Jennifer Sandoval!

Professor Gonzales!
College 001!
September 30,2014!
RRJ 5!

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1. In chapter 4 of The Modonnas of Echo Park, a man named Efren Mendoza is telling his
story. He had worked for the LA County Metropolitan Transit Authority for 27 years and
was a bus driver. He follows the rules and never breaks them, he doesn't conversate
with people and doesn't let them get on unless they have the full amount of bus fare. His
father Manny was in a street gang, and he had his elder son Manny Jr to drop out of 6th
grade and had him join the Echo Park Locos street gang. Efren tells us that his older
brother tired to jump him in at the age of 14 but efren was never interested in being in a
gang he loved books and studying . He ran away at age 14 and got a job at a burrito
stand. Efren also states how he hates mexicans who barley crossed the border because
they don't know how to work hard and are picky about their jobs. Also how he thinks
white people who but the bus off while he is driving in their convertible expensive cars
are ignorant. And he mentioned how he almost fell for a lady once who i realized was
Felicia because he said she took many kids to a pool party once and he asked her on a
date but she rejected him. One night a 18 year old black kid boarded the bus and there
were many mexicans on it as well and the black kid tried selling skittles to the
passengers but bumped into a mexican man. The mexican man then stood up and told
the black kid that he had bumped into him but the black kid did not hear him so the man
shouted and then the black kid still didnt listen so the mexican man hit the back of the
kids head and he fell and got back up and punched the hispanic man hard enough to

knock him down and kept punching him then Efren kicked the black kid off the bus and
kept driving but as he kept driving he heard a loud thump and realized the black kid had
slammed into the side boards of the bus and broke his neck causing him to die instantly.
Efren doesn't know why the police don't have any reord of his first 911 call he made
once he had realized what happened. Once other people realized what happened they
started yelling blaming it on the hispanic man and grabbed him off of the bus and started
beating him and trie to grab Efren too but he escaped and took off for the safety of the
other passengers. Once he got to a safe spot the passengers got off and he waited for
the police to arrive but a man boarded the bus , Efren told him he was out of order but
the man had been beaten up by the crowd as well and insisted on Efren taking him
where he needed to be.!
2. I felt I couldn't really make a connection to this chapter. I thought it was interesting how
bitter he seemed, he followed all of the rules and didn't care about anyone else but
himself. He was not friendly and did not let people board if they were even 5 cents short.
I get it how he didn't want to risk his job but I think he was taking it too serious. !
3. -Why is this man important to the story , how is he part of it ?!
!

-What happened to Efren once the cops got to the scene and he wasn't there.!
4. I didn't really understand why we were hearing his story. I don't see how he is significant to

the story. But It did click in my head that the women the spoke about was felicia and he almost
fell for he would wait for if she was running late and drop her off right in front of the house she
cleaned , and make conversation with her on her bus rides. !
5. Gringo: A hispanic word uses to identify white males.!
Pinche Jota : In Spanish usually means Gay girl.!
Mojado: means wetback!

The reason I chose these words is because they are words used in a strong manner and must
be known what they mean in order to understand what is being said and how mean it is said.