Unit 2 - House on Mango Street

What idea is the basis for theme in the excerpt "My Name" when the narrator (main character) reflects on her name and its meaning in both English and Spanish?

Excerpt: "In English my name means hope. In Spanish it means too many letters. It means sadness, it means waiting."

• The conflict between personal and cultural identity.

• The importance of family heritage.

• The struggle for financial stability.

• The joy of discovering one's heritage.

In the section titled, "Four Skinny Trees," how does the narrator personify the trees?

Excerpt: "Four skinny trees with skinny necks and pointy elbows like mine. Four raggedy excuses planted by the city. Their strength is secret. They send ferocious roots beneath the ground."

• by giving them human emotions and characteristics

• by describing their physical appearance only

• by comparing them to other plants

• by discussing their role in the ecosystem

Which point of view is used in the vignette for "House on Mango Street?"

Excerpt: "I knew then I had to have a house. A real house. One I could point to."

• First-person

• Second-person

• Third-person limited

• Third-person omniscent

What does the description of the house on Mango Street reveal about the narrator's perspective (point of view) on her living situation?

Excerpt: "It's small and red with tight steps in front and windows so small you'd think they were holding their breath. There is no front yard... Everybody has to share a bedroom."

• She feels content and satisfied with her home.

• She feels indifferent and detached from her home.

• She feels disappointment and a sense of inadequacy.

• She feels pride in her unique living conditions.

In the section, "My Name," the narrator describes her name using various connotations (indirect suggestions). What does this suggest about her feelings toward her identity?

Excerpt: "It is like the number nine. A muddy color. It is the Mexican records my father plays on Sunday mornings when he is shaving, like sobbing."

• She feels proud of her cultural heritage.

• She is indifferent to her name's meaning.

• She is conflicted and feels constrained by her name.

• She is eager to share her name's significance with others.

What figurative language is used in the description of the house on Mango Street to convey its physical state?

Excerpt: "Bricks are crumbling in places, and the front door is so swollen you have to push hard to get in."

• Hyperbole

• Simile

• Imagery

• Alliteration

What is the rhetorical effect of the narrator's observation about the nun's reaction to her living conditions?

Excerpt: "The way she said it made me feel like nothing."

• It highlights the narrator's sense of pride.

• It emphasizes the narrator's feelings of shame and invisibility.

• It shows the narrator's gratitude for her situation.

• It reflects the narrator's indifference to others' opinions.

In the section titled, "Four Skinny Trees," the narrator describes the trees as having "ferocious roots" and "violent teeth." What is the effect of this imagery?

• It suggests that the trees are aggressive and destructive.

• It implies that the trees are resilient and determined.

• It indicates that the trees are fragile and delicate.

• It portrays the tress and passive and indifferent.

The reference to the great-grandmother's marriage being "like a fancy chandelier" is an example of which literary device?

• similie

• metaphor

• personification

• zeugma

What makes up a person's identity?

• school schedule, grades, sports, clubs, hobbies, transportation, and academic achievements

• daily weather forecasts, traffic conditions, restaurant menus, and TV show schedules

• physical appearance, clothing style, hairstyles, eye color, height, and grooming habits

• personal experiences, cultural background, beliefs, values, relationships, and social roles