"Ooooh, I'm gonna be migrant farm worker like mi papa. Migrant farm workers are nice, like mi papa. I'm nice too. I'm gonna travel the world and be all I can be as a migrant farm worker!" Chico enthused.
Luke got really excited, as he knew exactly what he wanted to do with his life. "I'm gonna be a Jedi and stuff! And I'm gonna fight droids and save the galaxy and kill Darth Vader!"
"I'm the Antichrist!" Jimmie exclaimed.
Chico gasped. "You are migrant farm worker too?!"
The other children exchanged puzzled looks, save Alexander, who coolly shared his future plans. "When I grow up I am going to be a dictator of a third world country and possibly bring about the next world war. Or, if I choose to be more subtle, I could perhaps become a C.E.O. of a multinational corporation, then retire early, buy a south Pacific island, and spend my days relaxing on the beach and fanning myself with money."
His stunned classmates didn't even get the chance to respond, because Mrs. Rankin was suddenly looming over them. "Hello children," she said in her nasally voice. "How are we doing this morning?" All of them cringed, but Chico, oblivious as always, responded to his teacher's rhetorical question.
"Hola, Mrs. Rankin. I am good."
"My question did not require a response, Chico." Mrs. Rankin spat coldly. "Now, let's see how on-task you five have been. Luke, what did you share with your... friends?"
Luke looked up at his teacher and froze. His mouth hung open slightly, and his eyes were wide with terror.
"Well?"
"I... I'm gonna b-b-be a J-J-J-Jedi." Luke stuttered, petrified.
Mrs. Rankin curled her lip in contempt. "A Jedi? Really. Well, Luke, for saying such a ridiculous thing, you will stay inside at recess and erase the chalk board."
"B-but, I-"
"Don't make me give you a referral, Lucas!"
Luke hung his head and left the table. The other kids knew where he was going: the Corner of Shame.
"Paulette, what did you choose?"
"I wanna be a ballerina with a tutu and a lee-tard."
"Well, well, well. A dancer? Ha! That's never going to happen. You'll end up a useless stay-at-home mom, just like you own mother."
Paulette burst into tears and ran to join Luke.
"Who's next?"
Jimmie, who had been sitting quietly since his outburst earlier began to twitch. Mrs. Rankin glared at him.
"Jimmie, don't you even-"
"I'm the Antichrist!!!!!"
"Jimmie Wilson Rankin, I told you NEVER to say that in public! Principal's office. NOW. We'll be discussing this tonight, young man."
So Jimmie left the room, quivering with adrenaline. He cackled madly as he swooped out the door, and Mrs. Rankin turned to Alexander.
"I'm going to be dictator of a third world country and start the next world war. If that doesn't work out, my backup plan is to become a multimillionaire who manages a successful international organization."
"I see. Now, you and your little third world country can spend the next two weeks in after school detention."
"On the contrary, Mrs. Rankin, I am not obligated to do so. With all due respect, I am of far superior intelligence than any other student in this school, and should plan accordingly. Therefore, my goals are-"
"Your opinion is irrelevant, Alexander! Three weeks. Two hours each day. Now go join your little mob of invalids."
Alexander was stunned. He hadn't even given all of his contentions, and she had just cut him off. Well, now he knew why she couldn't get a better job. Because nobody in their right mind would hire her! He didn't need to worry about that though. He had all his bases covered. Alexander stayed where he was an pulled out his Blackberry Bold. He had barley begun to dile his father's number when Mrs. Rankin snatched the smart phone away.
"THE REST OF THE YEAR, ALEXANDER. Two hours, after school, every day."
Alexander, who was ever-composed, let out a moan of grief and began to sob hysterically as he shuffled over to those morons he called his friends.
"Pobresito Alexander,"
"Ah, I see you would like to share now, Chico?"
"Uhhhh... No, gracias, Mrs. Rankin."
"It is not an option, Chico."
"I am going to be migrant farm worker como mi papa."
Mrs. Rankin looked thrilled. "Finally! Someone who's realistic! This," she said to the rest of the class, "is what all of you should be like. Chico, well done."
"Gracias, maestra. Chico is going to be migrant farm worker!"
- Theme: The way others view one's dreams can determine the means or even possibility of those dreams' fulfillment.
- I found this prevalent throughout the novel. As people tell Janie that her dreams are impossible, as they dismiss her and tell her that she is only a woman and will amount to nothing, she begins to doubt herself. She retreats, and curls up in a ball to protect herself, accepting her fate. Then, Tea Cake comes along, and she goes through a metamorphosis, back to the young Janie. This part I didn't show, but I chose children for this reason. The young and the young at heart never cease to dream.
- Stylistic Elements:
- I used dialect to portray Chico as a small immigrant boy who dreams of becoming the only tangible thing he can thing of: a migrant farm worker.
- Obviously, Hurston uses dialect throughout the novel, and for all of her characters. I chose to only use it for one character, but it parallels Hurston's writing nonetheless.
- Dialogue was used abundantly in this pastiche to characterize the six personalities present. The conversation between the students and the teacher develops all the characters and makes them more personable to the reader (except Mrs. Rankin).
- There is abundant dialogue in the novel, and I mimicked Hurston's apparent lack of speaker tags while still making it clear who is speaking.
- A caricature was used for both Mrs. Rankin and for Chico. Mrs. Rankin was the typical evil teacher while Chico was the stereotypical immigrant.
- Hurston sort of stereotypes all her characters in a way. They all seem to be the typical African American from that time period, so I thought it would be appropriate to use a few caricatures myself.
- I used the motif of the number six to tie in with Jimie being the Antichrist. All three parts to his name have six letters, there are six characters, Chico mentions being a migrant farm worker six times.
- This mimics Hurston's use of the number three- 3x2=6. Look how smart I am!!
- Situational irony is seen in the middle when it is revealed that Jimie is Mrs. Rankin's son and at the end where it is expected that Alexander will be praised, but instead it is Chico.
- This happens at the end of Janie's tale when she has to shoot Tea Cake. Although... It isn't much related to my story, is it?
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