Francisco - Circuit Essay

Brent Polise

Circuit Essay

Spanish 2

        Francisco went through extremely rough times as an immigrant from Mexico, working against language and cultural barriers. However, he fought through these desperate times. Education and family love showed him that he could, one day, get a successful job to help his family. As Francisco grew throughout the story, he also grew within.

        From the beginning, Francisco experienced how difficult school is when you don’t speak the same language as the rest of your class. When he was in first grade, he could not comprehend a single word of what his teacher, Miss Scalapino, was saying. He was not able to make many friends or learn much due to the language and cultural barriers. When Francisco spoke any Spanish at all, Miss Scalapino would punish him and demand him to not do it again. Another instance in which Francisco had trouble making friends was when he had a friend that enjoyed to collect coins, similar to him. When his friend asked if he could pay a visit to Francisco’s house to see his coin collection, Francisco was nervous. Francisco did not want his friend to see where he lived, especially after seeing how extravagant his house was.

        Through his family’s love, Francisco and his family were able to overcome an abundance of obstacles. They constantly had to keep moving, perusing for work and trying to make a living. One of the prime displays of their love was when Torito was sick with a serious illness. The family prayed for Torito day and night and never gave up hope. Later in the book, Francisco witnesses his mother shed tears while wrapping Christmas presents. This shows how disappointed and broken-hearted she was that she couldn’t get her children the gifts she wanted.

        Papa always stressed the importance of education. Just because he and his wife were unfortunate that they were unable to have one, he did not want the same fate for his children. Education is huge if you want to be successful in life, and Papa knew it. Near the end of the story, Papa took great pride in his son, Roberto, because he got a part-time job. This job was crucial for the Jimenez family, because Papa was no longer able to work the fields.

        In conclusion, the Jimenez family went through several obstacles trying to make a living. Some of these obstacles include trying to get their children an education, as well as language and cultural barriers. However, they persevered through painstaking work their family’s love.