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

Superdog

Superdog was what we called her. Seventeen years old with no sign of giving up. Until one day when she did give up.  I never got the chance to say goodbye.  Before my mom left to take her to the vet, she asked me if I wanted to hold her.  I said that I would hold her after she got home from the vet.  Gracie never came home from the vet. 

Why did I not say goodbye?  I will regret my decision forever.  Cherish your loved ones, because when I failed to cherish Gracie, I realized how much she meant to me. It’s been six years, but I still remember that one August day so vividly.  I remember laying in my bed, crying until my head hurt when my mom brought back eyes filled with tears instead of our dog.  Why did I not hold her?  Why did I not pet her?  Gracie died without knowing that I loved her.  My heart broke when hers stopped beating.  

When I see her in heaven one day, I will tell her that I’m so sorry that I didn’t tell her goodbye.  When I go to heaven, I will hold her, I will pet her, I will cherish her. I’m sorry, Gracie.  Goodbye.

~ Sarah G.

3 comments:

  1. AnonymousJanuary 9, 2015 at 10:52 AM

    Sarah, this is really good! Your advice is really good and something this is something that everyone should read! Great Job!

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnonymousJanuary 9, 2015 at 10:54 AM

    This is really good! The story line is very captivating and I can connect!

    ReplyDelete
  3. AnonymousJanuary 9, 2015 at 11:02 AM

    The last few sentences were great!

    ReplyDelete

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