WIXLIB

The House on Mango Street Mini Q-Step Three: Understanding the Question and Pre-BucketingUnderstanding the Question1. What is the analytical question asked by this Mini-Q?The House on Mango Street: What is the biggest obstacle to reaching the AmericanDream?2. Which terms in the question need to be defined?American Dream (and possibly obstacle)3. Rewrite the question in your own words.What is the biggest problem that prevents the characters in The House on MangoStreet from achieving a better life in America?Pre-BucketingTeacher Note: As students suggest their bucket labels, draw bucket sets on the board. At this stage,students are simply looking for generic labels that provide a framework for organizing the essay.Obstacle #156Obstacle #2Obstacle #3(Biggest Obstacle)2013 The DBQ Project

The House on Mango Street Mini Q- Understanding the Question and Pre-BucketingUnderstanding the Question1. What is the analytical question asked by this Mini-Q?2. Which terms in the question need to be defined?3. Rewrite the question in your own words. Pre-BucketingDirections: Using any clues from the Mini-Q question and the Background Essay, think of possibleanalytical categories and label the buckets. 2013 The DBQ ProjectThis page may be reproduced for classroom use57

The House on Mango Street Mini Q-Step Four: Document AnalysisDocument A: "The House on Mango Street"Content Notes: It may take some time for students to get used toSandra Cisneros's writing style. Style refers to theaspects of a writer's work that are distinctive andrecognizable. Style can refer to the kind of wordsa writer uses (simple or sophisticated?) or evensentence length (short and choppy or long andcomplex?) One aspect of Cisneros's style is thatshe does not use quotation marks. This is something you can "get away with" in creative writing.It is important for students to know the differencebetween writing which requires rule-following andwriting which allows for rule-breaking. In student answers to question three, the following passage might come up: The house on MangoStreet is described as having "windows so smallyou'd think they were holding their breath." This isan example of personification (giving human qualities to something not human) and could be pointedout to students. Ask students to think about this image. How do you feel when you hold your breath?What does this tell us about the house on MangoStreet?3.What does Esperanza mean when she says,"the house on Mango Street is not the waythey told it at all"?The house is small and run-down, not likethe house Papa described.4.Count the number of times the word "there"appears at the end of the story. Count howmany times it is written in italics. Why is theword repeated so many times? Why areitalics used?The word "there" appears six times; it isitalicized all but the first time. The wordis repeated to emphasize Esperanza'sfeelings of shame in living in a place sheis not proud to "point to." The italics showthe tone with which the nun says the word"there." Esperanza points to her apartmentin a matter-of-fact way, but the nunchanges her feelings, and the apartmentalso changes—from "there" to "there."5.The last line of the story is, "But I know howthose things go." What does Esperanza"know"?Esperanza knows they will never get theirdream house.Teaching Tips: Discuss the Document Analysis questions:1.Describe "the house Papa talked about whenhe held a lottery ticket."Papa describes "a real house.like thehouses on T.V.with trees" and "a greatbig yard."2.Why do you think he holds the lottery ticketwhen he describes this house?He holds the lottery ticket when hedescribes this house because the onlyway they'll be able to afford it is if they winthe lottery. The lottery ticket could be seenas a symbol of the American Dream in thisstory—literally, a "ticket" to a better life.586.What obstacle to reaching the AmericanDream is most evident in this story? Arethere others?The biggest obstacle in this story ispoverty. Papa knows he will never get hisdream house without winning the lottery,and Esperanza knows that this will neverhappen. The nun's reaction to whereEsperanza lives could also be evidence ofdiscrimination, another possible obstacleto reaching the American Dream. 2013 The DBQ Project

