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What are the main conflict in the house on mango street
What are the main conflict in the house on mango street
Essay for house on mango street
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It is common to read literature about a young protagonist that is searching to find themselves and trying to make sense of the world around them. This is something that all humans must learn how to do, given varies situations that make is increasingly difficult. This is a crucial concept in The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros, for this novella describes the struggle of a young Latina girl growing up and learning about the way it is. Cisneros brilliantly uses setting, style, point of view, and allusions in order to convey the themes of youth and identity.
Throughout the majority of the novella, the setting is a poor Latino neighborhood in Chicago during the late 1960s. The protagonist, Esperanza Cordero, once had a run in with her
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school nun who asked where she lived. When Esperanza pointed it out, the nun said, “You live there?” (5). The nun’s reaction made her feel ashamed of where she came from and made her crave to have a house she would be proud of. However, it does not seem like it will be happening anytime soon, the family moves around a lot and end up on Mango Street. Here, Esperanza observes all of her neighbors and has stories to go along with all the them. There is a family, that had small feet and give her, her sister, and their two friends heels. When walking around when this bum man says, “If I give you a dollar will you kiss me?” (41). They were feeling mature and self-confident until this encounter, the heels were thrown away, but they didn’t mind. The sexual comments of the men made the girls feel uncomfortable, they are not ready to go out into the world that they live in just yet. The style of the writing is uncomplicated, it leaves out quotation marks and the language of the text is simple, making the pages easy to read and suitable for young readers. As well, the words have a poetic feeling and some of the passages contain rhythm, rhyme and other poetic devices. There is this effect because Esperanza is a writer, there are other women in the neighborhood who write, also many references to poems and songs, such as the jump-rope chant. Thirdly, the point of view is through first person, Esperanza’s experience with the Mango Street neighborhood.
She mentions that, “Alicia is stuck-up ever since she went to college” (12). However, in a later except, the readers hear about how her mother died and how she is taking her place while attending a university. This shows a fault in the narration and makes the reader recognize that this is a twelve-year old telling the story. She does not yet fully understand the difficulties of others and merely labels this girl as “stuck-up”. Still, these people help her become the intelligent, observant person that she is, and become familiar with hardship at a young age. Also, the idea of a young child telling the story is reinforced in an immature argument with her friends. One of the girls says, “Esperanza’s fat face, that’s who. Look like Esperanza’s ugly face when she comes to school in the morning” (37). Although they ended up still being friends, this comment would hurt Esperanza’s feelings because of the age and personal circumstances. Even though it is never stated, it can be concluded that she does not feel very high of herself, perhaps a bit below …show more content…
average. In addition, the children in this novella enjoy playing games and Esperanza has an interest in poetry and writing.
Activities that interested the girls in the novella included jump rope, the “Tarzan Jumping Contest” (22), and the imitation game. They “started out with famous people: Wonder Woman, the Beatles, Marilyn Monroe” (59-60). Cisneros makes allusions to these people to show who the children look up to and may hope to become when they grow older. Even though they are not in the best position, they are able to escape by using this game to become another person. They begin to imitate people that they know such as Esperanza’s aunt that she would read to because she was blind. She says, “I took my library books to her house. I read her stories. I liked the book The Waterbabies” (60). This book was a popular children’s novel in the late 1800's in Britain, it included attitude on common prejudices. It reflects Esperanza’s irrational feelings of how people outside her neighborhood view them, how they have a sense of fear when coming through, and vice versa for
her. Overall, Cisneros makes the themes of youth and identity understood by using literary devices such as setting, style, point of view, and allusions. The style of writing ties in well with point of view because the novella is through the eyes of adolescence. The setting of the story is on a poor Latino neighborhood street, a place where many of them are stuck and will grow old, while others will strive for their dreams such as Esperanza. Lastly, allusions are made to games, poems, and well-known people and characters today. Youth have many things to be concerned about, from dealing with their peers, understanding adults and the world around them, getting along with siblings to finding and following their own individual path.
The House on Mango Street, a fictional book written by Sandra Cisneros is a book filled with many hidden messages. The book revolves around a young girl named Esperanza who feels out of place with the life she has. She sees that the things around her don’t really add up. The story is told from Esperanza’s perspective and the events she goes through to find herself. Through the strategy of fragmenting sentences, Cisneros establishes that the sense of not belonging, creates a person’s individuality that makes them who they are.
Esperanza is a young girl who struggles with feelings of loneliness and feeling that she doesn’t fit in because she is poor. She always wanted to fit in with the other kids and feel like she was one of them. She loves to write because it helps her feel better about herself writing about her life and her community. Writing helps her with
“The House on Mango Street” emphasizes on this issue, even broadens to explain other controversial matters such as abuse, misogynistic views, and stereotypes. The protagonist, Esperanza Cordero moves to Mango Street where she must witness the abuse affecting her friends, neighbors, and family. Either Sally a close friend, Mamacita a neighbor, or her own mother handling 4 children. Over the course of the novel Esperanza changes physically and mentally. Through the use of imagery as well as complex, descriptive vignettes Cisneros epitomizes the misogynistic views within Esperanza’s
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.
