Throughout the text, it reveals the narrator, Martha, and her life working hard to achieve academic excellence, in hope to receive the scholarship jacket. However, people have discriminated against her due to her Mexican ethnicity and family status. Martha’s hopes and dreams to earn the scholarship jacket are in her visions prior to hearing a discussion between the principal and Mr. Schmidt about the jacket. Martha then realizes that the jacket was going to be given to Joann because “Joann’s father is not only on the Board, but he owns the only story in town”[.] In addition, Martha is notified that the jacket was going to be fifteen dollars. This had made her furious as well as believe that her principal in unjust, so she turns to her wise grandpa for advice. Martha’s grandpa believes “if you pay for it, it’s not a scholarship jacket[.]” He then asks Martha “what does a scholarship jacket mean” to help Martha see the scholarship jacket for what it truly is. After Martha talks to her grandpa, she continues to desire the jacket because “it represents eight years of hard work and expectation.” In the end, due to the great remarks of Martha’s grandpa, the principal is convinced that one should not pay for their own success. In the text it states, “ ‘I know, sir, but he said if I had to pay for it, then it wouldn’t be a scholarship jacket.’ ... ‘Okay. We’ll make an exception in your case. I’ll tell the board, you’ll get your jacket.’(231) From this evidence, it is clear that success is not something one should pay for, but instead by earning it. In addition, this excerpt indicates how the principal realized that Martha had deserved the jacket since she had put hard work and effort into it. Thus, one can learn that no matter what race, skin color, or
Throughout the text, it reveals the narrator, Martha, and her life working hard to achieve academic excellence, in hope to receive the scholarship jacket. However, people have discriminated against her due to her Mexican ethnicity and family status. Martha’s hopes and dreams to earn the scholarship jacket are in her visions prior to hearing a discussion between the principal and Mr. Schmidt about the jacket. Martha then realizes that the jacket was going to be given to Joann because “Joann’s father is not only on the Board, but he owns the only story in town”[.] In addition, Martha is notified that the jacket was going to be fifteen dollars. This had made her furious as well as believe that her principal in unjust, so she turns to her wise grandpa for advice. Martha’s grandpa believes “if you pay for it, it’s not a scholarship jacket[.]” He then asks Martha “what does a scholarship jacket mean” to help Martha see the scholarship jacket for what it truly is. After Martha talks to her grandpa, she continues to desire the jacket because “it represents eight years of hard work and expectation.” In the end, due to the great remarks of Martha’s grandpa, the principal is convinced that one should not pay for their own success. In the text it states, “ ‘I know, sir, but he said if I had to pay for it, then it wouldn’t be a scholarship jacket.’ ... ‘Okay. We’ll make an exception in your case. I’ll tell the board, you’ll get your jacket.’(231) From this evidence, it is clear that success is not something one should pay for, but instead by earning it. In addition, this excerpt indicates how the principal realized that Martha had deserved the jacket since she had put hard work and effort into it. Thus, one can learn that no matter what race, skin color, or