In "Hairs", the different hair images are mentioned in reference to family member's different __________
100
Her great-grandmother
After whom was Esperanza named?
100
They have a name in English and a name in Spanish, the dog is big, like a man dressed in a dog suit, and runs the same way its owner does, clumsy and wild with the limbs flopping all over the place like untied shoes.
How are Meme and his dog alike?
100
They come to the neighborhood scared
How do outsiders see Esperanza's neighborhood?
200
The family owns it
How is the House on Mango St. different from Esperanza's previous homes?
200
Her mother is nurturing and warm, she transmits a feeling of safety (pp. 6-7)
How does the narrator feel about her mother?
200
The emotional burden that it brings (given her great grandmother's life story), the fact that it means 'too many letters' and is a name that sets her apart in a land where she is already foreign, harsh pronunciation in English (different connotation)
What does Esperanza find shameful or burdensome about her name?
200
pp. 21-22
Was Meme's house built well? Cite elements of the vignette to prove your answer.
200
It points to racial segregation...
What is the phrase "All brown, all around, we are safe. But watch us drive into a neighborhood of a different color and our knees go shakity shake..." stating about different communities in the story?
300
small, red, small windows, tight steps, crumbling bricks, swollen front door, no front yard, only one washroom, everyone shares a bedroom.
Name 3 characteristics of the house.
300
No; the boys and girls live in separate worlds
According to the narrator, can boys and girls be friends?
300
5 dollars
How much money does it take "to become friends forever" in the vignette "Our Good Day"
300
It was stolen- the cops were after him and eventually arrested him
How did Louie's other cousin get the car and how did you make that inference?
300
She cries for the man who left her behind; her children are 'too many and too much'. She is 'only one against so many
Why does Rosa Vargas cry every day and why do her children misbehave?
400
Temporarily...but Esperanza "knows how those things go"
How long do the narrator's parents plan to live there?
400
Esperanza is trapped by her immediate context (gender, socio-economic circumstances, the fact that she's an immigrant, etc) yet she desperately wants to break free...
What is the significance of the image "I am a red balloon, a balloon tied to an anchor"
400
Their laughter
What is the trait that Esperanza and Nenny share?
400
She takes care of her cousins- she plans to change her life through saving money (from Avon and baby-sitting) and by getting married
Why is Marin unable to leave her house and how does she plan to change her situation?
400
Her father thinks a woman's place is with the 'tortilla star', implying he believes in traditional gender roles and in a woman's place at home, cleaning and cooking. She is allowed to study as long as she doesn't neglect her chores (which are MORE important)
How does Alicia's father treat her efforts to get an education?
500
The House on Mango St was not at all what Esperanza had expected- nothing like the houses on TV
Her parents are dreamers/ idealists- Father hopes that through winning the lottery they will achieve their 'dream house', yet reality is harsh and quite the opposite of this expectation. Hope- Esperanza's name can also me mentioned in this discussion.
Discuss the idea of dreams vs. reality within the first vignette.
500
Answers may vary.
What are some expectations and responsibilities of boys and of girls in Esperanza's world? Have these notions changed nowadays?
500
It is really a junk shop, with a variety of random items
Why is it easy to get lost in Gil's furniture store?
500
Answers may vary
Discuss the significance of the quote "Marin, under the streetlight, dancing by herself, is singing the same song somewhere. I know. Is waiting for a car to stop, a star to fall, someone to change her life"
500
Language created to refer to our reality...
Answers might vary
Why do you think Eskimos have 13 different names for snow?