House on Mango Street
By Sandra Cisneros
Coming of Age
Short Stories
– “The Scarlet Ibis”
Poetry
– “Hanging Fire”
Coming of Age: Identity
Putting the “I” in Identity
– “Oranges”
Drama
– Romeo and Juliet (Tragic Flaw)
Novel
– House on Mango Street
• Focus on Coming of Age theme, Multicultural Lit, and
Personal Reflection
Cisneros Background
Sandra Cisneros
– Chicana writer
– Born in Chicago, 1954
(lived in one of the
poorest neighborhoods)
– Third child out of seven
– College Degrees from
Loyola University and
University of Iowa
– Worked as a teacher and
counselor to high school
drop-outs, and taught
creative writing
Cisneros Background (con.)
Cisneros was quoted by as saying that she is
grateful to have "twice as many words to pick
from...two ways of looking at the world.”
Cisneros's ability to speak two languages and
to write about her two cultures gives her a
unique position from where she is able to tell
not just her story, but also the stories of those
around her.
• Robin Ganz
Latino Population in Chicago
The growth and expansion of Chicago’s
Latino population over the last three decades
is astonishing. As early as 1960 Chicago
emerged as the third-largest Mexican city in
the United States, ranking only behind Los
Angeles and San Antonio in the number of
Mexican-origin persons. By 1970 the
Mexican-origin population in Chicago
exceeded that of the every state except
California and Texas.
House on Mango Street
Published in 1984 (celebrating its 25th
anniversary this year!)
Required reading for middle schools, high
school, and universities across the country
Sold over 2 million copies
Translated into a dozen languages including:
Spanish, French, German, Dutch, Italian,
Norwegian, Japanese, Chinese, Turkish, etc .
House on Mango Street (con.)
NOT autobiographical:
– While many of the
instances written about in
the novel seem like they
could have been taken
from her own
experiences, Cisneros is
adamant that this is a
fictional piece.
– Though, one of
Cisneros's
neighborhoods is the
inspiration for the novella
House on Mango Street (con.)
Written in a series of
short vignettes.
Vignette: any small,
pleasing picture or
view.
Point of view:
– 1st Person
– Young Girl named
Esperanza
House on Mango Street (con.)
Can be read in a
few ways:
– As a Novel
– As Poetry
Deceptively easy to
read (Sister’s
experience)
House on Mango Street (con.)
Will be both a
window and a mirror
text for everyone!
Journals topics- these should
look familiar!
Reader
Text
World
– Gender
– Poverty
– Race/Ethnicity
Unit Final Project
Multigenre Paper:
– Use what you’ve learned about different genres of
literature and write your own story.
– May be: Creative Non-fiction or Creative Fiction
(No Research or analysis papers!)
– Must include: 1 personal narrative, 1 poem, one
multimedia element (i.e.,comic strip, photography,
art), and 1 of your choice.
– Final day of class will be a sharing of your creative
writing!
Coming of Age: Identity
Putting the “I” in Identity
Big Picture
Identity is grounded in the purpose of authorship in
that it presents perspectives of who you are, who
you’re not, who you could be, and who you won’t be,
in an attempt to further individual, cultural, and social
understandings of human action that often produce
levels of cooperation or rebellion in today’s world.
Key Questions
What is Identity?
Key Questions
What factors contribute to the
development of identity?
Key Questions
What is my personal identity, and what
factors have influenced this identity?
Key Questions
How is authorship influenced by
identity?
Key Questions
How can an author present identity
using multiple text forms?
What is Identity?
Student Definitions go on the chalk
board
Dictionary Definition(s):
1. the state or fact of remaining the same one or
ones, as under varying aspects or conditions: The
identity of the fingerprints on the gun with those on
file provided evidence that he was the killer.
2. the condition of being oneself or itself, and not
another: He doubted his own identity.
3. condition or character as to who a person or
what a thing is: a case of mistaken identity.
4. the state or fact of being the same one as
described.
5. the sense of self, providing sameness and
continuity in personality over time and sometimes
disturbed in mental illnesses, as schizophrenia.
Dictionary Definition(s):
6. exact likeness in nature or qualities:
an identity of interests.
7. an instance or point of sameness or
likeness: to mistake resemblances for
identities.
8. Logic. an assertion that two terms
refer to the same thing.
Notebook Activity
Open your notebook to a blank page
Entirely fill 1/2 of the page with a visual
definition of identity
On the other 1/2, write about your own
identity: Who are you? What makes
you who you are?