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

Tennis Courts

They’ve always been there for me. With me. In the darkest homework and test infused times. With me. Just a daydream away. With me. The hot surface burning holes into my shoes. With me. The white lines that glisten with vibrance. With me. The raggedy net that somehow stays up. With me. The hot summer sun, beaming away. With me. They relax me when I’m stressed. With me.  They calm me when I contemplate my future. With me. I imagine myself playing on the court, in front of millions of people, relaxed. With me. They’re with me. On my side. Always. With me.

~ John F.

5 comments:

  1. AnonymousJanuary 9, 2015 at 8:22 AM

    I like the use of repetition

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnonymousJanuary 9, 2015 at 8:29 AM

    Are they with you spiritually, emotionally, or physically?

    ReplyDelete
  3. AnonymousJanuary 9, 2015 at 8:30 AM

    I like the descriptive words, and how you show that they are always there for you

    ReplyDelete
  4. AnonymousJanuary 9, 2015 at 8:40 AM

    I like the way you described all the different parts of a court in detail. I also like how you repeated "with me" for emphasis, and how you talked about what you imagined in the end. Nice job!!

    ReplyDelete
  5. AnonymousJanuary 9, 2015 at 10:47 AM

    I like how you keep saying "with me"

    ReplyDelete

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