Sources: Quintard Taylor. The Forging of a Black Community: Seattle’s Central District from 1870 through the Civil Rights Era. (Seattle: University of Washington Press, 1994). Image Ownership: Public Domain I selected this picture because it shows the fight people of other races have to achieve their own freedom. The people pictured are representing the African […]

In the vignette “Boys and Girls” in Sandra Cisneros’s novel, “The House on Mango Street,” Esperanza describes herself as a red balloon. At the time of this vignette, Esperanza has no friends, so she believes she will be this red balloon until she can find a friend whom she can have fun with, trust with […]

Dear Sally, I’m sure you know that I successfully escaped Mango Street, like I said I always would, and am now a renowned author and owner of a beautiful suburban home. I am currently single, but satisfied with being an independent woman. I’m sure you are wondering why I am suddenly writing to you after […]

In “The Family of Little Feet,” a vignette in the novel “The House on Mango Street,” Sandra Cisneros uses shoes to symbolize Esperanza’s new found power of her sexuality through these new adult shoes. While playing outside one afternoon, Esperanza, Lucy, and Rachel are each given a pair of hand-me-down high heels from a neighborhood […]

In “The House on Mango Street” by Sandra Cisneros, one thematic motif of the story is racism. This theme is presented through Esperanza and the people she encounters on Mango Street and in her neighborhood. Through this thematic motif, the development of different groups and people’s identity is formed by providing examples of racism and […]

I looked out over the gently rolling waves of the clear blue ocean water, forming small barrels just big enough for a body and board to squeeze in between the small hole where the crest and surface met. The ocean water cleansed me like Holy water as I submerged beneath the rolling waves and surfaced […]

My best friend is Bethany. She is a sophomore in high school and plays volleyball, softball, and tennis. She is around 5’4″ with long, dark brown hair. Her eyes are bright blue and she has an athletic stature as well as a perfect smile (thanks to braces). Although we go to different schools, we usually […]

Family, cooking, and tradition all take place in the kitchen. Momma cooks, I watch, we pray, and then we eat. I used to sit at the bar stool and watch my momma cook, her hands rolling out her famous sugar cookie dough, beating eggs for a birthday cake, or flipping bacon sizzling on the hot […]

A beautiful James Avery pearl ring is my most prized possession. It is a size 6 and I wear it on the ring finger of my right hand. The band is made of shiny silver and the single pearl is placed delicately between to scrolls on either side of the ring. The pearl itself has […]