Twelve Study Questions for Work Done Right 

Part One

1) The first poem in the book, “Between Magnolia and Ash,” has a different landscape than the rest of the poems, for its geography and its sense of time are unique among the other poems. Why is it the first poem in the book?

2)  In the poem “Mi Historia,” Abraham states, “I wanted my own history—not the earth’s,/ nor the history of blood” (8). What is the narrator trying to say about his hopes for the future?

3)  In what way does the conclusion to “Grinding Pork” describe a humiliating experience?

4)  “Red Pickup Truck” contains, “the Beatles sang, ‘Don’t let me down’” (24). How do the song’s lyrics help develop the poem?

Part Two

1) In “Club las Palmas,” what did the narrator do to make the time go faster?

2) The book’s thesis statement appears in “Oxtail Stew”:

What I want to say is simple:

a man must do more than sell roses

where the bums go and beg—

he must keep something holy. (33)

What do these lines say about working in a sausage factory? How do they reflect the narrator’s experience in Work Done Right?

3)  Why do the men lament the death of the nopales orchard?

4)    What is the significance of the last two lines in “The Strike.” Will the strike go on or will it come to an end?

Part Three

1) What is “it” in the poem “Mexicali?”

2)  What baptismal-like experience takes place on Rosarito Beach? Why is this experience important in the wake of working in a sausage factory?

3)  What role did Guillermo play in Abraham’s life? Do you think Guillermo’s fate played a role in the book’s final outcome?

4)  What is the significance of the red pickup truck? Why is its windshield filled with, “Stars white as doves” (66)?

Bonus Questions

1) As a reader, do you think the line "work done right" (62) deserves to be the book's title? Why?

2) What happened to the finger?