Finding Home: The House on Mango Street
Lesson 12
Objective
Draw conclusions about character perspectives in The House on Mango Street.
Readings and Materials
-
Book: The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros pp. 76 – 85
Target Task
?
Writing Prompt
How do the vignettes in today’s reading develop Esperanza’s belief that for women, “to be … beautiful is trouble” (81)? Support your answer with at least two pieces of evidence from the text.
Key Questions
?
- What is Esperanza’s point of view on Mamacita? Support your answer with two pieces of evidence from the text.
- How does Mamacita’s point of view of America differ from her husband’s? Support your answer with two pieces of evidence from the text.
- What is Esperanza’s point of view of Sally? Support your answer with two pieces of evidence from the text.
- Discussion: In today’s reading, Esperanza reflects on a number of different women in her neighborhood who experience gender-based violence or whose lives are controlled by men. What impact do you think this has on Esperanza?
Lesson Guidance
Standard and Literary Concepts
- Students should think about how Esperanza’s perspective on the people in her community shapes the way she sees herself and her options.
Notes
- Make sure that students note that Cisneros is weaving in more examples of Esperanza’s relationship to words, particularly in “Minerva Writes Poems.”
- One of the strengths of Cisneros’s writing is that she does not make everything explicit: the reader needs to read between the lines and make inferences in order to fully understand what is not being said. This is especially true as it relates to sexual violence in the text.
- Be mindful of the sensitive issues today’s reading brings up, particularly domestic violence and the shaming of young women for their sexuality.
Homework
- Read The House on Mango Street, pages 86–98. Read and take notes. Think about how Esperanza is beginning to imagine what her life will look like in the future.
Enhanced lesson plan
Enhanced Lesson Plan
Get recommendations on pacing and lesson structure, as well as suggestions for meeting the needs of a range of learners.
Download Sample
Coming Soon:
January 2021
Common Core Standards
-
RL.7.6 — Analyze how an author develops and contrasts the points of view of different characters or narrators in a text.
