In Part A of this activity, you will complete a table with details that show how the historical and cultural setting influences
characterization, plot, and theme in an adapted excerpt from The Underdogs. In Part B, you will analyze how the life experiences of Mariano Azuela are reflected in the excerpt.
The Underdogs
by Mariano Azuelo (adapted excerpt)
Some men on horseback rode up, shouting and sweating; two of them dismounted, while the other hung back to watch the horses.
"We want food! Give us eggs, milk, beans, anything you've got! We're starving!"
The speaker wore chevrons1 on his arm, his companion red stripes on his shoulders.
"Whose place is this, old woman? Of course it's not empty. How about the light and that child there? Look here, confound it, we want to eat, and quick too. We’re coming in."
"Tell me what they call this ranch, woman?" the sergeant asked.
"Limon," the woman replied curtly, carrying wood to the fire and fanning the coals.
"So we're in Limon, eh, the famous Demetrio Macias' country, eh? Do you hear that, Lieutenant? We're in Limon. I'll wager you know Macias the bandit, old woman? I was in the pen with him at Escobedo, once."
Part A
Answer each question in the table for each literary element listed in the first column. Good readers reread the text to find accurate information.
How is this literary element influenced by the text’s historical and cultural setting?
Characterization: ?
Plot: ?
Theme: ?
What details from the text show how this literary element is influenced by the setting?
Characterization: ?
Plot: ?
Theme: ?
