Introduction
Beyond simply a place’s physical form, it is what happens in it - the experiences inhabitants share, whether negative or positive - that start shaping communal forms of identity. Of course, identity - whether personal, collective, or linked to a place - is not a clear cut and fixed thing: it morphs, shifts, evolves, much like the places in which we live. But within this flux lies certain characteristics, histories, or memories that continually inform the evolving identity.
What happened in a place can shape, directly or indirectly, how people see it, feel about it, and create narratives around it; this can range from the success of a local football team or a well-known historical event happening nearby, through to communal grief experiences after a local tragedy. Such memories and stories are as much a part of the identity of a palace as the bricks and mortar.
Task
Complete activities which will help you explore the setting of the novel Aristotle & Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe
Takes Place in: El Paso, Texas
Time Period: Late 1980s
*Take notes on your provided handout as you explore this webquest, you will write a detailed paragraph or more to demonstrate your new knowledge of setting as it applies to our upcoming novel.
Process
Research:
1. Who is Benjamin Alire Sáenz and how might his background influenced the setting of this novel?
2. To be Mexican American in El Paso, Texas
Our story follows two Mexican American teenage boys. Read the following article and summarize https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/octavio-solis-on-growing-up-a-skinny-brown-kid-on-the-u-s-mexico-border
3. One of the main characters in our story points out that he "doesn't feel Mexican enough". His mom also struggles with the same feelings. Consider this video and summarize what might our character have meant by this struggle/feeling.
4. What was life like in El Paso, Texas (setting: physical, social, historical and psychological) and more specifically, what was teenage life like in the 1980s?
5. Importance of a Name: The two main characters in our story have unusual names. Aristotle "Ari" Mendoza and Dante Quintana. What do their names represent/mean/symbolize and how might this impact them?
vs.
Evaluation
Take all of your notes you've collected during this webquest and create a detailed paragraph describing the setting/backdrop for our novel. Remember the following regarding setting:
- Setting can indicate the character's culture, familly, background, societal expectations, and historical experiences.
- Setting can invoke an emotion, or create a dramatic mood that set the tone for a story.
- Setting can be bound by the time period or era when the story take place.
Note that our setting will evolve as we read. This is just a starting place.