The House On Mango Street Case Study Essay

1. Why do many people feel bad bringing up a disease in the same room with someone having the disease? How did Esperanza feel when she did that?
I think that people feel regretful for bringing up a disease when someone in the room has the disease is that they are afraid of making them distraught, even dismayed. People probably feel scared bringing up the disease because they fear they have offended the person. Also I think that people with a disease will get offended if the joke is about their condition or the state that they are in. On the other hand, I think people with the disease don’t mind people talking about because it could give them hope or it is could that people understand what is going on or it can give the person joy. When Esperanza

fell into this situation when one day she “tried to show her one of the pictures in the book, a beautiful color picture of the water babies swimming in the sea. I held the book up to her face. I can’t see it, she said, I’m blind. And then I was ashamed” (Cisneros 60). Esperanza felt ashamed after trying to focus a blind to see a picture babies swimming. (181)

2. Describe what happened when Esperanza visited Elenita? What do you think about fortune tellers?
Esperanza went to Elenita because Elenita is a witch woman who can read palms, water, and has a deck of cards with picture that have meaning. The special deck of cards was called tarot deck. Esperanza had her whole life in front of her “past, present, future” (Cisneros 63). Elenita takes Esperanza’s hand to look into her palm, Elinita asked Esperanze question about feeling cold and Esperanza lied saying yes. Then turns over cards with designs, meaning jealously and sorrow. Elenita realized that Esperanza wasn’t happy with what she said and tried to help her, but it made things worse by asking Esperanza if there were “bad spirits keeping you awake?” (Cisneros 64). Elenita suggests to Esperanza to “sleep next to a holy candle for seven days, then on the eighth day, spit” (Cisneros 64). That question made Esperanza feel sad and Esperanza paid five dollars a left the place. Elinita told Esperanza to come back again when the spirits are stronger and blesses her then close the door.
I think that fortune tellers can be liars and scammers or on the other hand, I truly believe some people believe in good and bad spirits, palm readings, and tarot deck. The fortune tellers that are liars and scammers are only in it for the money and cheat people out of their money. The other half of fortune tellers that believe in what they do get mocked and try to make people believe in what they do. The ones that believe really believe in evil and say that they can scent it around them. (263)

3. In the novel explain why were princesses mentioned?
In the novel The House on Mango Street the author mentioned two princesses in her poetry using them to compare them to people. The first princess she mentioned was Cinderella, when Esperanza and her friends tried on shoes at a party. “We are Cinderella because our feet fit exactly” (Cisneros 40) and in the Cinderella’s story, Cinderella’s foot fit the shoe that was left at the prince’s ball and Cinderella married the prince. The second princess that was mentioned in the novel was Rapunzel because Rafael would dream that “her hair is like Rapunzel’s” (Cisneros 79). Rafael “gets locked indoors because her husband is afraid Rafaela will run away since she is too beautiful to look at” (Cisneros 79). Rafael dreamt of long hair when she sat near the window, which is comparison to Rapunzel since she also sat near a window and dreamed. Another comparison between Rafael and Rapunzel is that they were both locked inside and weren’t allowed to go outside. Cinderella was associated with Esperanza and her friends trying on shoes and Rapunzel was linked to Rafael because Rafael dreamed of hair like Rapunzel and being locked inside a room. (193)

4. Where does Darius see of God? How do other people see God and where do you see God?
Darius saw God in the sky as a cloud and pointed out be the kids around him saying “You all see that cloud, that fat one there?

That one next to the one that look like popcorn. That one there. See that. That’s God” (Cisneros 34). People see God everyday like in the sky especially in the cloud, wind, and when the sky changes colors. Other people see God in church during mass or adoration. Additional, people see God in other people and in paintings. A very famous painting titled the Starry Night painted by Van Gogh has God existence in it, just like Darius saw God in the sky when I see the Starry Night it looks like the stars and the wind are defending the town below. The stars shine bright to show God’s presence in the painting and the stars symbolize God’s protection and keeping the people safe.

