Plot
Characters
Important Details
Vocabulary
Ms. Williams!
100
What is Esperanza's house like? What does she like and dislike about it, and why is it different than the other places she's lived?
It is rundown and not in a very good neighborhood, and very small. She doesn't like really anything about it, but it's different because they own it instead of jumping from rental to rental.
100
Who is Nenny? What is her relationship with Esperanza?
Kenny (Magdalena) is Esperanza's only sister, she would prefer they not play with each other but they are forced to.
100
Does the Cordero family live in a good neighborhood?
No.
100
What is a fleck?
A tiny spot
100
Where did Ms. Williams go to school and where is she from?
Southern Methodist University & Portland
200
What nationality is Esperanza?
Mexican-Americans
200
Who is Marin?
A neighbor of Esperanza's who is Puerto Rican and cares a lot about what boys think of her and what she looks like.
200
What does Esperanza wish her name was?
Zeze the X, or anything else
200
What is linoleum?
A washable floor finish (covering).
200
What did Ms. Williams study at SMU?
History Major (English, Spanish, Political Science Minors)
300
What happened with the music box?
The music box made Esperanza feel stupid, she thought it was the kind with a ballerina inside but really it was a type of radio.
300
Who are the three sisters?
Relatives of Lucy and Rachel's that go to their baby brother's funeral, they tell Esperanza that she will return to Mango Street.
300
What do Elenita and Alicia say about Esperanza and her home?
That a home is a heart, that Esperanza has a home that she can always return to.
300
How do you walk when you "trudge"?
In a very heavy footed way.
300
How many of y'all's pop culture references does Ms. Williams actually understand?
All of them.
400
Why does Esperanza's mother say she is "born bad"?
Esperanza's Aunt Lupe dies on the day she made fun of her, and Esperanza was born on a bad luck day.
400
Who are Rachel and Lucy?
Esperanza's closest friends, they buy a bike together.
400
What is the monkey garden? What happens there?
Garden where the kids play, Sally kisses the boys and makes fun of Esperanza in the garden.
400
What is a passageway in a theatre or store?
An aisle
400
How many years as Ms. Williams been teaching?
1
500
Explain the importance of Esperanza's shoes.
She only gets one new pair a year so they are very ugly and don't match her party dress, which makes her not want to dance.
500
Why isn't Sally a good friend?
She always leaves Esperanza for boys.
500
Explain the importance of the skinny trees.
Esperanza relates to them, she feels that like her they also don't fit in and are just trying to survive.
500
What is a capsule?
Small, oval shaped container.
500
How old is Ms. Williams?
23
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