Profesora Harcrow. Spanish II.

Ballou SHS Spring

2009. Mi Familia Day 1

Discussion Questions:
“Whenever I see the bridges that connect Los Angeles with East Los Angeles, I
remember my family.”
“Even then there were bridges….but no one from the west side ever crossed the bridges
into the barrio.”
“He crosses the bridges everymorning to work to support his family.”
1. What role do bridges play in the movie up to this point?

“It didn’t matter if you were a citizen like my mother, if you looked Mexicano, you were
picked up and shipped out.”
2. Why did Maria Sanchez get sent to Mexico in 1933?

“The house just grew and grew with the family, and the rooms weren’t planned much
more than the kids were. But it was home.”
3. What does “home” mean to you? What makes “home” good and right?

Paco’s father, Jose Sanchez, spends money he really doesn’t have on the wedding for his
daughter, Irene. He felt like there was no better use for his money. After all, what is
money for? He then says at the wedding that the “The greatest riches a man can have in
his life…familia.”
4. Do you agree with Jose’s view of money and family? What do you think is
the greatest rich a man can have?
 Profesora Harcrow. Spanish II. Ballou SHS Spring
2009. Mi Familia Day 1

“They were full of hate and anger and had no place to put it accept into each other.”
5. What do you think Paco is referring to in this scene? Have you seen this in
your world or is this only in the movie?

There is a scene where Chucho and his father have a confrontation about Chucho’s
illegal behavior, money, respect and dignity. Chucho and his father have very different
points of view.
“Tienes dignidad?”
“F*ck la dignidad....This, this is all they respect in this country….and it doesn’t matter
how you get it.”
6. Do you agree that money is all people respect in the United States? What is
most important to status in our society, money or respect/dignity?

7. What do you value most money, hard work, dignity, or something else?

“We got ‘em sarge.”

8.Why do the police kill Cucho? Did he deserive it? Do you think white police
would have done the same thing in a white community?

9Why do the police lie about whether or not Cucho is dead? Do they know what
they did was wrong?
 Profesora Harcrow. Spanish II. Ballou SHS Spring
2009. Mi Familia Day 1

“The spirit of the river had come back to claim what was rightfully his.”
10. What does Chuchos mother believe about his death? What about the
symbol of the owl?