How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #7
Just the thought of maybe never working in the theater makes me crazy, and one day, I tell this story about my father to Raul and I tell him I don't understand how my father's dream could just die like that, when what I really want to know is, can mine. And Raul says something that sticks with me. "Maybe your father's dream wasn't really in his heart. If a dream is in your heart, you never lose it."
After we had that conversation, I kicked my doubts to the back of the closet. (Well, almost. I still go in there now and then.) Part of me continues to be afraid of following in my father's footsteps. These days, though, I try to concentrate on keeping my grades up so I can get into NYU when the time comes, because one thing I know for sure is that my dream is in my heart.
I've got two more years of school to go. Two more years to hold on to my dream, and two more years of Open Mike Fridays. (56.8-10)
Steve's dad might have set his dreams aside, but Steve is determined not to follow the same path. He and Raul are fellow dreamers because they both agree that you just can't give up on what you want in life.
Quote #8
When I was seven,
I looked to heaven
and dreamed
of going to the moon
but pretty soon
somebody came along
to change
my tune.
They put me down.
Bang! There my dream lay
on the ground.
Thank God, eventually
I came around
and dreamed
another dream. (57.1)
Yeah, people can be pretty mean. Steve's early dreams got picked on and stomped out of him. It's like Langston Hughes wondered—"What happens to a dream deferred?" Luckily for Steve, he's able to come up with some new hopes and plans to hold onto. And he is not letting these go without a fight.
Quote #9
It's great having somebody to study with, even though I do okay on my own. Mr. Ward says if I keep pulling up all my other grades the way I've pulled up my grade in English, I should be able to get into a decent college when I graduate. That's what I'm planning on.
I want to go somewhere out of state, somewhere away from home, away from Berto and his drinking buddies. I'll miss my sister, Christina, and her little Rosa, though. But I don't see them as much as I used to, anyway. I'm too busy with school.
I'm not sure what I want to major in at college. I know I want to do something with kids, though. Maybe become a kindergarten teacher, or a pediatrician. Gloria says I still got time to figure that out. Keeping my grades up so I can get into a good school—that's the main thing.
Christina says I'm the smart one. "I envy you, Lupe," she told me last night. I could hardly believe my ears. "I wish I had gone to college," she said.
Getting to college takes more than wishing, I can tell you that much. (69.15-19)
In the beginning of the school year, Lupe is making plans to be an unwed single mom, but by the end of the year, she's determined to make it to college. No more baby fantasies for this girl. As she finds out, though, dreams don't come true like magic—they take seriously hard work.