How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
"When can we start work?" Papá asked, rubbing his hands.
"In two weeks," the foreman answered.
"That can't be!" Papá exclaimed, shaking his head. "We were told we'd find work right away."
"I am sorry, the strawberries won't be ready to pick until then," the foreman responded, shrugging his shoulders and walking away. (1.26-29)
Papá and his family have barely arrived in Cali and they're already geared up to work hard. Can you tell how excited they are about getting jobs? Just take a look at Papá's mannerisms and tone—with all that hand-rubbing, he seems pretty eager to get straight to work. But at this very first job opportunity, Papá learns a hard lesson: he's going to have to be super patient and persistent just to be able to work in this new California life. Now that sounds like a lot of perseverance to us.
Quote #2
To make ends meet, Mamá cooked for twenty farm workers who lived in Tent City. She made their lunches and had supper ready for them when they returned from picking strawberries at the end of the day. She would get up at four o'clock every morning, seven days a week, to make the tortillas for both meals. On weekends and all during the summer, Roberto and I helped her. Once Papá left for work, Roberto rolled the tacos while I wrapped them in wax paper and put them in lunch bags. At eleven-thirty, Roberto carried the twenty lunches in a box and delivered them, on foot, to the workers, who were given half an hour for lunch. When he returned, he and I washed dishes in a large aluminum tub. We then took care of our younger brother, Trampita, while Mamá took a nap. Around three o'clock she would start cooking dinner, which was served from six to seven. After supper, Roberto and I again cleaned the pots and washed dishes while Mamá fed Trampita. On Saturdays, she did all of the grocery shopping for the week. Because we did not have an icebox, Papá made one. Every three days, he went into town to buy a large block of ice, which he wrapped in burlap and placed inside a hole he dug in the ground by the entrance to our tent. The hole was twice as large as the block of ice, leaving room on all four sides and on top for things to be kept cold. (4.4)
Sheesh, we're tuckered out just reading about all this hard work. Did you notice how every member of the family has a bunch of tough jobs to do? And they're not taking any time off either—the list of jobs just goes on and on. Such a long list makes us realize just how much work this family does every single day.
Quote #3
After a long moment of silence, he said, "Remember, we have to keep our promise and pray to el Santo Niño every day, for a whole year."
That night, and every night for an entire year, we all prayed to el Santo Niño de Atocha as we followed the crops from place to place. (4.63-64)
One super important element of perseverance is sticking with your plans. And Francisco's family does just that—so when they make a promise to pray every day to el Santo Niño, you can bet they keep at it until that whole year is up. What do you think motivates Francisco's family to keep this level of commitment for so long?