Esperanza Rising Glossary
By: Elizabeth, Rachel, Jorge, Jordy, Eduardo, and A.J.
Our group had the task of creating a glossary to explain the importance of the words from the story, Esperanza Rising. Esperanza Rising includes many words that had to do with field workers and their struggles.
English Words
Valley Fever ( la fiebre del valle ) - Valley fever is a disease of humans and animals caused by inhaling fungi found in dry soils. Valley fever is important to the book because Esperanza's mom gets valley fever after a dust storm. This is important because it changes how Esperanza acts.
Campesino
Campesino - A campesino is a field worker. This is related to the story because Esperanza and her family have to become field workers and meet other field workers.
Cosecha
Cosecha - The cosecha is the harvest. A harvest is the process of gathering crops. A cosecha is mentioned because Esperanza and her family work at the camp where they were included in the harvest.
Huelga
Huelga - A huelga is a strike. A strike is stopping work in order to force an employer to comply with demands. In Esperanza Rising the word huelga is used a lot. There was a strike at Esperanza's camp which was a big part of the story.
Summary
All the words in Esperanza Rising are meaningful and important. These words all connected to field working, which was a big theme in the book. Esperanza Rising taught us a lot about another language and the word's meanings.