Due: You need to post your essay by Monday, January 28th @2:30 p.m.Scoring Guide: Open Response Rubric 100 points (Major Essays & Open Responses)
You must turn in all notes on "Plum Plum Pickers" by Raymond Barrio in class on Monday.
Scoring Guide: Reader's Notebook Rubric 40 points (Homework, Notes, Etc)
Before you Submit:
- Your Essay Needs a Title.
- This should be at least 3 pages, typed, double-spaced, Times New Roman.
- Please leave spaces between paragraphs for formatting.
Reminder to read the handout on passage explications and go through this process.
A passage explication is an essay that takes apart the pieces of a prose passage to demonstrate how it creates meaning – its main question can be reduced to the simple idea of “What does the passage mean? What is its purpose? How does it create that meaning and achieve its purpose? How does it fit in with the rest of the text (if available)?”
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Plum Plum Pickers Explication
In the short story Plum Plum Pickers, Raymond Barrio suggest even though someone may live the life the want to; it is only right to stand up for the yourself. Manuel is a laborer that is not happy with the way he lives his life everyday. But he shows everyone that even though he is treated like an animal he is no longer going to tolerate it and is going to earn the respect he deserves and respect that every man should have.
In the passage when Manuel is at work picking fruits, Raymond Barrio suggests that Manuel feels trapped and lives a monotonous life. Manuel is feeling trapped and bored of his life. He feels like he lives a life of an animal because he is treated like an animal. In which he works very hard all day long without any complaining and receives nothing or very little for his work of the day. And it is the same routine every single day. But he must live this way in order to make a living for himself. He lives a miserable live as if he was in prison and he cannot escape.
Raymond Barrio uses imagery to show that Manuel feels as if he were trapped. “…he was trapped in an endless maze of apricot trees…”(Barrio). Manuel is in a maze that he can’t escape from, as hard as he may try to escape it, there is no way out. The misery is endless for Manuel and he cannot do anything to make it better for himself. So the only thing to do is to work hard and make the best of the situation. This goes back to how Manuel feels as if he were treated like an animal. An animal does not have to choice of whether not they want to work and they also do not receive any benefits from working all day long. Manuel did not choose to live the life of a laborer; it’s just something that he must do for himself.
Manuel lives the life of a prisoner when he is working. “…neatly planted, row after row, just like the blackest bars on the jails of hell.”(Barrio). Just the scenery of the apricot trees makes Manuel feel like he is jail. Manuel feels like he does the same thing everyday and it never changes, just as if he were in jail. Its almost like Manuel cannot take the abuse anymore, he is frustrated with the way he feels about the whole situation. “The hot dry air sucking every drop of living moisture from his brute body.” It’s like Manuel is suffocating in his own misery. He is so miserable that he is slowly losing himself. It has gotten to the point where Manuel can’t take the abuse anymore.
In the passage when Roberto Morales makes it known to the pickers that he lives a better life, Raymond Barrio suggests that Roberto is a heartless man. Roberto Morales lucky enough is not a picker he is actually the one that orders them around. Roberto treats everyone else like animals. He takes advantage of the pickers because he believes that they would never stand up to him. Roberto is the boss of all the pickers, but this is ironic because he is one of them as well. Roberto treats his own people like animals. He could have easily been a picker as well but he was fortunate enough not to be one. Roberto could have been just like Manuel, living a miserable life.
Roberto asks the picker for 2 cents for every bucket. The pickers have been working hard all day long like animals. He thinks that he could can just come along and take everything they have been working for away. Roberto’s name is significant because his name could possibly mean robber. He is stealing money from innocent people that are trying to make money for themselves. Roberto is selfish because he did absolutely nothing and does not deserve anything but he feels that he has the right to take away everyone else’s goods. Roberto has not made any of the same sacrifices as Manuel. He feels like he has the right to take everything away from them because he is at slightly higher status then everyone else.
In the passage when Manuel is upset when Roberto asks for the 2 cents, Raymond Barrio suggests that Manuel can’t take the fact that he is being treated like an animal by a person that is just like him. Roberto promised the pickers that he was not going to take anymore money from them, but he didn’t keep that promise. Manuel could not take the abuse anymore and stood up to Roberto.
Manuel feels like he deserves to keep everything that he has worked for that day. He doesn’t want to feel trapped anymore and does not want to be abused by other people anymore. Manuel feels enraged with Roberto that he cannot hold back his emotions anymore. “The two men, centered in a huge ring of red ringed eye, glared at each other.”(Barrio). Barrio uses imagery to show that both of the men are furious with each other because Manuel refuses to give Roberto the 2 cents. Manuel is sick of being treated like a prisoner and thinks that this is the right time to escape from some of his misery by standing up for himself.
Manuel is sick of feeling trapped and just wants to escape from all the things that bother him. Raymond Barrio describes the pickers as “exhausted animals” all the pickers feel the same as Manuel. Manuel feels that it is the right time to relieve himself from the misery. He kicks the bucket of fruits to show Roberto that he is not a threat. And the rest of the pickers revolt as well. Roberto feels defeated because he is not as powerful as he thought he was. Manuel shows Roberto that he is not intimidated by him and that he is sick of being pushed around.
Manuel feels that he has won the battle. Even though at first it was an endless maze, fortunately every maze has a solution to it. He knows that later he will have to pay for the consequences for standing up to Roberto but it was well worth it to Manuel. “He has salvaged his money savagely and he had earned respect from his fellow slaves.”(Barrio). Manuel felt proud of himself because even though he lives the life of a prisoner he feels that he accomplished something. He is honored that he was the one that had the courage to confront Roberto.
Explication for Plum Plum Pickers
In the short story Plum Plum Pickers, the author Raymond Barrio suggests that in order for a person to feel like a human, they must stand up for themselves to feel a sense an honor and pride. If man is unable to ever feel that pride they are more like living machines than real people.
Raymond Barrio starts off the poem in a savage tone. He does this to create a feeling to the readers that these workers are barely people. They can be compared more to an animal than a human because of what they are going through. They have never stood up for themselves or ever had a sense of pride or honor. Barrio also used one word sentences. One word sentences make the word stick out more and also forces the reader to pause before moving on. Barrio used words like "Animal, Beast, Locked, Brute, and Predator" which are all powerful words to describe Manuel and also cause part of the tone. Manuel, the protagonist, is in the middle of working in the fields during the beginning paragraph and because he is working it feels longer to him than to anyone else. That is why Barrio makes them one word sentences, it's for the reader to see how extended the day feels for Manuel. As the first paragraph ends the reader sees a one word paragraph. Barrio uses this technique to show how quickly time passes by for Manuel. The one word paragraphs were "lunch, Midafternoon, and Ended!", those are all very important times for Manuel and Barrio really wants to show that to the readers. The names of the characters were also carefully chosen. Manuel can represent “man” as in humans in general or manuel as in manuel labor. The name Roberto Morales can represent words like robber and morals. He has no morals and is a robber of all the innocent workers. It is unique how Barrio added Manuel day dreaming then snapped him back to reality. It was a short paragraph which if the reader puts themselves in Manuel’s shoes it made time go by faster.
Once the exposition starts the tone of the story changes. It is a tone of hate. The words were powerful and some not even in english. Roberto Morales was not just the person all these men hated but was symbolically a fence the workers needed to get over to feel human. Without passing this fence the men would only hate and never get a taste of honor or pride. In the rising action the story gets very tense. Roberto tries to take 2 cents from every bucket and here is when it is distinguishable who is a man and who is just a coward. Manuel spoke up and when Roberto noticed they both just wanted to kill each other. Jugular was a word Barrio used that means “located in the neck of throat”. Both men looked at each others neck and throat. This imagery showed the hate they had and suggested that both men wanted to kill each other. When Barrio says that Roberto’s eyes “blazed” it suggests he was being compared to the devil because of how fire is related to hell and hatred. Manuel was able to stand up to that which made him a man. The fellow workers followed his footsteps by kicking over their fruit. It is important that the reader notices that Barrio compares Manuel to Don Gaspar. Don Gaspar was a solider who accomplished so much in very little time and became very powerful and respected. This foreshadowed what was going to happen for Manuel is the reader notices the comparison. Manuel accomplished something very important in just a few minutes and just as Don Gaspar people want to follow in his steps.
Barrio believes that a person is not a man until they finally feel a sense of pride and honor. To accomplish those two feelings one must be put through an obstacle and work hard for that they want. Manuel's obstacle was Roberto. He was like an invisible fence and on the other side was pride and honor. It takes a lesson too. The lesson here was how to become a man, to do it you must stand up for what one believes in. It will separate you from the rest. If a person never feels that pride and honor they really are not a person at all. Everyone feels honor and pride even if it is something small like a homework or standing up to a robber like Manuel did. Barrio wants his readers to follow in the steps of Manuel and thats the purpose of this short story.
Stephanie Charles
1/28/08
Period 7
Mr. Gallagher
Manuel Labor
In the passage when Manuel was standing up to Roberto for taking their money, the author Raymond Barrio, suggest that Manuel has been through a lot in his life, and thinks that it was time for him to take a stand against people who were taking advantage of him. The theme asks “What does it mean to be human?” In this short story, most of the things that take place have a relation to the bible, because Manuel has a relation to Jesus Christ, and Morales has a relation to Morals. Which are things that we learn in life about mistakes in order for us not to make the same ones again?
In this short story Manuel is a character who is connected to Jesus Christ, because of what he went through during his life, which was picking up plums. Barrio portrays Manuel as the one who will lead the others out of misery just like Moses lead the slaves out of Egypt to the promise land to start a new life. Raymond Barrio describes some things with one word sentences that have a powerful meaning to them. And he also describes them with repeated words. He does those things so that some things can some type of meaning to them. He uses words like brute and savage to describe Roberto Morales’ features, because that is how he is seen through Manuel’s eyes. What it means to be human can have a lot of meaning to it. It can mean waking up in the morning and wanting to do or try to do something that you would’ve never thought about doing, because it never crossed your mind, or it can mean something different.
Roberto Morales is what one would call another a crock, because he steals from the workers and does not care about it. From what it seems, his last name stands for morals, which means someone that has a good understanding of what life is about and what it stands for. Whereas moral-less is someone who does not know what important things stand for or what they mean in general. Morales’ character brought different things to the story. It’s what his name stand for that made Manuel do what he did, because he was getting tired of all those things happening to him.
