Who, what, where?
Esperanza inherited her name from her great-grandmother, but she does not want to inherit what part of great-grandmother's life?
A life controlled/restricted by others (men)
In “Our Good Day,” Esperanza contributes money toward a bicycle even though Lucy and Rachel are almost strangers.What does this suggest?
She's trying to make friends, to be accepted, and to belong.
“Esperanza wants a house of her own.”
Sentence: it has a subject, verb, and complete thought.
In “Boys & Girls,” Esperanza says boys and girls live in separate “worlds.” What family relationship especially demonstrates this separation?
Carlos and Kiki, her brothers
In “Cathy Queen of Cats,” Cathy says her family is moving because the neighborhood is “getting bad.” What can readers infer is happening in the neighborhood?
The neighborhood is changing, and Cathy’s family has prejudices or negative assumptions about the people moving in.
“Because the house was not what she expected.”
Fragment: it begins with "because" and leaves the thought incomplete.
This character’s comment about Esperanza’s house makes Esperanza feel ashamed of her house.
The nun
Esperanza says her great-grandmother looked out the window for much of her life. What might the window symbolize?
Confinement, limited freedom, or watching life instead of fully participating in it.
“Although Esperanza loves her family, she wants greater independence.”
Sentence: the dependent clause ("Although Esperanza loves her family) is followed by an independent clause.
This character helps Esperanza recognize that a person can have dreams and talents yet still struggle to turn those possibilities into an independent adult life.
Ruthie, because she loves books and music and has many talents, but despite job opportunities, she still lives with her mother and struggles to build an independent life.
In “A Rice Sandwich,” Esperanza desperately wants to eat in the canteen. Why is eating lunch there about more than food?
It represents belonging, independence, status, and being included with other students.
“The girls riding their new bicycle through the neighborhood.”
Fragment: riding does not function as the complete main verb here.
This person never appears as a living character in Esperanza’s present, yet her story strongly influences Esperanza’s ideas about womanhood, names, and independence.
Esperanza’s great-grandmother
Esperanza starts to feel like she belongs to Mango Street but also wants something beyond it. What identity conflict is beginning to develop?
She is caught between belonging to her community and wanting independence/a different future.
“A name inherited from a woman whose life Esperanza does not want.”
Fragment: it is a noun phrase without a complete independent clause.