Characters & Traits
Describe Esperanza as a character.
She is smart and hopeful about her future. She feels ashamed of where she's from.
Why is Esperanza ashamed of her home?
Her family is low-income, so her home is broken down and decrepit.
What does theme mean?
It is a lesson that we learn from the text.
"You just remember to keep writing, Esperanza. You must keep writing. It will keep you free" (pg. 61).
Esperanza's aunt is encouraging her to write because it will allow her to be independent -- she can develop a career out of it and make money. Also, it will allow her to reflect on her life, which will help her process what's happening in it.
What are the three qualities of a strong claim?
- Restate the question
- Answer the question
- Correct grammar
Describe Esperanza's mom as a character.
Esperanza's mom regrets not completing her education due to feeling ashamed about her lack of financial means. She believes she would have been successful if she had kept going.
What does "A Rice Sandwich" reveal about how Esperanza feels about her house? Why
The nun points out a run-down house and claims it's Esperanza's. Esperanza agrees because she is ashamed of her home.
What are the qualities of a well-written theme?
While the theme is what we learn from the text, it needs to be a broad lesson (not specific to the text) that the readers can apply to their own lives. It should be 1 to 2 sentences.
Analyze the meaning of the following quote: "Keep away from him, she says. He is full of danger....Two girls raggedy as rats live across the street. You don't want to know them" (pg. 12).
Cathy is discriminating against various people in Esperanza's neighborhood and warning her to stay away from them.
What are the three things you need to do to ensure your evidence formatting is correct?
1. Introduce the quote with "in the text, it states"
2. Quotation marks around beginning and end
3. Page number at the end
Describe Esperanza's sister, Nenny.
Nenny is young and immature. She often embarrasses Esperanza when the two of them play with Rachel and Lucy.
Explain "white flight" in the chapter, "Cathy Queen of Cats."
Cathy describes how "the neighborhood has gotten bad" recently, referring to Esperanza and the other Latinx people who have moved into the neighborhood. Cathy's family then moves out, showing white flight: when white people move out of their neighborhood, as people of color move in.
What are the two ways to determine theme?
1. Look at the problem and how it was solved and figure out what we learn as a result.
2. Look at how the character changed and what we learn as a result.
Analyze the meaning of the following quote:
"Ah yes, a home in the heart. I see a home in the heart" (pg. 64).
Elenita is predicting that Esperanza will find an emotional home -- something in her life that makes her feel at home -- rather than a physical one.
You explain how your evidence supports your claim. (You explain what more it reveals about the claim)
Describe Marin as a character.
She cares mostly about boys. She is dependent on them to save her from her situation.
How is Esperanza's desire for a house connected to her class status?
It's connected because she is low-income, and her insecurity about her class motivates her to want her own home.
What is the theme about gender roles?
Getting an education can can allow women to be independent and to avoid becoming their stereotypical gender role in societies where they are limited.
Analyze the meaning of the following quote: "Everything is holding its breath inside me. Everything is waiting to explode like Christmas. I want to be all new and shiny. I want to sit out bad at night, a boy around my neck and the wind under my skirt" (pg. 73)
Esperanza is on the verge of maturing into a young woman, but she is still very innocent. She yearns for this vague feeling of sexual attraction/interaction, but is also ignorant about that it would actually be like.
What is the strongest piece of evidence from "Chanclas" to show Esperanza's shame? (It can be multiple lines in a row)
In the text it states, "Just stuff my feet under the metal folding chair stamped Precious Blood and pick on a wad of brown gum that's stuck beneath the seat. I shake my head now. My feet growing bigger and bigger" (pg. 47).
How has Esperanza changed from the beginning to the end of the text?
At the beginning, she wants to leave Mango Street and get a house of her own. She's not sure if she will use marriage to do this. By the end, Esperanza is determined to find a way out independently, through her writing.
How does Esperanza's plan to return to Mango Street connect to class?
She wants to help women in poorer classes gain finances and resources to join a wealthier class.
What is the theme about home?
Pursuing one’s dreams and becoming self-reliant (independent) can make one feel more at home than any physical structure can.
Analyze the meaning of the following quote: "They are the only ones who understand me...Four skinny trees with skinny necks and pointy elbows like mine. Four who do not belong here but are here...Their strength is their secret. They send ferocious roots beneath the ground" (pg. 74).
Esperanza is relating to the four skinny trees because they both seem to not belong in the neighborhood. However, she is also recognizing her inner strength, regardless of not belonging, which she claims the trees have too.
Choose a piece of evidence from the text that shows that Esperanza does not discriminate against other people for being of a lower class (not having a lot of money).
"But I like them. Their clothes are crooked and old. They are wearing shiny Sunday shoes without socks. It makes their bald ankles all red, but I like them."
Or from "Those Who Don't"