Potomac's eighth grade English students read and discuss The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros. The book is a series of short vignettes that together capture the characters, setting, and stories of a particular neighborhood in Chicago. The vignettes are written from the perspective of a fictional narrator and are based loosely on Cisneros's own experiences as well as those of her students. Some of the vignettes are humorous or action-packed; some are heart-wrenching or shocking. All are deliberate in their use of figurative language, poetic elements, grammar conventions, and pacing.

Each eighth grader composed at least one vignette for inclusion in this digital collection. They wrote in the style of Sandra Cisneros, as they interpreted it based on their notes and our class discussions, yet they set it in a time and place of their own choosing. While some of these vignettes are based on the author's personal experience, many of them are purely fiction, an imagining of characters and circumstances that seemed ripe for this assignment. Students also used this assignment to experiment with new vocabulary words and techniques involving punctuation and sentence structure.

We encourage you to leave comments below vignettes that strike you in some way. Please keep your comments positive and specific; this is not the place for critiques or suggestions. Enjoy the creativity and vibrancy of these students' literary efforts.

Wednesday, December 24, 2014

Spring Rain

It was the most perfect day of spring break. The sun was shining. The ice cream truck was driving by, playing its happy tune. I could hear the birds sing as you came to pick me up from my dance class. You came too soon.

Suddenly the day turned completely upside down. As you and I walked into our house, I spotted Mishka lying like a discarded doll on the floor. Normally she would bark her snappy little bark, welcoming us home, but today was different. I ran towards her. I tried to get her up. I tried calling, petting, and even helping her to stand. Nothing worked. I reached out one hand towards her chest. Tears started running down my face when I felt no movements. My mind knew that she was gone, but my heart could not accept the truth.

The world was a blur. You kneeled next to me. You told me that she was okay. I could only half hear you as I ran through the kitchen door and back outside. I fell to the ground, my head between my knees. The world stopped spinning as my world spun faster. The sun stopped shining. The ice cream truck stopped playing its happy tune. The birds stopped singing. I let the spring rain pour on me.

~ Alexis W.

3 comments:

  1. AnonymousJanuary 8, 2015 at 9:17 AM

    Your ending is very strong, the way you connected it with the beginning, but opposite because of the emotion.

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnonymousJanuary 8, 2015 at 9:26 AM

    I like the way you said my mind knew she was gone but my heart could not accept the truth

    ReplyDelete
  3. AnonymousJanuary 9, 2015 at 5:30 PM

    This is sooooo sad Alexis! You are a really good writer! I like your descriptions!!!

    ReplyDelete

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