I suddenly remembered Sunstar Sysavath, who was in my

ESL class last year. Her family came from Cambodia, and

on her first day at Beacon she was in the wrong line in the

lunchroom. Mr. Walsh went to help her, and he tapped her on

her shoulder to get her attention. When she felt the tap and

saw him, she lifted her hands in the air as if she were being

arrested and about to be shot. People who saw this in the

lunchroom laughed, but it wasn’t a joke. Sunstar was filled

with terror.

In paragraph 18, Maya tells a story about a student from Cambodia. How does this Memory Moment enhance the plot’s rising action?

The text indicates that the immigrant may have experienced some inappropriate events. So she is used to feeling that way when she thinks she is in trouble. Although Maya has never undergone the same events as the other immigrant, Maya still feels uneasy and worried about getting in trouble. Maya thinks she has a connection with the immigrant that makes her more frightened that something scary and embarrassing will happen to her, as it did to the immigrant in the story.