HOMS Playlist - Playlist for Esperanza

As mentioned earlier in the unit, you will be tasked with creating a playlist
for Esperanza. The goal is to imagine if Esperanza was coming to APIS tomorrow
and you need to create a playlist based on what you know about her from The
House of Mango Street.
You will need to select 5 songs that you will have to analyze. Your analysis of
each song needs to be at least 1-2 paragraphs long.
This means that you will need to find textual evidence/connection to the
novel (paragraph 1) and lyrics from the selected song (paragraph 2) to justify your
reasoning for choosing the song(s) for your playlist to Esperanza.
*Share your playlist with me via YouTube
**Your playlist must include at least 5 songs BUT if you want to include
more, you may include up to 10 songs. You do not have to include analysis for the
extra songs.
***This is a formative assessment that will be graded using Criterion A -
Analyzing

Example
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xwMOC5i2eRk

My plastlist for Esperanza:

https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLVT6L-8obTuBxU7p8CnIBB-lT_FM2eoIm

1. Friends English Lyrics:

Reading through the whole book, Esperanza doesn’t have a real good friend that
she always wanted. “Someday I will have a best friend all my own. One I can tell my
secrets to. One who will understand my jokes without my having to explain them.“
From the quotes above, we could see that Esperanza definitely wants a best friend
just like other girls, but she never has one even until the end of the book.

This song is performed by Jimin and V from BTS, and their friendship is famous in
the fandom. Jimin is older than V and more mature than him, V himself in real life
is a fantastic person, he always has some weird but wonderful ideas just as the
pure children do. And this type of personality is the easiest to get hurt in the cruel
reality. Just like the lyric “Hello my alien” Jimin sang, as elder brother to V, he
always gives V the strongest and most supportive friendship to his little alien V.

In this song, Jimin and V sang their love to each other, everything they
experienced since the start. Esperanza might not need friends that much as
before since she experienced so many things and grew so much, but I hope the
song will remind her of that warm friendship. There is the lyrics in the song “One
day when this cheer dies down, stay by my side. For eternity, keep staying here.”
and “Like your tiny pinky,longer than seven summers and cold winters, longer than
numerous promises and memories.”, these lyrics represent the common wishes
people have for each other as friends. Everyone wants their friends to stay with
them long for eternity. I always hope Espernza will get out of all the terrible past
and chat with friends in her own sweet little home. The other reason I chose this
song for Esperanza is that I want her to know she doesn’t have to try so hard to do
everything alone without anyone supported, she deserves to have a soulmate that
gives her the best understanding and support in the world, and stay with her
forever.

2. Whalien 52 English Lyrics:

From the chapter of Four Skinny Trees, Esperanza compares herself to the four
skinny trees, the trees that “do not belong here but are here”. Esperanza has
mentioned that she doesn’t belong to Mango Street for many times in the book,
and no one ever understands and is connected to Esperanza’s mental world.

The song Whalien 52 is inspired by the true story in the world, there is a whale
that cannot communicate with the other whales, the famous 52hz whale. This is
the loneliest whale ever in the world, because its pitch to communicate is higher
than the other whales, so no matter how hard it tries the others are unable to
hear it. And the songwriter of this song made the word “whale” and “alien”
together for the song name, the 52hz whale is a whale but also a strange alien to
the other whales.
Esperanza is lonely, she doesn’t have friends that she can rely on, there is no one
who understands her also, just like the 52hz whale in the song. Even the place she
lives, the Mango Street is also not where she belongs to. She deserves something
better, she deserves good friends, blue sky, and happiness. Just as the singer of
the song, BTS. Before they became famous, they experienced a lot of hate, bias,
untrue and despicable scandals. I want to use this song to tell Esperanza even if
she is lonely and doesn’t belong, but still everything will pass. Loneliness isn’t a
thing to be scared or ashamed of. Just as the lyrics ”An endless signal will reach
someday, everywhere, even to the other side of the earth” Esperanza's signal will
reach to other places also, all she needs to do is keep a hope of her life and being
herself.

3. Epiphany English Lyrics:

From the whole chapter of Red Clowns, people can guess that Esperanza has been
sexual assault. Experiencing sexual assault is a terrible thing, especially when
Esperanza is still a little girl. As many girls do, Esperanza also has imagined true
love, romance, roses, ture love kisses. The thing she experienced should happen
after many years when Esperanza turns into a grown up and happens between her
and her love, the one she loves and also loves her, not just a man who has disgusting
and nasty ideas for females.

The song, Epiphany is performed by a member of BTS, Jin. BTS is a boy band that
always tries to send positive and warm messages to the world, and their messages
are hidden inside of their music. The theme of the song is basically about self-love,
people should accept every side of themselves, and love themselves. In my opinion,
this song is warm, soft and tender. Many people have always been told to respect
and love others, but are barely taught to love themselves, and the artist BTS is
one of the few that tells people to love themselves. The music is realistic,
represents many people’s daily issues.

“The real myself inside the smiling mask, I reveal it entirely.” This is a lyric from
the song, and I suspect it fits with Esperanza. Does she tell her parents about
everything she suffers, or does Esperanza just choose the easiest way of wearing
a smiling mask and hide herself? “I'm shaking and afraid but I keep going forward.
I'm meeting the real you, hidden in the storm. Why did I want to hide my precious
self like this? What was I so afraid of? Why did I hide my true self?” And this
lyric is the best thing I want to tell Esperanza from the song that everyone is the
most precious gift in the world, the terrible thing that happened before isn’t your
fault, and you didn’t do anything wrong. Esperanza, you should know that you're
special and precious, that means entirely yourself, every part and every side of
you, and you should love yourself.