The House on Mango StreetMini-QDocument A: "The House on Mango Street"We didn't always live on Mango Street. Before that we lived on Loomis on the third floor, and before thatwe lived on Keeler. Before Keeler it was Paulina, and before that I can't remember. But what I remember mostis moving a lot. Each time it seemed there'd be one more of us. By the time we got to Mango Street we weresix–Mama, Papa, Carlos, Kiki, my sister Nenny and me.The house on Mango Street is ours, and we don't have to pay rent to anybody, or share the yard with thepeople downstairs, or be careful not to make too much noise, and there isn't a landlord banging on the ceilingwith a broom. But even so, it's not the house we'd thought we'd get.We had to leave the flat on Loomis quick. The water pipes broke and the landlord wouldn't fix thembecause the house was too old. We had to leave fast. We were using the washroom next door and carrying waterover in empty milk gallons. That's why Mama and Papa looked for a house, and that's why we moved into thehouse on Mango Street, far away, on the other side of town.They always told us that one day we would move into a house, a real house that would be ours for alwaysso we wouldn't have to move each year. And our house would have running water and pipes that worked. Andinside it would have real stairs, not hallway stairs, but stairs inside like the houses on T.V. And we'd have abasement and at least three washrooms so when we took a bath we wouldn't have to tell everybody. Our housewould be white with trees around it, a great big yard and grass growing without a fence. This was the housePapa talked about when he held a lottery ticket and this was the house Mama dreamed up in the stories she toldus before we went to bed.But the house on Mango Street is not the way they told it at all. It's small and red with tight steps in frontand windows so small you'd think they were holding their breath. Bricks are crumbling in places, and the frontdoor is so swollen you have to push hard to get in. There is no front yard, only four little elms the city plantedby the curb. Out back is a small garage for the car we don't own yet and a small yard that looks smaller betweenthe two buildings on either side. There are stairs in our house, but they're ordinary hallway stairs, and the househas only one washroom. Everybody has to share a bedroom–Mama and Papa, Carlos and Kiki, me and Nenny.Once when we were living on Loomis, a nun from my school passed by and saw me playing out front. Thelaundromat downstairs had been boarded up because it had been robbed two days before and the owner hadpainted on the wood YES WE'RE OPEN so as not to lose business.Where do you live? she asked.There, I said pointing up to the third floor.You live there?There. I had to look to where she pointed—the third floor, the paint peeling, wooden bars Papa had nailedon the windows so we wouldn't fall out. You live there? The way she said it made me feel like nothing. There. Ilived there. I nodded.I knew then I had to have a house. A real house. One I could point to. But this isn't it. The house on MangoStreet isn't it. For the time being, Mama says. Temporary, says Papa. But I know how those things go.Document Analysis1. Describe "the house Papa talked about when he held a lottery ticket."2. Why do you think he holds the lottery ticket when he describes this house?3. What does Esperanza mean when she says, "the house on Mango Street is not the way they told it at all"?4. Count the number of times the word "there" appears at the end of the story. Count how many times it iswritten in italics. Why is the word repeated so many times? Why are italics used?5. The last line of the story is, "But I know how those things go:' What does Esperanza "know"?6. What obstacle to reaching the American Dream is most evident in this story? Are there others?59 2013 The DBQ ProjectThis page may be reproduced for classroom use

