The Strength Within Us Ezperanza’s strength shows that overcoming obstacles can make people stronger. Likewise, Ezperanza relates to this when she described the four trees as, “their strength is… [that they] grow down, grab the earth... and bite the sky [and] never quit their anger. This is how they keep.” (Cisneros 74) The four skinny trees depict Ezperanza’s attitude by showing how the tree roots stay alive by overpowering the earth and sky and standing until the end. Empowerment helps the trees survive just as Ezperanza did. The House on Mango Street is one of many books that explain how overcoming problems help people survive. Not only that, the moment Ezperanza claimed that Mango Street would not keep her there forever, the fear
that controls her life stops. She shows her new attitude by stating, “I am too strong for [Mango Street] to keep me here forever. One day, I will go.” (Cisneros 110) Mango Street kept stopping Ezperanza from finding her own place in the world and defying it demonstrates her strength in mind. She would have never learned to deal with her hardships if she did not experience beforehand. Being able to hold up against problems and conquering them makes a person stronger like Ezperanza.
My vignette “Him” is based off of “Sire”, a vignette in The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros. In the book, the main character Esperanza talks about her feelings and experiences relating to a boy named Sire. She describes his eyes with a metaphor, comparing them to “dusty cat fur” which portrays them as easily moved and shifted, like cat fur blown by the wind (Cisneros 72). In my vignette “Him”, I incorporated a metaphor by using words like: “Dark melted chocolate” (Curry 1). I used this figurative language to illustrate my perception of the boy’s eyes as I know them: warm like a melted dessert and comforting, but excitingly different like dark chocolate.
Modern society believes in the difficult yet essential nature of coming of age. Adolescents must face difficult obstacles in life, whether it be familial, academic, or fiscal obstacles. In the House on Mango Street, Esperanza longs for a life where she will no longer be chained to Mango Street and aspires to escape. As Esperanza grows up on Mango Street, she witnesses the effect of poverty, violence, and loss of dreams on her friends and family, leading her to feel confused and broken, clinging to the dream of leaving Mango Street. Cisneros uses a reflective tone to argue that a change in one’s identity is inevitable, but ultimately for the worst.
Throughout life, many hardships will be encountered, however, despite the several obstacles life may present, the best way to overcome these hardships is with determination, perseverance, and optimism. In The House on Mango Street, this theme is represented on various occasions in many of the vignettes. For this reason, this theme is one of the major themes in The House on Mango Street. In many of the vignettes, the women of Mango Street do not make any attempts to overcome the hardships oppressive men have placed upon them. In opposition, Alicia (“Alicia Who Sees Mice”) and Esperanza are made aware that the hardships presented as a result of living on Mango Street can be overcome by working hard and endless dedication to reach personal hopes
The author of The House on Mango Street and the producer of The Color Purple are able to integrate numerous important thematic ideas. Many of these ideas still apply to our current world, teaching various important lessons to many adolescents and adults. The House on Mango Street is a collection of vignettes written by Sandra Cisneros, a Mexican-American writer. The novel depicts many aspects of Sandra Cisneros’ life including racism, and sexism that she and the main character face. The novel revolves around Esperanza Cordero, a young Latina girl, who is growing up in Chicago as she faces the various struggles of living in America. The various vignettes reveal many experiences Esperanza has with reality and her navie responses to such harsh
An authors style defines itself as the way in which the author expresses themselves throughout the piece of literature. They express themselves through their word choice, word order, rhythm, imagery, sentence structure, figurative language, and literary devices. Sandra Cisneros’, “The House on Mango Street”, is a short story encompassing the events and thoughts of an un-named child narrator as they describe their family’s living arrangement. Sandra uses a distinct type of style throughout her writing which fits the short story well. On the other hand, William Carlos Williams’, “The Use of Force”, is a short story about a doctor’s visit to an unusual patients home. The stories have their own distinctive style which is unique to each but, there
Who does not want a home? A shelter to sleep and a roof to dine under. Of course no one wanted to stay home forever, but once in awhile and even when far away, they will long to return to that sacred place, the place where they grew up and the place they have left behind, home. The desire for a home (or house to be precise, though there was not much of a different for this case) was realistically reflected through a fiction work of Sandra Cisneros, a Mexican American write, a story called The House on Mango Street, where we shall discuss about its setting, plot and character.