Barrio portrays Manuel as someone who has been through a lot in his life. And for someone like that to finally take a stand for what is right, it took a lot of courage. “You promised to take nothing!”, “I said two cents, hombre. You got a problem or what?”. “You promised.” At this point Manuel got pushed to the edge, and he was getting tired of being pushed around like he was something that didn’t matter to the face of the earth. Manuel feels like after being invisible for so long, it was time to take a stand for him and the others who’ve been with him from the beginning of this horrible nightmare. The tone in this line describe that Manuel is angry at Morales for taking their money just because he felt like it. And Manuel felt like he had to say something in order for it not to happen again.
“Then, with his last remaining energy, Manuel lifted his foot and clumsily tipped over his own last bucket of cots. They rolled away in all directions around everyone’s feet.” The imagery of this line is that Manuel is stating a point saying that, people in a lower class should not be forced to do things that they don’t want to do, just because they’re in a lower class. He feels like they should be treated just like everyone else because they to deserve better than what they have. “All the other pickers moved toward their own buckets still standing beside them on the ground awaiting the truck gatherer, and took an ominous position over them, stranding their feet over them.” The imagery of this line also states that they to are taking a stand for themselves and for what’s right for them.
“Manuel felt a thrill of power course through his nerves.” In this line, Manuel feels like he has done something worth doing. For the first time he feels like what he’s done is something that should have been done a long time ago. And he feels like he’s won something that was worth winning. Because a man is not a man if they don’t have a sense of pride in themselves, and Manuel took pride and honor in what he had just accomplished.
Jacob Tibenkana
Period 7
Barrio’s plum plum pick
In the passage from the Plum Plum Pickers, Raymond Barrio suggests that in order to be human one must have human qualities such as feelings and emotions. Raymond displays it by using literally techniques such as repetition and imagery through the whole passage.
In the first paragraph when Manuel describes he is trapped in a maze of apricot trees as though forever, with row after row neatly planted claiming it was like “the blackest bars on the jails of hell”. He says there has to be an end. After he goes and drinks some water to replenish himself. This is the exposition, here Raymond uses a literally technique called repetition to make people feel what Manuel feels, because his life is the same every day as he says “trapped in an endless maze as though forever, row after row, there had to be an end, there had to be a way out, there had to be respite” another is the one worded sentences that help stress Raymond’s suggestion because they make the reader slow down to see the repetition, the words are “brute, animal, beast, wreck, predator” and to compare to people’s lives, they wake up every day and go to work or school come back home and sleep and same thing tomorrow and life becomes repetition which is a human quality thus proving what it means to be human.
Next, in the paragraph when Roberto Morales demands two cents from everyone with a friendly tone while sliding his eyes around with his hand out for the money, this is the rising action; here Raymond uses imagery to show the greed of Roberto Morales. The imagery is “he slid his eyes around, smiling, palms up” one can imagine that a person standing there looking around with his hand out and the palm wide open with a smile on his face ready to take money is greedy especially with the smile because it makes him happy to have the money, which is what he only cares about and that’s greedy. There is no reason for him to take the two cents from every one, and Roberto is Mexican, as are the slaves and Manuel, so for him taking money from his own people for no reason is greedy, and greed is a human quality, thus proving what it means to be human.
Then, in the section when Manuel tells Roberto that he promised not to take anything and Roberto aggressively says “I said two cents, hombre. You got a problem or what?”, then Manuel kicks over the bucket with his last remaining energy and the cots roll in every direction and Roberto furiously tells him to pick them up but Manuel kicks over another bucket. This is the climax; here Raymond uses imagery to show the anger of Roberto and the boldness of Manuel. Roberto is described as “eyes blazed. His fists clenched” this is imagery showing Roberto’s anger, usually when people are angry their eyes turn red and blaze and their fists clenched and all tension builds up inside and it bursts, then they attack out of anger or display anger just as Roberto is doing when he furiously tells Manuel to pick up the fruits. And Manuel’s action is “Manuel lifted his foot and clumsily tipped over his own last bucket of cots. They rolled away in all directions around everyone’s feet” there is imagery of bucket tipping over with fruits rolling every where and when Roberto tells at Manuel to pick up the fruit, he doesn’t, but instead he tips over another bucket. This shows that he is not scared of Roberto who is the chief of the plantation where Manuel works and since Roberto is the chief, he could punish him severely, thus showing that Manuel is bold. And boldness and anger are human feelings and emotions yet also human qualities that are needed to be human.
Then in the next paragraph, due to Manuel’s courage for standing up to Roberto the other pickers move towards their basket and get ready to tip over their baskets to show their courage too. When Roberto sees this he backs off and says “all right men. I shall take nothing this time”, here Raymond uses a shift to show that the tone has changed because Roberto who caused the conflict has been defeated and there is no conflict anymore which leads Manuel to feel a thrill of power course through his nerves showing that he has regained his pride. This is a human quality, because part of being human is having pride, a human feeling.
And in the last paragraph, Manuel feels happy because he had never won anything in his life, he gains respect from his fellow slaves, because he had showed defiance and had wrenched Morales greedy fingers away. Manuel knows that he will pay for his defiance but not at that moment. This is the resolution of the passage. The author uses repetition here, because he keeps on describing how Manuel has achieved honor and pride. Honor and pride are feelings, which are human qualities and people need those human qualities in order to be human.
In conclusion, Raymond Barrio suggests that in order to be human one must have human qualities such as feelings and emotions. Raymond displays it by using literally techniques such as repetition and imagery through the whole passage. And the lesson or Moral of the story is that in order to have pride and freedom, you need to stand up for you right.
Plum Plum Pickers Explication
In the passage where Manuel decides to go against Morales’ demands to take money from the plum plum pickers, the author Raymond Barrio suggests that if one stands up for their beliefs this could help humans stop mistreating others and also help humans from believing that anyone is worth more than any other person.
Raymond Barrio creates a meaning by exposing Manuel a tired plum picker to a mean and arrogant man who bosses around Manuel; as well as the other field workers. Manuel a hard working man swallows his pride a few times in order to try to control his temper. Morales on the other hand takes advantage of his position as a boss, and decides to ignore the fact that these men have been working hard. Without showing any compassion towards these men, Morales than decides to take money from the workers since he states there was a “miscalculation”. The author Raymond Barrio establishes his point by the word choice in this short story. Making Morales character a heartless person, who mistreats others by comparing them to animals.
The author also communicates his point by creating Morales; a character who has more power than the working men. Who also has the chance to have an arrogant tone when asking questions to the workers if they have a problem with losing money. The author Raymond Barrio communicates the meaning of this short story through Anthropomorphism; where the workers are being treated and called as animals, taking the right to be treated equally as a human being.
When tension begins to build up between Manuel, who is unable to control his anger and Morales who wants to take money from the pickers; the author than resolves the point by demonstrating that even though Manuel is a worker, him too can have the rights that every other human should be able to be able to have. One of them being the right to speak up for one’s- self, and being able to express feelings towards an event. “You promised to take nothing! Manuel heard himself saying, everyone turned in astonishment to stare at Manuel”. Manuel being the only one able to stand up against Morales astonishes the other workers, since they would have never gone against Morales’ demands. All these workers had was this job to support their family, and they feared to lose it.
When the short story reaches its climax, Manuel then faces off Morales because he cannot longer resist being mistreated. The author establishes his point by the word choice utilized in the passage. An example of this could be the protagonist’s last name. Where the first three words of Manuel say “man”; as if Manuel has now reached respect, or is now a “somebody” instead of just an animal. The author also successfully chooses the antagonist’s last name “Morales”. Where the last name can be represented as the word moral- less, because Morales is being presented as a character who does not care when taking advantage of others.
“The two men, centered in a huge ring of red-ringed eyes, glared at each other. Reaching for each other’s jugular. The other exhausted animals studied the tableau through widening eyes. It was so unequal. Morales remained calm, confident, studying Manuel”. This passage serves the purpose to show the imagery that the author uses to refer to the other working men. Referring to them as “animals” which serves the purpose to demonstrate how Morales views these men. The author also chooses the words “red-ringed eyes” to demonstrate the anger going on between Manuel and Morales.
This passage takes the story to its resolution; where the author Raymond Barrio uses allegory to expand the idea of Manuel reaching some type of honor after standing up for himself, as well as the other men working with him. Manuel has now gain honor and pride, when refusing to give in Morales’ demand to take away money. This passage might serve the purpose to show how the author Raymond Barrio decides to establish his point. The main idea being that a human being has to go through obstacles in life in order to make it significant. Not everything in life is going to be easy, but if one fights for what one wants it will always be more significant at the end. “Then an astonishing thing happened. All the other pickers moved their own buckets still standing beside them on the ground awaiting the truck gatherer, and took an ominous position over them, straddling their feet over them. Without looking around, without taking his eyes off Manuel, Roberto Morales said sharply, “’All right. All right, men. I shall take nothing this time”’. This passage is contextually rich to the overall idea of fighting for one’s beliefs. The author Raymond Barrio creates a conflict where the antagonist is ultimately defeated by the workers who were referred to as “animals” and to him weren’t worth much. This passage fits in with the rest of the text because it’s a crucial conflict where Manuel gains honor and pride by standing up for himself, and leads others to do the same. The author Raymond Barrio sets up this passage to serve the purpose of demonstrating to others that anything can be achieved if instead of being defeated by obstacles people overcome them, and succeed in life. The author also emphasizes this point when Morales decided not to take money from the working men, and at the end instead of calling them “animals” Morales now refers to them as “men”. The word choice and way Manuel resolves the conflict leads the story to an accomplishment and a way to gain honor as well as pride for one’s actions.
In the short story Plum Plum Pickers, the author Raymond Barrio suggests that how one’s man pride gets in his way of life and how he is truly oppressed by his landowners and how racism and greed are taken upon the workers and how their hopes and wishes are not answered. Raymond Barrio started this short story as if he was continuing from another story making readers guess what and where the setting was. Roberto Morales being portrayed as the antagonist and Manuel being the protagonist in which they clash with each other during the end of the story. While expressing a lot of imagery he made a connection between his one word sentence and the setting around him.
