The vignettes are so incredibly powerful. Autobiographical in nature Sandra Cisneros tells the story of Esperanza Cordero, a young Latina girl growing up in Chicago. We read of her dreams, hopes, aspirations and reality. Cisneros is able to convey powerfully complex messages in simple, easy-to-reach language. Her introduction to the 25th Anniversary edition she says, "... people who are busy working for a living deserve beautiful little stories, because they don't have much time and are often tired." Her goal to touch the every day reader is definitely realized.
As an educator, I can definitely see the appeal of teaching this text. There is such beautiful, rich language. The stories are heart-wrenching, humorous and novel. However, I can also see where the teaching of this collection of touching vignettes could be absolutely destroyed through over-teaching and analyzing.
As Billy Collins, US Poet Laureate from 2001 to 2003 said in his poem, "An Introduction to Poetry":
But all they want to do
is tie the poem to a chair with rope
and torture a confession out of it.
is tie the poem to a chair with rope
and torture a confession out of it.
I can see thousands of teachers ruining The House on Mango Street for hundreds, maybe thousands, of students...
This is one novel that should just be savored, not tortured.
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