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

Bliss Katherine

In Latin, my name means pure or clear.

It also means half the class turns whenever someone calls my name. It’s like going to an alley filled with cats and shouting, “Here kitty.” It’s so typical, so colloquial, so much more common than my first name.

My mom tells me that the perfect little name was told to her by a perfect little girl in a perfect little dream. It means exactly what it says, “bliss.” People ask me why I never use it, but it’s always been too elegant, too rare, too delicate a name to truly be mine. (Who’s as angelic as Bliss?).

Whereas my middle name is shared among more people than I know. I will live my whole life and never be the only Katherine around.

Someday I’d like to baptize myself under a new name. Something that sounds natural, but is still unique to me. Then when someone calls my name, I’ll know.

Yes, I’ll know exactly who they’re talking to.

~ Katherine D.

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11 comments:

  1. Khaya Y.January 6, 2016 at 5:12 PM

    I like how you made the last line of your story its own paragraph. It makes the reader really think about what you were saying. Great job!

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  2. AnonymousJanuary 6, 2016 at 8:30 PM

    I love this vignette! You did a great job a voicing your thoughts in an organized but imperfect way!!

    -Sofie

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  3. Kelsey N.January 7, 2016 at 10:47 AM

    I really like how you show how you feel now and show what you want to do in the future with individual thoughts and paragraphs. Nice job! - Kelsey

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  4. AnonymousJanuary 7, 2016 at 10:51 AM

    I love how you use strong words and draw the reader in by the way you formatted your writing!

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  5. AnonymousJanuary 7, 2016 at 10:57 AM

    I like how you talked about what other people thought of you and your plans for the future as well

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  6. AnonymousJanuary 7, 2016 at 10:58 AM

    This is good - it's reflective with a very "complete" sense.

    -Deven

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  7. AnonymousJanuary 7, 2016 at 10:59 AM

    Every time I read through this I love it even more. It's so personal and so well written. Great job :)

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  8. AnonymousJanuary 7, 2016 at 11:00 AM

    I like how you wrote about something personal and how you shared your feelings about your name.

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  9. AnonymousJanuary 7, 2016 at 11:01 AM

    This comment has been removed by the author.

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  10. AnonymousJanuary 7, 2016 at 11:02 AM

    I like the way you explain why you don't use your first name. I also thinks its really cool how you talk about your plans in the future.
    - Mariam

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  11. AnonymousJanuary 7, 2016 at 11:03 AM

    I really like how you much description you gie in some parts. really great job:)

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