Bio Poem: Lupe

Lupe,

Smart, insecure, beautiful, "unloved?"

A character in "Bronx Masquerade"

Lover of children, parents, and friends

Who notices the cry of hearts

Who feels the unloved and the unloving

Who learns to be a better her

Who used to think she was alone

But now knows how loved she is

Major character in "Bronx Masquerade"

A book about true self, secrets, acceptance, and identity

Character Development: Lupe

Lupe Algarin is a hispanic teenager in high school. She has many insecurities about not being loved because all her sisters are married and even her mom has a step-husband.  On page 35 she says, "So it's just me now, with Mami and her husband, Berto. Besides her factory job all she cares about is him." Another part of that is because her father left her when she was 5 years old. On page 36 she says, "Why Papi? There's nobody here to love me now." Her mom doesn't stand up for her or shows affection and when anything about her father pops up her mom goes on the offensive. That's why she wants a baby to give her affection to, she's even jealous of Gloria who is knocked up and still goes to school struggling each day. Lupe also mentions, on page 36, that, "Raul's been giving me the eye lately, but he can forget it." She says this because she is "dating" Marco.

In the middle of the book we can start to see some changes as she opens up because of her situation. On page 65 she says, "I broke up with Marco and I was a mess." She had broken up with him on the phone. She goes to her friend Leslie for help and she assures her that she isn't alone because she has friends and that she went through the same thing when her mom died. After getting support from friends she finishes her section on page 67 with, "Maybe we can all be alone together." This shows that she is starting to accept her situation and the fact that she is not alone no matter what she thinks. In her poem, "El Noche, she talks about her loneliness and then notes that, "and you come - a pale skinned surprise, a friend." She is starting to realize she is not alone.

At the end of the book Lupe stops mentioning her insecurities about being alone. She doesn't mention a baby except on page 147 where she says she wants to work in something with kids and starts dating again. On page 146 she's questioned about how her date with Raul went. She says, "Him and me had our first date over the weekend-" Her poem, "Imagine", ends with, "I'm still learning to imagine" This means that she is starting to accept herself and plan for her future life. Tyrone also comments that she is starting to look up at people in the eyes and is gaining confidence and intelligence. At the end of the book Lupe is way more confident and self-assured of herself and her worth. She realizes she still has a grand future ahead of her.

Found Poem: The Desert

The classrooms were bright with daylight, 

tinted windows set near the ceiling to protect,

the dazzle of the desert sun, in alternate oranges and blues, 

the color of wind swept sand, 

was steadily around subtle change, 

to touch his mood, 

back through empty buildings, 

she no longer felt, 

a different desert scene, 

distant pals that seemed to be etched, 

on the shimmering air, 

another a dramatic stretch of wild panorama

The poem I wrote had a message, theme, and 

main point. The message was that sometimes 

in "classrooms" or life our minds are like a desert empty

but filled with meaningful thoughts. The theme is the 

beauty of thoughts.The main point is that we shouldn't 

be afraid to wonder about the world because everything

\ you think of is wonderful in its own way, like a desert. 

Spine Poem: Hope Was Lost

That Was Then, This is Now

Hope Was Here 

Peace Like A River

Dancing on the Edge

Where She Went

20,000 Leagues Under the Sea

The Lost World

Deal With a Ghost

The Inheritance of Loss

The poem I wrote had a message, theme, and main 

point. The theme is hope and dreams. The message is 

that hope can be lost and that we have to hold on and 

fight for our dreams no matter what comes our way. The 

main point is that there is no end for dreams and hopes 

as they will always sleep inside us. We should take care

 of our dreams. 

"Where I'm From"

Character Comparison

There are many characters in the Bronx Masquerade. They all have depths to them and certain characteristics. Which is why it's easy to compare and contrast them. But the variety of characters means that there is so much to choose from. I have chosen to compare Devon and Diandra and Gloria and Lupe.

Devon and Diandra are both tall people who are seen as sporty people because of their height. In reality Diandra isn't good at sports and is actually a shy person. Meanwhile Devon is great at basketball, but sports are neither of their passions.  Devon likes to read poetry but is afraid of being seen and judged because he is seen as a complete jock. Devon is also fairly confident compared to the shy Diandra. Diandra's father was very disappointed in her gender and his opinion that her height was wasted on her.

Gloria and Lupe are complete opposites in certain areas. Gloria has a baby boy who is taking up all her time and making her abandon her party girl ways. Lupe doesn't have a child but wants one because she feels it's the only way she will get love. The father of Gloria's baby wants no part in his life and Gloria only has her mom, who seems to have a close relation to her, to help her. Meanwhile Lupe's mom is suffering abuse and mistreatment from her husband and Lupe's dad is out of the picture. Lupe is suffering from neglect. These are just some of the differences between them.