Living Up The Street

Use these essay questions as writing and critical thinking exercises for all levels of writers, and to build their literary analysis skills by requiring textual references throughout the essay. 

Scaffolded/Short-Answer Essay Questions 

Student Prompt: Write a short (1-3 paragraph) response using one of the below bulleted outlines. Cite details from the book over the course of your response that serve as examples and support.

1. Soto often talks about his violent nature as a child; specifically, he was always getting into fights. Consider how these physical fights connect to his circumstances.

• What commentary does Soto make about the link between Violence and Environment? (topic sentence)
• Select details from the text that highlight what Soto thinks about the connection between his violent nature and his environment.
• In your final sentences, discuss whether Soto changed his mind about those connections as he got older.

2. In the following quote from Story 16 (“Black Hair”), Soto links poverty, physically demanding work, and what it means to be Mexican:

“As I kid I chopped cotton and picked grapes, so I knew work. I knew the fatigue and the boredom and the feeling that there was a good possibility you might have to do such work for years, if not a lifetime.”

• How does Soto’s perception about labor, money, and Identity change over time? (topic sentence)
• Select details from this story or other stories that show Soto’s self-analysis of his own understanding. Where does he contradict himself? What moments show how he resolved or came to terms with those contradictions? How does his living in Mexico change his mind about Mexicans and labor?
• In your final sentences, reflect on how well Soto shows the changes and contradictions of being human throughout the text. What larger theme might he be expressing by showing these aspects of humanity?

3. Soto began his writing career as a poet. Prose and poetry have some overlapping qualities, especially when poets write prose.

• What 2-3 poetic elements does Soto employ most consistently in Living Up the Street? (topic sentence)
• Select and discuss examples of these poetic elements from the text. Try to draw examples from multiple stories throughout the text.
• Throughout your essay and in your final sentences, discuss what effect the poetic elements have on this text as a whole.

Full Essay Assignments

Student Prompt: Write a structured and well-developed essay. Include a thesis statement, at least three main points supported by text details, and a conclusion.

1. In his Poetry Foundation biography, Soto is quoted as having said, “As a writer, my duty is not to make people perfect, particularly Mexican Americans. I’m not a cheerleader. I’m one who provides portraits of people in the rush of life.” Does he achieve that goal in Living Up the Street? Why or why not? Use examples from the text to support your answer.

2. Consider Soto’s writing style. Throughout the collection, he omits many of the key details of his life. Why do you think Soto chose to leave out these details? What effect does it have on the book? By leaving those details out, to what does Soto draw reader’s attention? Based on this apparent focus, what does Soto think is most important? Incorporate discussion of the central themes of Violence and Environment and Poverty, Race, and Identity in your response.

3. Television plays a large role in Soto’s childhood. What does he learn from TV as a child growing up? How does he show himself unlearning or coming to terms with the things he learned from TV? What larger commentary might Soto be making about the role TV played in shaping his identity, especially his cultural identity? Use 3-4 examples from the text that show changes in his ideas or attitudes towards the TV shows.