Honors English 10
Babienko
The House on Mango Street Essay Topics
Choose one of the prompts listed below:
1. Sandra Cisneros’ The House on Mango Street suggests that Chicana female identity is
often characterized by a tension between two opposing archetypes: the saintly,
domesticated wife/mother and the promiscuous jezebel. In an analytical essay of 4-5.5
pages, discuss the extent to which Cisneros’ work problematizes and even subverts the
dichotomy of good girl/bad girl.
2. Although Sandra Cisneros’ The House on Mango Street focuses primarily on female
figures, boys and men play an important role in many of the vignettes. In a 4-5.5 page
analytical essay, discuss the representation of men in Cisneros’ work and the extent to
which Cisneros’ portrayal of males suggests that they, too, are victims of societal
entrapment.
3. In The House on Mango Street, Sandra Cisneros presents the reader with many situations
that her narrator, Esperanza Cordero, does not entirely comprehend. It can thus be argued
that Esperanza is an unreliable narrator, not in the sense that she intentionally misleads
the reader, but rather that she often "misses the point" of the events she describes. In a 45.5 page analytical essay, discuss how this narrative strategy functions and what purpose
it serves.
4. The relationship between language and identity is an important theme in “My Name” and
“No Speak English,” two vignettes from Sandra Cisneros’ The House on Mango Street.
Through these vignettes, Cisneros suggests that language and identity are inextricably
linked, and that language plays an essential role in the construction of identity. In a 4-5.5
page analytical essay, discuss the importance of language as a marker of identity in
Cisneros’ text. (You may include other vignettes as you see fit).
As in any analytical essay, you will need to:
 provide an introduction that includes the author’s name, the title of the book, and a clear
claim that addresses the topic and, of course, the meaning of the work as a whole;
 begin each body paragraph with a topic sentence that is directly related to your claim;
 include ample evidence from the text that supports your claim;
 introduce all quotations prior to citing them with context;
 provide detailed analysis following each quotation that demonstrates how the quotation
supports your argument – analyze how stylistic devices convey meaning - (remember the
analysis:quoted text ratio should be at least 2:1);
 include a conclusion that reiterates, but does not repeat, your thesis;
 eradicate all spelling, grammatical and typographical errors;
 follow MLA formatting and citation guidelines (double space, 1” margins, proper citation of
quotes, etc.).