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.

Thursday, December 17, 2015

Amistad

Amistad means friendship. The friendship mission that’s what it’s called.

Everyone here has a story. A story waiting to be told. Listen. Behind the exterior is something much deeper. A deep hurt. Something missing.

This is the intent; to fill the gap, to heal the hurt, to find the missing. The abandoned will be taken in. The injured will be cared for. The hated will be loved.

Children. Young, but not innocent. Robbed of their innocence. A chance to live again. A breath of fresh air.

They have almost nothing, but they are still grateful. How can this be? They live simply. Work tenaciously. Live happily.

A trip to the South that's how it started. Far to the south, down in Bolivia. Bringing music to share.

Casa Esperanza. Their home, which became my home. Mama. Tia. Help to fill the gap. Music is my offering. To help fill the gap. Play. Teach.

They learn fast. Some clearly have a gift, ; an aptitude. Skills grow before my eyes. Connections grow too. Deeper than visible to the eye. Unbreakable. Moving me. Changing me.

Time ends too quickly. I go back to where I came from. But, I go back a different person.

~ Fleming K.

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6 comments:

  1. LilyJanuary 7, 2016 at 10:53 AM

    I love the description and the great meaning behind it

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  2. AnonymousJanuary 7, 2016 at 10:55 AM

    This is so great!!!!! I like how much detail you give and how you add spanish words in it!!!!

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  3. Kelsey N.January 7, 2016 at 10:56 AM

    I love how you describe everything in detail and show how the narrator is changing throughout her experience.

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  4. AnonymousJanuary 7, 2016 at 11:00 AM

    Fleming this is terrific! I love the short sentences and the emotions it creates.

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  5. AnonymousJanuary 7, 2016 at 11:05 AM

    I like the strong words you used to make the reader be able to visualize what it was like there.

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  6. AnonymousJanuary 7, 2016 at 1:31 PM

    Great use of descriptive words! Awesome story!
    -NG

    ReplyDelete

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