My Father Goes To Court

     Title: My Father Goes To Court

     Author: Carlos Bulosan

     Author's Background: Carlos Bulosan ( 1911-1956).Carlos Bulosan was a prolific writer and poet, best remembered as the author of America Is in the Heart, a landmark semi-autobiographical story about the Filipino immigrant experience. Bulosan gained recognition in mainstream American society with the 1944 publication of Laughter of my Father, which was excerpted in the New Yorker, Harper’s Bazaar, and Town and Country. He immigrated to America from the Philippines in 1930, endured horrendous conditions as a laborer, became active in the labor movement, and was blacklisted along with other labor radicals during the 1950s. He spent his last years in Seattle, jobless, penniless, and in poor health.

                                             Source: http://www.historylink.org/File/5202

     Vocabulary:

        Wafted- (with reference to a scent,sound,etc.) pass or cause to pass gently through the air

         Molave- a strong tree

     Characters: The narrator - the son of the accused father

                           The Father - the one accused from stealing from the rich man

                           The narrator's siblings- his brothers and sisters

                           The Richman - the one who accused the father

                           The Judge -  The judge of the case

                            The Richman's children - his pale and skinny children

     Settings: The houses of the characters in a small town in Luzon and at the court.

     Exposition: This started in the beginning of the story when the narrator introduced himself and that he also talked about his life and his family and how the moved because of a flood that destroyed his father's farm and after they moved they had a rich neighbor.

     Rising Action: When the rich man filed a complaint against the poor family.

     Climax: When the poor family went to court because of the complaint of the richman

     Falling Action: When the father took his son's straw hat and asked change from his family and walked to the other room with the hat.

    Ending: When the father shook the hat to pay his debt and then everyone laughed and live happily.

     Symbolism: The richman's house represents his wealth and the food that his servants make represents how much luxurious food rich people have compared to the poor people.

     Theme: This story shows us that not because you have have a lot money you can harass people who have done nothing to you.

     Lesson: You should think about things before you make assumptions take your time to find some evidence to prove your point.