Author's Purpose & Techniques

Sonia Nazario chose to write a biography to share facts about Enrique's life. How does this genre primarily support her purpose?

• Nazario can fully inform readers of Enrique's entire emotional journey.

• Nazario can more easily entertain readers by using literary techniques.

• Nazario can more easily persuade readers to donate money to refugees.

• Nazario can thoroughly teach readers about Central America's geography.

Gangsters' warnings to migrants not to go to the police are ruthlessly enforced. Julio César Cancino Gálvez, with Grupo Beta Sur, recalls how a group of about thirty migrants at the Tapachula train station asked him why the authorities weren't clamping down on the gangsters. Cancino told them they needed witnesses. He urged the migrants to step forward and report abuses. One nineteen-year-old Honduran in the crowd spoke up. He described his assailant in detail. Hours later, the Red Cross asked Cancino if he could help an injured migrant. It was the same Honduran teenager. His right ribs were broken. His entire chest and face were badly bruised. He spoke slowly, in a whisper, clasping his chest. Two gangsters had overheard his description and kicked him mercilessly. "Next time, we kill you," the gangsters told him. The teenager, afraid for his life, asked to be deported.

The underlined sentences demonstrate characterization. How does this technique support the author’s purpose?

• It shows that the refugees were strong and unafraid of the gangsters.

• It shows how violent the situation was and how scared Enrique was.

• It shows how hopeful the refugees were about reaching the United States.

• It shows that Enrique was quiet, shy, and preferred not to interact with others.

By early afternoon, it is 105 degrees. Enrique’s palms burn when he holds on to the hopper. He risks riding no-hands. Finally, he strips off his shirt and sits on it. The locomotive blows warm diesel smoke. People burn trash by the rails, sending up more heat and a searing stench. Many migrants have had their caps stolen, so they wrap their heads in T-shirts. They gaze enviously at villagers cooling themselves in streams and washing off after a day of fieldwork and at others who doze in hammocks slung in shady spots near adobe and cinder-block homes. The train cars sway from side to side, up and down, like bobbing ice cubes.

—Enrique’s Journey,

Sonia Nazario

Which narrative technique does the author include in this passage?

• Characterization

• Dialogue

• Setting

• Plot

By early afternoon, it is 105 degrees. Enrique’s palms burn when he holds on to the hopper. He risks riding no-hands. Finally, he strips off his shirt and sits on it. The locomotive blows warm diesel smoke. People burn trash by the rails, sending up more heat and a searing stench. Many migrants have had their caps stolen, so they wrap their heads in T-shirts. They gaze enviously at villagers cooling themselves in streams and washing off after a day of fieldwork and at others who doze in hammocks slung in shady spots near adobe and cinder-block homes. The train cars sway from side to side, up and down, like bobbing ice cubes.

—Enrique’s Journey,

Sonia Nazario

How does this technique support the author’s purpose?

• It helps to create suspense.

• It shows Enrique's happiness.

• It creates a sense of oppression.

The train passes into northern Chiapas. Enrique sees men with hoes tending their corn and women inside their kitchens patting tortillas into shape. Cowboys ride past and smile. Fieldworkers wave their machetes and cheer the migrants on: "Qué bueno!" Mountains draw closer. Plantain fields soften into cow pastures. Enrique’s train slows to a crawl. Monarch butterflies flutter alongside, overtaking his car.

As the sun sets and the oppressive heat breaks, he hears crickets and frogs begin their music and join the migrant chorus. The moon rises. Thousands of fireflies flicker around the train. Stars come out to shine, so many they seem jammed together, brilliant points of light all across the sky.

—Enrique’s Journey,

Sonia Nazario

What type of figurative language does the underlined sentence include?

• Simile

• Metaphor

• Personification

The train passes into northern Chiapas. Enrique sees men with hoes tending their corn and women inside their kitchens patting tortillas into shape. Cowboys ride past and smile. Fieldworkers wave their machetes and cheer the migrants on: "Qué bueno!" Mountains draw closer. Plantain fields soften into cow pastures. Enrique’s train slows to a crawl. Monarch butterflies flutter alongside, overtaking his car.

As the sun sets and the oppressive heat breaks, he hears crickets and frogs begin their music and join the migrant chorus. The moon rises. Thousands of fireflies flicker around the train. Stars come out to shine, so many they seem jammed together, brilliant points of light all across the sky.

—Enrique’s Journey,

Sonia Nazario

What purpose does this type of language serve in the passage?

• It shows how Enrique felt.

• It contributes to the setting.

• It helps to increase tension.

Many migrants have had their caps stolen, so they wrap their heads in T-shirts. They gaze enviously at villagers cooling themselves in streams and washing off after a day of fieldwork and at others who doze in hammocks slung in shady spots near adobe and cinder-block homes. The train cars sway from side to side, up and down, like bobbing ice cubes.

—Enrique’s Journey,

Sonia Nazario

How do the figurative language and narrative techniques in the passage support the author’s purpose? Check all that apply.

• They show the difficulty of the journey.

• They emphasize the natural environment.

• They emphasize Enrique’s determination.

• They show how cold it felt inside the train.

• They show the hardships migrants endured.

What are the steps to compare and contrast texts? Check all the apply.

• Examine

• Analyze

• Evaluate

• Determine

What techniques does this text use to convey author's purpose? Check all that apply.

• Quote

• Persuasive Language

• Narrative

• First Person POV

What techniques does this text use to convey author's purpose? Check all that apply.

• Narrative

• Presenting Factual Information

• Provokes Emotional Response

• Create Suspense