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

New Friends

Before, she smiled at me. Every weekend, she talked and laughed and made jokes with me. Good friends, that’s what we were. We made bracelets and braided hair together. We gossiped about other people in the nursing home. Mr. Hart who never took a shower, and Mrs. Teemer never had visitors, and Mr. Anders who was so crabby and never smiled. We went on walks and she bought me candy from the vending machines; M&M’s, Starbursts, and Skittles. She always liked the green ones and I liked the red. 

Then she got sick. They said it was called Alzheimers and she said it wasn’t a big deal. All she did was forget little things like how to tie the ends of the bracelets together or which part of the braid went over or under. But we still went on walks, made fun of the others, and ate candy so it was good. Then she started to forget where she was and what time it was. And then she forgot me. Blank face and confused eyes when I walked in one day. I cried and cried like any seven year old would. But we became friends again. And each time I saw her, we’d start again and again and again.

~ Sara P.

6 comments:

  1. AnonymousJanuary 8, 2015 at 9:25 AM

    Great ending, I can feel your devotion. It kind of reminds me of the ending of the Adam Sandler movie "50 First Dates"

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  2. AnonymousJanuary 9, 2015 at 10:25 AM

    Very intellectual paragraph. Nice job

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  3. AnonymousJanuary 9, 2015 at 10:58 AM

    So sad but so well written. Great job!!!!!

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  4. AnonymousJanuary 9, 2015 at 12:53 PM

    I love this! My grandma has Alzheimer's so I can relate to this well. I love the way you explained how her face was blank, but every time you're new friends which is the best part. Your writing flows really well too.

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  5. AnonymousJanuary 9, 2015 at 12:55 PM

    This is so touching. And it does remind me of "50 first dates"

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  6. AnonymousJanuary 9, 2015 at 12:58 PM

    This so sweet! I love your writing style and I love how you include a lot of little things about her, but they add up to something bigger. It is so sad but so good.

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