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

But the Waves Guided Me

I didn’t know what to do. Great waves like tsunamis of nervousness crashed over me. I stood there shaking and shaking, as if I were a piece of wood bobbing at the surface.  No amount of words could calm me down. No one could make me feel better. I didn’t know what to do.

I didn’t know how to feel. Waves and waves of emotions flowed over me. They ran through my veins, and into my heart. Happy, sad, nervous, excited, peaceful, and broken. These waves chilled my bone, yet they warmed my heart. I didn’t know how to feel.

I didn’t know what would happen. What is to be? Would I make a fool of myself? Or would I be the talk of the crowd? Would I overcome what might become? Or would it come back to haunt me? I was fearful of what could happen.

The sound of water lapping at the white concrete was like hands grabbing for something invisible. As if to tempt me the water flowed back and forth, back and forth. Finally the temptation was too great.

A great splash resonated through the air. Then a loud pounding started. like a thunderstorm that had appeared in the water. Masses of white bubbles erupting from the surface by a whirl arms and feet.

Racing. That’s what I was here to do.

My arms, legs, lungs, and mind were exhausted. I didn’t think I could go any further. But the waves guided me.

~ Juju Y.

4 comments:

  1. AnonymousJanuary 9, 2015 at 10:04 AM

    I like how you have real waves and emotional waves; it's a good comparison. The beginning is confusing, but in a good way, so that you have to read the whole thing to fully understand it. Nice job, Jujubee

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  2. AnonymousJanuary 9, 2015 at 10:24 AM

    I loved how the reader was able to go into the feelings swimmers face before a race. While other players have the direction of the sun, or how wet the field is, swimmers like you have waves. I loved how you ended with "But the waves guided me.", it sets up an optimistic ending to your worries. Great job!

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  3. AnonymousJanuary 9, 2015 at 10:43 AM

    This is really good Juju! I really liked how you let the reader feel the emotion of a swimmer before a race! Good Job Juju!

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  4. AnonymousJanuary 9, 2015 at 10:45 AM

    Great word choice at the beginning to explain how you felt. Nice work!

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