Freshman Common Read Program
The House on Mango Street: Journal Prompts/Discussion Questions
The House on Mango Street is a deceptive work. It is a book of short stories—and sometimes not even full stories, but character sketches and vignettes—that add up, as Sandra Cisneros has written, "to tell one big story, each story contributing to the whole—like beads in a necklace." That story is told in language that seems simple but that possesses the associative richness of poetry, and whose slang and breaks from grammatical correctness contribute to its immediacy. It is narrated in the voice of a young girl—a girl too young to know that no one may ever hear her—but whose voice is completely convincing, because it is the creation of a mature and sophisticated writer. For example, The House on Mango Street appears to wander casually from subject to subject—from hair to hips, from clouds to feet, from an invalid aunt to a girl named Sally, who has "eyes like Egypt" and whose father sometimes beats her. But this apparent randomness disguises an artful exploration of themes of individual identity and communal loyalty, estrangement and loss, escape and return, the lure of romance and the dead end of sexual inequality and oppression….
The House on Mango Street…is a work that captures the universal pangs of otherness—what Cisneros, in her introduction to the tenth anniversary edition…, has called "the shame of being poor, of being female, of being not-quite-good-enough." It suggests from where that otherness comes and shows how it can become a cause for celebration rather than shame. Few students, regardless of their ancestry or gender, will come away from this book without a strong sensation of having glimpsed a secret part of themselves. For, as Sandra Cisneros has written, "You, the reader, are Esperanza.... You cannot forget who you are."
Source: Random House Resources.
Sandra Cisneros’ novel of growing up was chosen as the UW-PARKSIDE 2006 Freshman Common Read because it touches on many themes that—no matter what your background or experience might be—will be familiar to you. This sense of the familiar provides a common ground for the discussions and events that will take place at Phase II of Orientation and throughout the semester.
To make these experiences richer and more meaningful, we encourage you to keep a journal while reading the book. What follows are journal prompts/questions that will help you to discover your connections to the characters and events in the book. They are also designed to help you think about your future as a UW-PARKSIDE university student. As you read each chapter, refer to the entries below and write your answers in a notebook, making sure to date all of your entries. The journal will become a valuable record of your thoughts as you move towards this next step in life—college.
Chapter 1: Have you ever wanted something that you couldn’t have? Did you learn to accept it? If so, how? If not, why not? How will that experience help you as a college student?
Chapter 2: Esperanza’s description of snuggling with her mother at night provides a sense of a loving and supportive family? What is it about your home and your family that provides you with a sense of security? How will you maintain that sense when you enter the university?
Chapter 3: What do you think the narrator of the novel means when she says “The boys and the girls live in separate worlds?” In what way does this quote apply to your life? Do you think that that the genders in your home/school/community are treated differently?
Chapter 4: Esperanza discusses her name and what it means to her. What does your name mean? What does your name mean to you? How was your name chosen? Does it have family significance? Would you change your name? What does the name UW-PARKSIDE mean to you?
Chapter 5: Esperanza says that Cathy’s family moves a little further away every time “people like us” move in. Have you ever felt this kind of prejudice? How would you react in this situation? Can you justify Cathy’s family’s reaction?
Chapter 6: Describe a good day with your friends. Describe what you think will be a good day with college friends.
Chapter 7: What member of your family do you most strongly resemble? With what member of your family do you share the most personality traits? Do you, like Esperanza, feel a strong connection with your family’s heritage? Why or why not?
Chapter 8: Describe a time in your life when you were embarrassed by your lack of understanding of a new technology or of an event. How will you use what you learned from those experiences to help you when faced with the new experiences of college life?
Chapter 9: Think back to when you were a child. What risks did you take to win a game or a contest? Did you get hurt? Would you take that same risk now? What kinds of risks do you think you will take when you enter the university?
Chapter 10: Part of Esperanza’s personal philosophy seems to be to take every day as it comes, finding happiness where she can. What is your personal philosophy?
Chapter 11: Who do you look up to as a role model? Who do you imagine will be your role models in college?
Chapter 12: What do you believe will make the separations in our society change? Aside from racial segregation, what other factors separate people? Will this change?
Chapter 13: Do you think that society has a responsibility to children? Should the neighborhood have done more for the Vargas children? Was there anything the neighborhood could have done?
Chapter 14: Alicia is afraid of mice and her father. What are your fears?
