On what memorable day in history does this story take place?
November 22,1963 the day president Kennedy was assassinated
How does the narrator 1st become aware of Eugene?
She sees him from her fire escape, where she likes to read
Why does the narrator like Eugene even before she meets him?
She sees that he spends a lot of time reading and she feels as though he is also the perfect example of a typical normal American kid should be. She wants so bad to feel normal
According to mother,how does Elena seem to feel about Eugene?
She is infatuated with his life. Mom says she is being unrealistic,forgetting that they live in different parts of society and is only setting herself up for humiliation and pain
How does eugenes mother react to Elenas visit?
She is very disrespectful. She thinks Elena is nothing but trouble for Eugene. Tells her to go away
Author?
Judith Ortiz cofer
Fiction or non fiction?
Fiction
Where does Elena live?
Patterson,New Jersey
El building was always a what?
Monstrous jukebox (always playing music)
What is a tenement?
Run down and often over crowded apartment
What was the Puerto Rican tenement known as?
El building
The day Kennedy was shot, what was el building?
Silent
What was the sacred heart in the story?
Image "of the heart of Christ" many women kept this on their wall by Jesus in there homes
What was a spiritist?
Belief that the dead could communicate with the living
What grade was Elena in?
9th
Where did she go to school?
Public school number 13
Who was Elenas PE teacher?
Mr. DePalma
What month could you employ story written? And what month?
Winter and November
What would the girls at school tell Elena?
Hey skinny bones
Who was Gail?
One of the biggest black girls that was bullying her
Why does the author reference hot and cold in the story?
Cause she is emphasizing that Elena is the only one complaining about it
What did Elena say was the only source of beauty and light for her that school year?
Seeing Eugene
When did Eugene and his family move in?
August
Where did Eugene and his family move into?
2 story house that had yard and trees
How could Elena see eugenes house?
From her window
Where would she sit to watch Eugene?
Fire escape
Where was Elenas favorite place to read?
Fire escape
She only liked to sit outside on fire escape when?
In summer
Who was the 2 story house occupied by before Eugene?
An old Jewish couple
Until when was the 2 story building occupied?
August
What did Elena have a view of in the 2 story house when Jewish couple lived there?
Their kitchen and their backyard
When did the old man die?
June
What did Eugene's mother look like?
She was a redheaded tall woman who wore a white uniform and nurses probably
What are some things about Eugene's father?
He was gone before she got up in the morning and he was never at the dinner table for supper
When did Elenas see Eugene's father?
Only on the weekends when they sometimes sat in the lawn chairs under the oak tree.
What did Eugene look like?
He was a tall blonde and more glasses
Her school was what?
Overpopulated and huge
At her school what classes were Eugene in?
Honors
Why weren't the honors classes open to Elena?
They weren't open her because English was not her first language but she was in A student
When Elena first met Eugene what was he to her?
Nice
What was Elena expecting from Eugene?
To reject her like evryone else does
What does El building do?
Blocked the sun
What did elenas mother tell her about how she was acting?
She was being moony and enamored (lovesick)
How old was Elena?
14
Elenas dad worked where?
Blue jean factory
What did elenas family do every Sunday?
Drove out to the suburbs of patterson
What were elenas parents dreams spoken in?
Spanish
Where did elenas family once live?
Puerto Rico
What did elenas mom constantly talking about living?
On a beach
What was Elena going to college to be?
Teacher (want better life)
What book did she start reading?
Gone with the wind
Where did Eugenes family come from?
Georgia
Why did they move to Patterson? (Eugenes family)
Because his father worked for a company that transferred him there
Eugene said his mother was what?
Unhappy
What did the kids at school call him?
The hick
What did the kids make fun of him for?
The way he talked
Who was mr depalma?
Short muscular man
Pe coach
Disciplinarian and science teacher
Why would kids go to me depalma?
If they were trouble makers
Why was mr depalma crying in class?
Because the president die
What did elenas mom think she was being when she said she was going to friends house on day the president died?
Disrespectful
What did he mom say was going to happen to Elena because she was talking to Eugene?
She was heading for humiliation and pain
Who answered door when Elena went see Eugene?
His mother
What do eugenes mother do to her?
Rejected her
When Elena arrived home where was her mother?
With other people Grieving about the death of there president
Why did the immmigrante mainly cry of the death of Kennedy?
He fought for them
