IDENTITY

The House on Mango Street Unit Objective

1. You will understand, recognize, and apply creative writing devices like economy, precision, concreteness, simile, metaphor, imagery, and dialogue.

2. You will then use Mango as a springboard to create your own series of vignettes all linked to one central theme.

The House on Mango StreetEssential Questions

1. How do our personal experiences shape the way we view ourselves?

2. Can one’s identity ever change? In what ways?

3. What effect does society have on the individual?

4. What roles do neighborhoods and community play in shaping who we become?

5. How do we know when a relationship is healthy or harmful?

6. How do gender and gender roles affect society and the individual?

7. What creates prejudice and what can an individual do to overcome it?

8. How can reading one woman’s story of self-acceptance and purpose help us find our own while telling it in an honest, authentic voice?

9. How can a writer use creative writing techniques to express point of view and voice?

Agenda

• Who is Sandra Cisneros?

• What is vignette and a novella?

• Read “House on Mango Street” Vignette

• Read and Respond• Journal Response• Bead Activity

About Sandra Cisneros• Born: Chicago in l954, the

third child and only daughter in a family of seven children.

• Occupations: teacher and counselor to high-school dropouts, taught creative writing at every level except first grade and pre-school, a college recruiter, an arts administrator, and as a visiting writer

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Pyf89VsNmg (story)

Sandra Cisneros’ Inspiration & Story

• “I am the sum of all stories that pass through me.” And so are you.

• What do you know? What can you write about that no one else can write about?

• Writers block means you’re afraid to say what you really mean to say.

What is a Vignette? A Novella?• A short, well written sketch or

descriptive scene. It does not have a plot which would make it a short story, but it does reveal something about the elements in it. It may reveal character, mood, or tone.

• It may have a theme or idea of its own that it wants to convey. It is the description of the scene or character that is important. By linking these vignettes, Cisneros attempts to reveal the life of a young girl, a daughter of Mexican immigrants, growing up in the inner city of the United States.

• Genre: Is this a novel?• Is The House on Mango Street a

novel? Well, maybe it is a novella. It is hard to categorize Cisneros’ work and just because we cannot does not mean that the work is in any way diminished. In fact, it may enhance its reputation in many ways.

• Cisneros breaks the rules. She writes a work of fiction and she does not follow the conventional rules of plot or form.

• Is it prose? Mostly, but there are short chapters which are sort of prose poems (Ex: “My Name” or “Geraldo No Last Name”).

Read and Respond

“The House on Mango Street” (3-5) “My Name” (10-11)

“I am the sum of all stories that pass through me.” Mind Mapping

• You are in the viewing room of your life…

• Brainstorm a list of as many important moments (stories) in your life.

• Of that list, find 8 stories that may share a common thread.

The House on Mango Street Themes

1. Individual identity and communal loyalty

2. Estrangement and loss 3. Escape and return4. Lure of romance and

the dead end of sexual inequality & oppression

Mango’s Appeal• It speaks especially to

Latino Americans, but it captures universal pangs (of growing up and finding oneself of) otherness—“the shame of being poor, of being female, of being not-quite-good enough.”

The Necklace• Mango suggests from

where that otherness comes and shows how it can become a cause for celebration rather than shame.

“You, the reader, are Esperanza…you cannot

forget who you are.” --Sandra Cisneros

Identity Key Chain/Bracelet

• Consider the following identities and think about how each defines who you are:– Gender– Race– Education– Religion/Spirituality– Ethnicity/Nationality– Ability

• Please pick one bead that you think best represent each of your identities and write an explanation about how it best represent that identity. – (ex. I pick this bright

transparent, bright, light blue, shiny bead for my religion because it illuminates my life and plays a role in guiding me through life.

Agenda

• Writing a vignette• Present Symbolism

behind identity key chain

• Discuss Theme• Read House on Mango

Street• Group Work

Vignette 1: House on Avenue __

• Write a descriptive short story/scene/episode of your neighborhood. You must choose a theme to convey (sense of belonging, not fitting in, communal loyalty etc.)

• Make sure your word choice is selective and descriptive so that you establish a mood and set a tone (so that readers can figure out how you feel about your neighborhood without directly telling them).

Name: _________________________Date: __________________________Period: _____

Context: Who was there? Where were you? How old were you? etc.

Sensory details: Sights, sounds, smells, tastes, etc.

Dialogue: Who said what?

Vignette title:

Events: Exactly what happened? (List the events in order)

Significance: How has this incident affected my sense of self? What did I think or feel at the time? What do I think or feel about the incident now?

Cluster Chart: Vignette Writing

Agenda• Miss Representation video

clip and reflection• Present Symbolism behind

identity key chain• Read Cathy Queen of Cats

and Our Good Day: Discuss “Theme” in groups

• Group Tasks– Vocabulary: Context Clues– Vocabulary: Root Words– Vocabulary: Adjectives

(modifiers)– Reading Comprehension

Reflection

• On a separate sheet of paper please answer the following question:

1. How does the media shape one’s identity?

2. What does the media teach youth about gender roles?

Agenda• Journal • Share “My Name”

Vignettes• Present Symbolism behind

identity key chain• Read Cathy Queen of Cats

Our Good Day, Laughter, Gil’s Furniture Bought and Sold, Meme Ortiz: Discuss “Theme” in groups

Journal

• Why are having dreams and goals important?

• Which is your biggest dream? How do you plan to accomplish it?

The House on Mango Street Themes

1. Individual identity and communal loyalty

2. Estrangement and loss 3. Escape and return4. Lure of romance and

the dead end of sexual inequality & oppression

Theme Discussion

• The theme of a fable is its moral. The theme of a parable is its teaching. The theme of a piece of fiction is its view about life and how people behave. In fiction, the theme is not intended to teach or preach. In fact, it is not presented directly at all. You extract it from the characters, action, and setting that make up the story. In other words, you must figure out the theme yourself.

• Task: • Each group will need to identify the theme that is being conveyed in the

vignette.• Each group will need to find a quote that best represents that theme. • You must record your answer on poster paper.