House On Mango Street Language

Words: 882
Pages: 4
Open Document
House on Mango Street
In the novel House on Mango Street, Sandra Cisneros’s creates a multi-themed book by her use of various connecting situations. One of the most prominent themes in the books is the power of language. Esperanza learns quickly as the novel advances that not being able to speak english means having no power. She sees this powerlessness in Mamacita, decides to never leave her apartment due to her ignorance and fear of English. This shows Esperanza the power and influence knowing a certain language-in this case english- can have on a person's life. She learns quickly that mastery of english can bring her freedom and open more doors in life for her. Esperanza learns that in english her name means “hope. In Spanish it means …show more content…
Cisneros uses a variety of words and expressions to show the tone. The tone in the novel is extremely hopeful though the main character, Esperanza (whose name means “hope”), seems to experience hopelessness often. First the reader is introduced to Esperanza. The audience learns her dreams and future plans. The audience learns of her hope that her parents will one day get a home of their own. To her there seems to be little chance that she may ever leave mango street however, Esperanza still has hope that someday she will escape its hold and she will get to explore and experience a world she isn't used to. The women on mango street all suffer in some way-from being abused by their husbands to having too many children and not being able to take care of therm-Esperanza is no exception. The audience see’s Esperanza go through some terrifying events, yet they see her continue to have hope. The most tragic event of all, was Esperanza's rape. This tragic moment leads to the ending of the story in which we learn of Esperanza's plans to leave Mango street and return later only to save those who can't escape its clutches. “One day I will pack my bags of books and paper. One day I will say goodbye to Mango. I am too strong for her to keep me here forever. One day I will go away” (110). Cisneros uses the name of her character (Esperanza) to show her audience that hope is often something we need to have in order to survive. One must chose to keep believing before things can ever get
Show More

Related Documents: House On Mango Street Language

House On Mango Street Figurative Language

In The House on Mango Street, Sandra Cisneros’ use of figurative language highlights Esperanza’s desire for freedom. The author’s use of personification and metaphors emphasizes how Esperanza struggles to find independence from the role women take on Mango Street. First, in the vignette My Name, Esperanza uses a metaphor to describe her name. Esperanza states, “In English my name means hope. In Spanish it means too many letters. It means sadness, it means waiting.” This connects to Esperanza’s…

Words 326 - Pages 2

How To Write An Essay On The House On Mango Street

The House on Mango Street was written by Sandra Cisneros, a Mexican American writer who was born and raised in Chicago, Illinois. Made up of multiple vignettes, The House on Mango Street tells the coming-of-age story of a young Hispanic girl living in Chicago named Esperanza. Chronicling her struggles and hardships as she grows up, this book beautifully illustrates the difficulty of growing up in the United States as a Hispanic, all the while showing the importance of finding and staying true to…

Words 553 - Pages 3

Shoes In The House On Mango Street

Esperanza’s experiences have lead her to the realization that she is not able to stay on Mango Street if she craves to achieve autonomy. Throughout the novel, shoes have been a recurring symbol of sexuality. This symbol appears for the first time when Rachel, Lucy, and Esperanza receive high-heels and decide to wear them and travel on a short walk. When they find that this has quickly attracted the attention of much older men, they remove the shoes immediately. They can now remain as children and…

Words 1055 - Pages 5

Mango Street Caste System

In Tomás River, Y No Se Lo Tragó la Tierra (1971) we read and touch upon the stories of families and the individual hardships they face in society on the journey to accepting their new Mexican-American identities. Sandra Cisneros in her The House on Mango Street (1984) illustrates the coming of age story of a Mexican-American girl, Esperanza (protagonist) who comes face to face with the stereotypic reality of her world and the prejudice that is attached to her culture. Both…

Words 1466 - Pages 6

The Most Dangerous Game Essay

The House on Mango Street: Socratic Seminar Level Two Questions: 1. Why would Esperanza intentionally accept and offer a passing bum shelter? Esperanza would intentionally accept and offer a passing bum shelter because she feels sympathy towards them. Even when she finally owns a decent house, she claims she “won’t forget who [she] is or where [she] came from” (87). Her past let her experience “how it is to be without a house” which again reiterates that she once was similar to these…

Words 464 - Pages 2

The House On Mango Street Analysis

The House on Mango Street, a great book that teaches many different lessons. The author, Sandra Cisneros writes about Esperanza who learns a lot from moving into her new house on Mango Street. The book was published in 1984 but the situatuion in the book is still relatable to this day in 2015. The main character in the story is Esperanza and she recently moved into a small, dusty apartment in Chicago with her family. Esperanza has many conflicts in the story which is teaching her lessons throughout…

Words 542 - Pages 3

Comparison Of Fences And House On Mango Street

King, Jr., discrimination against and among minorities is still very real even today. Minority issues are popular themes with writers who would be considered “minorities” themselves. Two stories in particular, Fences by August Wilson and House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros, reveal common and familiar minority issues such as race and gender injustices through their writing styles. In the play Fences , the main character Troy, had a big dream of becoming a professional baseball player, but his…

Words 1633 - Pages 7

Women In The House On Mango Street

From the Women on Mango Street Identity is defined as the character as to who a person is; the qualities, beliefs, etc., that distinguish or identify a person (dictionary.com). In The House on Mango Street Sandra Cisneros describes a coming of age story about Esperanza who, through examples of women she sees where she is growing up, develops who she aspires to be and identifies the kind of person she does not want to become. Cisneros establishes the roles of women have on Mango Street and describes how…

Words 501 - Pages 3

on the other side Essay

Stereotypes The collection of vignettes, The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros, describes the life of a girl growing up in a poor neighborhood in Chicago. Throughout her life, Esperanza struggles with her environment. However, she discovers how to surmount the obstacles to find her identity. As Esperanza observes the world around her, she notices the different ways that women are treated and viewed. They are labeled with stereotypes, which are ideas held as a standard by society about a certain…

Words 999 - Pages 4

Diction In The House On Mango Street

The House on Mango Street is a novel that was originally published in 1984 by Sandra Cisnero. The novel is about Esperanza Cordero who is a young Latina girl who grows up in Chicago. Esperanza was determined to "say bye" to her poverty-stricken Latino neighborhood and do something better with her life. Cisnero uses the perspective of a young girl to appeal to her audience especially- the minorities. Using Esperanza allowed Cisnero to relate to the life of immigrants entering and settling in the United…

Words 2436 - Pages 10