The House on Mango Street Mini-QStep Four: Document Analysis(continued)Document B: "A Smart Cookie"Content Notes:Teaching Tips: Cisneros dedicates The House on Mango Street a Discuss the Document Analysis questions:las mujeres"—"to the women." This story is built around an allusion (a referenceto another artistic work) to the opera, MadameButterfly by Giacomo Puccini. Esperanza's mother"is Madame Butterfly" while she cooks oatmeal,and says to her daughter, "That Madame Butterflywas a fool." In the opera version, an Americannaval officer marries a 15-year-old Japanese girl(nicknamed "Butterfly"), intending to divorce herand marry an American woman as soon as it isconvenient to do so. Butterfly loves him, though,and sacrifices everything to him—including herreligion and her son—before tragically killingherself in the third act. The victimization of womenand loss of culture in America are also themes ofThe House on Mango Street.1. What are some things that Esperanza'smother can do?She can speak two languages, sing anopera, and fix a T.V.2. What are some things that Esperanza'smother would "someday" like to do?She would like to go to the ballet or see aplay.3. Why do you think Esperanza's motherdoesn't do the things she would like to do?Going to the ballet or a play costs money,while borrowing records from the libraryis free. Going to the ballet or a play alsotakes time, and Esperanza's mother hasfour children to take care of.4. Why did Esperanza's mother quit school?Grammar and Writing Notes: When discussing student answers to questions 1and 2, note the way that Cisneros employs parallelstructure. When listing the things that her mothercan do, she writes four simple sentences in a rowthat start with the word "She." When listing thethings that her mother wants to do, she writestwo almost identical sentences that both begin,"Someday she would like to." Parallel structureis a device writers use when they want to createemphasis. Why are Esperanza's mother's skillsand desires emphasized in this story? (Perhapsto highlight her disappointments. She can do somuch, but is unable to pursue her dreams.)Because she didn't have nice clothes andshe was ashamed.5. What obstacle to reaching the AmericanDream is most evident in this story? Arethere others?Although Esperanza's mother blamesher own sense of shame, poverty againseems to be the biggest obstacle toreaching the American Dream in thisstory. Esperanza's mother couldn't affordnice clothes so she didn't want to go toschool. Because she didn't get a goodeducation to improve her station in life,she is still too poor to go to the ballet or tosee a play. Gender-based discriminationcould also be viewed as an obstacle here.The stories of Madame Butterfly and thecomadres, Izaura and Yolanda, revealways in which women must depend uponmen. (Note: In fact, gender and povertyare often linked. In 2012, one studyshowed that 14.1% of women in the USwere living in poverty, compared to 11.1%of men.)602013 The DBQ Project

The House on Mango Street Mini-Q Document B: "A Smart Cookie"I could've been somebody, you know? my mother says and sighs.She has lived in this city her whole life. She can speak two languages.She can sing an opera. She knows how to fix a T.V. But she doesn'tknow which subway train to take to get downtown. I hold her handvery tight while we wait for the right train to arrive.She used to draw when she had time. Now she draws with aneedle and thread, little knotted rosebuds, tulips made of silk thread.Someday she would like to go to the ballet. Someday she would liketo see a play. She borrows opera records from the public library andsings with velvety lungs powerful as morning glories.Today while cooking oatmeal she is Madame Butterfly until shesighs and points the wooden spoon at me. I could've been somebody,you know? Esperanza, you go to school. Study hard. That MadameButterfly was a fool. She stirs the oatmeal. Look at my comadres.She means Izaura whose husband left and Yolanda whose husband isdead. Got to take care all your own, she says shaking her head.Then out of nowhere:Shame is a bad thing, you know. It keeps you down. You wantto know why I quit school? Because I didn't have nice clothes. Noclothes, but I had brains.Yup, she says disgusted, stirring again. I was a smart cookie then.Note: Madame Butterfly is an opera about a young Japanese girl who marries an American man with tragicresults."Comadres"is a Spanish term used for close female friends.Document Analysis1. What are some things that Esperanza's mother can do?2. What are some things that Esperanza's mother would "someday" like to do?3. Why do you think Esperanza's mother doesn't do the things she would like to do?4. Why did Esperanza's mother quit school?5. What obstacle to reaching the American Dream is most evident in this story? Are there others? 2013 The DBQ ProjectThis page may be reproduced for classroom use61