In the first paragraph, when Roberto expressed his thoughts on how he is being treated and the lifestyle he is living as a; migrant worker. He compares himself to an “animal”, “beast”, “savage” in which all means “brute” in which he also compares himself. The definition of brute resembles a beast; showing lack of human sensibility; "beastly desires"; bestial treatment of prisoners” animal: a living organism characterized by voluntary movement. This deeply connects to how the workers on the
plantation was mistreated and how they felt while being portrayed as slaves. Raymond compares the animal with Manuel because he has no pride yet. “There had to be a way out. Locked. There had to be a respite. Animal.” Manuel described himself to being caged up like an animal being defenseless. He thought that there was no ending at his work when he mentioned crates and buckets kept getting higher. We notice that the last sentence gives us indication of Manuel’s feelings showing as if he doesn’t have a say so to his life anymore he engages in animal activity. One the second page, it quotes, “The two men, centered in a huge red-ringed eyes, glared at each other. Reaching for each other’s jugular. The other exhausted animals studied the tableau through widening eyes. It was so unequal.” When Manuel kicks over Roberto’s bucket, the two men seem to get into a confrontation with each other just as animals do to protect with what is theirs. At this point, the author makes it seem like both men are animals staring each other down just as animals do when there are about to fight for what’s theirs. Barrio uses translations for the meaning of Manuel’s name. Manuel in which the word “man” is usually recognized as an individual is recognized as an animal with no meaning. Roberto’s name in which we get “Rob” connects to the story as tries to rob the workers earnings and things in which they worked for. His last name Morales lets readers further know his name means “moral less” a person in which does not have any input on their life and doesn’t care in which how it is lived letting Roberto becoming more superior than him. Both of these men’s name have a huge impact of connection regarding the story’s setting. Manuel’s name is especially connects because he represents the opposite of what his name details which means “man” and in which he getting treated the total opposite. Roberto is a somewhat theft in which reader’s can take out “rob” or “robber” out of his name.
The main reason why Raymond Barrio connected this one word sentence with Roberto Morales is because he wanted readers to feel the anger and all the emotions that he was feeling while being a farm worker or slave. Having Barrio identify these characters as if they were tamed as wildlife animals was ironic. He expresses this short story with a lot of imagery and theme regarding laborious duty. Its purpose was to show readers how Morales defended himself for the morals in which he believed in and what was rightfully his. At the end of the story Barrio stated, “Or else they are dead before they die”. Meaning that men have to experience pride and honor or else they will lack in their daily life causing them to just take life just as it is.
Because Morales stood up for himself, he signified that, letting himself do something honorable and being proud to let someone take advantage of him, he finally found his sense of being as a human and not an animal. He has found what it is to do an honorable act and feel proud of the moment in which he comes clear of his defiance.
Temptation
In the passage when Roberto Morales tempt Manuel to speak out for the first time, the author Raymond Barrio suggests that human beings are like devils and animal that provoke people to do things that would cost them to lost everything they have work hard for because they went against the rule just like in the bible devil made Adam and eve eat the forbidden fruit when they were ask not to eat the fruit.
In the story the author describes Robert Morales as an animal and clever criminal. Animals are very clever know how to get what they want from other animals. They didn’t really care about anybody else but themselves all Roberto wants to do is to take from other he doesn’t want to give. Usually is supposed to be give and take not take all the time, from everybody without return. “despite his crude, ignorant manner, showing that he’d suffered all the sordid deprivations with them, he was actually the shrewdest, smartest, richest cannibal in forty countries around” Robert moraless is a very smart man he knows how to get what he wants by deceiving them just like the devil was smart in deceiving Adam and Eve to eat from the forbidden tree.
Manuel and the other plum picker’s were very quiet because they know if they talk they would lose their job but morales keeps provoking them to say something. “Whenever Roberto Morales spoke, Manuel had to force himself not to answer. He knew that was the only job he had to feed his family from because if he says something he would loss his job but morales keep forcing Manuel to loss his job “Now”, announced Morales to loss his friendliest tone.” Now. I must take two cents from every bucket. I am sorry. There was a miscalculation. Everybody understands. Everybody? Tired, exhausted pickers gasped as one” moraless gets paid more than the pickers but his still wants more money so he is making up something to take money from them. “Still grinning, knowing, everyone realizing that he had the upper hand, that would mean a loss of two or three dollars out of each picker’s pay that day, a huge windfall for moraless.” Morales is an animal that likes to deceive others to get what he wants. For instance in the woods lion take from other animals by eating them while the other animals are looking for food to survive.
Manuel could not take it any more he just have to say something because it was much “you promise to take nothing!” Manuel heard himself saying. Everyone turned in astonishment to stare at Manuel”. He doesn’t want to lose his job so he was tiring not to say anything to Roberto. “I said two cents, hombre. You got a problem or what?” “You promised” Roberto is not supposed to take money from the workers. Manuel is so mad at Roberto that he “then, with his last remaining energy, Manuel lifted his foot and clumsily tipped over his own last bucket of cots. They rolled away in all directions around everyone’s feet.” Manuel couldn’t take Roberto taking advantage of him. Just in the bible when the evil tempt eve to eat from the forbidden tree even tempt Adam to do the same thing. “All the other pickers moved toward their own buckets still standing beside them on the ground awaiting the truck gatherer, and took an ominous position over them, straddling their feet over them.”
The plum pickers finally have confident especially Manuel “he had never won anything before”. He was so happy that he was able to speak his mind. Eve is happy that she ate the fruit but they also know that something bad is going to happen to them “he would have to pay for this, for his defiance.”
Juliana Castro
Per. 1
Plum-plum Pickers
The Purpose of Humans
In the passage when the narrator refers to Don Gaspar and states “that man counted for something”, the author Raymond Barrio suggests that even though humans struggles most of their lives, success and knowledge follows this effort.
The author introduces the story as if familiarizing the reader to different life; a more difficult and harsh life of a slave. The author creates meaning to the story by his word choice, especially by the one word sentences on the first paragraph, that creates emphasis to the feelings that the narrator demontrates by his dramatic tone. These sentences formed incorectly in grammar without verbs, creates cages to the reader making the protagonist, Manuel, feel as in a trap. Also these words compares the apricot pickers to animals, whom works endlessly on the field being treated as anything but humans, and with ‘predators’ that explore their hard work for an unworthy money. The one sentence paragraphs from the first through the third paragraph are transitions from a part of the day to another as breaks in feelings throughout the day, until it ‘ended’ and the antagonist Roberto Morales is introduced as the ‘contratista’.
Roberto Morales is the apricot pickers’ boss; the author ironically describes Morales as ‘gentlemanly, friendly, polite’ person, however following these qualities the author also describes him as ‘vicious, thieving brute’. This passage transforms the tone of the narrator as well as the direction of the story. Roberto Morales’ introduction to the story brings the rising action of the novel. The antagonists’ name has a meaning in being low and disrespectuful to others; his name Roberto Morales according to Barrio’s purpose of the story mean ‘robber moral less’. According to the text, Morales is part of that race that works in the apricot fields, but then is chosen to be a boss and discriminate his own people, which is the reason of his puzzled personality as a good and bad person however.
Morales, as the boss, is responsible for the money involved in the apricot picking and the workers, therefore he whatsoever has the power to take away what is given to the workers as compensation for the job, until Manuel clumsily confronts Morales. The author uses this event as transition from the rising action to the actual climax; a worker contradicting the boss. Manuel is an ordinary worker simply protecting his rights, and accidentaly involves himself in the confusion. Barrio changes direction once again, creating a new expectation on the resolution of the story.
Manuel careless actions in defiance to Morales, wakes up the other workers bringing everyone to realize Morales’ injust actions, therefore brings them together as to unite forces towards their rights. The authot archieves the purpose of the story by Manuel’s actions, which leads to the resolution of the conflict together with all the other workers. When Manuel realizes his actions, that he is a hero, and realizes that he now has the respect from all the workers including his own boss he feels as a great discover. Manuel, as the author mentions in the novel, makes a discovery as Don Gaspar- whom served as soldier in the Spanish army, then responsible for deportation of missionairies, and therefore concluded that people are meant for something- in the same spot, as the author concludes his purpose.
Manuel as a hard worker, with dreams, plans and a family to care of, concludes that every person has a mission to accomplish. In the last two sentences, the author finalizes Manuel’s sence of victory using Gaspar’s discovery as an advice for the reader, making the tone melodramatic and encourageous, archieving his purpose which is to act for ‘honor and pride’ or life doesn’t start and dies.
Plum Plum Pickers Passage Explication
In the short story Plum Plum Pickers, Raymond Barrio suggests that men were created with a certain sense of honor and pride. Barrio uses one word sentences and imagery to show the readers how the protagonist is feeling through out the exposition and rising action of the short story.
In the beginning of the story Barrio starts off with a great deal of imagery. Barrio starts off by introducing the main character as being trapped in an endless maze. In the passage where Barrio explains what the main character is feeling and what he is going through, Barrio suggest that man is trapped and sucked of his honor and pride by using diction. In the passage Barrio uses one word sentences to give the reader a sense of being trapped. By using a lot of commas and periods it causes the reader to stop and their in a trapped, slowed, motion. There is much more significance to the one word sentences as well. The types of words the author uses are strong and meaningful. Using words like wreck, brute, locked, savage, beast, animal, and predator. Barrios word choice is very powerful and stands out. It gives the words value so that the reader can get a better understanding of what the main character is feeling. Barrio also uses no verbs in the whole paragraph too emphasize the feeling of being trapped or being in an endless maze. One word paragraphs are also use as Barrio explains how short and plain eating lunch is for the protagonist.
Mid way through the exposition Barrio gives a great deal of imagery and uses less one word sentences. Manual the main characters name is now on a break and is relaxing and cooling off his body. Barrio expresses an allusion too how Manuel is related to Jesus. The symbolic view of the water running down Manuel’s body is cooling and purifying Manuel’s body. Revealing the water as
being holy in a sense. Only holy water purifies a man within himself. Barrio shows this through allusion. As Barrio moves towards the end of the exposition it shows Manuel coming to the end of his day. Manuel is really tired and is slowing down in his tone. Barrio creates an effect to show Manuel’s exhaustion by slowing down Manual through punctuation, sentences becoming shorter and by the personification of the innocent trees. Barrio is making the trees more human using a repetition in his style of writing. Suddenly everything changes when Manuel meets his antagonist Roberto Morales.
There is a big drastic change from Manuel eating lunch and relaxing too going back too work. Roberto Morales a criminal, robber, and very problematic creates a lot of conflict for Manuel. Barrio shows the significance of Roberto Morales through his name. When Breaking down Roberto it comes out as robber. When breaking down the name Morales it comes to moral-less. Barrio uses names to describe the characters and what they lack. Roberto being the crook that he is has no morals. Manuel is different in Manuel’s name is the word man. Barrio created Manuel to represent man. The way Manuel’s name describes himself is in the sense of manual labor. Manuel is doing a lot of work and is going through a lot of hard work. At this point of the story we have reached the rising action. Roberto Morales the man who watches the workers every move. Roberto Morales is not the friendliest because he steals from the workers.
