Esperanza
Homes
Mango St.
Figurative Language
Gender Roles
100
Where did Esperanza's name come from? (30s)
It was passed down from her great-grandmother.
100
On what street was the earliest home that Esperanza can remember? (30s)
Paulina.
100
What does Marin make Esperanza promise not to tell anyone? (45s)
That she and her boyfriend are getting married when she goes back to Puerto Rico.
100
What is the first example of personification in the book? (1m)
Page 4 — "windows so small you'd think they were holding their breath."
100
What does the word "vulnerable" mean? You must write your answer in YOUR OWN words. (45s)
Answers will vary. Definition: "Susceptible to physical or emotional attack or harm." Synonyms: helpless, defenseless, powerless, impotent, weak.
200
What is said to Esperanza that makes her feel bad about where she lives? (Include the quote) (30s)
"You live THERE?" (p. 5)
200
Who built the home that Esperanza describes by saying, "Inside the floors slant. Some rooms uphill. Some down. And there are no closets"? (1m)
Cathy's father.
200
What is the metaphor that Esperanza uses in "Boys & Girls" to describe how she feels living in her neighborhood? (45s)
"Until then I am a red balloon, a balloon tied to an anchor." (p. 9)
200
Is this a simile or a metaphor: "The giant's steps were thunder as he ran toward Jack." (30s)
METAPHOR The "as" is NOT part of the comparison — it comes after it has already been made.
200
What is a double standard? You must write your answer in YOUR OWN words. (1m) Give an example of a double standard from our class.
Definition: "A rule or principle that is applied differently to different groups of people." Examples: dress code; how males/females are treated differently based upon what they wear/how they act; Native American mascots...
300
What does Esperanza mean when she says, "I have begun my own quiet war."? What is she fighting against? (You may write on separate paper.) (1m)
Answers will vary.
300
Who lives in a home that is described as being yellow? "The yellow sheets... the yellow smell... the sticky yellow light." (45s)
Acceptable answers: Guadalupe, Aunt Lupe, Esperanza's aunt.
300
What does Esperanza say happens when she walks into a community of "another color"? (include a quote) (45s)
"Our knees go shakity-shake and our car windows get rolled up tight and our eyes look straight." (p. 28)
300
How many similes can you find in "Cathy Queen of Cats"? (Write the full comparison.) (1m)
At least 4 — "Two girls raggedy as rats" "She used to own a building big as a whale" "Cats asleep like little donuts" "Her house is like cat heaven"
300
In which vignette — and WHY — does Esperanza write, "We are tired of being beautiful." (1m)
The Family of Little Feet Because of the comments they received from people in the community as a result of what they were wearing. Especially "the bum man."
400
Whose situation is Esperanza talking about when she says, "There is nothing I can do."? Why doesn't she think she can help? (1m)
Minerva. Answers will vary.
400
What metaphor is used in one of the vignettes to describe the difference between how the wealthy live and how the poor live? (45s)
Esperanza describes the wealthy as living on "hills" and close to the stars. The poor are described as living beneath them — "too much on earth" — and close to the rats and garbage.
400
1. Why does Cathy's family leave? 2. Who does Esperanza mean by "us"? (Include the TWO groups of immigrants that were coming to Chicago at that time.) (1:30m)
They leave because more poor people/people of color are moving in, which they say means that "the neighborhood is getting bad." "People like us" likely refers to Puerto Ricans and Mexicans, who both were immigrating to Chicago at a rapid rate during Esperanza's youth.
400
Re-read the vignette "Born Bad." Write down (on a separate piece of paper) an example of FIVE DIFFERENT kinds of figurative language (you may not select more than one instance of the SAME kind of fig. language...) You may choose from: simile, metaphor, personification, imagery, repetition, and hyperbole.
Answers will vary.
400
Why does Esperanza think Sally got married? (Include quote on board.) Esperanza writes that Sally is "afraid to go outside..." What other women that we've met have been unable to go outside. Why doesn't Sally? Why don't they? (Choose at least two others and write on separate paper.) (2m)
"But I think she did it to escape." Answers will vary: Sally — afraid of her husband. Mamacita — doesn't know the language and misses home. Rafaela — physically locked in the apartment.
500
In "The Three Sisters", what does Esperanza wish for? What advice is she given? Based on the end of the book, do you think she will follow it? How do you know? (Write on separate paper.) (2:30m)
1. She wishes to leave Mango Street. 2. She is told, "When you leave, you must remember to come back." 3. "They will not know I have gone away to come back. For the ones I left behind."
500
In several of the vignettes, Esperanza or her parents describe some of the things they would like in a future home. Create a list of at least SEVEN things either Esperanza or her parents wish for. (2m)
1. They will own it. 2. Running water and pipes that work. 3. Real stairs, not hallway stairs. 4. A basement. 5. At least three bathrooms. 6. White with trees around it. 7. A great big yard and grass growing without a fence. From "A House of My Own": 8. A real house. 9. She would own it. 10. Nobody's garbage to pick up after. 11. Quiet. 12. Clean. From "Bums in the Attic": 13. A house on a hill.
500
Why does Esperanza decide that one day she'll return to Mango Street? Use at least TWO relevant quotes in your response. (Write on separate paper.) (1:30m)
"For the ones who cannot out." "And the thought of the mayor coming to Mango Street makes me laugh out loud." "People who live on hills... don't look down at all except to be content to live on hills. They have nothing to do with last week's garbage or fear of rats."
500
List FOUR words that Esperanza repeats in the book and explain what the purpose of her repetition usage was. (Include the page #) (2:30m)
Examples: cry/cries (p. 56) thick (p. 57) hold (p. 57) yellow (p. 58)
500
Who are the four vulnerable female neighbors of Esperanza's that we studied? (Write this on your board.) What makes each of them vulnerable? (Write this on a separate piece of paper to read aloud.) (3m)
1. Mamacita, Rafaela, Sally, and Minerva. 2. Answers will vary.
M
e
n
u