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The biggest challenge I found reading The House on Mango Street was identifying and understanding the underlying themes and symbols noted throughout the novel. However, picking up on the power of language really challenged myself to 'walk in someone else's shoes' of being unable to speak the common language and feel powerless because their was nothing they could do to help themselves.

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The motif, 'Women by Windows' really made me think and reconsider how roles of women in society are not appreciated and how I don't ever want to be in the position where I am not valued, feel inadequate about myself or be unable to escape the life I live from figures who are bigger and stronger than myself. Although in today's society women are showing great impact and getting some recognition it is not as much as male roles. This is disappointing yet eyeopening because together we are moving forward. Change is seen from todays society compared to women in the time the novel was set.

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This novel has broadened my knowledge on topics such as the Spanish lifestyle and language. I have also learnt about how people from foreign countries fit into society and how they are affected by racism in society. "You want a friend, she says. Okay, I'll be your friend. But only till next Tuesday. That's when we move away. Got to. Then as if she forgot I just moved in, she says the neighborhood is getting bad." This quote shows how Cathy is unhappy about the number of hispanic people moving into the suburb.

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Before I read this novel, my knowledge of Chicago and Spanish is almost zero. My first impression of Mango Street was a dodgy place that most people would want to avoid and most of the residents would be some sort of a criminal. However, as the story unfolded, Esperanza gained many friends in the neighbourhood. The chapter where they are skipping ropes reminds me of my friends when we were little. This is where I realised that humans are very similar in nature regardless of where you were brought up.

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I was happily surprised when I got to the chapter titled "Beautiful & Cruel" in which Esperanza decides "not to grow up like the others". At this point I think she has realised that she was treated differently to her brothers and so she decides to discreetly fight back, leaving the dinner table "like a man, without putting back the chair or picking up the plate."

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Around 4 years ago I moved from the UK. I loved where we were living and had many friends. However, when we first moved I almost felt like I was an alien. I didn't know anybody but had my 'first' opinions on people. I felt like these people around me were odd and that I didn't really fit in. I just wanted to move away but never felt happy wherever we were. We started off by living in a small house in Adelaide. It was a two bedroom apartment that did not fit 4 people in it. It smelt and wasn't fully furnished.

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Sexual assault still happens today as many people are aware of, however Esperanza's assault experience made me extend my thoughts on how much it appears in our lives however people are very oblivious towards it. Boys today joke about choking and having consent which is mainly because of the violent videos they watch. However, because watching these videos is considered normal to most people, most boys (at least that i know) believe it is acceptable to do these things they view.

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The struggles Esperanza experiences throughout her childhood, challenged me because it's so easy to forget the hardships other people experience, whether it's in a different country or a different suburb. For example the insecurities she experiences wearing high heels while walking down her street, is something i don't relate to and through ignorance it's easy to forget that people have to deal with situations like that.

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I didn't know anything about Chicago when I read this book and so I took a trip down to look at the layout of the city and the divisions and it reminded me of my home in DC. I lived in a beautiful part of the city, but if you went 2 blocks over you would fear for your life. I carried pepper spray and I realised that this was my prejudice, my issue. In the book she says they don't understand her people- I was one of those they. This made me learn more about the areas I was 'afraid' of and I suddenly saw that the communities in these areas were amazing. I was extended in my understanding of community and place.

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I struggled with Esperanza's sexual assault and how 'normalised' it seemed to be for the boys in the text. At what point do we educate young men to understand consent? Why did she need to suffer because their education did not show them that a woman is not theirs to own. It angers me and I am challenged by the anger I feel as an educator and as a woman.

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i felt most connected to her story in the way that she observed and knew many things about the people that live on her street and around her. As i live on a street shared with my aunties and uncles, and family that don’t live on the street live less than five minutes away. This is both frustrating and beneficial as Esperanza felt in the text, as everybody knowing everything can be helpful especially in time of need. However can also be very frustrating as some things should be kept quiet and private.

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I connected to this novel because Esperanza often felt like she didn't completely fit in - this is due to her Spanish culture, and she felt displaced. I share similarities with the fact that she doesn't feel settled into one place - I enjoy exploring and moving around a lot. I also connected to her emotions of the difficulty growing up as a young woman in society. The enormous amounts of pressure placed on women today is often extremely challenging and tiresome. Relating to this, her sexual assault is another topic experienced by teenage girls in society which often is not talked about. I also connected to Esperanza in the fact that she feels uncomfortable at work - my first job has not been ideal and we share similar emotions.

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One thing that I was puzzled by in this book is the age of Esperanza and her friends. While reading, I expected them to be about primary school age when the story started and about 16 to 17 when the story ends. However, Sally's marriage greatly confuses me as I have never heard of anyone marrying at such a young age. From the narrator's words, the marriage and even the sexual assault seemed normal.

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This book really caused me to realise the social-injustice occurring in some places of how unfairly women are being treated. Where they are not being given the same opportunities and respect as men. It also opened my eyes and surprised me at how normal this appeared to be to the other characters.

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I connect to the time when Esperanza falsely admitted to where she lived under the pressure of Sister Superior. As a person of reserved nature myself, I have several times done similar things because of anxiety caused by people around me. Even though I knew that they did not mean to put pressure on me, I still felt under pressure to say something that they expected instead of the truth.

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Her sexual assault made me rethink about other peoples experiences at home, as myself and I’m sure many other people are oblivious to sexual assault as we have not experienced it ourselves. The photo i have chosen to share is made by a teenager to represent the fingerprints people leave on others.

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I connected to this book in many ways, but I felt the deepest connection to when Esperanza experiences sexual assault. After seeing someone I know go through a similar situation, reading about a young girl experiencing sexual assault, allowed me to connect to the book and almost develop an attachment to it as I felt as though I was experiencing déjà vu. I also connected to Sally and her relationship with her father. On occasion my father and I can have a strained relationship, and while it certainly isn't as bad as Sally, I could relate to the emotions she would've been experiencing and the difficult position she was in.

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This book reminded me how people do have minds of their own. They do think and do have their own opinions even if they don't express them. People do judge other people and people respect others as well, sometimes even the quietest of people have strong beliefs. It reminded me that experiences do challenge how people portray themselves and act towards others. It also made me extend my thoughts of younger people. Children can actually be the smartest of people but are portrayed as immature and too young to understand anything by older people. Children can actually be the ones who understand people more than adults do but are 'characterised' differently, almost to the point of not being able to have their owns thoughts and opinions; having to go off of what their parents think or say.

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I was both moved and challenged by this book, as I witnessed Esperanza's struggle to meet societies expectations of a young woman growing up. I was personally challenged by the fact that she was not given equal opportunities to the men in her life such as family members and friends. I was also challenged by Esperanza's struggle to find her identity in a world where she was told to hide her personality and her voice because the men were viewed as "superior". This shows clearly in the following quotation - "She was a horse woman too, born like me in the Chinese year of the horse – which is supposed to be bad luck if you're born female – but I think this is a Chinese lie because the Chinese, like the Mexicans, don't like their women strong."

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I feel that I connected to the main character's frustration and annoyance with her siblings. At one point Esperanza says her sister is "too young to be my friend" but that "you don't pick on your sister". I feel that I can relate to this because while I do find my sister frustrating at times because she is younger than me, she is still my sister and the only one I will ever have.

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I made a connection to Esperanza and her family's house in the way they are always moving, as me and my family have moved multiple times. The family felt the house was never good enough, it was too small, they lived in an apartment where they could not be loud or have fun but follow certain rules and regulations. As I live in the Hills I was able to connect to Esperanza's frustration of wanting to eat at school although her home is close it is also far away compared to her friends.