Week #13 Book Review Rebeca R.

Hill The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros Culture is a gateway that opens up and allows us to e plore! understand and hope"ully appreciate the world around. #t also allows a door to open that enables us to take a look at ourselves $our belie"s and our pre%udices. #t is with this thought that # dove into the book The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros. # have read Cisneros be"ore and looked "orward to this book. # can relate with &any o" the things she says about the way she was raised. # also a& a Hispanic wo&an and the way she so art"ully describes her upbringing brought laughter and tears to &y eyes. She was raised in a traditional "a&ily. Her "ather e pected her to &arry and have children. 'he thought that wo&en were to be educated was all well and good but not too educated because then! wo&en would get ideas and there goes the neighborhood. 'he "ear that so&e part o" the tradition o" &arrying and raising a "a&ily would change and the old ways would be lost and once lost! it could never be recovered. ('he "ather decided too &uch college and too &any gringo "riends had ruined her) *p. iii+. However di""icult it &ay be! change co&pels us even at ti&es when we "eel we are not ready. ,or Cisneros! she was drawn to writing "ro& a young child and the stories which she wrote began as everyday li"e e periences in a run down neighborhood in Chicago. Her &other! -lvira Cordero Cisneros! was a driving "orce behind Cisneros. 'he author saw her &other as an independent wo&an living her li"e under the constraints o" a culture that had de"inite boundaries "or wo&en and &en.

Hispanic culture has always been do&inated by &en even to the e tent that it has in"luenced even the language. ,or wo&en in that particular culture! navigating the rules and being independent was and has not ever been easy. .oran/s book! Teaching Culture does a great deal to e plain about how we as teachers should look at culture in Chapter 'wo $ The Cultural Experience. #n this chapter! .oran speaks o" the "ra&ework he breaks down as (knowing about! knowing how! knowing why! and knowing onesel") *p. 10+. #n Cisnero/s book! you get a clear picture o" the "ra&ework .oran speaks o". ,or Cisneros! a .e ican12&erican! living outside the traditional culture was not easily done. Cisneros clai&s that even as a young child! she sought solitude and wanted to live in a house were you would be able to be 3uiet. Hispanics are notorious "or being loud and boisterous but also! the environ&ent were she lived was noisy. (#t/s a neighborhood that reeks o" beer and urine! o" sausage and beans) *p. ii+. 4aving the way! Cisneros educated hersel" and went decided to dedicate hersel" to her passion! writing. #n the "irst vignette! ('he House on .ango Street!) Cisneros poignantly describes the longing she and her "a&ily had "or a better house so&e day. Her "a&ily would take drives on the weekends and go looking at ho&es they could never have a""orded. #t was a routine and Cisneros decided one day to break the habit. She did not want to see how the other hal" lived while knowing that they could never have that type o" ho&e. She would have a real ho&e she told hersel" $ one day. 5ou get a sense o" the culture that she was growing up with. 4oor! li&ited and looked upon. She knew she had to get out. Cisneros "ront loads the reader with very descriptive language so that we know about the culture and also! she shows us the know

how and the why o" the culture by showing us snippets o" the traditions and custo&s o" every day li"e that are e&bedded in the vignettes. 'he reader gets gli&pses as Cisneros talks about her sisters and brother. How they would play! interact with each other! "ight and argue and drea&6 ,or Cisneros/ "ather! the drea& was to have her &arried and with a "a&ily. ,or her &other! the drea& was that Cisneros would beco&e an independent! educated wo&an. -lvira also had drea&s "or hersel" when she was young $ to be an opera singer $ to be an artist $ to visit the theater. But "or -lvira! she lives with her "riends na&ed sha&e and regret. ,or .arin! the drea& was a di""erent way o" li"e that only a &an

could provide $ so&e &an $ any &an $ the right &an $ 7eraldo perhaps8 ,or Rosa 9argas! it was the drea& that her husband would return or that so&ehow so&eone would do so&ething with her children: "or 2licia! that her "ather would not beat her and that she would able to educate hersel" right out o" the slu&s. ,or Cisneros! it was a drea& that even though you are not pretty! you can dance and have Sire hold you. ,or the -arl o" 'ennessee! the drea& was having his wi"e visit but it never see&ed to last long. ,or Ra"aela! it was the drea&s o" "reedo&! o" dancing be"ore she gets too old and o" tropical drinks. ,or Sally! it was a drea& to "it in and have so&eone love her. She re&inds &e o" the song by the -agles! (;ying eyes.) She settled "or the &oney but in the process! lost her "reedo&. 'he &ost power"ul gli&pse we see is that o" Cisnero/s being raped in (Red Clowns.) 'his insight re&inded &e o" .oran/s (<nowing =nesel") where (the cultural e perience is highly personal) *p. 1>+. #n the Hispanic culture! the &ales set the tone "or the society. 'hey are considered ?privileged/ due to their gender. 'hey have the "reedo&

to &ove out and about while the wo&en/s place is in the ho&e. While this &indset has changed so&ewhat! especially "or those "a&ilies that live in the @.S.! in &any other Hispanic speaking countries! change is slower paced. 'he idea that girls or wo&en out by the&selves were looking "or trouble or a ?good ti&e/ was not unheard o". ?7ood girls/ stayed ho&e or went out with &o&! grand&a! tAas! etc6never alone. 'ragically "or Cisneros! she was sub%ected to so&ething no wo&an should have to encounter! no &atter the culture. # was never allowed to date without a chaperone until # &arried at the age o" 1B. #t was not done. However! &y brother could go out with his "riends! have a good ti&e! and return late into the night. #t was not until # was older that # had ti&e to re"lect o" the practices o" the culture in a "oreign country. .y parents are traditionalists and even though they have changed so&ewhat! the culture that they were brought up in is still very &uch a part o" who they are. Cisneros "ound the strength to &ove "orward. She used her background and culture to educate and inspire others not settle "or anything less than your drea&s. 2lthough she had &any obstacles to overco&e! she believed in her passion that started back in Chicago on .ango Street.