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Which one of the vignettes from pages 1-57 of The House on Mango Street made the strongest impression on you? In a post of at least 150 words, identify the vignette and discuss its theme or central idea, explaining why it resonated for you.
Please be sure to address comments to others by name.
39 thoughts on “Week 4 Discussion”
Among other vignettes, “My Name” (10), the fourth vignette made the strongest impression on me. The vignette tells us about how Esperanza doesn’t like her own name and would like to baptize herself under a new name. Esperanza was named after her grandmother and they both were born in the Chinese year of horse that is considered unlucky for females. According to the narrative, although her grandmother was a strong person, she eventually sits her sadness on her elbow and looks out the window her whole life. Esperanza wonders if it because her grandmother made the best with what she got or she was sorry because she couldn’t be what she wanted to be. Esperanza doesn’t want to be in the same place as her grandmother, albeit the same name. I think by baptizing herself under a new name, Esperanza disassociate herself with her grandmother and her misery, so that she can shape her own life and can be what she wants to be.
The vignette may resonate in individuals in slightly different ways. I feel that the narrative resonates for me because like Esperanza, I would also like to live the life according to what I’d like it to be. I grow up in Indonesia and I have Chinese heritage. Both cultures have a strong believe in fate based on your birth date and time, plus the number of strokes in the Chinese name if you have a Chinese name. Many of the elderly of my extended family believe it too. My grandmother and my aunt also were born in the year of horse and they aren’t the lucky ones. I feel that this belief creates fear and is discouraging. Although there are many variables in life and there are events that are out of our control, too much of preconceived thoughts may create confusion and influence our reasoning in making decision. Besides, from statistic class I find that coincidence isn’t a strange thing. Although others may tell us “I told you so” in case we fail, but to have the ability to shape our own life like the protagonist depicted in this vignette felt more satisfying and fairer.
Hello Ella!
It was very interesting to read your respond! It seems like many cultures of this world have similarities. Is not it beautiful? In Russian culture you have a name, given by your parents. Also, when you take Christianity (in Russia it is Russian Orthodox church) you get another name An example from history: when the Prussian princes came to Russia, she was given a name Ekaterina. She is one of the most famous Russian historical figures. We also chose the name very carefully. We believe that we can have same faith with the person with the same name.
You wrote: “Although others may tell us “I told you so” in case we fail, but to have the ability to shape our own life like the protagonist depicted in this vignette felt more satisfying and fairer” – I feel that. Very funny though!
Was nice to see someone with same opinion! Thank you! Great job!
I agree with your statement when you said that baptizing Esperanza under a new name would allow her to cut ties with her grandmother and become her own person. I feel that when fathers name their sons, specifically, using their own names, the meaning behind it is that they hope that the son ends up being similar, to the father. They have expectations and it is not fair to the child to be already given expectations on their life.
John, we don’t know who this is addressed to.
For this week’s activity, the vignette that made the strongest impression on me from “The House on Mango Street” was “Papa Who Wakes Up Tired in the Dark.” This vignette is about Esperanza’s dad waking her up to tell her the bad news, her abuelito had died. Esperanza as the oldest will have to tell her other siblings about the death of their grandfather. She watched her dad cry, which was something she had not seen him do and she comforts him. She put herself in her father’s shoes by imagining what it would be like if her own father died. The death of her dad’s father makes her realize how much her father means to her. It is hard for most people to accept that someone they love has died and it is even harder to speak about it. This is what occurs to Esperanza’s father as he gives her the news, the “brave” man who suddenly “crumples like a coat and cries” when he tells Esperanza about his father. I felt this way when my grandmother died last year. It is painful to lose someone you love, and it is even harder to be so far away from them.
Roselyn, thanks for this beautifully written post. And thank you for sharing some of your experience at the loss of your grandfather. That distance you mention, sadly, is what many people have to accept now in this age of coronavirus. And yes, it is always terrible to see our fathers, the ones we imbue with unending strength, crumple and cry.
Hello Roselyn!
Sorry to hear that you lost you grandmother last year!
