Friendship is a valuable thing to everyone especially children. They find a friend in just about anyone they are with, but if they don’t have any or don’t have a best friend it is a devastating thing. In Sandra Cisneros’, “The House On Mango Street”, Esperanza is a young girl that has to find friends in her small neighborhood. She has many friends but Cisneros puts the little girls focus is on other peopFriendship is a valuable thing to everyone especially children. They find a friend in just about anyone they are with, but if they don’t have any or don’t have a best friend it is a devastating thing. In Sandra Cisneros’, “The House On Mango Street”, Esperanza is a young girl that has to find friends in her small neighborhood. She has many friends but Cisneros puts the little girls focus is on other people and their best friends and her having a few also.
Esperanza experiences her first friendship, outside of her family, when she meets Cathy, but Cathy is an example of a conditional, temporary friend that is only there for a short time and then they move on to different or better people or places. Cathy tells Esperanza “Okay, Ill be your friend. But only till next tuesday” (Cisneros 13). She tells Esperanza this because they are moving because of people like her, implying that she is different and not good enough for Cathy, therefore proving she is temporary and judgemental, and Esperanza does not have a true friend.
When Rachel and Lucy come into the picture they are letting people ride a bike for 5 dollars and telling people they will be their friend also. Esperanza are okay with spending only 5 dollars on a bike and friends. This could be conveyed as not true friendship since they have to buy it and it is not out of genuine feelings for another, but since these are children they do not under stand this. Since this is the longest friendship Esperanza keeps, and even though she bought it, this turns out to be her best friendship. The three girls, overall, showing a good friend that will stay with you no matter how different you are from them. Rachel and lucy were from Texas and Esperanza was raised in a hispanic family,the 3 girls were very different, but still got along and were good friends through their time on Mango Street.
Another girl that also lives on Mango Street displays the girl with no friendships because she has had to grow up too fast for a certain reason. Alicia has to get up early every morning and do her mothers work, even though she is a smart girl and a young one too. Her mother passed away and she “inherited her mama’s rolling pin and sleepiness, is young and smart and studies for the first time at a university” (31). Alicia has no time for friends since she has to act like a mother to her siblings and father, and also wants to learn enough to go off to school so she can escape Mango Street. She is the example of a friendship less child that is too busy to have any friends at all. Alicia is also the girl who listened to Esperanza’s problems and gave Esperanza someone to tell her secrets and problems to. This gives the friendship that we have been waiting for.
Overall, Cisneros, emphasizes the thematic motif of friendship, through her vignettes, by using Esperanza’s interactions with other girls and boys and the thoughts she has about her sister to explore the theme. Cisneros also uses the rejection to emphasize the theme. This is important because it shows how Cisneros felt as a child also. It helps you see the ups and downs she went through because of her race and age and where she lived, what her house looked like. Cisneros uses Esperanza’s life to convey her own thoughts as a child about friendship, growing up in poverty and moving all the time.

le and their best friends and her having a few also.
Esperanza experiences her first friendship, outside of her family, when she meets Cathy, but Cathy is an example of a conditional, temporary friend that is only there for a short time and then they move on to different or better people or places. Cathy tells Esperanza “Okay, Ill be your friend. But only till next tuesday” (Cisneros 13). She tells Esperanza this because they are moving because of people like her, implying that she is different and not good enough for Cathy, therefore proving she is temporary and judgemental, and Esperanza does not have a true friend.
When Rachel and Lucy come into the picture they are letting people ride a bike for 5 dollars and telling people they will be their friend also. Esperanza are okay with spending only 5 dollars on a bike and friends. The three girls end up staying friends throughout the rest of the book, overall showing a good friend that will stay with you no matter how different you are from them. Rachel and lucy were from Texas and Esperanza was raised in a hispanic family,the 3 girls were very different, but still got along and were good friends through their time on Mango Street.
Another girl that also lives on Mango Street displays the girl with no friendships because she has had to grow up too fast for a certain reason. Alicia has to get up early every morning and do her mothers work, even though she is a smart girl and a young one too. Her mother passed away and she “inherited her mama’s rolling pin and sleepiness, is young and smart and studies for the first time at a university” (31). Alicia has no time for friends since she has to act like a mother to her siblings and father, and also wants to learn enough to go off to school so she can escape Mango Street. She is the example of a friendship less child that is too busy to have any friends at all. Alicia is also the girl who listened to Esperanza’s problems and gave Esperanza someone to tell her secrets and problems to. This gives the friendship that we have been waiting for.
Overall, Cisneros, emphasizes the thematic motif of friendship, through her vignettes, by using Esperanza’s interactions with other girls and boys and the thoughts she has about her sister to explore the theme. Cisneros also uses the rejection to emphasize the theme. This is important because it shows how Cisneros felt as a child also. It helps you see the ups and downs she went through because of her race and age and where she lived, what her house looked like. Cisneros uses Esperanza’s life to convey her own thoughts as a child about friendship, growing up in poverty and moving all the time.

