Summer Reading Assignment
10th Grade
Name: ________________________
The House on Mango Street
Before returning to school next school year, you will need to read The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros and
complete this assignment. This organizer is intended to guide your reading and focus your thoughts in preparation for
the discussions, summer reading quiz and writing assignments you will engage in when you return in September.
By carefully completing this assignment over the summer, you will be prepared to discuss the story in the fall, to take a
summer reading quiz and to write an in-class essay using your book and packet as the basis for your responses.
A TYPED hard copy of this packet must be submitted to your teacher on
the first day of school.
SECTION 1: Setting
Instructions: Esperanza’s reactions to her physical environment often reveal aspects of her character. Choose three
large or small elements of Esperanza’s physical environment (e.g., houses, neighborhoods, city, school, trees, concrete,
windows) and trace them as they repeat throughout the novel. In the first column, write the quotations (with their page
numbers) that describe your selected elements. In the second column, write a short analysis that explores Esperanza’s
reaction to the element.
Physical Element One: ___________________
Please discuss Esperanza’s overall reaction to the element:
Concrete Detail and Page Number
1.
2.
3.
1
Physical Element Two: __________________
Please discuss Esperanza’s overall reaction to the element:
Concrete Detail and Page Number
1.
2.
3.
Physical Element Three: _________________
Please discuss Esperanza’s overall reaction to the element:
Concrete Detail and Page Number
1.
2.
3.
2
SECTION 2: Female Characters
Please examine the similarities and differences between Esperanza and three other female characters in the
book. Aspects that a character shares with Esperanza (ways in which they are alike) should be written in the
left-hand column; aspects that are unique to a character (ways in which the character is different from
Esperanza) should be listed in the right-hand column.
Character #1 Name ________________________________________
Aspects Shared with Esperanza
Aspects Unique to this Character
Character #2 Name ________________________________________
Aspects Shared with Esperanza
Aspects Unique to this Character
Character #3 Name ________________________________________
Aspects Shared with Esperanza
Aspects Unique to this Character
3
SECTION 3: Mood
Mood is the emotional effect that a text creates for the audience, the way the reader feels when reading a
work. It is the atmosphere that an author creates in a literary work with the intention of evoking a certain
emotion or feeling from the reader. Mood may be created by a combination of such elements as setting,
diction, figurative language, and syntax.
Examples of Some Mood Words
POSITIVE MOOD WORDS
amused
awed
bouncy
calm
cheerful
chipper
confident
contemplative
content
determined
dignified
dreamy
ecstatic
empowered
energetic
enlightened
enthralled
excited
exhilarated
flirty
giddy
grateful
harmonious
hopeful
hyper
idyllic
joyous
NEGATIVE MOOD WORDS
jubilant
liberating
light-hearted
loving
mellow
nostalgic
optimistic
passionate
peaceful
playful
pleased
refreshed
rejuvenated
relaxed
relieved
satiated
satisfied
sentimental
silly
surprised
sympathetic
thankful
thoughtful
touched
trustful
vivacious
warm
welcoming
aggravated
annoyed
anxious
apathetic
apprehensive
barren
brooding
cold
confining
confused
cranky
crushed
cynical
depressed
desolate
disappointed
discontented
distressed
drained
dreary
embarrassed
enraged
envious
exhausted
fatalistic
foreboding
frustrated
futile
gloomy
grumpy
haunting
heartbroken
hopeless
hostile
indifferent
infuriated
4
insidious
intimidated
irate
irritated
jealous
lethargic
lonely
melancholic
merciless
moody
morose
nauseated
nervous
nightmarish
numb
overwhelmed
painful
pensive
pessimistic
predatory
rejected
restless
scared
serious
sick
somber
stressed
suspenseful
tense
terrifying
threatening
uncomfortable
vengeful
violent
worried
Complete the graphic organizer below. Choose three vignettes from The House on Mango Street.
Determine what mood is established in each vignette. Provide a concrete detail and commentary that
support your interpretation of the mood.
Quotation that reveals mood
One sentence of commentary to explains how the
quote establishes mood
Mood Word ______________________
Commentary:
Vignette ________________________
Page Number: ______
Quotation:
Mood Word ______________________
Commentary:
Vignette ________________________
Page Number: ______
Quotation:
Mood Word ______________________
Commentary:
Vignette ________________________
Page Number: ______
Quotation:
5
SECTION 4: Cisneros’ Style in “My Name” (10-11)
Cisneros writes in a style that can be considered prose (novel-like), but she also employs language devices frequently
found in poetry. Re-read the chapter “My Name,” and find two examples of imagery, two examples of connotation, and
two examples of repetition and list those in the left-hand column. In the right-hand column, discuss how each example
creates a specific mood.
Concrete details of imagery
How these examples create a specific mood.
Imagery is language that appeals to the five senses (taste,
touch, sight, sound, smell).
1.
1.
2.
2.
Concrete details of repetition
How these examples create a specific mood
Repetition is when a word or phrase is repeated.
1.
1.
2.
2.
6
Concrete details of connotation
How these examples create a specific mood
Connotation is what a word suggests beyond its basic
definition. The emotions and images associated with a
word.
1.
1.
2.
2.
SECTION 5: Perspective
Esperanza sees the world as both a naïve pre-teen and an insightful adult. Cite five (5) direct quotes that
demonstrate Esperanza’s naïveté (innocent perspective) and five (5) events that demonstrate her insight
(mature perspective).
Quotes demonstrating Esperanza’s naïveté
Quotes demonstrating Esperanza’s insight
1.
1.
2.
2.
3.
3.
4.
4.
5.
5.
7
SECTION 6: Final Analysis
The House on Mango Street addresses numerous social issues such as housing, education, the environment,
prejudice, the treatment of women, poverty, and immigrant struggles. Select three (3) key social issues that
are represented in the book, provide a brief explanation of how this issue is addressed in the story and two
concrete details for each.
Social Issue:
Concrete Details:
How the issue is addressed:
1.
2.
Social Issue:
Concrete Details:
How the issue is addressed:
1.
2.
Social Issue:
Concrete Details:
How the issue is addressed:
1.
2.
8