Yea, I agree with you. Loosing people we love is a huge pain. One of my friends said: “I don’t want flowers for my funerals, I don’t want people to buy tickets to see we, when I will die, I don’t want them cry. If they love me so much, why don’t they buy me flowers now, fly to see me now, when I am alive”. The meaning of it, we don’t appreciate people unless we lose them.
We see that the narrator feels that way: “She put herself in her father’s shoes by imagining what it would be like if her own father died. The death of her dad’s father makes her realize how much her father means to her”. Meaning, she will love her father even more, understanding nothing is permanent on this planet.
Thank you! Great job!
“Papa Who Wakes Up Tired in the Dark” is simply heart wrenching…but it’s also uplifting because in that moment of connection with her father, Esperanza takes one step closer to adulthood, and learns about humanity. She learns that even her superheroes are vulnerable and worthy of pity. It is also just as moving to see the girl realize that she is transitioning into a new world of adult responsibility, beginning with the charge to tell her brothers and sisters the bad news, and to keep her siblings quiet that evening. “I will have to explain why we can’t play. I will have to tell them to be quiet today.”
Though heartbroken for many reasons, Esperanza sees herself becoming more of an adult. And to Esperanza, the autonomy of adulthood is so very longed for. So perhaps this experience is bringing her one step closer to that. And perhaps there is a silver lining to be found in all of this.
Marc, you express so well in your comments about “Papa Who Wakes Up Tired in the Dark” how growth often comes from painful experiences. In this vignette, Esperanza not only has her first experience of death but also her first experience of seeing the humanity and vulnerability of her father as he shows his own humanity and vulnerability. This is definitely a step away from childhood and innocence.
The vignette in The House on Mango Street that I found most intriguing is “Hips”. This vignette is an illustration of the coming of age theme that is visible throughout the story and the challenges of growing up. Esperanza, Nenny, Rachel, and Lucy are expressing interest with the expectation of gaining hips. Esperanza says “One day you wake up and they are there. Ready and waiting like a new Buick with the keys in the ignition.” Rachel says, “They’re good for holding a baby when you’re cooking…,” Nenny Esperanza little sister utters “If you don’t get them you may turn into a man.” They use their childish ideas to try and explain why and how hips develop. This is an indication that Esperanza is on the brink of puberty, more specifically her emerging sexuality.
This resonated with me the most because I too can remember such innocence. I believe that the jump ropes are symbolic as it signals the transition of the girls from one world to the next whether it be ‘fast or slow’. Lucy misses on her jump is like the struggles we face while growing up. The way Esperanza closes the vignette with comments about Nenny is interesting as she states that “She is in a world we don’t belong to anymore.” Here Esperanza believes her kid sister’s lack of interest in hips shows that she and her friends are more matured.
Sherika, yes, I think most women can relate to the vignette “Hips,” recalling their own memories of physical maturation and its implications. I also enjoy how the discussion is shared among girls and the funny ideas that kids often have about the strange, mysterious metamorphosis in their bodies.
Sherika Morrison I agree with you that Esperanza , Nenny, Rachel and Lucy at this point were experiencing the changes that occur at puberty and the fact that they create in there minds the reasoning for the change help explain the lock of knowledge or the presence of social education, but as we know that Esperanza mother was a high school drop out but was skillful and helpful around the house, I guess I the point I need to make is the importance of education.
Hi Sherika, I enjoyed your take on this vignette! I remember the innocence of that age and talking with my girlfriends about what developments we were experiencing. I love the authors line “One day you wake up and there they are.” That’s pretty much how it goes, somehow hips are unnoticeable until they just appear. It is definitely a coming of age moment when hips become important, it’s a mark of a different season of adolescence, such bitter sweetness to leave behind childlike ways.
Hi sherika, I really like your opinion on this vignette. When I was reading this vignette, I just understood the story one-sidedly. I did not understand the real meaning of vignette. Your understanding of this vignette gave me a new perspective on this vignette. This is a very interesting vignette. After reading your understanding of this vignette, I read this vignette again. After reading this time, I have a deeper understanding of this vignette, compared with the first time I read it , I have a completely different feeling about this vignette.
