Inside Out, By Francisco Jimenz

People are like Lotus Flowers. Lotus Flowers blossom into something beautiful, even if they only grow in mud. Our mud is the obstacles and constant challenges that we face in life. In order to grow and gain wisdom, we must have mud first. Recently, I read a book by John Updike called "A&P" and a book by Francisco Jimenez called "Inside Out". The book "A&P" was about a young man named Sammy who worked in a grocery store. He was a character who was very observing and opinionated. The other story, “Inside Out", was about a boy named Francisco. He moved for his home in Corcoran to the United States, it was a big adjustment for him. The authors Updike and Jimenez both argue that in order for a person to grow, they must be willing to break from normalcy. …show more content…
He was use to his normal life in his old town, but he didn’t have that anymore. He did anything to try to fit into his new world. Francisco admired his class caterpillar and wanted to be just like it. In the story, Francisco said, "Sometimes it was hard to spot him because he blended in with the green leaves and twigs." I think that in that moment Francisco wished that he could blend in with the American culture like the caterpillar did with the leaves and twigs. Also, in the story every time Francisco tried to speak Spanish his teacher said, “English, English!” When Francisco heard those words, disappointment must have been running through his head. Everything he had known was no longer acceptable in this new place. In the story, Francisco got a green jacket from Mr. Sims. He used it as a cocoon much like the caterpillars. The jacket was even green like the twigs and leaves the caterpillar was blending in with. When Francisco got the jacket taken away from him, it was his turning point. He started to realize that he could be like the other kids in his new world. He understood that he had to put a halt to his normal habits that were no longer