House of The Scorpion Passages
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In this passage, Matt is trapped, alone and far from all he knows well. It is here that Matt is wrenched from his tedious, but familiar lifestyle of his home, and forced into a foreign and hostile place with people who despise him. For perhaps the first time in his life, Matt is truly afraid, having been robbed of the comforting sounds of home, and Cecilia being miles away. Matt is stuck in darkness, and utter, absolute silence. In this passage, the mood is dark, and Matt’s character has, for the first time been shown despair, loneliness and fear.
Page 45 Within this section, Nancy Farmer uses unique word choice and phrasing to describe Matt’s prison as a haven, an oasis, instead …show more content…
From the Ancient Sumerians, enslaved African Americans, to present-day human trafficking and exploitation of cheap immigrant labor, the mistreatment of humans for the enrichment of others is an issue that has occurred for almost as long as the human race. As Matt reads The History of Opium, the book alludes to the use of enslaved people to grow drugs. The novel adds that El Patrón suggests the use of eejits is humane, as the clamp controlling them causes a loss of will and ability to feel pain, hinting at the worthlessness of an eejit’s life. This argument is similar to the arguments of many slaveholders, insisting that those enslaved were beneath them, and that their owners instead took on the burden of caring for them, seeing that they would have adequate food, clothing and instruction. And similar to events in our own history, the eejits were robbed of their rights, individuality and freedom.
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Nearing the finish of this book, this passage evolves into a brighter, more hopeful tone. Matt, having realized the potential of his power, dreams of a better future, the issues he could solve, the friends he could help. The author imbues a sense of happiness in Matt, a hope of a bigger, better