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A s soon as the people returned from up
north the portrait salesmen began arriving from San Antonio . They would come to rake in . 1 They knew that the workers had money and that was why , as Dad used to say , they would flock in . They carried suitcases packed with samples and always wore white shirts and ties ; that way they looked more important and the people believed everything they would tell them and invite them into their homes without giving it much thought . I think that down deep they even longed for their children to one day be like them . In any event , they would arrive and make their way down the dusty streets , going house to house carrying suitcases full of samples .
I remember once I was at the house of one of my father ’ s friends when one of these salesmen arrived . I also remember that that particular one seemed a little frightened and timid . Don Mateo asked him to come in because he wanted to do business .
“ Good afternoon , traveler . I would like to tell you about something new that we ’ re offering this year .” “ Well , let ’ s see , let ’ s see ...” “ Well , sir , see , you give us a picture , any picture you may have , and we will not only enlarge it for you but we ’ ll also set it in a wooden frame like this one and we ’ ll shape the image a little , like this — three dimensional , as they say .” “ And what for ?” “ So that it will look real . That way ... look , let me show you ... see ? Doesn ’ t he look real , like he ’ s alive ?”
“ Man , he sure does . Look , vieja . 2 This looks great . Well , you know , we wanted to send some pictures to be enlarged ... but now ,
Differentiated Instruction
Reading Proficiency
It ’ s the only picture we have of him .
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Students may need help understanding the setting . Have them read page 45 carefully before they begin the story , and explain that the story is set in a community of migrant workers not far from San Antonio , Texas . People go north to do seasonal farm work , sometimes for months at a time . When the work runs out , they come back home with their pay .
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17 this must cost a lot , right ?” “ No , I ’ ll tell you , it costs about the same .
Of course , it takes more time .” “ Well , tell me , how much ?” “ For as little as thirty dollars we ’ ll deliver it to you done with inlays 3 just like this , one this size .”
“ Boy , that ’ s expensive ! Didn ’ t you say it didn ’ t cost a lot more ? Do you take installments ?”
“ Well , I ’ ll tell you , we have a new manager and he wants everything in cash . It ’ s very fine work . We ’ ll make it look like real . Shaped like that , with inlays ... take a look . What do you think ? Some fine work , wouldn ’ t you say ? We can have it all finished for you in a month . You just tell us what color you want the clothes to be and we ’ ll come by with it all finished one day when you least expect , framed and all . Yes , sir , a month at the longest . But like I say , this man , who ’ s the new manager , he wants the full payment in cash . He ’ s very demanding , even with us .” “ Yes , but it ’ s much too expensive .” “ Well , yes . But the thing is , this is very fine work . You can ’ t say you ’ ve ever seen portraits done like this , with wood inlays .”
“ No , well , that ’ s true . What do you think , vieja ?”
“ Well , I like it a lot . Why don ’ t we order one ? And if it turns out good ... my Chuy ... may he rest in peace . It ’ s the only picture we have of him . We took it right before he left for Korea . Poor m ’ ijo , 4 we never saw him again . See ... this is his picture . Do
1 . rake in . Make lots of money 2 . vieja . Old woman ; wife ( Spanish ) 3 . inlays . Material set into a surface in pieces to form a design 4 . m ' ijo . My son ( Spanish ; a contraction of mi hijo )
SAMPLE
THE POrTrAIT 47
Special Needs / Auditory Learning The dialogue in the story does not include speaker tags . To clarify which characters are speaking , assign the parts of the narrator , the salesman , Don Mateo , and Don Mateo ’ s wife to fluent readers and have them read the story aloud while the class reads along silently .
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Teach the Selection
CLOSE READ
Use Reading Skills Ask Questions Remind students that good readers ask questions as they read a story . Model some questions that the story ’ s first paragraphs might prompt a reader to ask : “ Who are the ‘ people ’ who returned from up north ? What did they do there ? What are the salesmen selling ? What does Don Mateo want to buy ?”
History Connection U . S . Migrant Workers Use of migratory farm workers in the United States dates back to the late nineteenth century , when big businesses began taking over agriculture . In the 1920s there were as many as two million migrant farm workers in the United States . Today , that figure may be between 800,000 and 900,000 . Migrant workers travel from farm to farm , harvesting fruit and vegetables . Without the migrant workers , U . S . farmers would not be able to harvest their crops .
Analyze Literature Character Ask students what the dialogue reveals about the salesman . Point out that he blames the requirement of full payment in cash on his new manager . Ask students if they think the salesman is honest . Have them support their opinions with evidence from the text . A
The Portrait 47