The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros

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The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros

• This is a heartbreaking and hopeful book told by
  a young girl named Esperanza Cordero.
  
• Each chapter is a vignette that tells a poetic
  tale connected to her childhood on Mango Street.
  
  
• The story takes place in a barrio in Chicago.
  Esperanza dreams of the house she will someday
  have her own house, not on Mango Street.

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In English my name means hope. In Spanish it
means too many letters. It means sadness, it
means waiting (p. 10)

• - Esperanza Cordero, age 12

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About the Author

• Sandra Cisneros was born in Chicago in l954, the
  third child and only daughter in a family of
  seven children.
  
• In the past she has worked as a teacher and
  counselor to high-school dropouts, and has
  taught creative writing at every level.
  
• She has won many awards for her books, which have
  been translated into more than a dozen languages.

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A Few Important Terms

• Vignette - a short, well written sketch or
  descriptive scene, usually using poetic
  language.
  
• Barrio - a Spanish word meaning neighborhood
  often used in the United States to refer to a
  lower-class ghetto with mostly Spanish-speaking
  residents.
• Latino/a - as used in American English, generally
  refers to a U.S. citizen of Latin American
  descent.
  
• Coming of Age Story a story in which the young
  protagonist undergoes adventures and inner
  turmoil in his or her growth and development as a
  human being.

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THEMES What is the author trying to say?

• The Power of Language Esperanza observes the
  people around her and realizes that not knowing
  the language creates powerlessness. Her Aunt Lupe
  tells her to keep writing because it will keep
  her free, and Esperanza eventually understands
  what her aunt means.
• The Struggle for Self-Identity Esperanzas
  struggle to define herself underscores her every
  action and encounter. Esperanza must define
  herself both as a woman and as an artist, and her
  perception of her identity changes over the
  course of the novel.

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STYLE How does she say it?

• Cisneros uses the following poetic devices to
  bring this story alive
  
• Simile My papas hair is like a broom (p. 6)
• Metaphor Until then I am a red balloon, a
  balloon tied to an anchor (p. 9)
  
• Personification Four skinny treesgrab the
  earth between their hairy toes and bite the sky
  with violent teeth and never quit their anger
  (p. 74)
• Alliteration mother who is tired all the time
  from buttoning and bottling and babying (p. 29)

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Why is this book worth reading?

• This story is easy to relate to because we all
  struggle with what it means to grow up and search
  for our own identities, but it also gives us a
  window into someone elses view, especially
  someone whose background and environment may be
  very different from our own. Also, the vignettes
  are enjoyable because they are short and very
  descriptive.

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If you like The House on Mango Street, you might
also like these

• MOVIES Real Women Have Curves, Stand By Me,
  Mean Girls, ATL, Holes
  
• BOOKS The Outsiders, To Kill A Mockingbird,
  Catcher in the Rye, Persepolis
  
• POETRY 19 Varieties of Gazelle by Naomi Shihab
  Nye

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To find out more, visit these

• The Authorized Sandra Cisneros Web Site
  http//www.sandracisneros.com/home.html
  
• The Barrio Museum (el Museo del barrio)
  http//www.elmuseo.org/
  
• Glossary of Poetic Devices http//www.kyrene.org/s
  chools/brisas/sunda/poets/poetry2.htm
  
• Teen Ink Review of The House on Mango Street
  http//teenink.com/Past/2001/September/Books/TheHo
  useonMango.html