Stephanie Flores

Ms. Shaffer
English 1 GATE
21 September 2016
The House on Street Essay
It takes courage to grow up and become who you really are- anonymous. In

the story The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros the author focuses on the life
of a young latina girl who faces reality by growing up in a world full social hierarchy, the
roles of genders, racial problems, and the mysteries of sexuality. As the main character
grows up she learns valuable lessons, she faces many struggles and conquers her
challenges. Throughout the story the main character learns about the struggles of
reaching womanhood and accepting who she really is.
At a young age many struggled with having friends much less learning the true
value of friendship. For Esperanza that was one of her struggles as she grew up. In the
story Esperanza says Nenny is too young to be my friend And since she comes right
after me she is my responsibility Someday I will have a bestfriend to tell all my secrets
to Until then I am a red balloon died to an anchor (9). The author uses a metaphor
reinforce the idea that Esperanza struggles to have friends due to having a sister . In
this case the balloon symbolizes Esperanza while the anchor symbolizes her sister
dragging her down. This quote proves my theme because as she grows up Esperanza
learns the true value of friendship. Overall true friends should accept you for who you
are not for someone you wish to be .
Being different can make others feel like they don't belong. For example
Esperanza wanted to change her identity due to feeling different from others. In

Esperanzas words I have inherited her name, but I don't want to inherit her place but
the window (10). The author uses symbolism to express how esperanza feels about
her identity. In this quote the name inherited symbolizes being stuck by the window.
This matters because Esperanza struggles with who she is due to not wanting to end up
like her grandmother. Due to this Esperanza would rather change who she is than living
up the expectations of being stuck by the window. It's important not to change who you
are just to fit in. For example being the best person should make you proud, the
approval of others should not.
In the story Esperanza shows how she truly feels about her background and
where she comes from. For example Esperanza states I don't tell them I am
ashamed- all of us staring out the window like the hungry. I am tired of looking at what
we can't have (86). In this quote the author uses literal language to show
Esperanzas dislike on how people might think of her. An examination of this quote
reveals that one of the struggles Esperanza dealt with was being ashamed of her back
ground especially where she came from. Furthermore being yourself should not make
you change who you are due to what others might think.
In conclusion the story The House on Mango Street was mainly about how one
learns to accept who they really are. In the story one learns the true value of
friendships, the judgement of other is not important and that you don't have to live up to
expectations. It is important to not change who you really are to be liked by others. You
should be proud of the person you became and not worried about what others might
think of who you are , your background, what you do etc. As you grow up and mature it
important to accept the person you truly are because you should be proud of best

person you yourself could possibly be and you should not change that due to being
different from others..

Rubric rating submitted on: 10/1/2016, 10:15:48 AM by ashley.shaffer@salinasuhsd.org

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Comments:
M.U.G.: 8/10
Rubric rating submitted on: 10/13/2016, 4:45:05 PM by ashley.shaffer@salinasuhsd.org
2

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Universal Connection
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Evidence Clearly
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Comments:
Good job bringing in the literary devices!
M.U.G.: 9/10