Journal 16

Journal 16 Tito’s Goodbye Project A. Answer ALL of the following questions Examine closely how Tito treats his secretary and his clients.
a. What is the reason Tito gives his secretary for sending her home early? What is the real reason?
The situation presented in Tito’s goodbye starts with a heart attack on Tito. One cold winter afternoon, Tito sits in his office, and he asks the secretary to go home early as it was snowing outside. He was able to deduct the salary of the secretary each week. The real reason for sending her home early was to have time to reflect on his past life. His life’s last moment starts with brief nostalgia. He remembers the faint smell of milk, warm mother’s cheek, his father’s hand as well as the girl he loves.
b. How did Tito qualify for his position as a lawyer? How does he attract his clients? What does he do for them?
Tito had positioned himself as a wealthy lawyer. He managed to make plenty of money from handling cases of poor immigrants in New York City. He attracts clients through promises and extorts theme to bits. He believes that earning money brings more pleasure. He adds that making more makes his family happier. He observes that money produces happiness and does not take the time to address his family.
c. What do your answers suggest about Tito’s character?
Tito regrets his past behavior and treatment to his family. He wishes that he had created more time to measure up to his mistakes. On the contrary, it becomes too late to accomplish all that he wanted to share. He cannot show a decent goodbye to the family.
2. Contrast the family’s present life with their past life in Cuba.
a. Characterize Tito’s past and present living conditions.
Even though, Tito had plenty of complaints against his wife, he believed that the wife had a critical role within his life in Cuba. She was the main reason that pushed him to make more money as a way of satisfying her. He was aware that this had to be the only way of holding together the relationship.
b. Characterize the past and present living conditions of Tito’s wife, Haydee, and his children, Ines and Jaime.
Previously, Tito lived a life of misery and difficulty. His wife came into his life while his business was successful and ran advertisements on mass media. Currently, Tito considers his wife a greedy woman who constantly asks the husband to award her money to expense. The fact that she shares no feeling for her husband, she refuses to divorce him for his riches. He has difficulties relating with Ines and Jaime.
c. Characterize Tito’s past and present relationships with his wife and children
Tito’s life is limited within the confines of making profit from everyone. This has strained his relationships with his wife and children. He considers making more money through doctoring birth certificates, forging employment records, thwarting deportation, securing sponsors, generating legitimate green cards and applying for political asylums.
d. What are the significant of these contrasts?
These contrasts depict how people perceive of money as a happiness equivalent. The thought of more money amounts to equal amounts of happiness is misguided. Tito’s story shows that money does not have a direct comparison with the amount of happiness derived.
3. What role does politics play in the personal lives of these characters?
Politics displays the characters’ in two climaxes. The first is within the start of the narrative where opinion describes Tito’s heart attack to attract reader’s attention to the story. The other climax talks about Tito’s business achievements and how he met the wife.
4. What does the narrator say Tito’s last thoughts might have been? What are Tito’s actual last thoughts? What is the significance of this difference?
This story presents many internal conflicts. Tito’s thoughts bring him to come into terms with this foreseen death. He acknowledges that he is not ready to die without apologizing and saying a proper goodbye to family.
5. What do you perceive to be the significance of the story’s title?
The story’s title displays human behavior and natures within the society. Tito’s story illustrates the essence of treasuring and cherishing what people possess.
B. At this point, you should feel comfortable reading a story and examining the elements of fiction
Christina displays the story as an implication of Tito’s selfishness. The imagery of greed shows people’s trends similar to Tito’s. Christina focuses on using Tito’s narration to prove sanity and solitude among people. She shows that making money does not have the ultimate answer to human happiness.