Friday, November 6, 2009

"Mango Street" Socratic?

What are you thinking regarding "The House On Mango Street?" Themes, discussion, quotes, ideas from the Socratic? Please respond thoughtfully. You may respond more than once.

30 comments:

Hannah F said...
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~Nouhad E. said...

What do you think this quote means? "A new house, a house made of heart. I'll light a candle for you." (Cisneros 64)

LindsayS said...

I think when Esperanza leaves she is going to see how much the house and her family and everything really did make her feel and she took it for granted there but when she is gone she is really going to miss it. I really do not believe that she could stay away for that long and that she will come back to help all of the other people still there.

Autumn S said...
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Hannah F said...

If Esperanza hadn't lived on the house on Mango Street, then she probably wouldn't be the same person she is now. If she hadn't lived there she would have been a little girl, she wouldn't have gotten all the experience that she got there from all the people in her neighborhood. If she had grown up in today's time she would have had her own voice and she would've gotten different experiences and had different opportunities. Since she grew up to fast she didn't get all the same things as kids now get. She had to tell her siblings about her grandpa's death. When Esperanza was taken advantage of by that guy she learned that the world isn't the safest place. She learned that she was going to have to grow up and be her own person. When she talked to the three sisters she saw that she did have a chance and that she could go somewhere with her life.

LindsayS said...

Esperanza grew up so fast, but it wasn't her fault. She was forced to grow up. Her being the oldest had to do much work and act almost like a third parent. She had to tell her siblings when her grandfather died and that is a very hard outlook from a 14 year old.

Danielle Z said...

One thing that was discussed is how Esperenza would be if she lived in a different house or in a different time. I think this was a good thing to be discussed because the reason why all the things that happened to Esperenza is because of where she lived. And in the text it says "the house I belong and don't belong" Its kind of a confusing quote but the way i think it is is that she knows she now is apart of the house because of how she acts but she still doesnt want to stay there.

Alex Y said...

In the "House on Mango Street" by Sandra Cisneros, Esperanza moves to a new house, but to her it was just another house that she's going to move out of again. When she lives there for longer she starts to connect with the house and feels like she doesn't want to leave it. I think that she will miss it because this is the first time she feels like she's made friends and memories. Also, when she does leave I think she'll come back to it just because she's connected with it and because she wants to help the other people that live there. I think she'll try and pursue to get her dream house but in the end I think she'll move to another little house on mango street.

AbbyH said...

I thinks that in the end Esparanza does leave to come back for the others. Though she hated Mango Street, Esparanza made connection with the house more than others. I think that Esparanza really actually liked Mango Street enough to come back for others. In the end, she quotes "the house I belong, but do not belong" meaning she lives on Mango Street, but does not feel like she should be here. To me, I think Esparanza definitely grew up throughout the story by getting a job, having the responsibility to tell her siblings that their grandpa had died.

Clare B. said...

I believe that The house on Mango street is about trying to find your place in the world. with almost every person on that street are all trying to find a place were they're happy or just trying to remain oblivious. i think she will miss that little house but more so the friends she made. If she didn't have Mango Street she would not be the women she is today. Today I think she would have more of a voice and all those interactions would have been different. The thing that made her grow up more would probably when she got that job and that man harassed her. It would just change your view on things especially about men. I really think also Sally had been a big part of her life. Sally was a role model to her and Sally betrayed her so it shaped how much Esperanza can trust others. Like how she said in the book that there all liars. Esperanza i think will end up picking friends carefully and not trusting men as much. I think that what set her free was probably finally thinking more for herself and not really going under peoples influence and just still kind of finding herself.

Autumn S said...

When Esperanza leaves Mango Street I think that she'll be going back to the people that she left. I think that when she leaves and that there always be a little of mango street with here. She tells stories about Mango Street because she doesn't wants to forget the time that she had when she was living there.

Molly L said...

I believe that the reason Esperanza leaves is because she will come back. She states "They will not know I have gone away to come back. For the ones I left behind. For the ones who cannot out." she is saying she is leaving to return. Also a quote that makes sense now is "The house i belong, but don't belong to." This makes sense now, because She is not tied down, she likes it there but does not want to be there forever.