Characteristics are what define us as human beings. When comparing and contrasting one person to another, characteristics is used to do so. Characteristics such as physical appearance or emotional perceptions help define how a person is perceived, and how we do, or do not compare in such ways. Authors use descriptions of physical characteristics to help us paint a picture in our mind of characters’ appearance from their books while, characteristics of a character’s mentality help develop a personality for us to relate to. It is important for authors to develop personality so readers can relate or understand the differences from themselves and the characters of their stories. The house on mango street is a book written by Sandra Cisneros which, is about main character Esperanza coming to age. Esperanza speaks frequently about having a house she can be proud to call her own. The house in this story represents both physical and intangible wants and needs of the main character. I cannot compare myself physically due to the difference in sex but, Esperanza and I do have similarities
Patriarchy is a form of social organization. Sandra Cisneros, a writer who was one of seven children and the only girl, has written extensively about the Latina experience in the United States. “The House on Mango Street” contains many of her family members and friends, which are Esperanza, the narrator; her mother and father; Sarah and Lucy, her best friends; Nenny, her little sisters; and Carlos and Kiki, her youngest brother. “The House on Mango Street” is about a family that grew up very poor in Chicago. Her family always wanted to move, but she wanted this move to be her last move. Although they moved don’t mean that she was satisfied with it because she wasn’t and she hated her living conditions, she wanted to be independent and on her own; she wanted things to her way. She prayed for better days and for a better life, so one day she took it upon herself to leave. “The House on Mango Street”, by Sandra Cisneros, addresses the topic of Social Issues through her use of Ambiguity, allegory, and anecdote.
The Four Skinny Trees, written by Sandra Cisneros talks about connection and similarities they both have. She see the four trees in the different light than others. Esperanza see herself as a part of the tree. They compares their physical features to hers. Esperanza imagery of these trees are overwhelming. The four trees give her strength in way that allows her as a person to express feeling to them. She shows gratitude and speaks them about how they should not be stuck in the city . The trees are a symbol of hope and are a positive thing in her life. In many ways you could see She notices the trees when no one else cared. She is able to look up to them and speak her mind to them. Despite growing on concrete it shows power and the never give up attitude . This four tree holds strength. The four trees hold a powerful representation in her life. They are her three siblings and herself , Nenny, Carlos, Kiki. The four skinny trees are a meaning of the concrete that tries to hold them to ground like Esperanza and her sibling are trap in Mango Street. The trees teach her that she...
“Home is where the heart is.” In The House on Mango Street, Sandra Cisneros develops this famous statement to depict what a “home” really represents. What is a home? Is it a house with four walls and a roof, the neighborhood of kids while growing up, or a unique Cleaver household where everything is perfect and no problems arise? According to Cisneros, we all have our own home with which we identify; however, we cannot always go back to the environment we once considered our dwelling place. The home, which is characterized by who we are, and determined by how we view ourselves, is what makes every individual unique. A home is a personality, a depiction of who we are inside and how we grow through our life experiences. In her personal, Cisneros depicts Esperanza Cordero’s coming-of-age through a series of vignettes about her family, neighborhood, and personalized dreams. Although the novel does not follow a traditional chronological pattern, a story emerges, nevertheless, of Esperanza’s search to discover the meaning of her life and her personal identity. The novel begins when the Cordero family moves into a new house, the first they have ever owned, on Mango Street in the Latino section of Chicago. Esperanza is disappointed by the “small and red” house “with tight steps in front and bricks crumbling in places” (5). It is not at all the dream-house her parents had always talked about, nor is it the house on a hill that Esperanza vows to one day own for herself. Despite its location in a rough neighborhood and difficult lifestyle, Mango Street is the place with which she identifies at this time in her life.
In the novel, The House on Mango Street, Sandra Cisneros describes the problems that Latino women face in a society that treats them as second class citizens. A society that is dominated by men, and a society that values women for what they look like, and not for what is on inside. In her Novel Cisneros wants us to envision the obstacles that Latino women must face everyday in order to be treated equally.
In the novel, The House on Mango Street, by Sandra Cisneros, a youthful girl by the name of Esperanza Cordero is on the journey called life. Throughout the beginning years of her life, Esperanza faces many struggles and must conquer many obstacles. Esperanza’s most substantial and arduous impediment is one that a majority of adolescents face, as she tries to unravel the different aspects of herself and try to piece them together. The search for identity is a recurring theme in multiple books, but Cisneros thoroughly explains the hardships a person faces while on the quest for who they truly are.
Sandra Cisneros was born in 1956 in Chicago, Illinois. She was the only daughter in her family. She had six brothers and zero sisters. She would visit Mexico most of her childhood. She has taught creative writing for many years. Which made her want to be a author. Sandra Cisneros educates about what it’s like in the working class through her literary works including The house on mango street, Woman hollering creek, and caramelo.
Did you know that children living in poorer communities have a higher risk of gaining physical health problems, such as Chronic, poor nutrition, or risky behaviors? There are many social issues that have occurred in our history. One of them is poverty, and that lifestyle is not a good thing to have, although many Americans have had to deal with it, some including full-time workers, children, seniors, disabled Americans, and veterans. The House on Mango Street, written by Sandra Cisneros, is a book that represents many social issues including this one. It is about a young girl who lived to the United States in search for the American dream, only to find that it is nothing but a nightmare for her. Poverty is a serious issue and connects to the
One vignette in The House on Mango Street is when Louie, Marvin, all the little sisters, and Esperanza came out to see the big yellow Cadillac that Louie cousin was driving. Louie cousin told everyone to get in for a ride. So everyone went in the car and the sisters had to sit on other peoples lap. They drove up the alley and around the alley 6 times. Louie’s cousin did get annoyed when they were playing with the windows or touching the FM radio but they eventually stop.