The House On Mango Street Analysis: Franklin 1

Franklin 1
Rachel Franklin
Shaffer
English
8 October 2016
The House on Mango Street Analysis

Imagine expecting to get something great, only to be disappointed with something that is
not worth all the pent-up excitement that was being held inside. Esperanza Cordero, a young
Latina girl, is put in this situation in Sandra Cisneross The House on Mango Street. After living
in rundown apartments, Esperanza moves into an actual house instead of a cramped apartment.
Esperanza expects the house to be nice, but the house is not what Esperanza envisioned it to be.
Throughout the story, Esperanza struggles to find her true self and make others know the real her,
as well as her place in the world. Esperanza is also ashamed of a great many of things, such as
her name and house on Mango street.
Esperanza does not consider the house on Mango street to be her home because she is
ashamed to live there. Near the end of the story, Esperanza says, No, this isnt my house I say
and shake my head as if shaking could undo the year Ive lived here. I dont belong. (106). This
means that Esperanza does not consider her house to be her home and even says that she does not
belong. Esperanza refuses to believe that she belongs on Mango Street and is not afraid to tell
people that she does not consider the house she has lived in for a year to actually be her home.
This matters because, despite living there for nearly a year, Esperanza still refuses to believe that
she belongs on Mango street and most likely believes that she does not have a home to go to.
Esperanza also does not want to be forcefully entered into an unhappy marriage, followed
by an unhappy life. In the beginning of the story when talking about her grandmother, Esperanza
Franklin 2
says, I have inherited her name, but I dont want to inherit her place by the window. (11). This
metaphor means that although Esperanza is a woman, she does not want to end up in an unhappy
marriage like her grandmother was forced into. Her grandmothers name was also Esperanza,
and though Esperanza has the same name as her, she does not want to have the same fate. The
metaphor Esperanza uses with inheriting her grandmothers place by the window is used to
symbolise the freedom Esperanzas grandmother craved but could never get. This is important
because Esperanza already has an idea of the future she wants to live and knows what she wants
and does not want. She does not want to end up like her grandmother.
Esperanza wants to change her name to fit her true self and personality. Near the
beginning of the story, Esperanza says, I would like to baptize myself under a new name, a
name more like the real me, the one nobody sees. (11). This quote means that Esperanza knows
her true self enough to know that the name she currently has does not display who she really is
and she wants to change it so people know what kind of person she is. She also uses the word
baptize to show that she wants to start anew with a name that reveals who she truly is. This
shows that already Esperanza wants to change a part of herself so that it would say more about
the real her and it matters because she does not want people to misunderstand her and is willing
to actually change parts of herself to achieve this.
In The House on Mango Street, Esperanza Cordero refuses to believe that she belongs on
Mango street and tries to find and make her true self visible to the world. She knows she does not
belongs on Mango Street and, despite living there for a year, refuses to believe it is her home.
She does not want to become a sad housewife like her grandmother, who Esperanza shares her
name with, and instead wants to experience happiness and freedom while carving her own path
throughout the remainder of her life. Esperanza wants people to know the real her and is willing
Franklin 2
to change details such as her name to achieve this goal. Unfortunately, Esperanza also believes
she does not have a home to turn to and is ashamed of the house on Mango street. Other people
could be facing the same struggle to find their identity around the world. They could be dealing
with it in different ways other than how Esperanza dealt with it, but the book can serve as a guide
for people who dont know what to do in this crisis. People who are in denial and choose not to
believe that their home is really their home can also read the book and realize that they do have a
home to turn to.
Rubric rating submitted on: 10/2/2016, 11:27:13 AM by ashley.shaffer@salinasuhsd.org

2
Hook
Your score: 1
Present
Partially Present
Absent
Background Evidence
Your score: 2
Present
Partially Present
Absent
Thesis
Your score: 1
Present
Partially Present
Absent
Topic Sentence 1
Your score: 0
Present
Partially Present
Absent
Says 1
Your score: 2
Present
Partially Present
Absent
Means 1
Your score: 1
Present
Partially Present
Absent
Matters 1
Your score: 0
Present
Partially Present
Absent
Topic sentence 2
Your score: 0
Present
Partially Present
Absent
Says 2
Your score: 2
Present
Partially Present
Absent
Means 2
Your score: 1
Present
Partially Present
Absent
Franklin 2
Matters 2
Your score: 1
Present
Partially Present
Absent
Topic Sentence 3
Your score: 0
Present
Partially Present
Absent
Says 3
Your score: 2
Present
Partially Present
Absent
Means 3
Your score: 1
Present
Partially Present
Absent
Matters 3
Your score: 1
Present
Partially Present
Absent
Restate Thesis
Your score: 2
Present
Partially Present
Absent
Review Evidence
Your score: 2
Present
Partially Present
Absent
Universal Connection
Your score: 1
Present
Partially Present
Absent
Evidence
Formatted/Cited
Correctly
Your score: 1
Present
Partially Present
Absent
Evidence Clearly
Connects to Thesis
Your score: 1
Present
Partially Present
Absent
Comments:
M.U.G.: 10/10
Rubric rating submitted on: 10/10/2016, 5:24:27 PM by ashley.shaffer@salinasuhsd.org
2
Hook
Your score: 2
Present
Partially Present
Absent
Background Evidence
Your score: 2
Present
Partially Present
Absent
Thesis
Your score: 1.5
Present
Partially Present
Absent
Topic Sentence 1
Your score: 2
Present
Partially Present
Absent
Says 1
Present
Partially Present
Absent
Franklin 2
Your score: 2
Means 1
Your score: 1.5
Present
Partially Present
Absent
Matters 1
Your score: 1
Present
Partially Present
Absent
Topic sentence 2
Your score: 2
Present
Partially Present
Absent
Says 2
Your score: 2
Present
Partially Present
Absent
Means 2
Your score: 2
Present
Partially Present
Absent
Matters 2
Your score: 1.5
Present
Partially Present
Absent
Topic Sentence 3
Your score: 2
Present
Partially Present
Absent
Says 3
Your score: 2
Present
Partially Present
Absent
Means 3
Your score: 2
Present
Partially Present
Absent
Matters 3
Your score: 1
Present
Partially Present
Absent
Restate Thesis
Your score: 2
Present
Partially Present
Absent
Review Evidence
Your score: 2
Present
Partially Present
Absent
Universal Connection
Your score: 2
Present
Partially Present
Absent
Evidence
Formatted/Cited
Correctly
Your score: 1
Present
Partially Present
Absent
Evidence Clearly
Connects to Thesis
Your score: 1.5
Present
Partially Present
Absent
Comments:
M.U.G.: 10/10

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Franklin 1

The House on Mango Street Analysis

Rubric rating submitted on: 10/2/2016, 11:27:13 AM by ashley.shaffer@salinasuhsd.org

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