House on Mango Street

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House on Mango Street
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Sandra Cisneros

• Born 1954 in Chicago
• Addresses issues of Hispanic American women
• House on Mango Street was first novel

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House on Mango Street

• Main character
• Esperanza
• Struggling to grow up in Chicago's
  poverty-stricken south side
• Short, interconnected chapters
• Lyrical narratives, vivid dialogue, and powerful
  descriptions
• Written in vignettes

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Vignette

• Short scene that focuses on one moment or gives
  insight into a character, idea, or setting
• Poetic language
• Simile
• Metaphor
• Imagery

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House on Mango Intro

• Read the back cover
• Look at illustrations on front and back
• Look at table of contents
• Flip through book

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House on Mango Street Themes

• Identity
• Community / Neighborhood
• Freedom / Growth
• Fitting In
• Coming of Age
• Home / Belonging

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Essential Theme Questions

• How does environment shape our identity?
• What identities, if any, are permanent and which
  do we have the power to change?
• What roles do neighborhood and community play in
  shaping who we become?

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Names

• What is the personal significance of your given
  name (first, middle and last)?
• Does your name mean different things to you, your
  family, and your friends?
• What are your nicknames? What do your nicknames
  mean to you and those who call you those names?

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• It means (write three adjectives that describe
  you)
• It is the number (write any number you want)
• It is like (describe a color but dont name it)
• It is (name something you remember experiencing
  with family or friends)
• It is the memory of (name a person who has been
  significant to you)
• Who taught me (write two abstract concepts like
  honesty)
• When he/she (write about something that person
  did)
• My name is (write your first name)
• It means (state something important you believe
  about life in 1-2 sentences)