In the climax of the story things really started to heat up. Manuel being the man that he is supposes to be, a man with pride and honor. Finally stands up for himself and the rest of the workers. Barrio uses the climax of the story to show the biggest transformation ever. How Manuel is showing a great deal of honor and showing that pride is what a man is to have in order to live. Barrio is showing how Manuel’s pride has affected the other workers giving them the sense to gain there pride back.
Roberto Morales was there as a vacuum. Roberto Morales would suck out all the pride out of the workers and make work long days in the sun. All the workers had no pride and nothing to stand up for. Barrio makes a biblical allusion again in the climax. Jesus being a hard working man had to sacrifice him self for everyone else’s well being. Manuel does the same thing stepping up to Roberto Morales. Manuel was put in the world to do something and that was to find his pride and honor. Manuel needed to be a leader so that he can spread his pride and honor to all the other workers so that they can stand up for themselves. They need somebody they can trust, respect, and look up to. Now that Manuel stood up to Roberto Morales it has opened the eyes of the other workers.
Manuel has finally got what it takes to become a man. The pride and honor a man is suppose to have is finally reached. Not only did Manuel reach his pride and honor but the workers got a sense of it as well. Stepping up to Roberto Morales has been a big step. Barrio shows how men are to be like with a sense of pride and honor by diction and imagery.
Plum Plum Pickers
passage explication
In the passage when the author is talking about the protagonist in the story “Manuel” working in farm as a picker was trapped in an endless maze of apricot trees, it means that he was stuck in being a picker and at the ending he discovers some thing.
The author Raymond Barrio suggests that working in farm is not that easy and it’s like putting themselves in prison or they work really hard as a slave. Raymond B. uses the imagery to explain how does it look like being a picker working hard by using the “blackest bars on the jails of hell” he used it to show how they feel when they are working and what it looks like how hard it is working under the sun.
The passage is about the man “Manuel” who works in farm picking fruits and he is felt like he is a slave because of hardworking and he never earned some respect from the other people who works with him. In the passage its shows that their job is really hard they work from mornings to afternoon and they only have lunch break.
The author establish his point by an imagery and argument because from the beginning of the story he uses many examples to explain what it looks like for example by comparing the trees like the bars in jail, he used it because he wants the audience to think and realize what it looks like and how hard it is. In the climax the author uses the argument because when Manuel was arguing with Roberto Morales he fight for respect and he talk back to Morales because he is taking two cents in their salaries so Manuel cant help himself to talk back to Morales.
The author resolves his point by making the protagonist discover something that “men are built to experience a certain sense of honor and pride” it means that every men in the world had their sense, sense to feel his honor to be a man and be proud of what he is doing and be comfortable of. The author also add one sentence to the very last part of the story saying that “or else they are dead before they die” what he meant is that even they are living they are already dead because of what was happening in their life that makes them dead already just like in the beginning when the author said “trapped in an endless maze of apricot trees, as though forever, neat rows of them, neatly planted, row after row, just like the blackest bars on the jails of hell.” in this quote it seems he is stuck and maybe there is no way out of his situation. and he keep saying that “it had to be an end” Manuel seems to be sick of what he is doing and tired of working and being controlled by someone.
Its meaning communicates in literature by using the different kinds of techniques to make the story more interesting and make the readers confuse and think hard about what it means like using the imagery, readers may think what it is and why he used it for the sentence and later after they red the story and they didn’t understand what it means but later they will realize what that means by seeing the things that’s happening around them and tries to read it again.
This passage will fit to the rest of the text by connecting the events in the story and realize what was happening and understand the whole story and what it connects to the reality. Its purpose is to let the audience see and realize how hard and miserable Manuel’s life was and learned as lesson for everyday life. This passage connects in reality because what happens to Manuel is the same as what is happening in the reality.
Mei Cheang
Per 7
1/25/08
Passage Explication – Plum Plum Pickers
In the passage Plum Plum Pickers, the author Raymond Barrio suggests that men are built to experience a certain sense of honor and pride. He tries to bring out the theme “What is the manner of human” by comparing the two characters – the protagonist and the antagonist of the story, how Manuel learn to be a man through the conflict between him and Roberto who acts like beast.
In the exposition which introduces the working condition of Manuel and how he feels, the writer tries to let the reader feel what Manuel is feeling. He uses a lot of one word sentence in the first paragraph to describe the condition of Manuel. These one word sentences slows down the story and make he reader feel what Manuel is feeling – being trapped in the endless maze form of apricot trees. He seems to be comparing Manuel to animals because he uses dictions which relate to animals “Animal, Brute, Beast, Savage”, they are all used in one word sentences which makes them stand out from the long paragraph. Also he uses words like “hell, hot, dry, endless” to makes the readers understand what Manuel feels in the passage. “He felt his spirit swell out again like a thirsty sponge in water.” Here Raymond Barrio is comparing Manuel’s spirit to a thirsty sponge in water, sponge is an imagery that would return to its original form when it is in water and it absorbs water quickly, this is to tell the reader that how good he feels during the short break, the lunch. The sentence “Lunch.” is isolated to one word sentence and one paragraph, which shows its importance to Manuel, as he works in a hot dry place like “jails of hell”. To Manuel, endless maze of apricot trees means endless work, the writer also builds out the image “endlessly unending” by using repetition of the word “upon”, in the sentence “The endlessly unending piling up of the bucket upon box upon crate upon stack upon mound upon mountain.” That also shows how much Manuel has work.
As for the rising where conflict enters, Barrio uses paradox to describe the antagonist, Roberto Morales. “A gentlemanly, friendly, polite, grinning, vicious, thieving brute. The worst kind.” which the words gentlemanly, friendly, polite is totally opposite with vicious and thieving brute. This shows how evil Roberto is, which his name also represents “Robber”, that he can smile at you while he robs you, just as how he does in the passage, smiling while announcing taking 2 cents from every bucket in the next part of the passage. It turns into climax when Manuel stands out to speak for him and also other labors that Roberto promised to take nothing from them. Both Roberto and Manuel’s tone changes during this part, Roberto is first angry, then when he sees everyone tries to stand against he changes his tone to solve the problem, Manuel’s tone changes from tired to angry when he cannot stand anymore for he get less after working for so long in a place like hell.
The last part talks about how good Manuel feels after getting rid of Roberto. Now he feels like a human again. All dictions related to animals which are used to compare him do not appear anymore because he feels like a man again. All the conditions that Manuel experienced at the exposition are like foreshadowing that one day he would be fed up with his life. He wins his pride and honor by getting rid of his enemy, Roberto, and brings out the theme of the story “Men are built to experience a certain sense of honor and pride.”
Emanuelle Machado
Per. 7
Plum-plum Pickers
No pride or honor, just die already
In this passage Plum-plum-pickers, Raymond Barrio is trying to show those to gain control over your life there a need to stand up for yourself and start to control your life.” Men are build to experience a certain sense of honor and pride. Or else they are dead before they die.”
Raymond Barrio introduce the character as a slave on the begin suffering like an animal with a brutal tone like a beast. He feels trapped and he lives a monotonous life. Raymond is describing Manuel life like he is being treated like an animal because he works very hard all day long without any complaining and receives nothing or not as much as he wanted for a day of work. He does the same work every single day is a repetition. But he needs the work so that why he never stood .He is living a miserable life as if he was in jail and he doesn’t now how to escape and what to do with his life.
Manuel lives the life of a prisoner when he is working.”…planted, row after row, just like the blackest bars on the jail of hell.” Raymond Barrio made the set where the story starts so Manuel feels like a prison he was all around the apricot trees. Manuel is really frustrated with the way he is going with his life.” The hot dry air sucking every drop of living moisture from his brute body.” He is so miserable that he is slowly he losing himself. It has gotten to the point where Manuel can’t take the abuse anymore and is tired of people walking over him and finally is going to try to stand up for him.
Once the story goes on the tone changes. The words are powerful and some are left alone just like a paragraph that means they very important ,some are not even in English but in Spanish. Roberto Morales was the person that all the workers hated. He was like a wall between freedom and prison, to fell like a human they had to win over some respect. Roberto was a robber he gets money from the innocent workers. The story gets very tense when Roberto Morales tries to take 2 cents from every bucket and here is when Manuel shows everyone that he not just there watching someone steals from him, but he is alive and won’t let anyone take advantage over him anymore. Manuel spoke up and told Roberto that he couldn’t have 2 cent of his money. The fellow workers followed his footsteps and kick over their fruit just like Manuel did when he told Morales that he wouldn’t give him the money. By the end Barrio mentions a man name Don Gaspar some man that was a solider who accomplished so much in a very little time and became very powerful and people respect him. This is the comparison that Barrio is trying to show that Manuel will accomplished something very important just like Don Gaspar did, and others will follow him. So for someone like Manuel to stand up and yelled at Roberto was a moment of courage that is why others will follow him, Manuel is finally standing up for them and the nightmares of working there will probably finish.
Manuel stood up for himself because he believes that he already had everyone walk over him and do whatever to him so he feels like he deserves all the money he has a family to take care, he thought it was wring because he worked very hard for every cent. He doesn’t want to feel like he is jail anymore or be abuse by his boss. He was so mad that he couldn’t hold his emotions anymore and said something to Roberto “the two men, centered in a huge ring of red ringed eye, glared at each other.” So Raymond uses this quotes so the reader can image how furious they were and how this could cause many bad things to Manuel, because he stood up against his boss.
Raymond Barrio on this passage showed a very intense moment because this story started as a care less character like Manuel that just worked and did care about how people treat but never really said anything and was living like a animal in jail, by the end Barrio adds a sentence that Morales no longer call the pickles “animals” but he did call them “men”. That shows that standing up for yourself sometimes gives a good felling that people will respect you and treat you better, so Manuel accomplish what he never felt this way before now he has honor and pride just because of one little action.
Respect and Pride
In the story The Plum Plum Pickers, Raymond Barrio uses Manuel as a character that is not satisfied with the way he lives life, to express to the readers what it means to be human. Raymond Barrio uses imagery, wording, and rough characteristics to express that being a human is being able to fight for your wants, needs, and stand up for one’s beliefs.
