Sandra Cisneros, Human Rights,

Culture, Literary Devices,

and Vignettes

The House on Mango Street

Identity The individual characteristics

by which a thing or person is

recognized or known

Think about (and

maybe write about in your

M&Ms later):

1. How is identity in

general formed?

2. How is YOUR

identity formed?

Sandra

Cisneros

Her books include a chapbook of poetry, Bad Boys; two full-length

poetry books, My Wicked, Wicked Ways and Loose Woman; a collection of

stories, Woman Hollering Creek and Other Stories; a children’s book,

Hairs/Pelitos; a novella, The House on Mango Street; and two novels,

Caramelo and Have You Seen Marie?, a fable for grown-ups, which was

just published this month (October 2012).

The House on Mango Street

The House on Mango Street, first

published in 1984, won the Before

Columbus Foundation’s American

Book Award in 1985

It is a reflection of a female

Mexican-American’s experience in

the 1960s.

Human Rights

Rights to which people are

entitled simply because

they are human beings,

regardless of their

nationality, race, ethnicity,

gender, or religion.

Agreed standards that

recognize and protect the

dignity and integrity of

every individual without

any distinction

Human Rights and Culture: answer in your

M&Ms at some point during this rotation

Do you think human rights are

respected in the U.S.? In

Colorado? In Broomfield? At

Legacy? Explain.

Culture: attitudes and

behaviors that are

characteristic of a particular

social group or organization

Do you think culture affects

how people are treated?

Explain.

Themes

Theme: an overall message or idea expressed in a literary work

While reading, take note of circumstances and issues that

make human rights a thematic focus in The House on Mango

Street.

Also, take note of the narrator’s culture. How does it affect

her lifestyle? Is it a thematic focus in the novel as well?

Literary Devices

specific aspects of literature that we can recognize, identify,

interpret and/or analyze (the means by which authors

create meaning through language)

Includes BOTH literary elements and

literary techniques

Literary Techniques

refer to specific constructions

and choice of language Simile

Metaphor

Personification

Alliteration

Hyperbole

Idiom

Literary Elements

refer to a work as a whole Plot

Setting

Conflict

Mood

Tone

Theme

Vignettes

The House on Mango Street

is a series of 44 vignettes,

which are brief literary

descriptions.

One chapter does not

relate to the next, but

each is its own short

story within itself.

The vignettes still relate

to one another because

of Cisneros’s style (her

use of literary devices).

Overview: For the next several weeks, we will be reading,

studying, and analyzing The House on Mango Street.

Esperanza, a young Mexican-American girl who just

moved with her family to Mango Street, narrates them.

Since the stories don’t really follow each other

chronologically, we are going to read the novel in

thematic sections. We will be addressing different

subjects and literary devices for each set of stories. Before

we discuss each section, you will do a pre-reading

assignment. Your writings for each of these pre-reading

assignments should be about 1 page and completed in your

M&Ms notebook (or an M&M-sized piece of paper).

Section One:

Self Definition and Identity

Pre-reading question: 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?

Read pp. 3-11: “The House on Mango Street”; “Hairs”; “Boys and Girls”; “My Name”