The House on Mango Street Mini-0Step Four: Document Analysis(continued)Document C: "No Speak English"Content Notes:4. Mamacita is the man's wife, not his mother. Students are often confused on this point. We never find out where Mamacita is from—onlythat she is from "that country." Perhaps Cisnerosintended to make this a more universal story by notspecifying Mamacita's home country.Both Esperanza's father and Mamacitacould not speak English when they firstarrived in the US.5. There is a lovely example of alliteration in this story(when several words in a row all begin with thesame sound)—"Push, pull. Push, pull. Poof!" Especially because they are short and therefore quitemanageable, it is a good idea to read these storiesaloud prior to discussion. Cisneros self-identifies asa poet, and you can hear the poetry in her language in passages like this one. "Mamacita" and "Mamasota" are translated in thenote as "Little Mama" and "Big Mama." "-ita" is asuffix added to Spanish words meaning "little" and"-ota" is a suffix meaning "big." Thus, Rachel isable to easily change Mamacita's name in order tomake fun of her size in the opening paragraph.Teaching Tips: Discuss the Document Analysis questions:1.How does the man across the street manageto bring Mamacita and their baby to MangoStreet?The man worked two jobs and saved hismoney in order to pay for his wife andbaby to come to the United States.2.Why doesn't Mamacita ever leave theirapartment?Some people say she's too fat or there aretoo many stairs, but Esperanza thinks sheis afraid to speak English.3.What does Esperanza's father have incommon with Mamacita?"No speak English" appears in the middleof the story as well as the end, but it meansdifferent things each time. What are the twodifferent meanings of this phrase?When the phrase "No speak English" firstappears, it is one of the things Mamacitacan say if anybody comes to the door. Itseems to mean, "I don't speak English."When her son starts singing the Pepsicommercial on T.V., she says "No speakEnglish" to him, meaning "Don't speakEnglish."6.What obstacle to reaching the AmericanDream is most evident in this story? Arethere others?Language seems to be the biggestobstacle in this story. Mamacita does notwant to stay in the United States becauseshe cannot speak the language, and thatis affecting her husband's ability to stayand improve his family's opportunities.The baby boy has the best chance ofspeaking English and is learning to doso by watching American television. Thishorrifies his mother, perhaps becausehaving a shot at the American Dreamcomes at the price of one's languageand culture. There is also evidence ofpoverty as an obstacle to reaching theAmerican Dream. The second paragraphemphasizes the work and sacrificerequired for the man to bring Mamacitaand the baby to the US.Why does Esperanza's father eat only"hamandeggs" for three months?"Hamandeggs" is really "ham and eggs."Esperanza's father originally thought itwas one word, calling it the only "word"he knew when he came to the US, so heordered ham and eggs at every meal.62 2013 The DBQ Project

The House on Mango Street Mini-Q Document C: "No Speak English"Mamacita is the big mama of the man across the street, third-floor front. Rachel says her name ought to beMamasota, but I think that's mean.The man saved his money to bring her here. He saved and saved because she was alone with the baby boyin that country. He worked two jobs. He came home late and he left early. Every day.Then one day Mamacita and the baby boy arrived in a yellow taxi. The taxi door opened like a waiter's arm.Out stepped a tiny pink shoe, a foot soft as a rabbit's ear, then the thick ankle, a flutter of hips, fuchsia roses andgreen perfume. The man had to pull her, the taxicab driver had to push. Push, pull. Push, pull. Poof!All at once she bloomed. Huge, enormous, beautiful to look at, from the salmon-pink feather on the tip ofher hat down to the little rosebuds of her toes. I couldn't take my eyes off her tiny shoes.Up, up, up the stairs she went with the baby boy in a blue blanket, the man carrying her suitcases, herlavender hatboxes, a dozen boxes of satin high heels. Then we didn't see her.Somebody said because she's too fat, somebody because of the three flights of stairs, but I believe shedoesn't come out because she is afraid to speak English, and maybe this is so since she only knows eight words.She knows to say: He not here for when the landlord comes, No speak English if anybody else comes, and Holysmokes. I don't know where she learned this, but I heard her say it one time and it surprised me.My father says when he came to this country he ate hamandeggs for three months. Breakfast, lunch anddinner. Hamandeggs. That was the only word he knew. He doesn't eat hamandeggs anymore.Whatever her reasons, whether she is fat, or can't climb the stairs, or is afraid of English, she won't comedown. She sits all day by the window and plays the Spanish radio show and sings all the homesick songs abouther country in a voice that sounds like a seagull.Home. Home. Home is a

The House on Mango Street Mini-Q The House on Mango Street: What Is the Biggest Obstacle to Reaching the American Dream? Cathy claims to be related to the queen of France. Meme Ortiz jumps out of a tree and breaks both arms. Sally marries a marshmal-low salesman before eighth grade. And so go