Esperanza's future

        Esperanza's future is left for us to predict because the ending does not tell of her fate. The only insight into the future is in the vignette about the three mysterious women who tells Esperanza to "come back for the others who cannot leave as easily as you"(The House on Mango Street, Cisneros, pg. 105).This brings me to ask whether she will return to Mango Street. I also question exactly what kind of mission this is.
        Going past the end of the book, I predict that Esperanza will move to a better place to live. According to the book, Mango Street is some god-forbidden impoverished community and it is the worst place to live in. Surely, her next home must be better. She will most likely go to high school because I believe Esperanza is loosely based on Sandra Cisneros's own life. Cisneros is a great writer and she must have had a proper education to learn these skills. Esperanza's future job I think will also be a writer and thus I predict she will get a college education to acquire advanced writing skills. She will become rich from writing novels.       
        Esperanza will come back to Mango Street. If she doesn't, it wouldn't make sense for Cisneros to include the vignette about the three mysterious women because it would not have any ramifications whatsoever. It would also mean a not so good ending as she does act selfish in the end. She will come back to make up for the selfish wish she made when she met those three ladies. The encounter with the three ladies must have spooked her into doing what they suggest in fear of punishment. The magical nature of the ladies should have left a positive impact on Esperanza's decision making. She would probably regard them as holy and respect their advice. Esperanza returns to offer aid to the residents there. Obviously, she will donate some of her wealth to counter the poverty there. Despite some speculation that she might offer to teach the citizens, I don't think that's going to happen. It's not as if the children there are illiterate. Esperanza's friends can speak English perfectly well. Besides there are already schools in the community that teach children.

what would sandra cisneros say about gender issues

        I don't know for sure what Sandra Cisnero's opinions about gender issues are, but I can formulate an answer using evidence from her vignettes. The particular vignette I am studying is "Marin" which starts on page 26. The vignette talks about a girl named Marin who plans to marry her boyfriend in Puerto Rico. Her plans are destroyed when she is sent back to her mother. Marin's life spirals out of control and all she does is dance under the streetlight, smoke cigarettes, and listen to the radio. It is a sad vignette, but it contains hints about Cisneros's opinions.
        All of my quotes show characteristics of females. Appearance is a factor in choosing mates, but it is more associated with females than males. Society expects females to dress nice. "And since Marin's skirts are shorter and since her eyes are pretty..." Cisneros is implying that the way Marin dresses and looks is the standard for females. I can tell that Cisneros does not like this standard because Marin meets a sad ending. She is trying to convey the message that looks and clothes aren't everything and females should not follow this standard. Therefore, she believes that males and females should be raised the same way.
        There is prejudice in the job market as well. Females are expected to take certain jobs in society. "She says he didn't get a job yet, but she's saving the money she gets from selling Avon and taking care of her cousins." Selling makeup and babysitting are all typically associated as female jobs. Men are not interested in makeup. Makeup is more popular for females. Females are expected to learn how to take care of children and so a babysitting job is training to them. Cisneros opposes this standard for the same reason as the standard above.
        This last quote from "Marin" definitely supports my theories about the author's opinion. Think about marriage as you read this quote. "...since you always get to look beautiful and get to wear nice clothes and can meet someone in the subway who might marry you and take you to live in a big house far away." Cisneros is saying that females are raised to get married and implying that females are dependent on the opposite sex. She wants to break this standard by displaying a scenario in which this dependence doesn't work out. The marriage in the vignette is called off. Cisneros wants to say that raising both genders the same way is preferred to avoid bad consequences.

Devin's vignettes

Title: Life in a Nutshell

1. What’s preschool
2. Naughty
3. Early Modern Times
4. My Delimma
5. Education
6. Good Teachers
7. End of school
8. Detention
9. I Hate Summer Camps But Later I Like
10. A New Beginning

