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.

Friday, December 18, 2015

I Remember

I remember...
My whole body would burn. I wondered if my toes would fall off.
I needed to stop. I couldn’t. I had to go on.
My arms ached. My head would spin. My feet cramped up.
I couldn’t put my arms down; she would yell.
I couldn’t stop turning; she would scream.
I couldn’t stop pointing my feet; she would shout.
I couldn’t keep up; she didn’t notice.

Slowly I realized where I was. My mind wandered as I peered through the windows to stare at the pointe class warm up. I watched them do frappes on pointe. I watched their feet beat back and forth as they did petit battement at the bar. I slowly looked away. My eyes flicked back and forth from the girls, stringent in their pointe shoes and buns, to the 11 of us―black leotards, black tights, bare feet, pony tails flowing freely, laughing without a care.

As the 11 of us walked from the most commodious studio to the least, I realized how lucky I am. I had been tenaciously holding onto a dream of getting back on pointe. I had ignored everything else.

I smiled as I felt a weight lift off my shoulders.

In the back of my mind I still wish...
I wish to be sugarplum fairy. I wish to wear a tutu and fly across the stage.
I wish to perform at the opera house of The Kennedy Center...
I will get there someday. Not on pointe but with my bare feet. I won’t fly. I will soar.
I will be free. I will not look back.

Ballet will be there for me; maybe one day I’ll go back.
But for now I will remember.

~ Jodie K.

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10 comments:

  1. AnonymousJanuary 6, 2016 at 10:12 AM

    love this- CB

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  2. AnonymousJanuary 6, 2016 at 10:41 AM

    this is really good. it's really descriptive- MM

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  3. Anna HurleyJanuary 6, 2016 at 1:19 PM

    It is very intense and I like the fragmented sentences.

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  4. AnonymousJanuary 6, 2016 at 1:21 PM

    The transition at the beginning from sad to empowered is really great!

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  5. CourtneyJanuary 6, 2016 at 1:29 PM

    I love how you have the repetion at the end. Good job hodia

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  6. AnonymousJanuary 6, 2016 at 1:29 PM

    This is really good.I really liked the beginning. It made you want to read more.

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  7. LysanderJanuary 6, 2016 at 1:29 PM

    This was a very good story. It was very powerful. :):):):):):)

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  8. AnonymousJanuary 6, 2016 at 1:31 PM

    I feel like this story is written about you but also about other dancers. Nice job Jodie!!

    -Sofie

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  9. AnonymousJanuary 6, 2016 at 1:41 PM

    I loved this! This story is very descriptive and easy to connect to. Even though I do not do dance I found ways to connect it to my personal experiences. I especially loved this because it was very interesting to see what dancers physically and mentally go through.

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  10. AnonymousJanuary 7, 2016 at 10:49 AM

    Amazing job, very deep.

    ReplyDelete

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