Sandra Cisneros uses personification and symbolism to affect the theme of the struggle self-consciousness and loss of innocence in a book full of short stories, The House on Mango Street. A young Hispanic preteen named Esperanza, uses a fortune of five dollars to buy a flimsy bicycle. Along with these two other young girls named Lucy and Rachel. The sense of owning a bike is a luxurious dream to them since they live near the poverty line. So, when they receive their bike, Esperanza loves riding it until she rides past her house, which is “sad and red and crumbly in places” (Cisneros 16). The author uses personification to bring down Esperanza to the reality of her situation by portraying her house negatively, which is a reflection of her
She was not a master of style, plot development or characterization, but the intensity of feeling and aspiration are evident in her narratives that overrides her imperfections. Sandra Cisneros’ The House on Mango Street, written in 1984, and Anzia Yezierska’s Bread Givers, published in 1925, are both aimed at adolescent and adult audiences that deal with deeply disturbing themes about serious social conditions and their effects on children as adults. Both books are told in the first person; both narrators are young girls living in destitute neighborhoods; and both young girls witness the harsh realities of life for those who are poor, abused, and hopeless. Although the narrators face these overwhelming obstacles, they manage to survive their tough environments with their wits and strength remaining intact. Esperanza, a Chicano with three sisters and one brother, has had a dream of having her own things since she was ten years old.
Symbolism is the key to understanding Sandra Cisneros’ novel, “The House on Mango Street”. By unraveling the symbolism, the reader truly exposes the role of not only Latina women but women of any background. Esperanza, a girl from a Mexican background living in Chicago, writes down what she witnesses while growing up. As a result of her sheltered upbringing, Esperanza hardly comprehends the actions that take place around her, but what she did understand she wrote in her journal. Cisneros used this technique of the point of view of a child, to her advantage by giving the readers enough information of what is taking place on Mango Street so that they can gather the pieces of the puzzle a get the big picture.
In the poor slums of Chicago, a family living in poverty struggles to get by. In the book, House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros, Esperanza is a twelve year old girl who lives with her family in the Windy City. She lives with her three siblings and both parents on Mango Street. Esperanza has no control over her life and family’s poverty. People who have no control over their life desperately seek change. Esperanza seeks to change her name, her home, and her destiny as a way to control her life.
Gabriela Quintanilla Mrs. Allen A.P English 12 12 March 2014 The House on Mango Street Sandra Cisneros once said “'Hispanic' is English for a person of Latino origin who wants to be accepted by the white status quo. ’ Latino' is the word we have always used for ourselves.” In the novel I read, The House on Mango Street, by Sandra Cisneros, the main character, a twelve-year-old Chicana (Mexican-American girl), Esperanza, saw self-definition as a struggle, this was a major theme in the novel through Esperanza’s actions and the ones around her. Esperanza tries to find identity in herself as a woman as well as an artist throughout the novel through her encounters.
The House On Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros is a fictional novel set in 1950’s Chicago. Centering around Esperanza’s Mexican American family and their neighbors on Mango Street, the story illustrates Esperanza’s growth and gain of experience. Throughout the story, Esperanza obtains insight on many diverse aspects of life, one being how different she is from the men and even the other women in her culture and society. She recognizes that many of the women in her life are opressed, and identifies that she craves to be different and more independent. Through the use of figurative language, Cisneros asserts that when women allow themselves to be dominated by men, they may be prevented from pursuing their aspirations.
Esperanza's overwhelmed tone reveals her fear and doggedness to adversity when sally's game defiles the garden's innocence/purity, exposing Esperanza to the realization that she cannot remain a kid forever.
“Someday, I will have a best friend all my own. One I can tell my secrets to. One who will understand my jokes without me having to explain them” (9). These are the longing words spoken by Esperanza. In the novel The House on Mango Street, Esperanza is young girl experiencing adolescence not only longing for a place to fit in but also wanting to be beautiful. This becomes complicated as Esperanza becomes more sexually aware. Throughout the novel, Cisneros argues the importance of beauty and how Esperanza deals with beauty as a part of her identity. When Esperanza meets Sally a new friend, Esperanza’s whole world is turned upside down. Esperanza’s views on beauty change from a positive outlook to a negative one by watching how beauty has damaged Sally’s life.
The plot of The House on Mango Street symbolizes an immigrant family moving to the United States in hope of a future with more opportunities. It is a story about a girl by the name of Esperanza and the retelling of the events in her childhood. Esperanza faces many challenges growing up in an underdeveloped neighborhood of inner city Chicago. Through her experiences at home, school, and with people she starts to blossom into the young woman she always wanted to be. Esperanza encounters many unjust acts as a result of living in an urban neighborhood. These encounters make her want to move to a different neighborhood because she feels like she does not belong on Mango Street. She feels trapped because she has a dream to attend college and become a writer. Her hope is that she will be able to live a prosperous American life and be able to come back to Mango Street to help those who cannot escape on their own. It is, most importantly, the story of a girl maturing into a woman an...
“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.
... They didn’t seem to be my feet anymore. And the garden that had been such a good place to play didn’t seem mine either” (Cisneros 98). The play place that was once so innocent and is now a junkyard that reciprocates Esperanza’s innocence that slowly turns into reality. She is growing up. Additionally, she gains enough confidence and maturity to make her own life decisions. This is shown when she makes the important decision of where she wants her life to take her. “I have decided not to grow up tame like the others who lay their necks on the threshold waiting for the ball and chain” (Cisneros 88). This shows Esperanza’s maturity to make her own life choices by herself. She is finally confident and independent enough to know where she wants her life to take her. Esperanza finally completes her evolution from young and immature to adult-like and confident.