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Answer both questions on a Post It.  Make sure your name is on it!  :D  If you have time, reply to another classmate's post it.

1. What THEME do you see starting to run through all the vignettes we're reading?  Explain by using specific details and evidence in your response.

2. Cisneros writes, “I’m going to tell you a story about a girl who doesn’t belong…” WHY does Esperanza feel she doesn’t belong? Is her experience universal for all adolescents?  Explain by referring to specific vignettes.

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1. The theme I pick up from the vignettes I read was that Esparanza has a hard time truly feeling that she's home. She feels insecure about her name, she isn't happy with the house she lives in, and she isn't used to being in a different atmosphere with people of different races.

2. Esperanza feels like she doesn't belong is because of her name. Connecting to respone 1, she says that her name has too many words, it means sadness, and represents a muddy color (from vignette titled "My Name". She's also unhappy with where she lives. She describes how much she doesn't like it in the first vignette. Esparanza says that the windows were small, crumbling bricks, no front yard, small garage etc. One of the biggest factors that come into play with Esparanza's feelings is her unfamiliar feelings around people of different races. In the vignette, "Those Who Dont" she mentions the phrase "All brown, all around, we are safe.", meaning that she only feels safe when shes around people of the same race.

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#1: A theme i see happening throughout the vignettes is how she is normally ranting or complaining about something. Most of them ended with her being upset or feeling shameful or just needing someone to be there for her and comfort her. They kind of feel like a diary.

#2. Esperanza doesn't feel like she belongs because she is so different from her family and she feels she is held up to a certain standard because she shares her grandmothers name, and she wants to have this individuality that she is struggling to grasp. "Esperanza. I have inherited her name, but i don't want to inherit her place by the window." (Cisneros, my name). I think her experience is universal for all adolescents. Whether it be because they experience racism like in "Those Who Don't" or because they just don't feel like they can fit in with their family or have their own identity like in "My Name"

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1. The main theme is that the world is incredibly meh and how the sudden hit of nihilism and negativity can be a shocking change for young adults. When you're a younger kid, everything's all sunshines and rainbows, because you're shielded from all the negative world stuff, but as you get older and learn that the world is not as fun as you thought it'd be. It hits you like a brick, painful and suddenly. She has to deal with the classism and racism that people have when she mentions where she's from or what her life is like

2. Esperanza feels as if she doesn't belong because of her social class and her racial identity. A lot of her vignettes have some reference to her not feeling like the perfect American girl because she might look different or how other kids don't pronounce her name the right way. She also has issue with the fact she doesn't have one of those Disney movie houses with tons of stairs and rooms, and the fact that her neighborhood is perceived as dangerous and shocking for a child to be living in. Her experience of alienation and loss of belonging isn't exactly universal but it is common because adolescence is when kids start to fully flesh out their identities, which can make them drift away from people they thought they knew super well

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1. The ultimate theme that is clearly shown throughout all the vignettes we're reading is that Esperanza is ashamed or maybe unsure of who she is as a person. The theme could easily be explained as insecure and unsure of life choices. For example in "Hairs", Esperanza describes her own hair as lazy and never obeys the styles she tries to use. However we discovered that she is also talking about herself by describing her hair in a negative way. So, she sees herself as lazy and never obedient. Also in "My name", she continue to explain how ashamed she is to have this name. She shares some of her siblings names then continues to sound jealous over the fact that her name is not as good.

2. Esperanza feels she doesn't belong because every aspect of her life, whether it's the way she looks, identifies herself, or how she thinks, is different from everyone around her. She compares herself to her siblings a lot and how she is the most different from the rest. Her experience is universal for all adolescents, as most young kids her age compare themselves to others around them. Never feeling like they're enough for anyone or themselves. In "Laughter", she compares her and Nenny's laugh to Rachel and Lucy's.

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1. Throughout the first few vignettes, we learn a lot about Esperanza, her character, as well as her family. The theme we start to notice is culture plays a huge role in the life of Esperanza, whether that role is positive or negative. Her culture will always be apart of her life, and it's Esperanza's job to either make the best of it, or reject the idea of it. For example, when she talks about her name, Esperanza is ashamed of her culture and her background, but when she talks about her neighborhood, she mentions that she feels safe with her people. Esperanza tends to be a negative person, so the reader can hope that throughout the upcoming parts, she'll learn to be more accepting of her culture.