Rae.A said...

in my opinion, Esperanza became more mature because while living on mango street she grew up faster than she had to. and in a way she was also like another parent to her younger siblings because she is the oldest and the oldest has to take care of the younger ones. when Esperanza got her first job she lied about her age and another adult told her to lie about her age, and they must have had an age restriction for a reason. why doesn't she have anyone who understands her? why does she try to be different from everyone else, what goals does she have that no one else has.

AmandaA said...

We think that Esperanza will have mixed emotions whens she leaves because Mango Street is part of who she is. She wouldn't be the same person if she had never lived there. Esperanza most likely would have grown up slower if she didn't live on mango Street because she dealt with many experiences that helped her grow up as a person and a woman. Her first job in my opinion was the one event that really made her grow up as a woman, she has always had to take care of her house.All of us can relate to growing up and dealing with broken friendships, longing for something we can't have, taking care of our other siblings and the fears and excitements that come with being a teenager.Maybe Esperanza finally had a positive mind set and she was finally set free, no longer tied down. She strives to be different from everyone and has different goals.

Erin K said...

I think the Socratic was themed upon how Esperanza was growing up, how Mango Street helped her with that, and trust and friendship. She learned a lot of responsibility and with everything that happened became more mature. I noticed how people didn't comment or seem to think about the small stuff. Everything had a purpose in this book, or else it probably wouldn't be in it.

Emily R. said...

The Socratic seminar was mostly talking about how she lives on Mango Street but whenever she wants to leave she can because she doesn't belong to the house. They talked a lot about how Esperanza is growing up and becoming more mature. She is learning to deal with good and bad situations. At her first job there was an old mad who touched her and she didn't like it but she needed to handle in an mature manner. A lot of girls in our class could relate to having to take care of her siblings. Her friendships are like ours, she has friends that she knows she can trust and then she has ones that she thinks she can trust but later finds out that she cant. Esperanza is just like us and she has the same feelings and emotions as we do. We all go through the same things. And we all know how hard it is and how many good and bad things we go through. We all need to mature, it is just another part of life.

Carly I said...

in the last story or chapter there was a quoit that really got my attention it tied together the whole story. "i wright it down and mango says goodbye sometimes. she does no hold me with both arms. she sets me free." to me this means she didn't totally hated mango street it helped her grow older and wiser as we talk about all what she has been through we realized that she wasn't much different than we are, even though she grew up in a much different situation than most. we all have to take care of siblings and we all have friends we can trust,and all get into not the best situations, we even have that one creepy family living bye but you still be nice to. Esperanza has grown up fast and she needed the house on mango street to help cope with her changes.

Hope173 said...

While reading the house on Mango street, I was thinking about how life would be for me if I lived during that time, and what decisions I would make. Esperanza is very experienced for her age and she grew up extremely fast. Most of us in our English class our 14 (just like Esperanza was) and we definitely have not kissed an old man. At this day and age we think that, that would be extremely inappropriate! Life was just different back then.

Chloe D said...

I thought the theme "The House On The Mango Street" had was courage because she would stand up for what she believes in. In the chapter "The Monkey Garden" Esperanza and Sally are playing and some guys take Sally's keys and tells her that if she wanted them back then she would have to kiss them. Esperanza didn't like this so she runs up three flights of steps to reach one of the boys mother so she could get help. She tells her "Your son and his friends stole Sally's keys and now they wont give them back unless she kisses them and right now they're making her kiss them." Once Esperanza finished the mother didn't even care. Sally was also mad at her for trying to get help.

Claudia D said...

I don't think that Esperanza will miss Mango Street, but in time she may come back. Even though it shaped her personality and made her more mature, she didn't feel like she belonged there.
"The house I belong, but do not belong to." (pg.110)
I think once she reaches a level of maturity and realizes how much of an impact this house had on her she will come back. In the beginning she feels like she is tied down, like a red balloon tied to an anchor. Towards the end she feels like she has been set free. I think this is because she was expected to grow up faster therefore she is closer to being an adult and moving on. I think that Esperanza is ready to become an adult and move on, thanks to the events that happened on Mango Street.

LexieC said...

I think that when Esperanza leaves mango Street she will miss it. She grew up there and that is all she knows. I f Esperanza had grown up in todays time i think that she would maybe of had more of a voice and some situations like her first job would have been way different.I dont think Esperanza will go back to Mango Street. I think she had some really tough times there and doesn't want to remake or go back to those memories. She grew up in poverty and I thin she will make something better of her life and not go back.I dont think Esperanza will ever get married either because she doesn't want to be tieed down like a red balloon like she has been time and time again. I think we can relate to loss. We have all lost something or someone. A pet, a family member, a friendship. Esperanza deals with with losing her grandfather and some friends. I think she also loses some of her childhood because she has to take care of her younger siblings.