Rui, can you discuss what it was that you didn’t understand about “Hips” and how Sherika’s post led you to a better understanding?
The chapter “The first job” of “The house on Mango Street” by Sandra Cisneros was very close to me.
The narrator tells us her story of her first job experience. She was attending The Catholic high school. She needed extra money. As all of us, she was expecting an easy job like dime store or maybe a hotdog stand. Her aunt Lala found a job for her at the Peter Pan Photo Finishers. I found it funny and close to my own experience, when she put on the dress that made her look older, or when she was afraid to see other coworkers and was eating very fast at the lunch time. I went thorough that as well.
In this chapter we see an act of sexual harassment. He coworker (much older) asked her for a “birthday kiss”: “… He was so old, and just as I was about to put my lips on his cheek, he grabs my face with both hands and kisses me hard on the mouth and doesn’t let go”
The chapter is over. My mind was creating the whole spectrum of sequel of the story about her feelings about it, about her actions. Did she tell anyone? Did she just let it be… This guy probably could make a good friendship with Bill Clinton. Anyway, it was totally inappropriate, as we know she lied about her age, she was a school student and underage. The book was published in 1984. Much less chance to happen today. Thankfully to all the work that have been done.
Hi Lizaveta,
I like your take on “The first job” it was kind of disturbing to read about the sexual harassment she experienced. I cannot even imagine how Esperanza felt in that moment. I believe Esperanza gets a first glance at adulthood and the sexual double standard of her society. Her innocent kiss turns into an assault by the older man. The kiss from the man demonstrated an unpleasant change from innocence to experience for Esperanza.
Lizaveta, yes, I remember that first shock when an older man was inappropriate. I also remember being in a job among adults for the first time. A girl may feel very mature in her sophisticated dress, but the moment the ugliness of the adult world touches her, her self-confidence and also her pleasure in that first adult experience is tainted. I hope you’re right that incidents like the one in this vignette are more infrequent now. I’m not sure I believe this to be true. We don’t have to look as far back as Bill Clinton; we can look right at the current occupant of the White House, along with a whole list of powerful men recently engaged in sexual harassment. Thanks for the good comments!
Thank you professor for sharing your own experience!
Hi Lizaveta, I also had a strong reaction to this vignette. I am glad the author wrote about this experience in her book, because it gives her a voice, but it also goes to show how “normalized” sexual harassment was and is. It is unfair and scary if harassment happens in the work place, especially when you need the money, because speaking up can often cause you to lose your job. It makes me angry to know this older man took advantage of her age and innocence, it was her first job and she didn’t know how to behave, she was tricked into doing something she didn’t want to do.
Lizaveta, I think this vignette resonates with many women everywhere around the world. I feel that first job is already intimidating; having such disturbance during the job makes it even more difficult. I am particularly drawn to your response of “Did she tell anyone? Did she just let it be?” because these bring back my memory and these were the thoughts I had. I think it is pretty annoying to have to spend extra time thinking about how to solve that problem, if we should tell co-workers, employers, parents, and if we were too friendly or if we did something that incite that kind of action, etc. Although this kind of experience is annoying, I believe we also learn to solve things like an adult and to protect ourselves. Regarding to the situation today as you and Prof. Conway mention, I think it is great that today we have social media and whistleblowing organizations that can bring harassment issues to the light easier than before.
Ella, I really relate to what you write about having enough to worry about on a first job without having to deal with sexual harassment. While young men may feel nervous on a first job, they don’t often have to worry about fending off older women.
Lizaveta Hlazkina
What I liked about the vignette “The First Job” is how innocent it all begins. We see where Esperanza was starting to interact/flirt with boys even though we learned earlier in the vignette “Boys and Girls” that boys and girls are not supposed to interact in public. However, like you mentioned her friendly gesture of a “birthday kiss” was exploited when the older guy forced himself onto her. I join you in wondering about “her feelings about it, about her actions. Did she tell anyone?” However seemingly innocent and normal she might have thought it was to start to like boys I’m of the opinion that this violent kiss derails her sexual maturity. How sickening! We would like to think that as a society we have evolved beyond such insipid behavior but judging by the news headlines lately I’m doubtful. This vignette for me is only a reinforcement of the horrible reality of plenty young girls/women.
