House on Mango Street Writing Assignment
Assigned: September 18
Rough Draft (due in class): September 21
Final Draft: September 26
Sandra Cisneros’ book The House on Mango Street raises a number of issues that merit further discussion. In this paper I would like you to choose a vignette and discuss an issue that is raised by the story. Then I would like you to relate the issue raised by the story to your own life. You need not agree with Cisneros’ take on the issue but in your paper you should use her ideas as a jumping off point for your own understanding of the issue. You will need to use quotes from the text to support your comments about Cisneros and House on Mango Street.
In order to effectively use quotes you need to do more than just insert them into
your paper and expect the quote to explain itself. Rather you should dialogue with (talk back to) the quote. Explain to your reader what you think the quote means and then respond to that meaning. Incidentally, this is how a quote of more than one line should be formatted in your text. It should be single-spaced with 1.5 inch margins on either side. You do not need to use "quotation marks" but you should indicate the page the quote is taken from in (parenthesis).
SOME POSSIBLE ISSUES TO DISCUSS:
Male/Female gender roles (Minerva, Sally, Rafaela, Mamacita, Linoleum Roses)
Power dynamics of male/female relationships (same as above, plus Beautiful and Cruel, Monkey Garden, Red Clowns)
Adolescence and the developing awareness of the opposite gender (Family of Little Feet, Hips, Sire, Monkey Garden)
The experience of shame (House on Mango Street, Rice Sandwich, Bums in the Attic, Monkey Garden)
The power of writing (Rafaela, Mango Says Goodbye Sometimes)
The responsibility of people to where they came from (Three Sisters, Alicia and I Talking on Edna’s Steps, Mango Says Goodbye Sometimes)
These are not your only options…
This paper should not exceed two pages double-spaced. A rough draft is due Monday, September 18th (we will do peer editing in class). The final draft is due Thursday, September 21st. Please feel free to make an appointment to meet with me to talk about your ideas.