Mango Prompts

1. Esperanza's voice is obviously that of a child, but is it also distinctly female? In what ways might Sandra Cisneros's writing style, and the form of The House on Mango Street, be called écriture féminine?

2. Discuss moments in the reading where you see Esperanza struggling with socially-constructed gender roles. Also look for moments where Esperanza is attempting to form her own gender identity within a patriarchy that promotes biological essentialism.

3. One aspect of material feminism is "the male gaze," or the idea that the man looks and the woman is looked at. The looker is therefore the controller, and the woman becomes a token or a marker, even a commodity. This reduction is known as sexage. Examine moments in Mango Street where Esperanza is being looked at, or wants to be looked at, by men and women (women in a patriarchy also look with "the male gaze") and discuss these in terms of sexage. You can also broaden this idea and discuss how Esperanza is viewed by the patriarchy in which she lives, not just by the people living in it.

4. Are there examples of patriarchal binary thought in the reading? Explain.

5. Are there any instances in our reading where sisterhood, as a means of resisting patriarchy or improving women's situations, is either promoted or discouraged? What are the implications of these instances?

6. One important thing to remember about patriarchies is that they differ between nations, cultures, and classes. How are Esperanza's needs and desires shaped by her race, socioeconomic class, and nationality?

Thanks. See you on Thursday.