Mango Musings
What city does the story "The House on Mango Street" take place in?
Chicago
In what city does the story "Seedfolks" take place?
Cleveland
When a character is the main narrator in the story and tells the story from their perspective.
First person perspective
Giving human-like traits to something that is non-human
personification
Main events of a play, novel, movie, or similar work, devised and presented by the writer as an interrelated sequence.
Story Plot
Which two characters does Esperanza befriend midway through the book?
Rachel and Lucy
Which plant does Kim end up gardening at both the beginning and the end of the book?
Lima Beans
When a character changes and progresses throughout a story
Dynamic characterization
A comparison between two unlike or dissimilar things using "like" or "as"
simile
Where and when a story takes place
Setting
Which type of people does Esperanza decide to let live in the attic of her dream house?
Homeless people
What plant does Leona's mother lay on the graves of doctors whom she outlived?
Goldenrod
When a character does not grow or change, but remains the same consistently throughout a story
Static characterization
"I am a red balloon tied to an anchor" is a great example of...
Metaphor
A literary device characterized by a struggle between two opposing forces. (examples include character vs character; character vs nature; character vs society; character vs self)
Conflict
Although Esperanza doesn't like how menacing and chaotic Darius is, she admires one specific thing about Darius...
His capacity to see beauty in the world around him.
What famous garden does Sam compare the community garden to?
The Garden of Eden
When an author describes a character in a straightforward manner (e.g. Mr. Casey has brown hair and a rotund frame, and has a weird habit of constantly wearing Rutgers attire).
Direct characterization
"I'm so bored in Mr. Casey's class I could jump out the window :(" is a great example of...
Hyperbole
The unifying or dominant idea(s) present in a work of fiction. It's what an author wants a reader to take away from having read their story
Theme
The soothsayer/fortune teller gives a prediction that stays with Esperanza for the rest of the book.
A home is within the heart.
Maricela ultimately decides to have her baby after having been at the garden because..
She see herself as part of a much larger life cycle that includes all other living beings, including plants.
A type of literary device that reveals details about a character without stating them explicitly. (e.g. Alexa's eyes were full of tears, mascara running down her face as she arrived to class.)
Indirect characterization
The use of words or phrases in a way that departs from the conventional order and meaning in order to convey a complicated meaning, colorful writing, clarity, or evocative comparison.
Figurative language
When a story reaches the height of tension; it's what the story has normally been building towards up until that point (think like a pot that has come to a boil, or a rollercoaster that's climbed up to its peak).
Climax