Hi Lizaveta, I came across this vignette as well. I agree with Roselyn, it was disturbing to read. It was also relatable, I realized nowadays that majority of us women have gone through some type of sexual harassment or assault which is extremely sad to think. Interesting that you say this was published in 1984, it still shows that situations like this have been around for a really long time. Women have been fighting injustices for so long. I had the same questions in my head as well when I read this one. I wonder if she told anyone or if she just let it slide. Thanks for your feedback!
For this week’s activity, the vignette that made one of the strongest impression on me from “The House on Mango Street” was “A House Of My Own” The true meaning of what a house should be is expressed in the words as
we see Esperanza yearns largely for the independence the freedom in which the house is “not a man’s house” and “not a daddy’s.” It is, in other words, free from the controlling and abusive power of patriarchy society that we have seen repeatedly throughout the book where women are expected to know a seeming established place or responsible, and any change from that is unacceptable in the Latin culture, and we see these established traditional values follow immigrants in every location, because this was not back Mexico, we see the importance and the influence religion have on our social upbringing, And in this house there is “nobody to shake a stick at” and “nobody’s garbage to pick up after.” It is a house where Esperanza can care for herself where she can finally cultivate her own identity be subjected to the expected normal, it is the coming of age where the chains of traditions are broken and the creation of a future where she have control over her own destiny. The vignette’s closing image is important to mention as Esperanza likens the house to a clean piece of paper, pointing us toward the final vignette and her identity as a writer, a story-teller, a crafter of her own narration .
Conroy this is a GREAT post. And what an amazing vignette, eh?! Short, poetic, and powerful. Like you said, Esperanza is breaking everything apart here. She’s breaking the chains of so many ideals that bind her to her life. She dreams of a world that she can control, her own independence and autonomy as you stated. And that last line is so cool. “…clean as paper before the poem.”
You were spot on when you stated that the reader gets a sense of foreshadowing of Esperanza’s future life, and is pointed toward that last vignette in such a lovely way.
This book is so beautiful and moving, and I’m so glad we got to read it.
The vignette that stood out the most to me from “The House on Mango Street” by Sandra Cisneros was “Papa Who Wakes Up Tired in the Dark.” A central theme to this vignette is a coming of age moment, where you learn to be strong for other people, including your own parents or younger siblings. This story brings up so many memories from childhood. I can relate to the feeling of watching your parents crumble before you with grief at the loss of a loved one. Mama’s and Papa’s seem made of steel until one day you realize they are not, and you see them in their own human brokenness. I think that is the day most children grow up too fast or lose a sense of safety. Being the oldest of siblings often means being the caretaker of younger siblings when hardship strikes. I remember when I was turning 8 years old, my uncle had suddenly died a few days prior, and my parents had to miss my birthday party to attend his funeral. My parents never missed a birthday before that or afterwards. Birthdays were always a big deal in our family so I knew something was wrong. This was the first the concept of death sank in for me. For years, I would cry privately just imagining how I would feel if my own father died. My father was often away for work, so I can appreciate how the little girl feels to have her father at home with her that day, even if the reason is not fun. Death makes us appreciate who we have in front of us and hold them a little tighter. I loved reading this story, she touched a deep place in me that I hadn’t realized I never allowed myself to explore. I love literature for this reason, it gives us permission to think our thoughts and feel our feelings.
Hi Caitlin! This vignette sounds very heart touching and heart breaking at the same time. I went straight to the story as soon as I read your comment. I agree with everything you said word for word. Literature sure does force me to confront what I am feeling internally and it really gives me a better idea on where my head space is really at. This vignette resonated with me as well because I had to go through the situation of being strong for other people. I am the oldest sibling but I only have one little brother who is 10 years old. We are 10 years apart and I have strong motherly instincts for him where I had to act strong and act like I am okay for the sake of protecting him from losing his childhood innocence. It is something I wish someone would’ve done for me when I was younger and an only child. I strongly agree with your statement, “Mama’s and papa’s seem made of steel until one day you realize they are not.” We have to look out for our care takers like they have been strong for us as well and give them that same love. This vignette was truly relatable and heart breaking.
