Name: ___________________________________________ Date: _______________________ Period: _______
The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros
Reading Schedule and themes:

Section 1, pages 3-38……………. due 11/4
o Self Definition and Identity

o

o
Marin; Those Who Don’t; There Was an Old Woman…; Alicia Who Sees Mice; Darius and the
Clouds; And Some More
Section 2, pages 39-87…………..due 11/6
o Growth and Maturity

o
o
The Family of Little Feet; A Rice Sandwich; Chanclas; Hips; The First Job
Gender Roles and Expectations

Papa Who Wakes Up Tired in the Dark; Born Bad; Elenita, Cards, Palm, Water; Geraldo No
Last Name; Edna’s Ruthie; The Earl of Tennessee; Sire
Fitting In


Cathy Queen of Cats; Our Good Day; Laughter; Gil’s Furniture Bought and Sold; Meme Ortiz;
Louie, His Cousin and His Other Cousin
Freedom and Entrapment


The House on Mango Street; Hairs; Boys and Girls; My Name
Friendship, Neighborhood and Home
Four Skinny Trees; No Speak English; Rafaela Who Drinks Coconut and Pineapple Juice on
Tuesdays; Sally; Minerva Writes Poems; Bums in the Attic
Section 3, pages 88-110……….. due 11/9
o Future Opportunities and Limitations

o
Beautiful and Cruel; A Smart Cookie; What Sally Said; The Monkey Garden; Red Clowns;
Linoleum Roses
Finding One’s Home

The Three Sisters; Alicia and I Talking on Edna’s Steps; A House of My Own; Mango Says
Goodbye Sometimes
*** The House on Mango Street is made up of 44 short character sketches, or stories, called vignettes.
Esperanza, a Mexican-American young woman who just moved with her family to Mango Street, narrates
them. It is important to note that the stories don’t really follow each other chronologically; as you read the
book, consider the themes indicated above.
Essential Question for the unit:
Where does one’s identity come from?
1. How is identity shaped by living among two (or more) cultural influences?
2. How does one’s desire or reluctance to assimilate (fit in) shape identity?
3. Determine the roles that stereotypes play in shaping one’s identity.
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Name: ___________________________________________ Date: _______________________ Period: _______
The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros
Section 1, pages 3-38……………. Due 11/4
Self Definition and Identity: The House on Mango Street; Hairs; Boys and Girls; My Name
In what ways does Esperanza describe herself?

Direct characterizations (what she tells us specifically—include page number):
1.
2.
3.

Indirect characterizations (what the reader can infer from the text—give a quote with page number
to support each inference):
1.
2.
Friendship, Neighborhood and Home: Cathy Queen of Cats; Our Good Day; Laughter; Gil’s Furniture Bought and
Sold; Meme Ortiz; Louie, His Cousin and His Other Cousin
Compare AND contrast Esperanza’s friendship with Cathy versus that of her friendship with Rachel and Lucy.
2
List two quotes with page numbers that describe Esperanza’s neighborhood. What does each quote indicate
about her view of her neighborhood and the people in it?
1.
2.
Freedom and Entrapment: Marin; Those Who Don’t; There Was an Old Woman…; Alicia Who Sees Mice; Darius and
the Clouds; And Some More
In what ways does Esperanza connect to her heritage through her associations with people in her
neighborhood? After responding to the question, give one quote with page number to support your response.
Alicia is a complex character in the novel. She desires something more than the traditional role for Latina
women, yet she dutifully fulfills that role within her family due to the death of her mother. Use two
carefully selected quotes, then explain how Alicia struggles with the freedom to pursue more for herself
while also feeling entrapped.
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Name: ___________________________________________ Date: _______________________ Period: _______
The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros
Section 2, pages 39-87……………. Due 11/6
Growth and Maturity: The Family of Little Feet; A Rice Sandwich; Chanclas; Hips; The First Job
Identify four specific stereotypes that Esperanza experiences in this section. Give the page number where
each is located. What specific effect does each experience have on Esperanza
1.
2.
3.
4.
Using at least one quote from this section, justify whether Esperanza identifies more as a girl or a woman at
this point in the story.
Gender Roles and Expectations: Papa Who Wakes Up Tired in the Dark; Born Bad; Elenita, Cards, Palm, Water;
Geraldo No Last Name; Edna’s Ruthie; The Earl of Tennessee; Sire
Evaluate whether this section successfully demonstrates the blurring of gender roles within Esperanza’s
community. Give at least two specific examples (either paraphrased and/or quoted—both with page
numbers) to justify your position.
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Esperanza describes several relationships that she notices in her neighborhood. She is beginning to
understand that each of these relationships isn’t exactly as it seems. Select ONE of the following sections
(Geraldo No Last Name; Edna’s Ruthie; The Earl of Tennessee; Sire) and analyze how the relationship
relates to one’s lack of identity within a community. BE SURE TO PROVIDE AN ANALYSIS AND NOT JUST A
SUMMARY.
Fitting In: Four Skinny Trees; No Speak English; Rafaela Who Drinks Coconut and Pineapple Juice on Tuesdays; Sally;
Minerva Writes Poems; Bums in the Attic
Explain the meaning of each of the following symbols.