Raymond Barrio starts off the story with a powerful image of Manuel being trapped. “No matter which way he turned, he was trapped in an endless maze of apricot trees, as though forever…just like the blackest bars on the jails of hell” (Barrio). Raymond uses this image of hell to call the reader’s attention to the situation Manuel has found him self stuck in. Manuel has no way out except to work hard and try to make things better. As Raymond continues he uses punctuation and repetition, to make the readers feel trapped together with Manuel. “Letting it spill down his torn shirt to cool his exhausted body, to replenish his brute cells and animal pores and stinking follicles and pig gristle” (Barrio). Raymond also uses very descriptive and animalistic words to show how exhausted Manuel is from the life of a prisoner, a life that he did not choose and never thought of living, but is working hard and fighting to stand up for himself and gain respect.
As Raymond moves on to the climax, Raymond continues to use strong words, but chooses to make some words into one word sentences, to keep constructing the paragraphs in a way they stand out. Raymond then presents the readers to Roberto Morales, a new character who is massively hated by the workers. Roberto being hated by the workers is significant because of his name, which could be worded as “Robber”, and that’s exactly what he is. “Now. I must take two cents from every bucket” (Barrio). Roberto steels money from the hard innocent workers. This point in the story is important because Raymond creates a conflict between Roberto and Manuel to have the readers clearly retrieve the meaning of being human. Manuel decides not only to stand up for himself, but also for the other workers by fighting against Roberto’s crudeness and stopping him from steeling.
Raymond finalizes the story with a nice comparison of Manuel and Don Gaspar. Don Gaspar was a soldier with great accomplishments, and very well respected by people. “For men, Manuel dimly suspected, are built for something more important and less trifling than the mere gathering of prunes and apricots… Men are built to experience a certain sense of honor and pride” (Barrio). Just like Don Gaspar, Manuel had difficulties and he worked hard and suffered, but at the end he realized that the best thing was to fight for his rights. Both fought and both gained respect, and that’s the significance of being human. All human being was born to work hard and suffer, but at the end gain respect and live their lives full of pride.
The Plum Plum Pickers
Explication
In the short story The Plum Plum Pickers, the author Raymond Barrio suggests that “Men are built to experience a certain sense of honor and pride,” which means men should have the self-pride and it’s most successful condition to stand up and face up to against injustice. To fulfills that Raymond Barrio through the intense conflict between the Manuel, a worker and Roberto Morales, a greedy employer who administer Manuel. Manuel is the protagonist without selfhood, of the short story, who works as a slave or animal under the unfair working environment and the nasty living conditions. Barrio is trying to show the process of Manuel to fully developed self.
In the first passage, Raymond Barrio uses short sentence and one word sentences to support his main idea. In the exposition of the passage, the narrator says, “No matter which way he turned he was trapped in an endless maze of apricot trees, as…...just like the blackest bars on the jails of hell.”(pg.40) That’s kind like image, Barrio is trying to point out Manuel has no freedom that he couldn’t get away from his job, and his working environment is just like the jails on hell, which means Manuel works as a slave. Barrio uses the image of the jails of hell to describe the situation that Manuel went through hell on the job. Jails of hell are a situation or place of misery for the confinement of persons in detention, in other words, Barrio is trying to show how the Manuel spent his life by working in that tragic or awful condition. And Barrio even uses the one word sentences as he says, “There had to be a way out. Locked. There had to be a respite. Animal. The buckets and the crates kept piling up higher. Brute. He felt alone. Though surrounded by other pickers. Beast. Though he was perspiring heavily, his shirt was powder dry. Savage. ... The hot dry air sucking every drop of living moisture from his brute body. Wreck. He stopped….pleased to meetcha. Predator.” (pg.40)Every single word sentences is located between the shorts sentences. “There had to be a way out. Locked. There had to be a respite. Animal.” This sentences show that movement or escape is impossible, which affords no exit. And also Manuel has a short interval of rest or relief from the brute job. Barrio is trying to tell that Manuel is regarded as an animal. And these single word sentences or adjectives, or nouns that apply to what is more characteristic of lower animals than of human beings. Then Manuel has no freedoms in his life just as he vegetates and led a humdrum existence with all work and no play.
In the raising action, when Roberto Morales appeared, the employer of Manuel and other pickers, who is gentlemanly but thieving brute, which is a real robber. He does almost whatever he pleases, such as take money right out of her pockets. Barrios describes Roberto as a robber by showing his behaviors and the way he treats to his workers. “Whenever Roberto Morales spoke, Manuel had to force himself not to answer. He had to keep his temper from flaring.”(pg.41) From the sentence Barrios is trying to indicates that Manuel is has no selfhood, own idea, purpose. He is bearably to following people’s order. He just kind like a mechanical worker who does everything as someone orders him to do. But eventually, Manuel changed when Roberto declares take two cents from every pickers’ bucket. Roberto announced “Now. I must take two cents from every bucket. I am sorry. There was a miscalculation. Everybody understands. Everybody?” Eventually Manuel put in one's two cents.
In the climax, when Manuel stand against Roberto. “You promised to take nothing!” From the dialogues, Barrios is trying to shows that Manuel is beyond endurance about Roberto’s behavior to cheating pickers’ money. As one of the pickers, Manuel knows working to earn money is not easy, so to save others he gave up his one bucket of cots. “Manuel lifted his foot and clumsily tipped over his own last bucket of cots…..Roberto Morales’ eyes blazed….For answer Manuel kicked over another bucket, and again the fruit rolled away in all directions…….Roberto Morales said sharply, “All right. All right, men. I shall take nothing this time.” By knowing Roberto has power to do anything he wants. So Manuel perished together by kicked over his own buckets that made him to receive the winning.
In resolution, Manuel’s success earned respect from his fellow slaves that is worthy. To get nothing in reward for helping others, that will earned the respect, honor, and pride from them. That’s the meaning of Barrio says “Men are built to experience a certain sense of honor and pride.” But before that, people should have basically self-respect and self-confidence to fearlessly confront anything.
proletarian
No Pride, No Life
In the Plum Plum Pickers, Raymond Barrio suggests that humans are built for something more thrilling than just using instincts. At the end of the story the author creates a moral for the reader. The main character is described as a person with low self-esteem which is constantly looked down by others, and by making he stand up for himself at the end, Raymond Barrio implies that the reader should think about his own life.
The protagonist of Plum Plum Pickets is Manuel Gutierrez, he works on a tree field picking apricots, bucket after bucket, day after day. When describing the setting of the story in the first paragraph the author says; “he was trapped in an endless maze of apricot trees, neatly planted, row after row, just like the blackest bars on the jails of hell.” The constant use of comas, and the repetition makes the reader feel like Manuel, Raymond Barrio wants whoever reads this story to put himself in Manuel’s shoes so that he can picture this field, with perfect rows of trees, but the way Barrio writes it and the impact of using “the blackest bars on the jails of hell” as a comparison, creates a claustrophobic feeling, makes the reader picture these gigantic trees suffocating Manuel.
Being an apricot picker requires constant repetition of movement and this repetition originates an instinct in Manuel, makes it automatic, he just climb the ladder pick the apricot put in the bucket and all over again. What makes us different from dogs, or wolfs is that we can think, we have creativity, animals have instincts, they do what they do because it’s all they need to survive, they don’t need anything else, it’s not that Manuel doesn’t need anything else, but repeating the same thing over and over, makes him less human. Raymond Barrio advocate that humans are supposed to think, abuse creativity, and Manuel also feels that way; he is tired of constantly having to repeat the same task over and over again. It is very interesting that the author keeps describing the protagonist as an “animal” and “beast” while he was working, but as soon as Manual stops working and heads to his lunch break, it’s as he has evolved, and for a short period of time, he is not being compared to animals anymore, the lunch break ends and Manuel returns to his “animalistic self.” Barrio starts Manuel work journey after lunch with the short sentence “A beast.”
The conflict starts when the contractor, Roberto Morales enters and say that he is going to take two cents off of every bucket, the irony in this is, is that Roberto, the guy who before treated the pickers as animals, now call them “men”, all he cares about its money, so when it comes to money he treats people as people. Roberto is described as a cannibal, cannibal is someone or something that eats flesh from the same species, but calling Roberto a cannibal works well in a figurative way because, Roberto Morales is from the same nationality as Manuel, and taking advantage over his own kind makes him, as the author says, the most despicable kind of criminal, a cannibal.
Everybody stays quiet as Roberto says he is going to take the money, but Manuel stands up for himself and for everyone else, Manuel defies the authority of Roberto, but more than that, he defends what is right, he kicks one of his own buckets full of apricots, and as the apricots roll around justice is made, before the other pickers can do the same, Roberto agrees in paying the fair amount for the apricots. Manuel Gutierrez is no longer portrayed as an animal, because now he has pride, honor, he is alive. It is only natural to feel good about a victory, but this was more than a fight over money, this was a fight over life. Manuel acknowledges his existence as a human being the moment he gathers enough strength to kick that bucket.
Raymond Barrio expresses well his toughs and ideas of what it means to be a human being through his story. Although some people might not agree entirely with him, the feelings he puts into Manuel’s actions are deep and true. Barrio successfully achieves his purpose of creating a moral in Manuel’s journey of becoming a man; by the end of the story the reader asks himself if he is human. The author clearly wrote Plum Plum Pickers based in Descarte’s three word sentence; “cogito ergo sum.”
In the passage from The Plum Plum Pickers , Author Raymond Barrio uses repetition in word choice to establish the difference between working as a human and manual labor as an animal. Barrio creates that meaning through a simple question of what does it mean to be human? His style using powerful one word sentences to slow down the reader and making you feel stuttered and trapped like an animal, yet the changes in tone and imagery couldn't make him anymore human.
The action rises when Manuel forces himself to keep his mouth as well as his temper form flaring when Morales questions his men, as a dog when his own beats him to keep quite. Morales having a upper hand on the workers he announces that "I must take two cents from every bucket." The workers loosing a total of 2 or 3 dollars out of each persons pay of the day. A loosing streak for pickers, but banking it for Morales. "You promised to take nothing!" Manuel finally sticking it out for himself as well as other co-workers takes a stand, he didn't become a savage, beast, or an animal to not get what was rightfully his taken away.
"Manuel lifted his foot and clumsily tipped over his own last bucket of cots." Morales and his no longer friendly tone were unhappy. A man of power being challenged by an underclassman when Manuel was ordered "you pick them up." "Manuel kicked over another bucket". To be a man is to stand up for oneself. He wants to be seen as more than some picker in the field working like an animal he wants to be seen as a human wit feelings.
Morales was defeated forcing himself to lower his power over the others. " all right. All right men. I shall take nothing this time." Brining down a higher power "manuel felt a thrill of power course through his nerves." Manuel opened the eyes of the rest of the savages (working men) to stand up for there manhood. "All the other pickers moved toward their buckets still standing beside them on the ground.. Took an ominous (protective) position over them, straddling their feet over them."