2. Esperanza feels that she doesn't belong because she feels that she is different from everyone. Her name is the longest and hardest to say in her family, she lives in a place that other people are scared to go to, and she is ashamed of her background. Esperanza doesn't know who is she yet, and that is what is causing her to not feel like her belongs. She is stuck on the fact that she's like her Great Grandmother or how her mom has nicer hair, or that her sister has a better name. She's not focused on herself, and she notices the differences between herself and other people. Her experiences are universal for all adolescents, even if she doesn't realize it yet. Just as much as she feels like she doesn't belong, she experiences a lot of the same things as other people .

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1. The theme that I see in the story so far is very negative. Esperanza is ashamed of who she is and doesn't like a lot of things in her life. She describes her laugh as dishes breaking, calls her hair lazy, and she says how she wants to baptise herself under a new name because she doesn't like it. She doesn't really like where she lives either. Esperanza is a very negative person and doesn't like herself. She feels as though she doesn't belong and that nothing in her life is right.
2. Esperanza feels like she doesn't belong because she feels like she is always being judged. She doesn't want to be stereotyped for being Mexican and a girl. She doesn't want to end up like her grandmother. Her house is her house that she lives in but she doesn't think of it as a home. More as a temporary place to live in.

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1. A common theme I notice running throughout all the vignettes is finding who she is through society's standards and trying to fit in with the norm while also staying true to her passions and dreams.
2. She feels like she doesn't belong in society because of her race gender and other things among those categories. She feels rushed to make decisions and struggles to find her identity.

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1. As we read over each vignette you start to see a common theme that Esperanza is that it seems like esperanza struggles to be able to define herself, as alot of times she belittles herself, such as how she dislikes her name because she thinks its ugly.

2. Esperanza feels like she doesnt feel she belong for reasons like the name she was given, her name was her great grandmothers name

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1) The theme of starting to run through all of these vignettes is insecurity. In multiple instances she second guesses herself and feels poorly. In the excerpt The house on Mango Street we see her teacher picking apart her house and making her feel poorly about where she lives. We see this leaves E feeling insecure about her home and second guessing herself. The reader also develops an understanding of her negative view on her name from the excerpt My Name. It has a negative connotation based on her grandmother's past, but she lets it affect her future.

2)Esperanza feels like she doesn't belong because of some experiences she has had within her childhood. Many of these significant moments have left her feeling insecure and second guessing herself. One example supporting this is found in the excerpt Those Who Don't. She describes racism and how people look down upon her. Her experience is universal but not to the extent that she feels it as a child. Growing up she went through many hard things compared to her other peers leaving her with a much greater feeling of not fitting in.

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1. The theme that I have started to noticed running through the vignette is hardship. Throughout the vignette, Esperanza shares a bunch of information about herself, and the life around her, which most of it ends up being hardship. She doesn't like the background story of her name, the idea of living on Mango Street was upsetting, and she overall talks bad about herself. Overall, she is having a hard time adjusting to her life and the things around it.
2. Esperanza might not feel like she belongs because of how, and who she is. In the chapter Those Who Don't, she talks about how she might feel uncomfortable around other people who aren't part of her neighborhood, mainly white people. She doesn't feel like she should be there because people might give her side-eyes or whispers. She feels like she doesn't fit in with them.

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1. The theme that I'm starting to see is that Esperanza is very unconfident in herself, and she is very self-conscious of who she is.  Throughout the vignettes, I have noticed that she hates her hair, she feels very awkward and just uncomfortable being Hispanic, and she always feels judged by her own family and friends. What she really wants is to fit in and be someone she most definitely is not. For example, in the vignette, "My Name", she says, "I would like to baptize myself under a new name, a name more like the real me, the one nobody sees" (p. 6). She's ashamed of her name, and all she wants is to change it.

2. Like said above, Esperanza most definitely doesn't feel as if she belongs. This is because of many different reasons. In the vignette, "My Name", she feels uncomfortable with her own identity. She feels that she is someone else, and not Esperanza. In the vignette "Those Who Don't", she feels out of place in her neighborhood. She always feels like white people are scared and intimidated by her and of the rest of the people who live near her. She hates that she only feels comfortable with people just like her, and she wishes she could belong. Her experience is most definitely universal, because other Hispanics most definitely relate to not feeling as if they belong.

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1. The theme of identity is throughout the vignettes we have read. Esperanza is just trying to find her true identity while trying to fit in. Esperanza's identity is shaped by her family and environment.The reader is shown this theme in 'My Name' where she relates that her name has constricted the identity of her grandmother but she won't let her culture constrict her.

