Blues:
Today’s discussion went well. From the sounds of it, most of
you are reading House on Mango Street on multiple levels, trying to see
beyond the plot and asking the right questions. I’m going to try to encourage
the trend.
Today in class you were assigned a vignette to re-read
closely. Tonight, record the vignette title, the literal meaning of the
vignette, it’s figurative meaning (as far as you can tell), the central image
of the vignette, and any questions you have and/or connections you can make
between the vignette and others that you’ve read. Using the vignette titled “Boys
and Girls” as an example, your work would look like this:
Vignette: Boys and
Girls
Literal Meaning: In this vignette, Esperanza complains that her brothers don’t like spending time with her and that she does not like spending time with her sisters. Her brothers are embarrassed to be seen with girls outside of the house, while Esperanzna sees her sister as a hassle. She longs for a time when she’ll have a best friend that “understands her,” and is saddened by the fact that it’ll probably be a long time before that ever happens.
Figurative Meaning: This vignette is about Esperanza’s loneliness and the sadness that results from it. When she says she wants a “friend to call her own,” what she is really longing for is a connection. The word that stands out the most to me is, “understanding.” She’s very observant and ambitious—she wants more for herself than what she thinks her parents/family members/neighbors want for themselves—and extremely sensitive to things going on around her, but she has no one to talk to. And even though she’d love to reach out and explore and see what else the world has to offer, she feels trapped by her responsibilities and her connections: Nenny and her family… maybe something else?
Central Image: The central image of this vignette is the red balloon being tied to an anchor. Clearly, Esperanza is the balloon, and the anchor is all the things holding her back.
Questions/Connections: What else is holding Esperanza back? Is there any way out?
Literal Meaning: In this vignette, Esperanza complains that her brothers don’t like spending time with her and that she does not like spending time with her sisters. Her brothers are embarrassed to be seen with girls outside of the house, while Esperanzna sees her sister as a hassle. She longs for a time when she’ll have a best friend that “understands her,” and is saddened by the fact that it’ll probably be a long time before that ever happens.
Figurative Meaning: This vignette is about Esperanza’s loneliness and the sadness that results from it. When she says she wants a “friend to call her own,” what she is really longing for is a connection. The word that stands out the most to me is, “understanding.” She’s very observant and ambitious—she wants more for herself than what she thinks her parents/family members/neighbors want for themselves—and extremely sensitive to things going on around her, but she has no one to talk to. And even though she’d love to reach out and explore and see what else the world has to offer, she feels trapped by her responsibilities and her connections: Nenny and her family… maybe something else?
Central Image: The central image of this vignette is the red balloon being tied to an anchor. Clearly, Esperanza is the balloon, and the anchor is all the things holding her back.
Questions/Connections: What else is holding Esperanza back? Is there any way out?
In addition, read pages 26-38.
That’s all for now, kids. If you have any questions, find
the answers. If you run out of options, email me.
Word hard: luck means nothing.
- AC
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