• 1.Summary

• 2.Character Descriptions

• 3.Figurative Language

• 4.Theme Study

• 5.Student Vignette

• 6.Back Page

Summary• This amazing book tells a story of a girl with determination and a dream. In the first vignette, The House on Mango

Street, you see that Esperanza use to live in a less than mediocre house with broken pipes and a infuriating landlord.

All Esperanza wants is house to call home, but when her family moves into the House on Mango Street, she is

displeased because it is not what she had in mind. Esperanza introduces her family like in Hairs. She describes her self

as the one who makes mistakes, the one whose problems never turn out the way she planned. Her mother is described

as safe, pure, wholesome, and comforting. Esper anza also encounters inequalities, loneliness, and racism. The boys of

the family only talk to her and her sister at home and not in public in the vignette, Boys and Girls. Esperanza feels a

little lonely but finds endurance when she recalls why she was named Esperanza. She hates her name and wishes it

was anything but that. She was named after her great grandmother who lived a sad and controlled life. Esperanza

hopes to not have that life in My Name, but she too feels lonely. Cathy Queen of Cats agrees to be her friend but only

until she moves because she cannot live in a neighbor that is getting run by a certain race.

Character Descriptions: Esperanza

• Esperanza is a pretty Latino young girl with “Lazy hair that never obeys,” (Cisneros 6). She has legs. “ Skinny and spotted with satin scars where scabs were picked, good to look at and long,” (Cisneros 40). She has a very low self esteem like when she said, “ most likely I will go to hell, and most likely I deserve to be there,” (Cisneros 58). She can be very lonely sometimes and makes friends by paying money. Deep down she is an outstanding writer who thrives to become more than a mediocre writer. She has dreams and determination. She may sometimes be a little selfish like when she said, “ is that it? A home in the heart?” (Cisneros 64). She wants to feel loved and wants a house to call home.

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Mama

• Mama is a very smart loving woman who is a great mother figure for Esperanza. Esperanza finds her comforting, “sweet to put your nose into when she is holding you, holding you and you feel safe,” (Cisneros 6). Her hair “is the warm smell of bread before you bake it,” (Cisneros 7). She is latino and is stuck in the less developed life. She is a house mom and loves her children very much, “ mama prays for me,” (Cisneros 58). She too seems to want more than she has.

Nenny

• Nenny is Esperanza’s younger sister. Her real name is Magdalena and is a very dreamy and immature girl. Esperanza feels responsible for her but feels Nenny is “ too young to be my friend, you cant pick your sisters, you get them, (Cisneros 8). She has hair that is “slippery, slides right out of your hands,” (Cisneros 6).some people walk over her because she is easy to manipulate, “i,’ll take two dollars from Nenny, she wont care,”(Cisneros 15) She is somewhat childish but she does care for Esperanza.

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Lucy and Rachel

• Lucy and Rachel are sisters and Lucy is the older one. You can tell they’re not very educated when she says, “ her was born here,” (Cisneros 15). “Lucy has long legs,” (Cisneros 15). Rachel seems to have the mouth in the family and “ she is very sassy,” (Cisneros 16). They can be very rude sometimes and they have “Fat Popsicle lips,” (Cisneros 17). Although they can be very mean at some points. They are some of Esperanza Best friends.

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Figurative Language Log

• “Until then, I am a red balloon tied to an anchor,” ( Cisneros 9) This is a metaphor and it tells the reader that Esperanza wants to be free but she is tied down to her average life.

• “ Ah yes, a home in the heart,” (Cisneros 64). This is a metaphor and a home in the heart is finding comfort, safety, and protection in your heart or with your loved ones.

• “ Let one get his reason for being, they’d all droop like tulips in a glass,” ( Cisneros 75). This is a simile and shows that if you forget the reason why you are living you will fall into a state of depression or soon end your life because you see no hope.