End of School

I can’t wait for school to end, I says, I continue looking up at the clock, 2:00
This clock is broken, Michael says, He looks up too, 2:01
The day is almost over, what a boring, boring day and such a tedious class that teaches useless stuff, the stuff my middle school teaches is torture.
Devin pay attention, my teacher orders, and I do, Michael laughs and I tell him to shut up in a friendly way, better be careful, careful or I get the dreaded detention, I hate detention.
I try to make the most of my time, class is almost over, 2:02
We listen to the teacher talk about some writing stuff that I’m not interested in
I wish something interesting happens, I say, 2:03.
Occasionally very peculiar things happen in class and I remember those few memorable moments. Sometimes stuff like angry outbursts, passing of notes, stuff thrown around, and people getting sick occur. Which one would you pick, AK-47 or M16, i ask randomly in a desperate attempt to make it to the end of class. Ak-47, has a higher caliber, Michael reasons.We like to talk about random stuff like after school activities and jokes until the end of class, 2:10.
One more word out of you guys and you will both receive detentions, the teacher threatens. Why are we the only ones getting caught? Aren’t there other people? Maybe we are the only troublemakers. I daydream for another five minutes, 2:15.
I am awaken by a rude message. Put your name on the detention list, the teacher commanded, pay attention. I was in a mood for the rest of class. I just needed to survive for five minutes and I will have escaped, but i fail, 2:20.
End of school.

Education

Everybody in my family has different education. My mother and father got their education in China. My father’s education was a walk in the park. He only made it to middle school. My mother’s education was like that of my father’s except she made it to high school. My education is really straightforward, preschool, elementary, middle and high school. My little sister’s education is still young.
      But my big sister’s education is the longest, long like a line at a carnival. She has been through fourteen years of schooling. It is the sight of tremendous work and countless frustrations, the only one in my family to experience college, college and its hassles of living away from home. I think it feels lonely.

Detention

People get detention through various means. Being late, cheating, talking in class, not doing homework, etc. Detention is not a fun place. Everyone just does their homework. It is fun if you are with friends. There are the usuals who come almost everyday. Then, there are the new ones. Also, there are people who get more detentions during detention for not doing their work or talking like this guy called Victor who talks a lot.

“Where are you going after school,” he asks his friend.

The teacher takes roll call. Some people ditch detention and tell classmates to answer roll call for them. Then it’s off to work for the rest of detention.

“ Are you done with homework,” Victor asks the same friend.

The homework part of detention is tedious. The only good thing is you get to finish your homework. You can eliminate one hour of homework. An alternative is to draw, but don’t get caught.

“Wanna see my drawing,” Victor offers.

I continue with my work. Something about Mesopotamia or Babylon, how about math, polynomials and square roots, science, the eight planets, writing, compare and contrast essay first draft.

“What are you doing?” Victor questions.

“Doing my homework,” his friend replies.

A teacher sees this conversation and comes over.

“Both of you are getting another detention,” he says.

Victor and his friend look dismay. I am that friend.

I Hate Summer Camps But Later I Like

Summer camps are dreaded among children. It means less summer playing time and more education. That’s how I was thinking before I went. What summer camp is this, you ask? CTY of Center for Talented Youth. It is hosted at several universities across the globe. I went to UC Santa Cruz. I was in a bad mood the day I left for camp. I had already gone to a summer program at my middle school. I was mad about sacrificing in total six weeks of summer break, mad that my middle school required us to take two summer programs, mad that I was taking math which is boring.
UC Santa Cruz was a big campus. The campus was beautiful and surrounded by trees. The campus had a lot of land. The campus contained a lot of students. The campus was haven for me. The campus was heaven.
I got to live in a dorm. My roommate, I did not remember his name, was a funny kid. My roommate was Mexican. My roommate liked to party. My roommate had a bunch of friends. My roommate was cool.
Everyday, we get to eat three meals in the cafeteria. The cafeteria was a big place. The cafeteria was a place to socialize. The cafeteria was filled with delicious foods. The cafeteria was a messy place. The cafeteria was a happy place.
We students also received PE classes. The soccer field was the most enormous field I’ve ever seen. The soccer field was filled with green. The soccer field was bustling with students. The soccer field was gorgeous. The soccer field was freedom.
In addition to all the fun aspects, there are classes too. The classes however are fun. The classes are small. The classes are instructive. The classes are interactive. The classes are taught by funny teachers. The classes are educational.
In the end, I discovered not all summer camps are bad. I was happy to have participated in the best summer program in the world, happy that I made a lot of new friends, happy that I could procrastinate on my summer homework.

