride.

The passage means that every man some time in their life must have some sense of honor or pride why because men are strong human beings. Also because since this story takes place in a Spanish type theme Hispanic men are always raised to be a strong figure at all times the man of the house, the boss. I know this from growing up in Spanish background myself all my life I’ve seen how the men in the house always had to have the control in the house hold it’s just a tradition I guess. Also because it shows a sense of strength “ He salvaged his money savagely and he had earned respect from his fellow slaves.” meaning since he showed that honor and strength he redeemed his rightfully earned money and won his fellow slaves respect all just by showing pride.

The author establishes his point by getting in to real detail about how bad a time Manuel was going through before he stood up to Morales. “ Whenever Roberto Morales spoke, Manuel had to force himself not to answer. He had to keep his temper from flaring.” meaning Manuel didn’t have enough honor or pride in himself to stand up to Morales. This is why the author suggests that a man must have some sort of honor or pride because if he didn’t then he’ll let everyone step over and abuse his rights that everyone is allowed to. A good example I can put for this is “ No matter where he turned, he was trapped in an endless, maze of apricot trees, as though for ever, neat rows of them, neatly planted, row after row, just like the blackest bars on the jails of hell.” meaning since Manuel thought he had no power in his job since Morales was the boss he felt trapped like a slave to his own job.

The purpose of this passage is to reach out to all men out there in the world old, young, rich poor a man must experience at least once a sense of pride and honor because it will feel so good at the end of the day that it will make life worth living every other new day it will give them a sense of strength also and enthusiasm to start a brand new day for example “ Manuel felt a thrill of power course through his nerves. He had never won anything before.” meaning that after Manuel stood up to Morales he felt the strength that in the end the story trying to let out to men that life is just not worth living without that great feeling of honor and pride. “ Men are built to experience a certain sense of honor and pride. Or else they are dead before they die.” the end.