• “They grow up and grab the earth between their hairy toes and bite the sky with violent teeth and never their anger,’’ (Cisneros 74). This personification tells the reader that the trees never give up on living and will fight until the end to succeed in growing big and strong..

• “ and the trees talking to themselves,” ( Cisneros 73). The personification shows the scene is secretive and somewhat scary.

Figurative language Log

• “ I would have liked to have known her, a wild horse of a woman,” (Cisneros 11). This metaphor shows that Esperanza’s great grandmother did what she wanted and no one could ever tame her.

• “ Her house is like cat heaven,” ( Cisneros 13). The simile shows that Cathy has everything a cat could ever want and that she truly is queen of the cats.

• “ You are like the cream of wheat cereal and you’re the lumps,” (Cisneros 37) this simile was used as an insult to say that the other person I unwanted or gross.

• “the bones gone limp as worms,” (Cisneros 58). This simile shows that

aunt Lupe’s legs looked weak and disabled.• “the moon is beautiful, like a balloon,” ( Cisneros 68). The simile shows

that the moon is free and is exactly what Esperanza wants to be, free.

Theme Study• One of the many themes is the struggle for self definition. Esperanza seems to have a

low self esteem most of the time and she barely has any friends. “someday I will have a friend all my own,” (Cisneros 9). This quote shows that she is lonely yet she has determination. She is very wishful and believes every thing will fall into place sometime. People try to take advantage of her low self esteem by telling her, “ you’re a pretty girl.How about I give you a dollar for a kiss?” (Cisneros 41). Men try to use her and sometimes it works. Esperanza is very lost when it comes to finding out who she really is and what is acceptable of her. “All I hear is clapping when the music stops. All night the boy who is a man watches me dance. He watched me dance, “ (Cisneros 48). After Espernza is done dancing at a party she feels accepted and very proud of herself. She feels truly pretty too because of the boy who watched her. Once again she begins to feel lonely and wants “a boy around my neck and the wind under my skirt,” (Cisneros 73). She Begins to feel lonely in a unloved way and not just friends or family. She wants to feel pretty and feel wanted by boys. Here she begins to make wrong decisions with boys. “ When I am too sad and too skinny to keep keeping, when I am a tiny thing against so many bricks, then it is I look at the trees,” (Cisneros 75). This shows that Esperanza has hope and inspiration. That is things turn for the worse she has the belief that everything will be okay.

Student Vignette: My Name• My name is spartan, yet unique. Jordyn is to keep calm, and be down flowing

( infinitive phrase). It’s the river Jesus was baptized in. How my name came to be was just a mistake, a misunderstanding. When I was born my parents had Jordan written on the hospital document. After a couple of days my mom thought of the “y” and asked to change it but it was too late. My mom was a negotiator and a good one too. She was very persuasive and always knew how to get her way. She had my name as Jordyn on all my school records. She loved my name and how it was so simple yet so different. My little sister’s name is even modeled after mine, Camryn. I like her name, I’ve never seen it before and if she doesn’t like it she can always be Cammie. However, my older sister’s name is just plain but beautiful. Morgan thought about what it would be like to have her name as Morgyn, but she said she couldn’t handle it, its too out there. At least her name is as anemic as our brothers. Jacob and Josh have very simple and very common names. I like them, but it would not be something I would have picked.My mother was a tomboy when she was young. She hated her name because it was too girly. Her name is Mary and she has come to accept it, but I can see she wishes her name was something like Erin or Samantha. My mother didn’t want us to feel that way so she made all of her daughter’s name’s boy/girl names.I changed my name. My mother loved the “y” so I changed it from Jordan (prepositional phrase) to Jordyn for her when she died. It makes me feel closer to her and more accepted.My name is my name and whether I like it or not, I will embrace it and make it my own.

• This book will completely change your point of view of life. It will open your eyes to bigger problems and let you see what lies within people. This book showed me that if I try hard enough and believe hard enough that I will achieve my dreams. I give this book 4.5 stars.