~Nouhad E. said...

In the beginning, Esperanza was criticizing the house on Mango Street. After she met new people and realized that life is complicated, do you think when she moved to Mango Street, did that shape her up to who she is today? Was it a mistake that she moved to Mango Street?

aprilA said...

"the house I belong, but don't belong to"
so she likes the house but does not want to be stuck there her hole life. Espranza needs to be her own self to become an independent and to find her way in life is to be free. when she leaves the house on mango street will she be happier or will she miss mango street? I think she will leave and come back and forth between her freedom and her family.

Alana W said...

I dont think Esperanza ever really had a chance to just be a kid with all there moving around, and because of her being the oldest so she always had to take care of her siblings.

AbbyJH said...

Mango Street shaped who Esperanza was. She made lots of friends during her time on Mango Street. She found herself when she lived there. Through her hard times she grew as a person and she learned what was right or wrong. Esperanza had to grow up really fast. One thing that really made her grow up was when her Grandpa died. She had to tell all of her siblings and make sure they were okay about it. Also when she had her first job she was taken advantage of and it made her realize the world was not such a safe place. I think that one day Esperanza will move into her dream house because she is very strong and she has seen examples throughout her life about people not following their dreams.She doesn't want to be like them. Esperanza will someday leave Mango Street but she will never leave the things she learned there.

Caitlin N said...

I think that Mango Street changed her and matured her way too fast. The thing that probably changed her life the most is her dad telling her to tell her siblings that their grandpa died. Her dad telling her that showed that he thought she was growing up and maturing. It probably made her think about how she has a say in her future and feel better about the future. In our discussion Anna helped me understand that this experience here helped her grow up. But in the end of the story it says "the house I belong but do not belong," I think it means that she belongs but yet doesn't belong because she never liked mango street but she had her best experiences there and made her who she is.

Kristen said...

I think Esperanza would not be the same person as she ended up as if she didn't live on Mango Street. Mango Street is where is lived and grew up. I think for her it is much more of a love thing then a hate thing. She has learned so much about life, people and many other things. She has met some people that she has truly looked up to, and some others that have let her down. She had many things that hurt her and tried to destroy, but she was strong and she had faith. She kept going, and she started to thing on the positive then the down sides.
Having her Aunt tell her to lie, is not teaching her anything that will make her do well in life. And I really agree with that because when she went to her job, she was disrespected and she didn't belong there.

LindsayS said...

With Esperanza and her shoes, do you ever feel that way with the sorrow of yourself and so non confident? I know from me sometimes I feel very selfconscious when i don't like my shirt or when you make a mistake. Esperanza grew up with nothing so she felt like this for about everything. Maybe if she wasn't so non confident she would of had a better fuller time on Mango street and growing up so fast.

Anna2013 said...

While living at The House on Mango Street, Esperanza is forced to grow up in a sudden, rapid, way. She has had to learn from many unexpected situations: first job, red clown, grandpa's death, which have caused her to question herself and her life. She had to make herself known and to decide whether or not she will live life with what she has and not look at what she wants. Esperanza had to carry burdens that a young girl should not have to. She seemed to mature greatly when she had to keep secrets that she should have told someone about. I think she felt like she had no one to go to. She yearns to be different and doesn't want a lot of attention. The House on Mango Street helped Esperanza to experience many grown-up/ real world scenarios that encouraged her through the tough times and the craziness of maturity.

Ellen B said...

During Esperanza's stay at the house on Mango Street, she began to find herself and her place. She also found what she valued. Esperanza grew up too quickly in this book. The house on Mango street probably taught her to start to take charge of her life. She was forced to do this because of her family's poor situation on money. She had to learn to take care of herself. She learned to have her own voice, and that it was okay to be different. Overall, she strives to be different from everyone else. She has different goals, and doesn't want to be put down by someone else's power. I believe she will return to Mango Street someday. Her friends and family helped her reach to new heights. As it said in the book, "...come back for the others who cannot leave as easily as you." (The chapter with the three women.) Esperanza, a name that means hope, is a girl that hopes for a change in her life, family, friends, and society.