Four skinny trees
o What do they symbolize?
o

How does Esperanza use the trees to give meaning to the idea of fitting in?
Mamacita
o What does she symbolize?
o
How does Esperanza explain the idea of fitting in through this character?
Analyze what Esperanza means through the following quote:
“ One day, I’ll own my own house, but I won’t forget who I am or where I came from. Passing bums
will ask, Can I come in? I’ll offer them the attic, ask them to stay, because I know how it is to be
without a house. Some days after dinner, guests and I will sit in front of a fire. Floorboards will
squeak upstairs. The attic grumble. Rats? they’ll ask. Bums, I’ll say, and I’ll be happy.” (Cisneros 84)
(**Hint: Esperanza is saying a lot through what she doesn’t say in this section…)
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Name: ___________________________________________ Date: _______________________ Period: _______
The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros
Section 3, pages 88-110……………. Due 11/9
Future Opportunities and Limitations: Beautiful and Cruel; A Smart Cookie; What Sally Said; The Monkey Garden;
Red Clowns; Linoleum Roses
In this section, Esperanza struggles with her perception of beauty and the opportunities she falsely believes
exist for those who possess this idea of beauty. Identify two of those instances and explain how Esperanza’s
obsession with beauty is supported or rejected by what she sees around her (be sure to give page numbers).
1.
2.
Identify two quotes in this section that support the idea that Esperanza must start learning to move on from
the expectations she has held onto throughout her childhood. Explain how each quote indicates Esperanza’s
awareness of the need to move forward.
1.
2.
The imagery of a jail is presented several times in the vignettes in this section. Identify and explain three
examples of how the image of being locked in a prison is presented.
1.
2.
3.
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Finding One’s Home: The Three Sisters; Alicia and I Talking on Edna’s Steps; A House of My Own; Mango Says
Goodbye Sometimes
Esperanza begins to acknowledge that she doesn’t feel like she belongs on Mango Street. Throughout all of
the vignettes she presents to the reader, justify whether she has made a stronger case for whether she
belongs on Mango Street or somewhere else. You must use and explain at least two quotes in support of your
position.
Esperanza describes her ideal house:
“Not a flat. Not an apartment in back. Not a man’s house. Not a daddy’s. A house all my own. With
my porch and my pillow, my pretty purple petunias. My books and my stories. My two shoes waiting
beside the bed. Nobody to shake a stick at. Nobody’s garbage to pick up after. Only a house quiet as
snow, a space for myself to go, clean as paper before the poem.”
Describe, in detail, what you can infer that she is actually looking for in a house of her own?
What does The House on Mango Street represent to Esperanza? Explain whether Esperanza’s identity is
either completely entrenched in where she came from or her identity is in response to her desire to not
accept any part of Mango Street for her future. Justify your position with at least one quote (include page
number) from the text.
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