Circuit Essay

Although they are considered poor, they can also be considered richer than most.

There are many ways to be considered rich. One way is the amount of money you have. If you have a lot, you’re rich, and if you don’t, you’re poor. But in a different way, you can be rich without having a lot of money.  Sometimes people become more caring for the few things they have. One of those things is family. In The Circuit,  by Francisco Jimenez, although they are considered poor, they can also be considered richer than most.

 

Since Francisco’s family doesn’t have a lot of money, they all have to work together. They don’t really have permanent houses and the dad’s job doesn’t pay enough for the whole family so they all have to work. In Tent City the mom cooks for a lot of workers in the field. Papa would go to work at around six a.m. “Mama cooked for farm workers in Tent City. She would get up at four. On weekends Roberto and I helped. After papa left for work we were rolling tortillas…” said Francisco. This makes them rich because they even though none of them really like working they all find a way to stay happy because of their strong family bonds. Even though Francisco is about six, he is working, and that is why they are a really rich family.

 

When one of the family members are down, they all are. Some kids when one of their family members are sick they don’t really care that much because they are sure that the doctors and hospitals will help them easily. But for Francisco’s family getting a doctor or going to the hospital is hard, and so sicknesses are more scary. Even though this can be very scary, the experience, ultimately brings them together. When Torito, a character in The Circuit, gets sick they all grow very worried. They pray every night and cry for hours. The mom and dad take Torito to the hospital after given a loan and arrive back home without him. “I want to see Torito!” I say.  “Only if god wills it,” she said sadly putting her arms around me and Roberto.” This quote supports my idea evidence because they cried a lot and they really cared. They felt the pain. Rich families just wait around, but they did not. They couldn’t rely on nothing, so they had to rely on religion. They had to pray to their gods for Torito, pray night and day. And that sticking together made them richer.

 

Even though they are poor, the parents try hard to give their children a normal childhood. In The Circuit the parents are broke around Christmas, and cannot buy Francisco and his siblings good gifts. They can hardly afford food and they are starting to stress. Even though they are extremely poor, the parents bought the children gifts, which is was very kind. But the parents were still not satisfied. On page 56, “Her eyes were filled with tears.” Papa and Mama were crying because they didn’t feel like they had done enough for their family. They would buy the things their children wanted if they could, but they couldn’t and that made them very, very sad. This sadness shows they have a strong bond. So, although they are considered poor, they can also be considered richer than most.

 

Being rich is a not matter of money, it’s a matter of family. They are so rich they pray for each other when one is down, spend their money for family joy and love when they are almost broke, and work together when times are hard, without complaining. They hold each other together like a rope, and when one is down, the string of family drops down to hope, and then they tie themselves together again. Their thread is so thin, yet so thick, at the very same time. They are unbreakable, not by money, but by heart.