Return to Sender

In Return to Sender the sections limited to Tyler’s viewpoint are each headed with a potential name for the farm, like “Watched-Over Farm” and “Farm of Many Plots.” Choose three chapters in which this farm name befits the events of the section particularly well. Discuss the events briefly and offer two to three points of support per chapter.

Authors employ foreshadowing to provide readers with plot hints or parallels to upcoming events, resulting in a cohesive plot with logical connections. In Return to Sender, for example, Ofie’s and Luby’s overreliance on American customs and use of English (and Papá’s insistence that they speak Spanish more consistently at home) foreshadows their challenging move to Mexico at the novel’s end. What other events in the book foreshadow later plot points? Choose three paired events to discuss, using book evidence to detail how foreshadowing creates a larger sense of connection in the plot.

The author’s use of point of view clearly indicates the character from whose perspective readers view the narrative in any given chapter section. Point of view also helps to indirectly characterize. What traits do readers see in Mari from the way she tells the story, including her wording and phrasing? Compose a list of three to five descriptors or traits for Mari as shown in her storytelling