Vocab
savor
example or define
To enjoy something very much
What image does Esperanza use to describe herself towards the beginning of the novel?
*Bonus: What does it represent
Balloon tied to an anchor
Freedom burdened by responsibilities/gender scripts
Why can't Marin ever leave her doorway?
Because she is caretaking for Louie's other cousins.
This type of point of view is used throughout the novel, identifiable by the narrator’s use of pronouns like "I", "me," and "my.
First-person point of view?
truce
Example or definition
An agreement to stop fighting for a while
astonish
example or define
To strike with sudden wonder or surprise
When describing her family's hair, what is Esperanza giving the reader insight into?
How she feels about her relationships with each family member.
How does Louie feel about the car when he first brings it to the neighborhood? Why?
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He is proud of the car. It makes him look like a provider.
Why does Cisneros use the beautiful language to describe traumatic events? For example: Sugar Donut, falling star, exploded --> to tell the story of the Vargas kid who jumped from the roof?
In The House on Mango Street, Sandra Cisneros uses beautiful or nursery-rhyme language to describe trauma as a coping mechanism and a form of social critique. By filtering horrific events through a child's perspective, she softens the harshness of reality while highlighting how poverty normalizes tragedy in the neighborhood.
Fare
Example or definition
the money you pay to travel on a bus, train, plane, for example
strut
example or define
to walk in a proud or confident way
What animals represent the character of Meme's house vs. Esperanza's house?
Bonus: why?
Meme's House: Dog
Esperanza's House: Cat
Dogs are messy and vibrant (boy), the cat is described as having its feet tucked under itself contained and neat (girl)
She emphasizes how you get to wear nice outfits, look beautiful, and might get a husband on the train. She downplays the fact that these jobs are higher paying and can help you provide for the family, highlighting her femininity over a traditionally masculine role.
What is the effect of telling the story through short vignettes?
The effect of telling the story through short vignettes is to show how the humna mind works when it is remembering things. Life becomes a series of short impressions and feelings.
Imitate
Example or definition
to copy the way someone acts, speaks, or looks
jutting
Example or define
Sticking out beyond the edge of something
What do the high heels symbolize?
They symbolize the dangerous change that occurs when girls are objectified as women.
What do Marin and Alicia have in common? What's different?
They are both expected to take care of their families and become a "mother" role. However Marin is described as waiting for someone to come and change her life, whereas Alicia wants to change hers.
Because Esperanza is a child during the first half of the book, this is the word that best describes her limited but observant and authentic perspective of the adult world.
Naive (or innocent) perspective
succinct
example or definition
Saying something clearly but using only a few words
Anemic
example or define
weak or lacking energy
What does inheriting the rolling pin symbolize for Alicia?
Inheriting the responsibility of being a caretaker and the domestic labor expected of women.
Why is Esperanza disappointed in Elenita's fortune for her?
What voices and languages are present inside Esperanza's mind? What part of her identity does she struggle with which represents these two languages?
The voice of her father, Spanish, and English, the voice of her life in Chicago, and Spanglish: The "Hybrid" Mind: Esperanza does not keep these languages separate. Her mind operates in a hybrid, poetic blend of both. This duality is best illustrated in the vignette "My Name," where she notes that in English, her name means "hope," but in Spanish, it means "too many letters" and "sadness."
summon
Example or definition
To call someone or something to come to you