March 8th: The House on Mango Street

March brings many things:

• the NCAA basketball tournament (almost time to fill out your bracket). 
• the first day of spring (in name if not in deed).
  
  And, for us:
  
• The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros.

I'll tell you up front: this book is very short--only 107 pages--and yet it has 44 chapters. Forty four.  You know what that means: short chapters. Some are only a paragraph long.

Yep, you could probably read this whole thing in one 45-minute sitting, and if you want to, super. Just be aware that these chapters, while small, pack a lot of punch, so there are a few things it will be useful to know going in. 

An Unusual Format

First off, instead of telling a story with a distinct beginning, middle, and end, this book contains a series of vignettes that paint a picture of life on Mango Street from the point of view of our narrator, Esperanza. 

The House on Mango Street doesn't have a typical story arc. It's more like a series of blog entries that bring you into Esperanza's world and let you see it through her eyes. 

A Unique Use of Language

Secondly, in places you may find the language challenging, although not in the same way that Their Eyes Were Watching God was challenging; the narrative isn't written in a dialect. Phew, right? The words will be easy enough to read, but quite often they only hint at the full meaning of a particular vignette. You will have to really think about, and sometimes reread, sections in order to understand what exactly is being revealed about Esperanza, her family, her friends, and her neighborhood.

Cisneros uses a lot of imagery, which is why at times her prose reads like poetry, and she also frequently employs similes and metaphors.

Sima-whos and Meta-whats?
Both similes and metaphors are figures of speech that are used to compare things, they just do it in slightly different ways.

Similes use the words like or as:

• he's as skinny as a greyhound
• my hands are as cold as ice
• she runs like the wind

Metaphors generally use forms of the verb to be (is, are, am, were, was, etc.):

• my room is a train wreck
• she's a whirlwind
• life is a roller coaster

Now that I've pointed these out, you'll notice them on every page. If you see any that you particularly like, jot them down so you can share them when we meet.

Okay. That's it for information on the front end. Now for your assignment.

Your Assignment
Put your natural talents to work--or step outside your comfort zone and try something new. It's your choice. Complete ONE of the following and bring it with you on the 8th.

1. Illustrate one of the vignettes. Draw, paint, sketch, color, make a collage, use your computer, use your camera--whatever works. Make a visual vignette of a vignette. Capture the scene or mood visually. For fun, don't title it. Just bring it and let us guess which chapter it's from.

2. Write your own vignette. Somewhere between a paragraph and a page or two. Use one of Esperanza's topics (your house, your family, your name, a friend, a really good day, a favorite store or hangout) or come up with one of your own. Remember: it doesn't need to be a story. You're just trying to capture a moment in time, a slice of life.

3. Take one of Esperanza's vignettes and rewrite it as a news brief. Many of them involve incidents that could easily appear in your daily newspaper. Auto theft? Kids playing on the roof when one jumps or falls? Yeah, I'd say those are newsworthy. So are several others. Choose one and rewrite it like a short news article. Don't forget to include the five Ws (who, what, when, where, why). You may have to fill in some of the facts yourself, but that's okay. Just try to keep it plausible.

All right. That's it. Good luck to you all, and I'll see you on the 8th.

Happy reading.