The Vignette that resonated with me so deeply is “Chanclas” because as a ballet dancer I always had bruised and blistered feet, and when I wore sandals or any open toe shoe it made me so self conscious and introverted just how Esperanza was. In contrast between the two vignettes “The Family Of Little Feet” where the shoes almost get Esperanza and her friends in trouble. Esperanza, Lucy and Rachel basked in the silly attention they were getting from men, thinking that what they wear get them the most attention and compliments. In “Chanclas” Esperanza was so defeated and shy about her big brown shoes she got every year or so, she refused to get up and dance with her cousin by first communion and also declined dancing with her uncle, until he kept tugging at her and gave her a compliment of “you are the prettiest girl here.” Although, Esperanza knew that was a lie she felt obligated to get up and dance the music away with her uncle and everyone applauded her. She felt so much pride and joy she finally knew what it meant to get good attention, “He watched me dance” right then she understood it wasn’t what she has on materialistically, it’s her true self that shines through and gets recognition.
Daily Archives: December 4, 2022
The vignette that made the strongest impression on me was Marin. Marin is a figure that is like an older sister or could possibly actually be an older sister. She is someone that a young girl might look up to and admire. This reminded me of my cousin that I looked up to growing up because I didn’t have a sister. This is different from a parental figure because she would probably tell you things and teach you stuff that a parent would never say to their child. I feel like someone like Marin would prepare you for the real world instead of sheltering you and they just seem so much more older and mature. My cousin was someone that I really looked up to and I wanted to be just like her. She taught me many things and Marin really reminded me of her when Esperanza said, “She is older and knows lots of things.” It reminded me of all the close moments I shared with my cousin when I was younger even though we have drifted apart.
One of the vignettes from pages 3-53 of The House on Mango Street that made a strong impression on me was “Hairs”. It made a strong impression on me because it describes my family members and me and how different we are. The vignette I think fix best in this short story is imagery. My reasoning’s of choosing imagery is because it describes the difference in the hair and the way they are, but they are family. The theme is the relationship between hair and person. For example, when she said “And kiki, who is the youngest, has hair like fur”. The central idea is the difference in hair. This resonated with me because in my family we all have different hair. My hair is like a weeping willow tree, if not tamed. My brother hair is like cotton, and my mom has soft spiral hairs that’s like a slinky, when you pull on it, it bounces back. We all are family but have different hair textures.
The vignette that stood out most to me in “The House on Mango Street” is on page 36, “Those Who Don’t”. The message of “Those Who Don’t” is that from an outsider’s point of view, the neighborhood they live in seems dangerous and unwelcoming but to them, there is a strong sense of community. The people others seem weary of are people Esperanza sees daily and knows personally. This also highlights racial bias. Her neighborhood is mostly people of color, “all brown around” find comfort in this. This reminded me of The Bronx. Growing up there my entire life, I can see the beauty in my borough that others might not. Places like The Bronx have a strong community that goes on for generations. Outsiders may think the neighborhoods are scary but you grow to know the people around you personally. Going to another place like a residential area of Manhattan is a culture shock and less inviting because of the foreignness and racial disparity. When I started going to school in Manhattan when I was younger it was new and scary to not be around as much of my community as I was used to.
In “The House on Mango Street” written by Sandra Cisneros, the vignette that connected most with me and the other readings we have read this semester is “Alicia Who Sees Mice”. It discovers the theme of: lack of equality in gender relations. We learn that Alicia’s mother died recently and left her feeling the responsibilities of the house since that was the order that was expected. Her father, in a very old fashioned way, warns her of the mice around her (I imagine they symbolize success). But, Alicia takes “Two trains and a bus, because she doesn’t want to spend her whole life in a factory or behind a rolling pin”. She is afraid of that life. I found the wording of “four legged fur” interesting, it made me think of cleaning on your hands and knees, 4 limbs towards the floor. I don’t know if that was intentional but I found it interesting. As a woman, I can relate to this vignette easily. The limitations based on gender identity are still common in the present day.
The vignette that I looked at was on page 28 the title is named ” Those Who Don’t”. I think that this vignette talks about the type of neighborhood that Esperanza lives in and also gives the readers the idea that she knows what other people think of her neighborhood. This shows that she understands the world around her. From this vignette, I can think of a lesson that is a stereotype that a lot of people of the world have on race and color. This made the strongest impression on me because it’s something that happens every day around the world. I think this is a very passive stereotype. I make these stereotypes all the time when I meet someone new. one stereotype that I saw all the time growing up was that because I am Asian that is why I am so good at math. SO like ok so I am good at math is not because I put more work in? but because of my race?
The vignette that stood out the most to me was Hairs by Sandra Cisneros. At first look, it seems like a very simple and straightforward in its meaning. I think that at first glance it is just a brief description of the different hairstyles of the people in her family. However, I believe that Sandra Cisneros uses hairstyles to show how they are all different and connected simultaneously. She describes the feel and looks of everyone’s hair. To me, this is representing their individuality within the family. These vignettes focus on this family as a unit. Everyone together. but she describes how their roles within the family make them different and stand out from the others. And Hairs is the most recent example of how they stand out. In this vignette, the most important person is the mother. Her hair is given emphasis in the story. I think that to Sandra Cisneros and to the rest of the family, the mother’s hair is representing the safety that they feel with her. It smells comforting and reminds them of home.
