MyNameIn English my name means hope. In Spanish it means

too many letters. It means sadness, it means waiting. It islike the number nine. A muddy color. It is the Mlxicanrecords my father plays on Sunday mornings when he isshaving, songs like sobbing.

It was my great-grandmother's name and now it ismine. She was a horse woman too, born like me in theChinese year of the horse-which is supposed to be badluck if you're born female_but I thinh it i, i. a Chineselie because the Chinese, like the Mexicans, don,t like theirwomen strong.

My great-grandmother. I would:ve liked to have

10 Sandra Cisneros

known her, a wild horse of a woman, so wild she wouldn'tmarry. Until my great-grandfather threw a sack over herhead and carried her off. Just like rhat, as if she were afancy chandelier. That's the way he did it.

And the story goes she never forgave him. She lookedout the window her whole life, the way so many women sittheir sadness on an elbow. I wonder if she made the bestwith what she got or was she sorry because she couldn't beall the things she wanted to be. Esperanza.I have inheritedher name, but I don't want to inherit her place by thewindow.

At school they say my name funny as if the syllableswere made out of tin and hurt the roof of your mouth.But in Spanish my name is made out of a softer some-thing, like silver, not quite as thick as sister's name-Magdalena-which is uglier than mine. Magdalena who atleast can come home and become Nenny. But I am alwaysEsperanza.

I would like to baptize myself under a new name, aname more like the real me, the one nobody sees. Espe-ranzaas Lisandra or Maritza or Zeze the X. Yes. Somethinglike Zeze the X will do.

The House on Mango Street ll

Stvle Color-Coding:

Red

Orange

Yellow

Green

Blue

Purple

Pink

Metaphors

Similes

Sensory details

Personification

Model for journal #L:

t/

My Narne

*3&is,-erssJi&$.q*W:I[ was mygrearcB-qther,s nani;;;d ";w..it'i;mine, She was a horse *btildmrne, Uhe was a hoge *brilai'too,'born like me in the

Chinele year of tffiorse-which is suppored to be badluck if you're born female-but I think this is-a ChirGse-

e the Chinese

y gfrat-grandmother, I wouldrve liked to have

Sandra Cisneros S;l.1f,t S

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the story Eoes she ".Igtt?"guve him. She looked n . t

ndow rr"iwrroffi rhe wav so manv *;;;; -Pe*t IilTffiY :,*:Hffi:it'.""TTIJ"-r' ?* Y ;{Lffi] -1:.10,:' ir she

Sudp t'ry 754wth.whet she got3ir wffishe sorry because she couldn,t be ry)all the things she wanred to be. EU:r+rlfa. I have inheritedher name, but I don't want ttiffi;IAlliteration / Repetition

Symbolism

Other devices (hyperbole, onomatopoeia, irony, etc.)

l,ffiS7too,'born like me in the

,.g\rntu.r. ;;;;;, or tinisl(iffi-Xt.'4

AA''T JJ LI.L II, r^ll

-*ifi ,IEs,thing, like silyer,,notEi[EETi,

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MaBdalena-which is uglier than miryrilBLrarcnarwnlcn rs uBller than mine. Magdalena who af,-least can come home u""J u.*;il;;;, Bur_I am ut*uyr-C$q|EPEr?nz1' u,-o vr\.*wr .

-,ffi

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eelI.tUlv\* fiit'v u

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ffild Hke.,@*ilfi?under a new,";., unW*',$name more like th. re-ffi., tii. orr. nobody sees. Espe_

:,?r:,ot trj ^BI, _o-r'

M aritza ar Zeze th e X, Ve s, S omethin glike Zeze theEh.vill do. f=g.^hr^dg d,ievj1.Wnt} wx 'qe Y* "^t

oruj$n-ryqh. 17" ,

The Houso on Mango Street 11

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