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

The Gift

I have to be getting it. Its the only thing I asked for. I’ve been good this year haven’t I? Well atleast they think I’ve been good this year. Oh jeez. What if I don't get it? Would I be kicked out of the mob for having the old equipment? Forget about the mob, how will I be able to have fun with my life without it. Oh and KK, ugh. She wants the other one. And so does Ashlande. How could they betray me like that. They think because I have the older version I don't need a new one. They think that its all the same. Those dense, foolish, vacuous Playstation 4 fans. Why would anyone want that piece of garbage? Why? Everybody knows the Xbox One is so much better than it. If my parents get KK and Ashlande a PS4 I will start to cry and probably run away or something. They won't get them one, my sisters don't even play video games. If I get what I want I would use it all of the time. So far all I have gotten is a gift card and a hat. Ok they are bringing out a box. That has to be my Xbox. It a tad bit thinner than I thought it would be. It kind of looks like a... oh no. Its not for me. That present is for KK. Oh my gosh. Oh my gosh. It can't be. Oh no its a PS4. WHY? WHY? How could they do this to me? I can already feel the tears coming down my eyes. The lump in my throat. But wait theres more. My dad brings out another box. Its about the same size as the PS4 box but slightly bigger. It looks exactly like the box for an Xbox. This one is for me my dad says. I run over to the box and and tear at the wrapping paper. I see the color green and a smile runs across my face. I got it.

~ Matt Ge.

12 comments:

  1. Very intense and I can feel your emotion.

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  4. I can very clearly see your sadness when you see the PS4 shaped box

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  5. Ps4 is a great present. It is a shame you like That Xbox 3 whatever

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  6. Its sad the you do not appreciate a gift like the Ps4. It was cheaper at the time, and it would have saved your parents money to spend on other things for you. Sad. So Sad

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  7. Nice vignette and Xbox is better than Ps4

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  8. I can really feel your strong emotion for the Xbox One. Epic story.

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  9. Wonderful job at building the tension.

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  11. Epic. Legendary. Fo' real

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