Hi Beaubelle , I agreed with you emphasis on the huge responsibility and the role that parents have on the family. I am the few of my families to ever have an education in college. Some times I feel like my family members depends on me. I always embrace these feelings of vulnerability and find a way to be there for them, to be persistent and share everything i know with them. I feel like is not only a me on this world. we all depend on someone and life doesn’t last forever. I would rather live a happy and die with mystery than live with misery and have a happy ending with no experience and regrets.
The vignette in the house on mango street made the strongest impression on me is “Boys & Girls” this vignettes use the opinions from little girl to talk about the difference between male and female. The male and female are like two creatures from different planets because the form of thinking between male and female is very different. As the stated in the article, “ the boys and the girls live in separate worlds”.
This vignette also talk about the psychology of narrator in childhood. She desire the friend and the people go inside to her heart. She want some one really understand her and waiting for some body can share happiness with her. The narrators’ desire also like the people in the adult world desire . We always want someone really understands us but no one can really do it even our best friend or family, so we feel lonely and helpless sometimes.
Deyli Moran
The vignettes from pages 1-57 of “The house on Mango Street” made the strongest impression was “Papa Who Wakes up Tired in the Dark” because it discusses a major impact of what had happened which was losing someone close to you. Not only that but Esperanza for the first time saw her father cry and she did not know how to react to the fact that she is experiencing a situation that is hard to deal with emotionally and mentally. She goes on about how her father is preparing himself late at night and she has to be responsible for telling her other siblings and being the grown up while he is away. She also goes in depth and puts herself in her father’s shoes and thinks “and I think if my own papa dies what would I do” from this we can know that she is thinking of worst case scenarios but at some point in life she has to prepare herself for the worst. The theme is how family is important. Esperanza is there for her father by holding him and just taking a moment to feel his presence.
This resonated with me because it’s hard accepting someone you love is gone mostly when it’s family when I got the news my grandma passed away I felt the ache in my heart same as Esperanza when she saw her father cry for the first time so did I I did not know what to do in that moment your lost of words everything is just a shock. So the text can be relatable even if it’s not in the same circumstances.
Deyli, your response is good here, but I’ve asked students to try and select vignettes that have not already been discussed.
The vignette that stood out the most to me is “My Name.” I believe the central idea is empowerment. This story was about Esperanza discussing where she inherited her from, which was, her great grandmother’s. She further explained how her great grandmother was unwillingly taken by her grandpa and asked herself “I wonder if she made the best with what she got or was she sorry because she couldn’t be all the things she wanted to be.” She says this because she didn’t want to “inherit” her great grandmother’s situation, just like how she inherited her name. It was clear she didn’t like her name for a specific reason because she mentioned wanting to baptize herself under a new name.
Our names become a huge part of us in life and it identifies us. This vignette stood out the most to me because I used to hate my name when I was younger because everyone would have trouble pronouncing “Beaubelle” so I would always tell everyone to just call me Belle. When I was in elementary school, kids would make fun of my name as well, just like Esperanza’s situation. I like how she wants to baptize herself under a new name or rearrange a couple letters. It is like reappropriation it and taking her power back. As I got older, I started to embrace my name because of how unique I realized it is. I also learned to step out of my shyness and correct my peers and strangers when it is pronounced wrong.
Beaubelle, this is an excellent post, but I would make the same comment to you as I have to others to please select a vignette that has not already been discussed.
When I read a story about someone’s life, one thing I feel is mandatory to include is a description of the characters’ appearance, cultural background, etc. This allows the reader to visualize a setting, and visualize the characters being described. In “The House on Mango Street”, the author does a good job allowing readers to get a visual as to where the story is being taken. One of the ways the author allows readers to get background information on who they are reading about is by giving them the character’s names. The narrator, or speaker’s name is Esperanza. She is writing about her experiences as a young girl. In this vignette, the author already gives the readers the meaning of her name, where it comes from, and the fact that she does not like her name. This vignette resonates with me because, her not liking her name sets the foundation for the rest of the story.