house on mango street trees symbolism

       Trees give us life, yet in The House on Mango Street, the trees are not given respect. What could this mean? We can compare trees to groups of people on Earth. Sandra Cisneros personifies the trees to make this comparison more valid. The three vignettes I will use to support my point are "Meme Ortiz" on page 22, "There Was An Old Woman She Had So Many Children She Didn't Know What To Do" on page 29, and "Four Skinny Trees" on page 74.
        Before I read any of the quotes, I guessed that trees are a positive subject. I soon found out I was wrong. "This is the tree we chase for the First Annual Tarzan Jumping Contest. Meme won. And broke both arms."(pg. 22). At first, I was confused about the last sentence. It sounded like Meme broke her arms. Then, I understand that they broke the tree's arms while jumping on it. The kids treat the tree like it is some sort of playground and not a living thing which it is. I understand immediately that trees represent some sort of outcasts on which people take advantage of.
        To confirm my answer, I go to another vignette that mentions trees. This vignette discusses how Rose Vargas has too many kids."The kids bend trees and bounce between cars..."(pg. 29). It's obvious that the kids are breaking the tree. Another interpretation is that the kids are bullying the tree. They are bending the tree against the tree's will. In addition to being taken advantage of, the trees are victims of bullies.
        In this following quote, the trees are personified. They are compared to Esperanza. "They are the only ones who understand me. I am the only one who understands them. Four skinny trees with skinny necks and pointy elbows like mine. Four who do not belong her but are here."(pg. 74). I would just like to say that this quote is saying how Esperanza isn't wanted just like the trees. In addition, the quote confirms how trees are symbols of outcasts. The adjective "skinny" is used to describe the trees because they are weak and fragile and thus vulnerable to bullying.

WIndows Symbolism

        In regular terms, a window is a transparent opening in the house encased by glass or something like that. In The House on Mango Street, the window is a symbol. What is this symbol? The window is mentioned in "My Name", "No Speak English", and "Rafaela Who Drinks Coconut and Papaya Juice on Tuesdays" as well as "Sally".
        The first mention is on page 11 in "My Name". Esperanza discusses about her great-grandmother and how she was kidnapped by her great-grandfather."Until my great-grandfather threw a sack over her head and carried her off. She looked out the window her whole life..." After I read these lines, I jumped to conclusions that the window represents a barrier between the two genders. It is the cause of gender inequality. The man is able to treat the woman like an item. However, I wanted to confirm this with other vignettes.
        "No Speak English" is a vignette about a fat woman named Mamacita who wants to move back to her homeland. The author says she doesn't come out of the house at all."She sits all day by the window and plays the Spanish radio show and sings all the homesick songs about her country..." This vignette sort of disproves the gender inequality proposal. The vignette is not about a man forcing a woman to stay in a confined place. In fact, it's about a son bringing his mother into a new country because she lives alone with a baby boy. She isn't forced to stay at home by her son. She chooses not to leave the apartment. At this point I propose that the window is a symbol of what the world looks like from isolation. It's an obstacle to freedom.
        "Sally" discusses an author's classmate. At first, Sally is a cheerful person. Then, she becomes disillusioned with her pupils. A window is included in a fantasy about the perfect house. "And if you opened the little window latch and gave it a shove, the windows would swing open..." After reading this, I decided to revise my proposal. I propose that windows symbolize a way to escape oppression and isolation. It is the path to freedom. This is my final answer.

the color purple essay

        The Color Purple by Alice Walker, is an epistolary novel. “Epistolary” means in the form of letters. Celie, a daughter of a deceased mother, writes letters to God and to her sister, Nettie, who is in Africa. The novel follows Celie as she struggles against her abusive husband. In addition to the main story lines, there are side plots that involve supporting characters. Everyone who reads the novel knows that Celie and Nettie are the main characters in the novel. That is not the only thing they have in common. Both of them marry at a young age and have the same mother. They are not exactly identical either. Although Celie and Nettie are sisters, they respond differently to religion and community and are involved in different side plots.

        A major theme is the spirituality of Celie. There is a mention of God very early in the book. Her beliefs change as events occur. Celie lost faith in God. She thinks God is a white man like those who destroyed Nettie's village in order to build a road. The hatred may also have been driven by the history between the white people and the African Americans. Celie's only reason to confide in God in the first place is because he is the only one she trusts. She can't talk to Nettie because she's in Africa. The men don't care what she has to say and her mom is dead. Nettie has an opposite view on God. “I will write more when things start looking up. I trust God they will.”(171). She thinks he is holy. She talks of him like he has the ability to change and individual's fortunes. Nettie confides in God she is religious. She used to attend church while she was still with pa.