In conclusion "He had salvaged his money savagely and he had earned respect..". Manuel stood up in defiance and earned what was rightfully his and more. Manuel is now a respected and feels more of a man with senses of pride. " They were dead before they die". Manuel awoke from the dead. He went from shy to standing up.
Pride is Earned
At the end of this short story we are left with the simple question of what it means to be a human. Raymond proposes that to be a human one has to fight for what they believe in and be able to stand up for what they truly want, even if the odds is against the person doing the fight. He uses word choice and comparison to emphasize his point. He also gets his point across through changes in tone within the lines of the paragraph.
The protagonist of Plum Plum Pickets is Manuel Gutierrez, he works on a field picking apricots, in the beginning of the story Manuel is given no human characteristics. He’s described as an animal. Raymond does this in a very unique literary technique by using one word sentences. He uses words like “Brute. Beast. Savage.” All the words have animal meaning to them, and by using the one word sentences the words standout and catches the reader’s eye. By giving Manuel animal characteristics the reader gets a sense that he means nothing and he’s not seen as a human at first. “His arms flailed the innocent trees.” Raymond Barrio uses personification to make the tree seem more human than Manuel. He does this to show how unhuman and spiritless Manual is during this part of the novel. Barrio also uses repetition and imagery to show how trapped and lonely Manuel feels. “ He was trapped in an endless maze of apricot trees as though forever, neat rows of them, neatly planted, row after row, just like the blackest bars on the jails of hell.” The repetition of words and commas makes the reader slow down. That effect puts the reader in Manuel's shoes and makes it seem like the reader is trapped on never ending sentences. The imagery set here by Barrio makes the reader see how Manuel sees the field. When people think of fields they think beautiful green pastors with beautiful trees. “ Just like the blackest bars on the jails of hell.” This gives the reader Manuel's perspective of the fields. The reader sees how trapped and alone Manuel must feel in the middle of these trees. Like the old saying says the grass is always greener on the other side.
Barrio puts Manuel in animal mode while he's working. During lunch though he's given back some human characteristics. “That short rest in the hot shade replenished some of his humor and resolve.” Barrio does this to show even though Manuel while working is animalistic, while resting he's back to being human. The second paragraph is one word “ Lunch.” Barrio does this to show how quick lunch is for Manuel. “Then up again.” “ The endlessly unending piling up of bucket upon box upon crate upon stack upon rack upon mound upon mountain.” Barrio uses repetition and imagery again this time to show how much Manuel works. The imagery of a bucket working it's way to a mountain of buckets shows the reader how much Manuel has to work. “ He picked up a mountain of cots automatically. An automator. A beast.” Now Barrio is describing Manuel to a machine. Lower than a animal. Machines do only what they're commanded. Manuel at this point is exactly that. He has nothing in his mind accept picking cots. The reader can also assume that Barrio picked Manuel's name for a reason. Manuel can also be a type of manual labor. Proposing his name to be significant to his characteristics.
“ The contratista Roberto Morales stood there.” So the conflict starts. “A real robber. A Mexican general.” Like Manuel's name Roberto's name also symbolizes his characteristics. Roberto also meaning robber and Morales also meaning moral less. Calling him a Mexican general shows the power he has over the Mexicans working in the fields. “A gentlemanly, friendly, polite, grinning vicious, thieving brute.” The change shows that maybe one day Roberto was a friendly person but now he has transformed into a thieving brute. “ The worst kind. To his own people.” Roberto tells the pickers that there was a miscalculation and that he must take 2 cents out of each bucket. “ The tired, exhausted pickers gasped as one.” This imagery Barrio shows that the pickers are like a herd of animals. Morales questions the pickers manhood. “ Any questions, men?” by isolating men and putting a question mark next to it makes the reader think that Morales is questioning if they're real men. This time Manuel doesn't stay quite.
Manuel is the only one to stand up at first. Manuel worked way to hard and he's not ready to quit so easily. “Then with his last remaining energy, he tipped over his own last bucket of cots.” Morales tells him to pick it up but he doesn't. Then all the other pickers are about to tip theirs over when Morales gives up. “Manuel felt a thrill of power course through his nerves.” Victory. Not over money but over pride. Manuel is animal no more. He has pride and honor. At the end Manuel realizes that there's more meaning in a men's life than just picking up apricots. “ For men Manuel dimly suspected, are built for something more important and less thrilling than the mere gathering of prunes and apricots.” Manuel knows he has won the battle and with it will come consequences. But for now he knows what pride and honor feels like and that he'll wont forget. “ Men are built to experience a certain honor and pride. Or else they are dead before they die.” Barrio says here that Manuel has been reborn into a human.
Christopher Aviles
Period 7
The Plum Plum Pickers
In the short story "The Plum Plum Pickers" the author, Raymond Barrio, suggests that the only way to be human is to feel a sense of pride. He does this through imagery and characterization of the protagonist, Manuel.
Within the exposition Raymond Barrio uses one word sentences to describe a precise image of how one man is feeling as a laborer. The author is placing these one word sentences in between other sentences to make the reader experience what Manuel is experiencing, being trapped. "No matter which way he turned, he was trapped in an endless maze of apricot trees, as though forever, neat rows of them, row after row, just like the blackest bars on the jails of hell. There had to be an end. There had to be. There- trapped. There had to be a way out. Locked. There had to be a respite. Animal..." What does it mean to be human? The author is characterizing Manuel as not even being human but having more animal characteristics rather than human ones. Being degraded to a point of being less than human can affect anyone, losing your honor and pride is what you only have left. Raymond Barrio manifested Manuels animal characteristics through word choice, "He...raised the dented dipper from the brute tank, drank...in great brute gulps so he wouldn't have to savor its tastelessness, letting it spill down his torn shirt to cool his exhausted body, to replenish his brute cells and animal pores and stinking follicles and pig gristle, a truly refined wreck of an animal, pleased to meetcha."
Roberto Morales is introduced as the antagonist and straight away Manuel's hatred for him and the conflict emerges between them. The tone has change from being trapped and no way out to hatred. Raymond gives Roberto Morales more human characteristics rather than Manuel. Roberto seems to be more animal like in his demeanor, "The contratista Roberto Morales stood there...A Mexican general. A gentlemanly, friendly, polite, grinning, vicious, thieving brute. The worst kind. To his own people... Despite...showing that he was one of them, that he'd started with them, that he grew up with them, that he'd suffered all the sordid deprivations with them, he was actually the shrewdest, smartest, richest, cannibal in forty counties around." The conflict arises between the workers and Roberto because he was once and hermano of theirs now he’s taking advantage of them.
All a man has left is a sense of honor pride without it you might as well be dead. Standing up for you know it what’s right and true is what makes you different and a pact leader. "...a man counted for something...men... are built for something more important and less trifling than the mere gathering of prunes and apricots, hour upon hour, decade upon decade...mechanically, antlike. Men are built to experience a certain sense of honor and pride. Or else they are dead before they die." What Barrio is trying to say is that everyone has a voice in this life of ours and that we need to use it to be able to feel some sense of freedom from all this injustice in this world.
Rachael Nall
English 12, CP pd. 7
Released
In the passage from The Plum Plum Pickers by Raymond Barrio, he achieves meaning through an “animal” that ends up defying the laws of nature by standing up to its predator and succeeding. Thus proving anyone, no matter how worthless they may seem, can overcome any obstacle.
Manuel Gutierrez is the protagonist and is the trapped animal. Barrio writes, “he was trapped in an endless maze of apricot trees… just like the blackest bars on the jails of hell.” The tone of that is very disheartening, you get the idea of anger, loneliness, hopelessness, and feelings of being trapped with no escape. Gutierrez is a hard worker who picks fruit in the heat all day and makes very little money from it. Roberto Morales is Manuel’s crew chief, he’s the antagonist, and is the ‘predator’, he once worked hard in the fields all day earning his money but the moment he became the ‘boss’ he began taking money from his workers earnings, right from their pockets. He manipulates the situation so he benefits, never stopping to think about anyone else.
Barrio uses one word sentences, most likely to have them stick out and show how meaningful they are. While reading it, it seems like the one word sentences are Gutierrez’s thoughts. After showing us how much he loathes Morales, they end up have a confrontation. Gutierrez seems fed up with Morales’ ways and once he announced “Now. I must take two cents from every bucket. I am sorry. There was a miscalculation. Everybody understands. Everybody?”, Gutierrez had enough. He stood up for himself to everyone’s disbelief including his own. Once he called him out there was no turning back, he had to follow through and take a stand for himself.
Then to prove he meant business, he knocked over one of his fruit filled buckets. Morales was furious, demanding Gutierrez to pick it up. Instead every other worker moved towards there own buckets threatening to knock them over. Morales had lost that fight, “all right. All right, men. I shall take nothing this time.”
Before this happened Gutierrez felt like he was nothing, not even a man. On that day in that moment of triumph he realized something he had forgotten or never learned: “that a man counted for something.” “Men are built to experience a certain sense of honor and pride. Or else they are dead before they die.” He felt meaningless before he stood up for himself, like he was already in hell trapped in a miserable world. Once he gained some honor and pride, life flowed back into him.
In the passage from Plum Plum Pickers, Raymond Barrio suggests that man is created with a sense of pride and dignity. The author uses the main character, Manuel, to show how men will stand up for themselves when pushed too far. Throughout the passage Barrio uses words and phrases to make the reader feel like Manuel is locked in or caged in like an animal. Barrio also gets the reader to see how over-worked and under-paid the workers are so they can get some sense of what the workers go through daily.
Barrio uses one word sentences in the first paragraph to get certain words to stick out to the reader. On word sentences that consist of words like locked, animal, brute, savage and wreck make the reader visualize a wild animal locked in at a zoo. This is how the employers see their employees at this job. The owners and bosses see the workers as animals who are only around to do hard work for bad pay. Taking that everyday would eventually take a toll on any man. Imagine showing up to work everyday only to be treated harshly, worked very hard and paid barely enough to get by. No man wants to feel like he is a slave or a prisoner. However many men are afraid to stand up to bosses and others in higher positions.
In the second paragraph Barrio uses one word for the entire paragraph. Lunch. The word lunch by itself is written to get the reader to feel relief from the first paragraph. It slows things down so the reader can relate to how Manuel is feeling. The next paragraph describes how the short half hour break replenishes Manuel’s good spirits. Barrio includes this so the reader understands that no matter how bad the main character has it he will not be kept down by his employers. Manuel has pride and will not sit around feeling sorry for himself. He knows he has to work to keep himself and his family alive.