4. 2! 3! English Lyrics:
Esperanza experienced a lot more than the other girls her age, loneliness without
friends, not being understanded, racism, and sexual assault. After I read the book,
I always keep wondering, has the little Esperanza ever cried at night, pouring all
the emotions out from the daytime? After the sexual assault she suffered, has
she ever have mental breakdown? Did she lose trust with people?

Apparently, I will never get the answers. In the book, the only thing that
Esperanza wants so much is a house that belongs to her entirely, not a house of
others, but a house that really belongs to Esperanza and she can put everything
she likes inside of her home. In my opinion, the reason why she wants a house this
much is she has seen many tragedies of dependent women in the Mango Street,
Sally, Minerva, even her own mother. She knew how important to be
self-independent, and her need of a house isn’t just a place to live, more a place to
be Esperanza herself and the house is her own universe, she doesn’t have to follow
other people’s rules anymore. Esperanza needs a place to be alone and cure her
wound and scars.

The song 2! 3! is a song to heal other people, still, by BTS. Esperanza is smart and
no one could ever lie to her, and she isn’t the type of person that believes fairy
tales, either. “Because you’re all idols. It sucks even if I don’t hear it” this lyric
brings me a familiar feeling as Esperanza, she has also been discriminated against
because of her race, the origin/job, race are both things that neither BTS and
Esperanza could change or choose. “It’s okay come on when I say one two three
forget it. Erase all sad memories hold my hand and smile.” Didn’t BTS have bad
memories? Of course they have, but because they became mature so they decided
to let life goes on, still bringing people joy and positives. It is also the main reason
why I chose this song for Esperanza. Yes, indeed, she experienced a lot, but still I
want Esperanza to live under the sunshine and blue sky. I really do hope she gets
off from the bad memories, smiles confidently and moves on to her bright future.

5. Not Today English Lyrics:

Esperanza isn’t a normal girl, she always knew what she wanted. Before, she wanted
to get out of the Mango Street because she only considered she doesn’t belong
there, but after the conversation with the three sisters, she knew her faith and
why she needed to go out. She leaves to come back, for saving people who are stuck
up in the Mango Street of their lives, those people cannot leave, so Esperanza is
preparing to save them.

The song Not Today, unlike the other soft songs, this song is quite intense. The
artist of the song is still BTS, this song is also their heartfelt wishes. Everytime
they release a new song, there will always be a lot of people saying that they lost
themselves and become the product of money, or they’re flopping from the top and
they are falling, everytime. But this song is the biggest gift to the antis and
haters. Unlike other kpop groups with famous entertainment, BTS paved their way
by their blood, sweat and tears, just like Esperanza.

“No, not today. Flowers wither eventually. But no, not today. Today is not that day”
Everything and everyone dies someday, it only matters with the time, and it is not
today. “If you can’t fly, then run. If you can’t run, then walk. If you can’t walk, then
crawl. Even if you have to crawl, gear up” The world is cruel but equal in some way,
people would definitely gain something by trying hard. Esperanza has to try very
hard and run to achieve her dream, the song is motivated for people, and for
Esperanza. She is similar to BTS in some way, both of them don’t have support, and
all they have to do is keep running toward their dreams, BTS did it, and I believed
Esperanza would also achieve her goals. I hope the song will give her motivation and
energy to support her fighting for her dream and her faith.

Criterion A: analysing
Level 1-2 Level 3-4 Level 5-6 Level 7-8

The student: The student: The student: The student:

A1: Provides limited
analysis of the content,
context, language,
structure, technique and
style of text(s) and the
relationship among texts.
A2: Provides limited
analysis of the effects of
the creator’s choices on
an audience.
A3: Rarely justifies
opinions and ideas with
examples or explanations;
uses little or no
terminology.
A4: Evaluates few
similarities and differences
by making minimal
connections in features
across and within genres
and texts.
A1: Provides adequate
analysis of the content,
context, language,
structure, technique and
style of text(s) and the
relationship among texts.
A2: Provides adequate
analysis of the effects of
the creator’s choices on
an audience.
A3: Justifies opinions and
ideas with some
examples and
explanations, though this
may not be consistent;
uses some terminology.
A4: Evaluates some
similarities and differences
by making adequate
connections in features
across and within genres
and texts.
A1: Competently
analyzes the content,
context, language,
structure, technique, style
of text(s) and the
relationships among texts.
A2: Competently
analyzes the effects of the
creator’s choices on an
audience.
A3: Sufficiently justifies
opinions and ideas with
examples and
explanations; uses
accurate terminology.
A4: Evaluates similarities
and differences by making
substantial connections
in features across and
within genres and texts.
A1: Provides perceptive
analysis of content,
context, language,
structure, technique, style
of text(s) and the
relationship among texts.
A2: Perceptively
analyzes the effects of the
creator’s choices on an
audience.
A3: Gives detailed
justification of opinions
and ideas with a range of
examples, and thorough
explanations; uses
accurate terminology.
A4: Perceptively
compares and contrasts
by making extensive
connections in features
across and within genres
and texts.

The song connections to the book are a bit of stretch in most cases. Focus on the
textual evidence of both the book and the lyrics. Analyze the book more, focusing
on the language and context.