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1.  Some themes that I see starting to run through all the vignettes we're reading is that they all focus on one singular main idea almost like a life lesson.  For example, the first vignette, "The House on Mango Street" has the main idea of reality is often disappointing, while in "Laughter", the main idea is that you can look different but still be alike.
2.  The reason why Esperanza feels that she doesn't belong is because she is moving constantly so she feels that she can never fully connect to anyone or anything because she fears that she will get too attached and not want to leave.  This is proven in the vignette "The House on Mango Street" when Esperanza says, "But what I remember most is moving a lot"(Cisneros 1).  While her experience is not universal so that all adolescents go through what she goes through, it is not all that entirely uncommon.  There are some kids who will move around all the times and never feel like they can fit in, and there are other kids who will never move even when they are an adult and be deeply ingrained within the community.

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1. Throughout the vignettes that we have read, a common theme of lack of self confidence is shown.  Throughout her narratives, Esperanza is constantly questioning whether or not she is good enough, whether she fits in, whether people like her, etc.  In vignette's like 'Laughter' and 'Hairs', whenever Esperanza compares herself to anyone, her own description is negative and disappointing while she puts everyone else on a pedestal and paints the best picture of themselves.  However, gradually, through the vignette's she is defining herself and by the end of the book, she will probably find who she really is and how realize her value.

2. Esperanza feels as if she doesn't belong because she is surrounded by experiences that she believes she does not deserve. For example, in 'The House of Mango Street' vignette, she wants a larger house and her own space. She has imagined this huge house that she will live in because of Hollywood shows that she has watched. She is always comparing her situation between people who are more fortunate than her, which is a universal experiences for adolescent girls. However, she has an unhealthy habit of doing so, which is why she is always gloomy. Esperanza has a 'grass is always greener on the other side' mindset but also has hopes for a brighter future. She feels as if she does not belong because her current situation does not match up with what she envisions for herself.

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1.) Throughout the vignettes there is a common theme that applies and runs through all of them. Being said the theme of vignettes are our environment is able to shape and affect the human being that we are or become. An example of this in the vignette " The House on Mango Street" towards the middle and end. You see E describe and fantasize about her family's DREAM house. But, with that there is a sharp contrast as she describes the gritty details of her actual home and her current reality. Both, show that if in fact they had their dream house Esperanza thinks they would be better off and happier. And due to the reality that she doesn't she feels ashamed, disappointed and a little outta place. Another, example of this would be as E talks about her neighborhood and how based on her eviorment it has shaped some of her thoughts as well as beliefs.

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1) One theme I constantly see in these vignettes is that in each one there is always a part that talks about the negative things in her life, or she talks about something in a negative manner. Whether it is the house she lives in and how "small and cramped" it is during the first vignette. Or when she talks about how she despises her name and thinks it is a "muddy color" or "like the number nine" during the third vignette. This is a theme I have seen in almost all the vignettes so far.
2) I think Esperanza feels like she doesn't belong because of many reasons. One being her name. In the third vignette she talks about how her name is inherited from her great-grandmother and she hopes she doesn't inherit her place by the window.

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1. The theme that is developing is one of identity, and trying to find yourself. Esperanza is learning how she fits into the world, she knows he is "brown all around", she knows she wants to break out of her poor situation, she is discovering womanhood (misogyny, her grandma). As she is becoming more self-aware she expresses her insecurities about her name and laugh, but she is comforted by her mom, sister, and community. Esperanza is of the age where she is seeing what turns the gears of society and trying to place herself inside the machine.
2. Esperanza feels she doesn't belong because even though adolescents are already alienated by puberty and awareness, she is further isolated by her culture. Not to mention her families situation that makes her hopeless. When the nun shames her in "The House on Mango" street she sinks into the idea that she is stuck and can't move. In "My Name" she told us about her insecurities with her name, and how that isolates her. She also knows that she (and her community) is perceived as dangerous by ignorant white people. So she is being hit by a bus of things that all send her further away and sink her deeper into isolation.