The vignette that captivated me the most is “A Rise Sandwich”, I found interest in the themes of the vignette as it describes Esperanza to be very judgmental and sentimental about her social class. she ponders her attitude on the smart and cool kids that are able to eat in the canteen. I like how children were taught about lies. telling lies is a sin and god does not save sinners. every lie bad or decisions you make will hunt you forever. one must be compassionately with others and value the things that others don’t have. I feel like nobody chooses who to be born with or to be perfect. Education is the most important lesson of this vignette because it portrays a way to understand others people and make good relationships and moral decisions. A way to find your true identity that doesn’t have to be compared or similar to others. Life doesn’t depend on someone to make decisions for you because it allows you to learn from your mistakes. . there are many messages about this vignette and why i think education is the most important theme of this vignette.
Hello, Santiago
I found your response very inserting, I didn’t read this story so when I read the title I thought it would be talking about a sandwich. When your response I could relate to this because you were talking about lying and relating it to god and how you were taught not to lie because it wasn’t good to do or a very godly thing and also your parents teach you these things but you lying is something do naturally and your right nobody is perfect in this world, you teach your self everyday not to do things you normally do that is bad and not turning it to a bad habit sometimes.
One of the vignettes that caught my eye In The House on Mango Street, The strongest impression on me was “Hairs” it reminds me of my hair and my family’s how we all have different textures to our hair which makes it unique in its own way. ” Hairs” by Sandra Cisneros the main idea is that the family, the differences in each hair member got in Esperanza’s family as evidenced by their hair and a special place where her mother holds as the family’s center. According to the narrator, she speaks about everybody hair structure and how different it is, but then the she talks about her mother hair and how nice it was to her, “But my mother’s hair, my mother’s hair, like little rosettes, like little candy circles, all curly and pretty because she pinned it in pin curls all day.” This shows that she believes that her mother’s hair is very perfections that nothing could be wrong with her hair and the way she describes the curls in her mother’s hair. which reminds me of my family’s hair we all different texture hair and we all like one another’s the hair for different reasons and for different styles also.
This weeks discussion centers around the Vignettes form Sandra Cisnero’s “The House On Mango Street” that made the strongest impression on me. ” All brown all around, we are safe. But watch us drive into a neighborhood of another color and our knees go shakity-shake and our car windows get rolled up tight and our eyes look straight. Yeah. That is how it goes and goes”. This awareness by Esperanza of the cultural identity crisis that exist and the need for cation at that young age is still reflective in our society today, the mention of a “neighborhood of another color ” is pointing to the fact that people are expected to live in an area identifiable by color or race, and the movement we are watching today where Black Lives Matter is a direct result of this cultural identity, personally I have been victim to this systemic racial divide or this notion that because of your race you are expected to live in a certain neighborhood, I grow up in the Caribbean (Jamaica) where the national Motto of the country is “Out Of Many One People”. where for the most part the color of your skin did not matter, I had black, white Chinese , Indians and mixed friends and only encountered racism when I moved to the United States over a decade ago.
Esperanza is saying basically that in her neighborhood they are surrounded by people who look like them and face the same struggles that they do because of there race, and in so doing she acknowledged the fact that people of different colors who come into the their neighborhood are afraid and it is because of their own prejudice and racism. The effects of this racism she points out is felt when they in turn leave the comfort of there neighborhoods and venture into others, they are subjected to the same prejudices of other race and cultures and that is frightening because as Esperanza pointed out “That is how it goes and goes” highlighting a cycle that doesn’t seems to end.
Esperanza spoke of other racial identified prejudices that she have witnessed and have never truly feel safe or comfortable unless she is around her own race this was when she was at school and was perceived as “other” “Our Good Day”. also we see the inherent mischief that can be created because of lock of knowledge where as a stranger would think the neighborhood is bad because they do not know the people who live there like Davey’s crooked-eyed brother and the tall man with the hat, and the mentally disable Eddie V, in Esperanza view these people could be seem as dangerous individuals to a stranger( Those who don’t) when to her and all that know them, they are innocent members of the neighborhood.