Characters
Who is Minerva?
She is abused by her husband, and she writes poems to express herself after her children go to bed.
Imagery
In literature, when an author uses the five senses to describe a scene in great detail.
"Why did you leave me all alone? I waited my whole life. You're a liar. They all lied."
Hyperbole- "Red Clowns." Esperanza exaggerates that she was waiting for Sally "her whole life." Esperanza wants to show that Sally abandoned her and she is angry, because Sally didn't rescue Esperanza from the boy who sexually assaulted her.
"My Name"
Esperanza is explaining how she was named after her great grandmother, a horse woman. The great grandmother was married against her will and trapped inside by her husband. Esperanza wants to change her name because she doesn't want to inherit this life looking sadly out the window.
Where is Esperanza's first job? What happens there?
At a photo finishers store. An old man forces her to kiss him.
Who is Rachel?
Rachel is a sassy girl in the neighborhood. She and Esperanza become friends when they buy a bike together. She has a little sister, Lucy. The girls all wear high heeled shoes and talk about what it is like to be a woman and have hips.
Personification and Hyperbole
Personification is giving human characteristics to objects or animals. Hyperbole is an exaggeration.
"Until then, I am a red balloon. A balloon tied to an anchor."
Metaphor- from "Boys and Girls." Esperanza feels tied down by responsibility because she has to take care of her little sister, Nenny. The red balloon represents the traditional gender roles that trap her like an anchor and limit her freedom.
"Four Skinny Trees"
What 2 things is Alicia afraid of?
Mice and fathers
Who is Rafaela?
Rafaela is trapped by her husband, who won't let her outside because she is too beautiful. She wants to go dancing, and she asks the girls to bring her tropical juice so she feels free.
Simile and Metaphor- what is the difference?
"Things had a way of disappearing in the garden, as if the garden itself ate them, or as if with its old-man memory, it put them away and forgot them."
This is personification to describe the monkey garden. It gives human characteristics to the monkey garden, like "eating itself" and having an "old man memory." This shows the monkey garden is ancient and mysterious, because things disappear there. The garden is very active and always growing and changing.
"Linoleum Roses"
We learn that Sally got married before she was in eighth grade, to escape the abuse of her father. However, she is still trapped in the cycle of abuse because her new husband is angry and violent. Still, she likes to be in her own house with her own possessions. The central idea is that it is impossible for women to escape a cycle of abuse.
When Esperanza goes to her cousin's baptism, why doesn't she want to dance?
She is ashamed of her ugly shoes. She is wearing a new dress with her old school shoes.
Who is Tito?
In the Monkey Garden, Tito takes Sally's keys and tells Sally to give him a kiss if she wants them back.
Symbolism
When an object represents an abstract idea
"...her legs bunched under the yellow sheets, the bones gone limp as worms. The yellow pillow, the yellow smell, the bottles and spoons."
Simile and Imagery- "Born Bad." This describes Aunt Lupe in her sickbed. The color yellow is imagery that helps us imagine how sickly and stifled the room is. It is not a healthy room full of fresh air. The simile helps us understand that Aunt Lupe cannot move her weak bones, since they are limp as worms.
"Those Who Don't"
Esperanza notices that when white people visit her neighborhood, they act prejudiced against the Latino people who live there. The white people act afraid and treat them like criminals. However, Esperanza feels just as nervous and prejudiced when she goes into a white, richer neighborhood. The central idea is that sometimes we are all guilty of prejudice and stereotypes.
Who does Esperanza want to live in her future attic and why?
Esperanza wants bums (homeless people) to live in her attic. If she becomes rich in the future, she says she will never forget about helping people who are less fortunate than her.
Who is Aunt Lupe?
She was a swimmer who became sick and dies. Esperanza feels bad because she was imitating Aunt Lupe. She was the first one to listen to Esperanza's poetry, and she encourages Esperanza to be a writer.
Allusion
"I looked at my feet in their white socks and ugly round shoes. They seemed far away. They didn't seem to be my feet anymore. And the garden that had been such a good place to play didn't seem mine either."
Symbolism- Esperanza is wearing white little girl's shoes, and she looks down and feels like they are very far away. This symbolizes that she feels like she is a different person than when she entered the monkey garden. She has grown up and matured, so the garden symbolizes a loss of innocence. It is painful for her to give up her childhood like this.
"The Family of Little Feet"
What does Darius see in the clouds?
God