T. H. on Mango St.
Esperanza dreams of having something that reflects control over her own story. What is this?
A house. A personal and symbolic space.
What does Sarai’s mom do to support the family?
She is a seamstress in a factory.
This creation story from the Popol Vuh describes the failed attempt to make humans out of wood.
The Wooden People
What is Ti Noël's occupation at the beginning of the novel?
Slave
Which term describes the political and economic domination of one country over another, often seen in the control of land, labor, and culture?
Colonialism
What does the contrast between names in English and Spanish in the novel reveal?
Layers of identity and cultural displacement.
What family betrayal does Estrella’s name symbolize?
Her father’s infidelity
In “The Fifth Story” by Clarice Lispector, repetition of different versions of the same event explores this theme.
narrative perspective (or fragmentation of truth)
which Vodou loa (spirit) is invoked as the gatekeeper between the human and spiritual worlds?
Papa Legba
What central theme in When We Make It and The House on Mango Street involves navigating one's personal background while forming a sense of self?
Identity
What image or object in the novel is often tied to femininity and longing? What do they symbolize or represent?
Windows. They symbolize confinement and hope.
What does the chained pen at the check-cashing place represent to Sarai?
Lack of freedom
This Taíno symbol represents the spirit of rain and fertility, often associated with helping crops grow.
Cemi Boinayel
What phrase do the enslaved repeat after Macandal's execution, insisting he could not be killed?
Macandal sauvé
In literature, what word describes the ability of individuals or communities to withstand oppression and trauma?
Resiliance
Which character’s story raises concerns about the invisibility of immigrants in urban life?
Geraldo's story
What theme is explored when Sarai and Estrella argue over Barbie novelas?
Identity
According to the Aztec origin story, what is the current cosmic era called?
The Fifth Sun
What is the name of the secret spiritual gathering that foreshadowed the Haitian Revolution and united enslaved people in rebellion through Vodou rites?
Bois Caïman
What theory critiques the legacy of colonialism and centers Indigenous ways of knowing and resisting dominant power structures?
Decolonial theory
Esperanza is conflicted by the end of the novel between what two contrasting forces or desires?
She feels torn between belonging and the need to grow beyond the limitations of her community.
What poetic form is When We Make It written in?
Verse
According to Garcilaso de la Vega, what common European items were absent in Inca society before Spanish contact, yet the people still lived happily without them? You need to list at least two.
Horses, wheat, wine, cows, and iron tools.
What symbolic themes are explored in the final section titled “Agnus Dei”? (List at least two.)
Spiritual sacrifice, redemption, and the cost of liberation.
Which concept refers to the blending of Indigenous and colonial cultures into new hybrid identities and practices?
Syncretism