Chapter 15: Many people turn to nature when they are upset or sad or in need of peace. Esperanza says that you can get drunk on sky. Is there a part of nature that soothes you when you are sad or upset? Is there a part of nature that inspires you? What part of nature on the UW-PARKSIDE campus inspires you?
Chapter 16: Describe an afternoon spending time with your friends. List five ways you think you will make new friends at UW-PARKSIDE.
Chapter 17: Are people judged by the clothing they
wear? Should they be? Is there a double standard for women and their
behavior? Do you think you will dress differently when you get to college?
Chapter 18:
Chapter 19: Describe a time when embarrassment or shyness kept you from participating in something. Did you overcome your shyness? If so, how did you feel? If not, how did you feel? How will you use those experiences to help you if you feel embarrassed or shy in college?
Chapter 20: At what age did you feel that you had left your childhood behind? When did you feel that you were becoming an adult? How do you think your experiences at UW-PARKSIDE will help you to become the adult you want to be?
Chapter 21: Has there been a time in your life when you feel that your trust in people put you in a difficult position? Do you think it is better to be trusting or cynical? Why?
Chapter 22: Although Esperanza is growing up and preparing to be an adult, she realizes that her parents are a part of her home and she is not ready to do without them. What parts make up your idea of a home? What parts of that home could you do without? What parts must you have? How will you keep those parts of home that you must have when you come to the university?
Chapter 23: Esperanza connects her aunt’s death with the imitation game that she and the other children played. Have you ever imitated or mocked someone else? Did you feel guilty? Do you feel guilty now?
Chapter 24: What is the difference between a house and a home? How will you make UW-PARKSIDE a home?
Chapter 25: This chapter is a social commentary. Are there still people in society that are treated the way that Geraldo was treated? If so, what should be done about it? Can anything be done?
Chapter 26: Is it important to find joy in your daily life? Is it important to dream about the future? Which is more important? How will you find joy in your daily life while a student at UW-PARKSIDE? What role will your time at UW-PARKSIDE play in fulfilling your dreams?
Chapter 27: Describe your room. How does your room reflect who you are? How will your room change to reflect who you are as a college student?
Chapter 28: Esperanza wonders what it will be like one day to sit outside with a boy. This for her will be a way of knowing that she is growing up. What are the milestones in your life that let you know that you were growing up? What milestones do you still have to reach?
Chapter 29: Nature has always been an inspiration for writers. Esperanza identifies with four skinny trees. With what element of nature do you identify? Why? Where can you find that element of nature on or near the campus of UW-PARKSIDE?
Chapter 30: Mamacita is homesick. She is refusing to try to belong in America. Describe a situation in your life when you refused to try to fit in. Or describe a time in your life when you were homesick. How will you use what you have learned from these experiences to help you when you are trying to fit in as a college student or if you get homesick?
Chapter 31: What message do you think fairytales send? Why?
Chapter 32: Sally has been told all her life that she is bad, that something is wrong with her. How does this impact her behavior? Do you think that people can escape their childhoods? Do you think that people can escape the perceptions people have of them? Are people judged by their looks?
Chapter 33: Esperanza is in a difficult situation. She has a friend who is being abused and neither she nor her friend can come up with a solution. Describe a time when you were unable to develop a solution to a problem. How do you imagine a college education could have helped you to develop a solution to your problem?
Chapter 34: Describe a problem in society that you wish you could solve. Explain how you will solve it. How do you imagine a college education could help you solve it?
Chapter 35: What would be your own “quiet war?” What part will your college education play in that “quiet war?”
Chapter 36: What are some of the lessons you have learned in your life? How have those lessons helped you to earn a place in the university?
Chapter 37: Is there still a double standard to judge the behavior of boys and girls?
Chapter 38: Describe a time when you tried to help a friend.
Chapter 39: Have you ever judged someone by the people he or she is friends with? Describe the situation.
Chapter 40: What do you feel is the best age to get married? Is there a best age? Is there a best reason to get married? What myths do you think society perpetuates about marriage and romance? Do you think Sally thought her life would be better if she married the salesman? Is it?
Chapter 41: What do you see as your responsibilities to the community in which you grew up? What are your responsibilities to society?
Chapter 42: What impact does your childhood and where you grow up have on you? Is there a part of your childhood that will always be a part of you?
Chapter 43: What are your dreams for the future? What do you want to happen in your life? What part does your college education at UW-PARKSIDE play in those dreams?
Chapter 44: What will you do for the ones who cannot get out?
