E-mail the instructorFirst Section (Choose ONE of the options listed in this box.) |
A. Early in the novel, Esperanza contrasts her dream of an ideal home with a stark picture of her real house on Mango Street. In a few paragraphs, describe the place you identify as "home" as realistically as you can. Then contrast it to your image of the ideal home. |
B. Many of the chapters in the first part of the book are devoted to Esperanza's description of her neighborhood and of the people who live there. How does she feel about her neighborhood? Why? How can you tell? What sort of place is your neighborhood or hometown? Write four or five paragraphs, each one painting a portrait of a place or a person from your environment. |
C. Esperanza doesn't much like her name. Do you like yours? Why or why not? What history does your name carry that affects the way you think about yourself? |
Second Section |
As you've been reading, you've probably noticed that author Cisneros describes people by showing us how their physical appearance reveals their characters. For example, in both "The Family of Little Feet" and "Chanclas" we see that for Esperanza shoes become a sign of maturity and even of sexuality. For this "reflecting" question, categorize the people you know by some piece of clothing or other item. The possibilities are endless: hats, cars, jackets, drinks. Choose anything that catches your imagination and seems significant. |
Third Section |
You may have noticed at the beginning of this book that the novel is dedicated "a las mujeres" -- or "to the women." What sort of lives do the Hispanic girls and women Esperanza describes have? (Tie your answers to examples from the book.) Why are the books women characters so often shown looking out from behind windows that trap them? If you had to characterize the women or men in your family, neighborhood, or town, what would you show them doing? Why? Do you want to become like those men and women? Why, or why not? |
Fourth Section (Choose ONE of the questions in this box.) |
A. During the course of the novel, you've noticed Esperanza first rejecting and then accepting her neighborhood. Why does she decide she must leave her neighborhood? Why does she want to someday return? Do you feel a need to escape your background? Why or why not? What parts of your childhood and adolescence do you think will always remain part of you? Why? |
B. Analyze your culture in comparison (or contrast) to Esperanza's. What do you accept as "normal" that she would not, or vice versa. If you share her ethnic background, note how your experience compares to hers. |
Choice A: Describe the effect your name has had on you. |
Choice B: Describe your home or neighborhood in a way that makes a point about that place. |
Choice C: Tell a story from your childhood that shows an event that gave you a more adult understanding of the world or communicates how you once dealt with a situation in which you felt like an outsider. |
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