Now, if Panchito were to sing a pop song like he did in the book, would he be accepted like he was 60 years ago? If not, how would he be treated differently?
The kids of today are far more quick to judge and just the fact that he came from a foreign place would throw them off, not even mentioning singing in an awkward accent in front of the whole class. I think that not only would he be booed off the stage, but teased incessantly for it afterward also.
Panchito's ancestors believed in a Wipachi religion. At which point in Panchito's family tree did his family convert to Christian beliefs?
Once the Spanish came to America to conquer the Pacific coast, there was a lot of pressure for Native Americans to convert to their religion. Ever since then, it has been considered awkward to believe in anything but the mainstream religion and many have been not only encouraged, but forced into Christianity.
Roberto and Panchito work 7 days a week, go to school, and study on Saturday nights. Do you think today's generation of teenagers have the same work/family ethic and values?
It depends where you look. Middle-class teenagers of today expect everything to just be there for them. They know that every night, there will be dinner on the table and that for Christmas there will definitely be presents under the tree. But the lower class families aren't as stable, and the kids know that. Teenagers in poverty are often the supporters of the family because they are still young and healthy.
Put yourself in the shoes of a farmworker youth. Imagine working 14 hours in harsh conditions. What would be the hardest thing about this life for you?
Though the labor itself would be really hard to get used to, I would be most upset about my academics. If I put 14 hours of my day into work, there will barely be any time for school and I'd never be able to further my education. I'd know that without education, it would be very unlikely that I could get away from the fields. That would be the hardest thing to cope with.
One of the farmworker kids said "after all the work is over, nobody remembers the people or the children who worked. The farmworker is forgotten." Do you agree with this statement? Do those videos change the way you feel about fruits and vegetables? Explain.
I agree that it would be very difficult dealing with the multiple that judge and mistreat you, but there definitely are people who are pro-child-labor-rights and acknowledge how hard it is to work in the fields at such a young age. This is why many people refuse to by fruits or vegetables at stores and chose to grow them in gardens instead. This way, the demand for these products will go down and farm-owners will be forced to pay their workers more reasonably.
Panchito's family sticks together, they help each oher through poverty and there is a high level of respect. Do you think Panchito made the right choice concerning whether he stayed home and worked or went to college?
Even though the choice was hard, he couldn't have made a better one. We have to understand that poverty is a cycle, that if you work a minimum-wage job your entire life and never strive to get a better one, you are digging yourself deeper and deeper into a hole.