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Lexi Wright

Klimas

English Pre-AP, Period 5

2 October 2017

Honor and Pride Equal Life

Raymond Barrio’s excerpt from Plum Plum Pickers depicts the life of a migrant worker

struggling to maintain his humanity. Barrio’s use of vivid visual imagery, choppy syntax, and

triumphant tone creates a moment of epiphany in one man’s life.

Vivid visual imagery portrays Barrio’s words thoroughly. Imagery is seen when Barrio says:

“The endlessly unending piling up of bucket upon box upon crate upon stack upon rack upon

mound upon mountain”(Barrio). Vivid visual imagery is seen here because it allows for a better

connection to the text. The visualization of the size of the pile is clear, as if it is actually seen.

The effect of the pile being visualized as never ending is that it provides a realistic yet disturbing

view on the workload of migrant workers. Imagery creates a clear mental picture of the reading;

Barrio also uses syntax to portray his thoughts during the reading.

Barrio uses choppy syntax in order to further expand the comparison of the workers to

animals. Choppy syntax is seen when it says: “The trees. The branches again. The briarly

branches. The scratching leaves. The twigs tearing at his shirt sleeves. The ladder”(Barrio). The

syntax is choppy because Barrio chose to use short, unpoetic sentences to further expand/ explain

the comparison of the workers to wild animals. The workers can’t make complete thoughts

meaning that they can be compared to wild animals. Barrio uses choppy syntax; he also uses a

triumphant tone in the passage.

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The overall tone of Plum Plum Pickers is triumphant because in the end Manuel stands up for

himself and demonstrates that he is not an animal; he is human too. Manuel suspects that: “For

men, Manuel dimly suspected, are built for something more important and less trifling than the

mere gathering of prunes and apricots, hour upon hour, decade upon decade, insensibly,

mechanically, antike. Men are built to experience a certain sense of honor and pride”(Barrio). A

triumphant tone is apparent. Because Manuel makes an important realization that a man counts

for something. He realizes how proud he is of himself for rebelling against Morales. The overall

tone is triumphant which is seen when Manuel reflects upon his action of standing up for

himself, and how proud he is for doing so.

Raymond Barrio uses vivid visual imagery, choppy syntax, and triumphant tone in order to

enhance the excerpt from Plum Plum Pickers. His choices in language not only enhance his

writing, but also reveal a universal truth. That truth is that honor and pride equal life, meaning

without having honor and pride man has lost the experience of life.