When Manuel goes back to work he drops a bucket of fruit. He is chewed out by his boss, Roberto, but does not fight with him. Instead Manuel is too tired to argue back and does not think it is worth it to argue with his boss. Here Manuel takes an insult and does not fight back. Barrio chooses to write this to show some rising tension or conflict between Manuel and Roberto.
Barrio writes another one word paragraph to transport the reader further into the day. Barrio writes about things Manuel enjoys doing. Thoughts of cool nights, cold drinks and soft guitar music get Manuel through his day. There is a lot of dignity in working all day. There is no feeling like the one a person has after completing a full day of hard work. Barrio has Manuel keep his dignity by not making him complain about the work or the heat. Instead Manuel visualizes things he enjoys so he can get through his day with his sanity still intact. Manuel hears the whistle blow and finally his day is over.
In the next passage Barrio describes Manuel’s boss Roberto in greater detail. Roberto is a friendly seeming, thieving brute. Roberto Morales is only out for himself and does not care what he has to do to get himself ahead. He had grown up with all the workers and yet felt he better than them and deserved more than them. Roberto is actually worse than the upper management. He is exploiting his own people. Roberto takes what he wants from his own “friends” and neighbors. In a later passage Roberto claims he must take two cents out of every bucket due to a miscalculation.
Barrio uses this part of the passage to show just how much men will let someone push them around. Manuel answers Roberto’s claim by saying, “You Promised to take nothing”. Everyone stares at Manuel with astonishment. Roberto and Manuel exchange more words, which ends in Manuel kicking over his last bucket of gathered fruit. Barrio writes this to show how unmatched Roberto and Manuel are. Roberto could have Manuel fired and ruin his and his family’s life. Roberto clearly has more power than Manuel, however Manuel’s pride and dignity has been tested for the last time.
Roberto tells Manuel to pick up his bucket, to this Manuel responds by kicking over another bucket. This shows that nobody has control over Manuel. He is his own man as every man should be. Manuel infuriates Roberto. Roberto cannot do anything however because all the other workers gather around their buckets ready to kick them over. They are all fed up with being pushed around and having someone no better than they are try to take away their pride and dignity. To this Roberto immediately backs down.
That passage shows exactly what will happen when someone stands up to a bully. Men with great power have great things to lose. If every worker kicked over buckets it would be Roberto who would get into trouble not the workers. Roberto can not hurt all his workers when they stand together. This passage suggests that men will only take so much negativity before they stand up for themselves. Every man is born with pride and dignity. No man lets his dignity or pride go without a fight. Raymond Barrio suggests that man’s greatest treasure is how that man feels about himself.
Linda El Alami
2/10/08
Period 7
Essay
Plum Plum Pickers Explication
In the passage where Manuel is being compared to an animal, the author Raymond Barrio suggests that Manuel is treated like an animal and has no pride. Manuel is working in the hot sun, “trapped in an endless maze”, having the feeling that the day will never end. When it becomes lunch, Raymond Barrio just decides to write “Lunch.” As if lunch is just too short for Manuel, why write anymore. The passage shows how much Manuel hates working for Roberto Morales.
Raymond Barrio establishes his point by using one word sentences. One word sentences seem to be more powerful and keep you reading for excitement. Another way Raymond Barrio establishes his point is by repetition of words. Also, when comparing Manuel to an animal, some descriptive words of actual animals are used throughout the passage like “wreck”, “brute”, “locked”, “savage”, “beast”, and “predator”. This passage stands out because the beginning seems as if it is from another story, continuing.
Reading throughout Plum Plum Pickers, when it is the end of the day, Raymond Barrio chooses to write “His fingers burned. His arms flailed the innocent trees. He was slowing down. He could hardly fill his last bucket. Suddenly, the whistle blew. The day’s work was at last ended.” The beginning of the quote has some imagery but all of a sudden the tone changes. It seems calmer because the day is over. Manuel is relieved because it is a struggle for him everyday to work.
Manuel is suffering, a comparison to Jesus and his type of suffering. Manuel could represent man because of the beginning of his name, or manual labor because of all he is going through. His days are described like they take a lifetime to end. It does not end until he has proven himself as a man. Manuel hates the work he does because of his boss. “Whenever Roberto Morales spoke, Manuel had to force himself not to answer. He had to keep his temper from flaring.” From that quote, you can tell Manuel has a lot of hatred and disgust towards Roberto Morales. When Roberto decides to take from everyone’s pay, Manuel is the only one that stands up to him. “Now,” “announced Morales at last, in his friendliest tone.” “Now I must take two cents from every bucket. I am sorry. There was a miscalculation. Everybody understands. Everybody?” It is funny that Roberto says something in a friendly tone just when he has to take from their pay. It could be that he is shy to say it or that he is mocking them, just doing it to get everybody mad. “You promised to take nothing!” Manuel heard himself saying. Everyone turned in astonishment to stare at Manuel.” It looks unbelievable to everyone else that Manuel said anything but he needs to stand up for himself. Roberto hates Manuel the most because he actually stands up for himself and doesn’t let Morales do what he wants. This is showing Morales that he does not have as much power as he thinks and that everyone who is working are humans, too. It shows that Manuel believes in equality.
The quote explains how the name Roberto Morales is symbolic in the passage. Roberto could stand for robber, because that is what he is/what he did. Also, his last name Morales shows that he is moral-less because of what he did to all his workers not caring how it will hurt them and their financial situation. Also, Roberto Morales is selfish and does not care about his workers. Raymond Barrio wants to show the readers that Manuel is a good person and is the role model they should follow. Also, nobody should look up to Roberto Morales because if you were in Manuel’s situation, you would not want that happening to you.
In conclusion, the idea of Manuel being an animal is based on what Roberto Morales thinks of him. Manuel is the one that stands up for the group of workers and is seen as a symbol of Jesus. He is suffering just like Jesus and is being worshipped just like Jesus. He is being idolized for his courage and strength. Compared to all the other employees, he is seen as the one who shapes them.
Plum Plum Picker
In the short story Plum Plum Pickers, the author, Raymond Barrio suggest that in order for people to feel like their someone, they have to stand up for their self. Raymond creates Manuel as a Mexican laborer that is unhappy with his life. Manuel shows everyone that even though he is treated like an animal he is no longer going to tolerate it and is going to earn the respect he deserves that every Mexican man deserves.
“No matter which way he turned, he was trapped in an endless maze of apricot trees,” in this quote Raymond B. used imagery to show how Manuel felt trapped. He also feels the misery is endless and he can’t do anything about it. Manuel was ignoring the way he felt on the field and just did his work. He feels like he lives a life of an animal because he is treated like an animal. He receives very little for his work of the day. He does it everyday, but he has to live this way in order to make a living for himself. He feels his life is miserable and live as if he was in prison and can’t escape. Manuel did not choose to live this life of a laborer. "Neatly planted, row after row, just like the blackest bars on the jails of hell," Manuel feels like he does the samething everyday and it never changes, just like if he were in jail. Manuel is feeling that he can't take the abuse anymore. he seems frustrated with the way he is living and the way he is being treated. "He felt alone," this quote is saying that Manuel felt alone in that field.
As Raymond Barrio writes this short story he writes one word sentences. " Though he was perspiring heavily, his shirt was powder dry. Savage." Manuel worked hard day and night. He sweats and is hot. His mouth is dry. "Savage," Manuel is hungry and he wants to eat. The author compares him to animal features.
Raymond Barrio creates a charater to trigger Manuel named Roberto Morales. Roberto Morales is a heartless man. Roberto Morales is the man ordering the pickers around. he treats the pickers like they aren't human.he treats them like they are animals. He takes advantage of them because he feels that they are afraid of him. He thinks he is better than they are. Its ironic because he is one of them as well so he is no better than they are. He treats his own people like animals. Roberto was fortunate enough not to be a picker. Roberto is just like Manuel. Roberto ask the pickers for two cents from every bucket knowing thats all they have. The pickers worked hard all day long and roberto just comes and asks for 2 cents. roberto is robbing people that have very little, and they are trying to survive. Roberto seems selfish and careless. He thinks he has the right to take money from them just cause he is slightly higher than everyone else.
Roberto ask Manuel for 2 cents. Manuel gets upset at the fact that he wroked hard and he is going to take his money. Manuel feels that he deserves to keep everything he worked for. Manuel feels he had it with people treating him wrong and taking advantage of him. Manuel is so angry he can't hold back his emotions so he said, "you promised to take nothing." The people looked around. "The two men, centered in a huge ring of red ringed eye, glared at eachother." Barrio uses imagery to show that both of the men are furious with eachother because Manuel refuses to give Roberto 2 cents. Manuel is sick of being treated like a prisoner and thinks that this is the right time to escape from some of his misery by standing up for himself. Raymond Barrio describes the pickers as,"exhausted animals," all the pickers feel the same as Manuel. He kicks the bucket of fruits to show roberto that he is not a threat. The rest of the pickers revolt as well. Manuel shows that he is not scared of him and is sick of the way he is treating him.
Manuel feels relief that life is going to be much easier if he stands up for himself. Manuel felt pround of himself because even though he lives the life of a prisoner he feels that he accomplished somthing.
Plum Plum Pickers
What is it to be man or human? Raymond Barrio expresses his thoughts in The Plum Plum Pickers. His idea is that men or humans are built like robots and are cruel to one another. Like animals. He also writes how tough working conditions are.
In the first passages he expresses that Manuel feels trapped in his working environment. Using one word sentences, he writes words like, savage, beast, locked, animal, brute, wreck and predator. All these words mean he is locked like an animal. He also writes “The twigs tearing at its shirt sleeves.” He personifies the trees to show how tough the working condition was. He also calls the water holy and says the sun is fierce; He uses the symbol of hollyness to explain how he cherished the water and stress how fierce the hot, dry, air was, that the water was sacred. He also established that humans suffer by writing “He blacked out.” This explains how humans or men worked hard in tough conditions to make money. Another technique he uses is choice of name. Raymond uses the name Manuel. This name is important because it has the word “Man” in it and also the name Manuel can also signify “Manuel Labor.”
