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

Pressure Point

Pitter-patter, pitter-patter, pitter-patter. The rain strikes the roof with it’s heavy drops.

The classroom is dead silent.

Pitter-patter, pitter-patter, pitter-patter. Pencils scratching at the paper.

30 minutes left, the teacher says, perfectly content.

Pitter-patter,pitter-patter,pitter-patter.

I replay the earlier conversation from the car in my head. Your future is decided now. FOCUS. It’s like you don’t even try! FOCUS. We are all counting on YOU. FOCUS.

Pitter-patter,pitter-patter,pitter-patter.

20 minutes left! the teacher repeats.

A whole 10 minutes have gone by and I’m a barely over half finished.

Pitter-patter, pitter-patter, pitter-patter, pitter-patter, pitter-patter, pitter-patter. The rain is heavier than ever. Suddenly, I get a massive headache. My head starts to throb, and my vision starts to go blurry.

Pitter-patter, throb pitter-patter, throb-throb pitter-patter, throb.

The rain is so percussive it feels as if the roof could break at any minute and flood the entire classroom, if only that would happen...

It would save me from finishing the test, and save me from having to face my future. It will wash away all the stress, and insanity this place has caused me.

Pitter-patter,pitter-patter, throb, pitter-patter, throb.

My thoughts are solemnly interrupted by the one and only bearer of bad news;

10 minutes left! The teacher yells to make sure all 200 students can hear. I panic. Now this is my pressure point.

~ Lily M.

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6 comments:

  1. AGJanuary 6, 2016 at 8:53 AM

    I liked the tone of this story! It was clear how nervous you were, and I was able to feel nervous for you.

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  2. AnonymousJanuary 6, 2016 at 1:35 PM

    I really like how the sound of the rain is incorporated into the the story, and the progressiveness of stress.

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  3. WindsorJanuary 7, 2016 at 10:45 AM

    I could feel the pressure on you! The tone is perfect for the situation.

    ReplyDelete
  4. AnonymousJanuary 7, 2016 at 10:54 AM

    I like how you use onomatopoeia to depict the rain and your head ache! Also this story is very relatable! -Fleming

    ReplyDelete
  5. Kelsey N.January 7, 2016 at 10:59 AM

    I loved the tone of the story and how you used the sound of the rain to help the reader to feel the stress you were feeling. - Kelsey

    ReplyDelete
  6. AnonymousJanuary 7, 2016 at 10:59 AM

    I really like how you kept describing the falling and how descriptive it was. Greatjob!!!!

    ReplyDelete

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