        Each sister faces a different in equality. Celie is enslaved to her husband. She isn't allowed to talk back and must tend to the house as well as the children and Mr.___. Later on in this essay, there will be a discussion on how she is punished often even for the slightest mistakes. By far, this is worse than the inequality Nettie has to face. Another major theme is gender inequality in which men seems more dominant. Celie at first accepts the punishments that Mr.___ dishes out. “He beat me like he beat the children.”(22). The punishments continue until much later in the book when she speaks up before leaving for Memphis. Mr.___ has no regard to how he treats his wife. Celie is too scared to resist because if she does, she will be beat down. Nettie is in Africa for most of the book. There, women are not allowed to take part in education, but she listens in on the lessons anyway. The men there don't think that education is necessary for women. Nettie is fiercer than Celie. This can be proven by examining her words. “You got to let them know who got the upper hand.”(17). There are a couple of reasons why her attitude is more positive than Celie's. First and foremost, Nettie is younger than Celie. She is more energetic because of age. Celie is older, so she is more worn out. The other reason is because Nettie has never been beat down by a ma, so she doesn't fear. Plus,   Nettie knows Mr.___ has a thing for her, so he wouldn't ruin his chances by treating her rough.

        Every book has side plots. The Color Purple is no different. In Celie’s side of the world , side plots are common. The story also tracks the life of Sophie. She marries Harpo, but then leaves when the former gets tired of arguments. She encounters the mayor’s wife one day and she asks if Sophie wants to be her servant. The situation results in Sophie punching the mayor himself. She goes to jail and comes out just to end up as the mayor’s wife’s servant. She returns home after teaching her master how to drive. Sophie becomes a dishwasher at Harpo’s juke joint. The relationship between Harpo and Squeak as well as Sophie is complicated. Harpo becomes engaged with Squeak, but doesn’t make Sophie leave the juke joint when Squeak asks him to do so. Shug is on a quest to seek forgiveness from her father. She tries once, but fails and succeeds the second time. Celie is on a mission to bring Nettie back to America. In Nettie’s side of the world, there is competition between Corrine and Nettie. Corrine thinks Nettie wants to marry Samuel. The conflict ends when Corrine dies. Corrine’s suspicions proved true.

        All people are created equal, but aren’t necessarily identical. One sister thinks God is a man while the other thinks God is holy. One accepts gender inequality while the other fights it. Both characters live in places with drama. The comparisons prove that Celie and Nettie are different, but not entirely.

rebuttal against Bianca's blog post

        Bianca's post suggests that teens above 16 should be able to vote. She says that teens know enough to make their own vote and that there are no such thing as wrong votes. In this quote, she demonstrates why teens know more than other people:

For example, with the parcel tax, teenagers who attend school and feel the effects of it not passing know full well what will happen. To some people, it would be just mean more taxes, but teenagers know that it is more than that.

I can surely say that not everyone who attends this school knows what is happening. This can be a combination of students not caring and others who just don't know what a parcel tax is. Not all adults are stupid. People such as the principal and teachers understand what the tax is going to mean too. Other people who don't attend this school probably don't know about it because they've never heard of it before.
        There is a such thing as a wrong vote. You can rate a president using their popularity and what they've done for the country economically, diplomatically, etc. If an individual voted for the candidate who was very unpopular and put the country into recession as well as plunge the country into wars then that person would've made a wrong vote. Let's use Bush as an example. His popularity is lets say not so good as seen in this CBS article. What has he done for our country? He made the American dollar weaker and did a bunch of other bad stuff that I will not go into detail with.
        I agree with her when she says that parents, teachers, etc. will have much influence on teens. Yes, they are entitled to their opinions and they make the final decision, but influence is still influence. It will always have weight on someone's decision and sometimes that weight may be heavy enough to make the decision for them. For example, there are teens that smoke. They could have been influenced by friends saying how cool it is to smoke or they could have watched the commercials and thought it would be a good idea to smoke. I would not count out influence as an important factor in voting.