In the next few passages were the rising action occurs, Raymond introduces a new character named Roberto Morales. Again Raymond uses the name technique. Roberto can mean “Robot.” Also His whole name can mean Robber of Morales. “Despite his being a fellow Mexican, despite his torn, old clothing, every one knew what kind of criminal he was.” In this passage he introduces what kind of person he is and how cruel he is even to his own people. Then Raymond writes, “‘now. I must take two cents from every bucket. I am sorry. There was a miscalculation. Everybody understands. Everybody?’ He slid his eyes around, smiling, palms up.” This also shows how cruel humans can be. Then Raymond gives us an Idea that as humans or as a man we need to stand up for our rights and not let people push us around and take whats ours. He writes "you promised to take nothing!" this is were Manuel had to stand up for himselfe and say enough is enough.
In the passage were the climax begins, Raymond barrio gives immagery of animals. He writes "The other exhausted animals sutdied the tableau through widening eyes." here he called them animals because there exhausted and over worked. Then Manuel made a statement. " Then, with his last remaining energy, Manuel lifted his foot and clumsly tipped over his own last bucket of cots. They rolled away in all directions around everyone's feet." Here, Raymond Barrio explains how Manuel decided to stand up for himselfe.
The solution to this story was that the workers decided to form as one and go against the boss. Raymond writes, "all the other pickers moved toward their own buckets still standing beside them on the ground awaiting the truck gatherer, and took an ominous position over them, straddling their feet over them." Here he expresses that people need to stick together and as a team acheivments can be accomplished. Then Raymond Barrio writes "Manuel felt a thrill of power course through his veins." In this line, Raymond expresses how human or men feel after a certain acheivment, or victory."Men are built to experience a certain sense of honor and pride or else there are dead before they die."Here Ramond says that men are built. He is saying that men or human are built, as if they were robots or machien.
What does it mean to be man or Human? to feel a sence of honor and pride, to stand up for what you beileive in. To not conform.
Work for Honor
In the passage of The Plum Plum Pickers when Manuel finally stands up in front of Roberto Morales, Raymond Barrio suggests that men may simulate animals but in the end they were put on the earth for a reason which is to fight for what they believe in. He does this through comparisons, word choice, and his sentence structure. Barrio does this to make the reader see the men as animals and realize at the end that they are more than savages.
Barrio begins his story by making the reader feel as if he is in the same situation as the main character. He starts off the story being “trapped” in a maze of trees which is like an animal stuck in the jungle or the forest. He is described as an “animal”, a “beast”, and a “savage”. Putting these words alone in one-word sentences makes the reader too feel alone and trapped. He also makes the words seem like names which resembles name calling. Foreigners and those who don’t belong are called names so the reader begins to sympathize with the anonymous Barrio continues this feeling because no characters have been introduced. The reader believes that Barrio is talking about an animal rather than a real character.
After “lunch”, the main character is finally introduced as human. “Lunch” is the short, one-word paragraph that the main character goes through quickly. The reader feels used to the routine that requires him to eat a quick lunch. Manuel is finally introduced. He does not speak during the beginning; he is just described along with his actions. His Hispanic name sounds like the English word manual. This represents the manual labor he puts in and being a manual laborer isn’t high class. This is why Barrio described him as an animal in the beginning, to have the reader see Manuel as looked down on and not allowed by society.
Barrio continues his use of short sentences and repetition to show Manuel’s routine day. A new character is introduced as “Roberto Morales” and his last name sounds like the English words moral less which is what Barrio wants. He describes the character as a “vicious, thieving brute” making him seem cocky and high class. He is the boss at the plantation for which Manuel works and takes advantage of the workers when he deducts the men’s pay.
In the passage, Morales stands in front of his workers “smiling, palms up,” when he tells the men that he’ll be taking money from them. This rising action is a “huge windfall” for Morales yet angers Manuel. A windfall is usually sudden good fortune and it is ironic because Morales knows what he is doing and it is not good fortune for the workers. Because Manuel becomes so angry, he finally speaks up which is the climax.
Manuel is no longer seen as a foreigner. He speaks to Morales telling him that “he promised to take nothing!” Morales refers to Manuel as hombre which means man in Spanish. After speaking Manuel is finally seen as a man yet he and Morales stand in a center of a circle formed by “the other exhausted animals” which are really the other workers. While standing facing Morales, Manuel kicks one of the buckets of cots over. “You pick them up, Guiterrez,” Morales says. Manuel’s full name is finally acknowledged; he is no longer the anonymous character the reader believed him to be in the beginning. The other workers, not yet acknowledged as people, follow suit when the final action arises.
Barrio begins the falling action saying “then an astonishing thing happened.” Making then the first word makes the reader pause before reading the rest of the sentence. The reader now knows that something sudden is going to happen, that is, the falling action. The workers take an “ominous” stance over the buckets and straddle their feet over them. Barrio describes their stance this way to simulate a mother animal protecting its cubs. This is the men taking a fight for what they believe in. The buckets symbolize the workers’ rights and the men are protecting them. Taking this stance causes Morales to give up and deciding to “take nothing this time.” Morales giving up causes Manuel to feel powerful, for once.
Barrio finally ends his story with showing what Manuel and the other workers went through. They saved their money “savagely” and Morales reducing their pay would be “pan y tortillas” from their children’s mouths. Barrio tells the reader that it is bread and tortillas that the children wouldn’t be eating to show that the families aren’t eating expensive meals; they’re eating small meals yet still having to savagely save their money for them. After winning the battle against Morales and saving his money, Manuel realizes that men are on earth for more than to do manual labor. They’re there to experience “honor and pride” which is what Manuel had felt afterwards. Barrio ended his story this way because in order to feel honor and pride, man must fight for what he believes in and their fight simulates that of an animal’s.
PLUM PLUM PICKERS
In the plum plum pickers by author Raymond Barrio, he suggests that men are born to be equal and men should all be treated the same and in the same social class. In the passages, it describes a men in slavery and in different social class.
The author starts of the exposition by describing the character Manual as an animal in the story. The author also described the setting as an unknown location with planted rows that seemed to go on infinitely. Raymond then adds the character Manual which he portrays as a labor working animal. Raymond Barrio does this by the choice of diction, using words such as animal, brute, beast, savage , and predator. The words used to describe Manual were words that had more then just a one word meaning. Raymond Barrio describes Manual as an animal or a beast because the way they are treated is inhuman. “He was trapped in an endless maze”, again Raymond Barrio portrays Manual as an animal who can”t find his way out of a maze like a mouse. The author gives Manual his name also because he was a working class man. Manual which is significant because he does manual labor.
The author then moves on to the rising action by adding the antagonist in the story. The character Robert Morales is portrayed as an unfair, deceiving character . Robert Morales name is significant because he “robs” the slaves and has no “morals”. The rising action occurs because Robert is in a higher social class and treats the slave in an inhumane manner . As the antagonist trys to take the slaves money, the beast Manuel then stands up and says “ You promises to take nothing!”. As the crowd gathers around them, this is when the rising action begins. Roberto is like the hunter and Manuel is the prey. As the crowd gathers, Manuel knocks over the bucket of cots and Roberto then backs down. Manuels actions lead him to have more respect and a higher postion then Roberto’s. I foreshadow the Roberto is going to do something back to Manuel to get even like a hunter coming back for its prey.
The climax of the story begins shortly after Manuel disobeys Robertos orders. As the rising action occurred when Manuel stood up for all the slaves now he even gained the courage to knock over the bucket. Roberto in an act of confusion and powerless, asked Manuel again to pick up the bucket and again he was disobeyed. Roberto, the predator came to collect two cents from everybody but Manuel the prey did not allow it which was very ironic. I also find it humorous that Raymond Barrio, said Manuel “kicked the bucket” which means that he is having a bad day.
After the conflict between Roberto and Manuel ends, the climax then declines to the falling action. After the conflict, Manuel felt like a new person and had a feeling of sensation and accomplishment. Manuel gained respect from his people and established a new standing. After being treated like an animal and being bossed around , he will not take it anymore. Roberto whom is described as the bull and Manuel described as the Bullard is ironic. The red symbolizes the money that the Bullard or Manuel has as the Bull or Roberto is trying to get it. I find this also humorous because “ Manuel is being bullied”.
In conclusion, Raymond Barrios, Author of Plum Plum Pickers, describes then all men are treated equal and has the rights to standup for themselves . Never to be empowered or looked down upon because the act of harassment only gets worse until you standup for yourself. Like the character Manuel, not only stood up for himself but also for his peers. Although knowing the consequences maybe severe, it did not stop this courages man to standup to the bully or bull. I find it ironic that Raymond Barrios describes the slaves as animals but towards the end, Robert is portrayed as a bull which is also an animal. This maybe because of the falling action when Manuel shows that all men are equal which means Robert is an animal also.
Manuel’s view
Plum plum pickers, a short story written by Raymond Barrio. In the story the authors makes it seem that a character Manuel is a slave by letting the characters tell the story of his own life as being a plum picker. the protagonist in the story is Manuel boss where they pick plum this man is very sneaky and makes it seem that he cares so much about his workers in all actuality he is robbing them. Roberto, the boss is robbing is workers by taking a certain amount of money out of their check and he is also robbing them of their rights because he does not give them long enough breaks for the slave hours they put in. The uses of figurative language allow the reader to be able to dissect the reading and understand the point of view of the author. In this intriguing story Manuel the main character faces the challenges of feeling and actually being a prisoner in his mind because of his bass and the job that he has.
Manuel has a gruesome job of being a plum picker, which means that has to pick plums in the hot sun all day and receive little of nothing for pay on top of dealing with a boss who is completely disrespectful to his workers and he takes money out of their pay with out them even being aware. The fact that,”…he was trapped in an endless maze of apricot trees…” (Barrio) and feeling that he can not get a breath of air at work he feels like he is a prisoner. No one would want a feeling of being trapped anywhere. As a worker, Manuel even feels like a trapped slave having to put things in order and row by row “… neatly planted, row after row, just like the blackest bars on the jails of hell.”(Barrio) having each step order before you is completely antagonizing. Even the imagery of the scene where everything is in order and the idea of the days being repeated seem to wear a person down and take the liveliness out. “The hot dry air sucking every drop of living moisture from his brute body.” It’s like he is drowning form is own misery.
Robert Manuel boss is a character that has issues of his own. He feels that he could treat people any kind of way because he is their boss. He treats his employees like they are animals. Barrio describes them as “exhausted animals”, because of the treatment they receive. Robert does not give them enough time for break and his take money for them hints the name Robert, he “robs” the workers of their money. And Manuel is tired of it all, Manuel shows Robert that he is not scared of him and lets him know how he feels about the way he treats people. Manuel feel that he has accomplished a lot and deals with his job differently after telling his boss how he feels.
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