The Scholarship Jacket by Marina Salinas Analysis Example

The story, “The Scholarship Jacket” was written by Marina Salinas and it is about a young Mexican girl who is going to get a jacket for having the best grades in the school over the course of eight years, but the school board is biased and doesn’t want her to earn it. Eventually she does earn it, by starting determined through the whole issue, which is why determination is important and if you are determined, you will eventually succeed. This theme applies to the book because that is what Martha did to finally get the jacket. Also, the theme applies to real life because when you stay determined, you will keep pushing yourself to do better in school or a job for example. Firstly, staying determined is an important skill to have in life because it can help you stand up for yourself. In page 73, paragraph 2 of the book, Martha stays determined and goes with what her grandpa said to her. She went to the principal, stood up for herself and said that “...if I have to pay for it, then it wouldn’t be a scholarship jacket.” This shows that Martha was staying determined and keeping on pushing to get the jacket. Staying determined is important and sticking up for yourself will help you succeed in many things in life. The second reason staying determined leads to success is that when you are determined, you might not get it on the first try but you can keep trying. In page 72 paragraph two, and in page 73 paragraph 7,  they wrote how Martha had to come back to the office multiple times to meet with the principal. When Martha went to the principal the first time, things seemed hopeless. But because she was determined to get the scholarship jacket, she tried and tried again, and afterwards she got the scholarship jacket. This shows that staying determined will lead to success only if you are patient. Success does not happen overnight and will most likely take a long while. In Martha’s case, she had to work very hard for 8 years and then hope that the principal would then not charge her for the jacket. This relates to the theme because it again shows that staying determined will lead to good things, but it will not always be fast. Patience and determination are important and they fit hand in hand for being successful. Patience and determination are important and they fit hand in hand for being successful. Lastly, if you aren’t determined to do anything, then nothing will happen in your favor.On page 72 paragraphs 16, After Martha spoke with her grandfather, Martha was sad and disappointed because she thought that she wouldn’t be able to get the scholarship jacket. But even though she was down in the dumps, she stayed determined and went to the principal’s office, when a person that isn’t determined would not go to the office, missing the principal’s change of heart. Martha was probably the most determined character in the book, and as the author wrote, she got the scholarship jacket and made the principal of the school change his mind. But let’s look at a person that isn’t determined in the book. The shop owner’s daughter was in line to get the jacket just because her dad was on the board and supplied the school. She didn’t try in school and had much worse grades than Martha, which is why she didn’t get the jacket. People that aren’t determined will never do as well as people that are determined. Staying determined throughout the hard times is a very large theme in this book and is a very large theme in life. Many people that are determined are some of the most successful people, while people that give up after failing once are people that no one wants around. Staying determined throughout the hard times is a very large theme in this book and is a very large theme in life. Many people that are determined are very successful, while people that give up after failing once are not very successful. Determination is important, in any situation, in real life or a book.