(151)

5. How can you relate to Esperanza from the different poems or from her life story?
I can relate to Esperanza from her life story and from all of her different poems. I can relate to Esperanza’s because her mother wanted her to have a better education like my mother. “She always supported the daughter’s projects, so long as she went to school” (Cisneros xiv). In the quote it talked about how Esperanza’s mother supported her daughter project and ideas as long as Esperanza goes to school. Also Esperanza talked about her moving to different schools and homes, I can relate to changing to different schools and not moving. Also I can relate to Esperanza poems like the poem entitled My Name which is about knowing the definition of your name in different languages. I remember in fifth grade my class went online to figure out what our names meant. Esperanza found out “In English my name means hope. In Spanish it means too many letters” (Cisneros 10). Another poem I can relate to is titled Laughter is about sister not exactly getting along but do share laughs together, which I can relate to the relationship I have with my sister. (185)

A Long Way Gone Memoirs of a Boy Soldier by Ishmael Beah
1. What were the consequences of a civil war?
Every country that has a civil war will have consequences.

The consequences of Sierra Leone civil war are children like Ishmael and his friends “by pass villages by walking through the nearby bushes” (Beach 37). By hiding behind bushes and sneaking by villages that is how they “would be safe and avoid causing chaos” (Beah 37). This civil war consequences were having people not only to be living in fear but fear of being caught or be in a village that gets under attack. Another consequence was losing loved ones, friends, and neighbors. But the final consequence was turning children and teenagers into child soldiers. (word count

105)

2. How would you feel that one day was the last day you saw a friend or a family member, like Ishmael did?
I would feel devastating and depressed that one day was the last day I saw my parents and sisters. You never think that one day your family will be gone and the last time you talked to them you were angry or you didn’t say you loved them. I probably won’t be able to remember the last thing I said to them because I would not realize that it would be the last time I saw them. My parents and my sisters mean so much to me because they are my family and I love my family. For Ishmael, he “didn’t say goodbye” (Beah 7) to his parents because he “didn’t know that (he) we were leaving home, never to return” (Beah 7). I don’t know how I would cope with losing my family like Ishmael did because my family means the world to me. Ishmael faced one of the hardest things in the world which was losing his parents and brothers. (word count 162)

3. In the time of danger, are you willing to help someone (that could get you in danger) or go solo?
Ishmael had witnessed in a time of danger when the rebels were shooting, people running on top of people who had fallen. In a time for danger Ishmael and his friend would stick together, making sure they all got out alive. On Ishmael’s journey to safety him and is friend get help from a fisherman who gave them shelter, food, water, and medical need. For the fisherman and his mother’s action, he betrayed his village. Ishmael wanted to tell the fisherman’s mother “to thank her son for his hospitality” (Beah 65). Even the mother “cared about our safety more than anything else” (Beah 65). In my opinion, I think in time of danger I would stick with my friends or anyone else and feel really bad for the one’s that got left behind. Also if I was in a safe area and people came to me for help, I would probably be willing to help the people. (word count 157)

4. What was everyone’s reaction to Saidu’s death? If you have ever gone to a funeral what was your reaction and the people around you reactions?
Ishmael reaction to Saidu’s death at first he “couldn’t cry” (Beah 85) unlike everyone else. He “felt dizzy and my eye watered” (Beah 85) and at the burial he “was in disbelief that Saidu had actually left us” (Beah 86). Ishmael felt that Saidu became part of his family with Kanei, Alhaji, and Musa, since they were all traveling together. Kanei, was the oldest in the group and took charge. He was told first about Saudi’s death. Kanei knew Saudi the most, and was able to tell the man, in charge of the burial, Saidu’s family members. By telling the man information about Saidu, he had to help the man during the burial of Saidu. The others in the group cried once they heard the news about Saidu leaving them. After the burial it became so surreal for all of them.
In my life so far I have gone to two funerals and everyone’s reaction seemed to be sorrowful and down. I also saw a lot of people crying, holding back tears, and sniffling. Another thing that I notice was people talking about the loved one in a positive way which made people smiling, a little. I felt very gloomy and miserable because we were all gathered at a church to say goodbye to a love one or a friend. (word count 223)

5. If you were in survival mode would you want to be alone or in a group? Only pick one.
If I was in survival mode I would want to be in a group. I would prefer to work in a group because you can separate the work between everyone in the group to find food, shelter, and fire wood. In a group I would feel safer, since you have people to count on each other and protect each other. I know in the book A Long Way Gone Memoirs of a Soldier, Ishmael was in a group then alone then back in a group. But, Ishmael “like being alone, since it made surviving easier” (Beah 153). Ishmael also “believe that people befriended only to exploit one another” (Beah 153). I don’t think that being in a group is to exploit each other, but only to help each in time of need. (word count 132)