Monday, May 25, 2020

Defeats but not Defeated in The Parrot in the Oven by...

Maya Angelou once said â€Å"You may encounter many defeats, but you must not be defeated. In fact, it may be necessary to encounter the defeats, so you can know who you are, what you can rise from, how you can still come out of it.†(http://www.great-inspirational-quotes.com/maya-angelou-quotes.html) Most of these defeats that we encounter come from our choices, and whether they are good or bad, we learn something from them. Accordingly, Manny Hernandez, the hard-working, perceptive title role in the Parrot in the Oven by Victor Martinez, has his fair share of difficulties thrown his way: difficulties that show him who he is, and how to become the best person he can- a vato firme. To start, guns and violence have a strong impact on Manny’s†¦show more content†¦To Manny, the gun seems to represent power and strength, and until this incident, owning and using a rifle seems like the way to become a man of respect. As a result of this experience, Manny realizes tha t the violence in his life puts the lives of those he loves in danger and is not a way to gain proper respect, but rather a way to be feared. Also, Manny will do almost anything to become better than the society that he lives in, even if it means getting a girl. When he tells his friend Frankie about this, Frankie says he knows how to get both. That night, Frankie introduces Manny to a gang, made up of four guys and two girls. The leader, Mondo, says that if Manny can endure a challenge, then he will be inducted into the gang and be able to make out with a girl. With that as the only warning, one by one, all the members of the gang, except Frankie, started beating Manny up, even the two girls. Later, bruised and hurting from head to toe, the gang inducts Manny and lets him make out with one of the gang’s girls. All in all, Manny truly believes that the only way to become respected in his society was to get involved in a gang , since gangs and bullies rule their society, threa tening and resulting to crime every chance they get. Girls, to Manny, also signaled a man of respect because only the strong men have a lady, and most of them belonged in a gang. Therefore, Manny thinks this is the ticket to becoming a respected

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