Assignment
making inferences
mami makes the connection between negi's disobedience and the attack of the termites. what does this tell you about mami? what does it tell you about negi?
santiago recreates this story as she looks back as an adult. why do you think she includes this story?
do you think she still sees the termites as a punishment for disobeying her mother? why or why not?
contrast the child's feelings about her mother to the beautiful way the adult writer remembers her mother. how can you explain this?

1. Mami is using the attack of the termites to scare Negi into thinking it was a punishment. This could mean Mami seemed harsh with wanting to scare Negi. Negi would've believed Mami if she said the termites attacked on purpose for her misbehaving. This could mean Negi believed almost everything Mami said and was in fact a bit scared.
2. I think she includes this story so reader could see what some of her childhood was like. Maybe readers could relate in some way.
3. I think as a child, she did see the attack as a punishment but now looking back as an adult, she no longer thinks that. Probably because she finds his hard that Mami could have planned the termites attacking but "little her" didn't.
4. The child might've thought of Mami as someone bossy while the adult remembers her as being funny as times and just trying to take care of her and teach her lessons. Thus saying the termite attack was a punishment.

Hope this helps ^_^

Callused, scorching, prowls