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1. A major theme that I see that is running through all of the vignettes is that Esperanza is very unsure and very unconfident in herself. You can tell by how she will not go full throttle on her opinions and she almost holds herself back in a way. I have noticed that she seems to hate every minor detail about herself. Whether it be her skin, her hair, her clothes, and just about everything including her name. She has no confidence at all, and she makes it very obvious in her story telling. This is proven when Esperanza states, "In English my name means hope. In Spanish it means too many letters. It means sadness, it means waiting," (My Name). She doesn't even feel comfortable about her name, which is a result of the running theme that is occuring with Esperanza.

2. I believe that Esperanza's experiences and feelings are extremely universal. When Cisneros states that it is a story about a girl who doesn't belong, she doesn't mean that Esperanza isn't normal or like everyone else. She is stating that she is feeling the same loneliness and distance that just about every other person her age in the world does. This is very evident in the vignette, "Laughter", as she feels like her opinions are invalid, until only her sister backs her up.

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1. a theme that is happening throughout vignettes is that she is always talking about something and always upset about it. She is upset with everything in her life and it always ends with her upset

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1.  The theme I see running through the vignettes is it's always positive and negative. For instance, in one of the vignettes Esperanza was saying all positive things about her family's hair and she was talking down bad about her own. To me in every vignette we've read she always sees something positive in her family, but there is always something about herself that she is always ashamed of when she brings it up.
2. Esperanza feels she doesn't belong because she doesn't belong because people have been judging her for most of her life. She also feels that she doesn't fit in with her family because they're different from her. She really one focuses on other people and not herself and that's why I feel she doesn't belong.

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1.  The theme that continues to present it self is that Esperanza is struggling to find who she is and is trying to define herself.  In the vignette My Name Esperanza talks about how she doesnt want to take her grandma's identity or as she says, place at the window.  This leads me to believe that esperanza doesn't even know  her own full identity.  She doesn't seem happy with most things about her and shes always complaining that other people hair and laugh, and houses are better than hers.

2. Esperanza feels like she doesnt belong because she doesn't even know who she fully is yet. If Esperanza doesn't know her identity she wont feel like shes gonna fit in anywhere.

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1. The theme of racism and financial insecurity are evident in each of the vignettes. "Those Who Don't" highlights how Esperanza feels around outsiders. Because of how she looks and where she lives, her and her community is assumed to be dangerous. Similarly, in "The House on Mango Street" Esperanza says she isn't proud to show where she lives, because people who are more privileged make her feel inferior. It is further mentioned how although Esperanza and her family have their own house, it is nothing like the house they had dreamed about; she is ashamed of her home and of her neighborhood since it's all they can afford.

2. Esperanza feels like she doesn't belong because she is treated as such by people who don't look like her. Her financial situation and race make her feel like an outsider. Moreover, she feels she doesn't belong in her own community either. In "My Name" she talks about how being named after her great-grandmother scares her because she doesn't want to end up in the same situation: unheard.

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1. The vignettes express a consistent theme throughout, that life isn't all about sunshine and rainbows. Insecurities, relationship problems, discrimination, they're all very real and everybody suffers from these difficulties. Esperanza is written to be at a loss at several points in her life, where in the House on Mango Street she struggles to define what is home to her. In My Name she doesn't like her birth name-it's too contradictory, while for Laughter she isn't as pretty or ideal as the other girls around her. Her biological sister is the only consolation that she's not alone. These are all experiences that numerous amounts of individuals undergo throughout their lives, and it shows that the enduring of pain is a deeply rooted habit.

2. Esperanza is a girl who has grown up with racial discrimination, 'shameful' family pasts, and standards that causes her to criticize herself often. Her sense of lacking belonging comes from her environment, and several parts of her identity makes her resent who she is. She doesn't know where to feel at ease, her race is discriminated against often, and Esperanza is a person who is seen to constantly compare herself to others. She doesn't feel like she's 'ideal' enough to belong anywhere.

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Q1: Throughout the vignettes a noticeable common theme is Esperanza's shame. Based on everything she has said it's easy to see she is ashamed of her identity and life. This can be seen in the first vignette. The shock of the nun when seeing where she lives makes her feel ashamed of where she lives. In the second vignette we even see her feel ashamed of her name, an integral part to her identity, and what that name represents. This shame remains consistent throughout the rest of the vignettes as well.

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1. Throughout the vignettes we have read, a certain theme has kept showing up within the text, which I have concluded to be, "People who treat others worse due to their differences actually have more in common with each other than originally thought". Which I have determined from Those Who Don't where the people who act racist in E's neighborhood share the same reaction with people in E's neighborhood going to neighborhoods filled with people of other races.