As she sat on the steps,

looking at the sky,

she thought of her future,

while looking up at the clouds.

She thought of her goals and her dreams,

her future family and friends.

She thought of growing up

and thought to herself

how scared she was.

Scared she would end up

like Mama

Scared she would end up

Barefoot and pregnant,

the women rising early

to make the tortillas.

She was scared,

but in her fear

she vowed,

I will never be that women

like Mama.

“Mom? Can I talk to you?”

“Sure honey. Hold on let me finish your lunches then we can talk before you head to school.”

“Ok. Did you always want to be a stay at home mom or did you want to be something else?”

“Yes, I did want to be something else, I always knew I would be a housewife because my mother was and my grandmother was. But, no I didn’t always want to be a housewife and just cook and clean, I wanted to be smart and sophisticated. I wanted to be an artist or a singer.”

“Why didn’t you do these things or atleast try Mama?”

“Because I found a husband and had all of my lovely children and just didn’t have the time to pursue it anymore. I still draw in a way and sing at home while cooking and cleaning, but its just a hobby, a dearly loved hobby.”

“Could I be whatever I want when i get older or will I just end up with a loved hobby and a kitchen like you did?”

“You can be whatever you want to be, from a writer to a dog groomer. I don’t care what it is you want to do in life, you can achieve it, and be successful and happy and good at what you do. You are going to have to stay in school though and study hard and make really really good grades to get you to where you can achieve your goal and become what you dream of becoming. You can’t slack off and not try hard.”

“Ok Mama, I am headed off to school now. Bye!”

“Goodbye Esperanza!”

I selected this picture because it shows three little girls playing and sharing a toy like Esperanza, Lucy, and Rachel did with the bike. The girls in the picture seem happy together and don’t dislike each other because they are different, such as how Kathy didn’t like Esperanza because her father said they had to move because the neighborhood was getting bad because of people and families like hers moving on to the street. Another reason I chose this picture is because it lets you see how the 3 girls interact with each other, happy and carefree, just like Esperanza, Lucy, and Rachel. The picture also reflects my thematic motif because it shows how close the girls are and how easily they get along and are friends since they don’t have anything to worry about in life because they are so young and carefree. Esperanza,Lucy, Rachel, and Nenny all stay friends since they first met, when Esperanza and Nenny paid 5 dollars to ride the bike, and they have experience many situations together. They have what they think are “adult” conversations and wear their first pair of high heels and walk around the neighborhood together. This is what friends are for, to follow you and help you get through the good and the bad, mature with you and help you mature yourself. Also to never judge you for any

Dear Esperanza,

        You have experienced many things at your young age, from trying to find friends to being kissed by an old man on the mouth. Some of the things you have had some experiences that are bad, but some have helped you grow and mature into a women. Such as, when you and your friends wore the high heel shoes around the neighborhood and you learned that it made you look to old for your own good. What was the worst thing that has ever happened to you while living on Mango Street? Was it the boys with Sally in the monkey garden, or your first “friend” at your new job kissing your mouth? You didn’t have many friends when you first moved to Mango Street, what was that like and how did you feel about having noone to play with and hang out with all the time, like some of the other girls did? When you paid Rachel and Lucy to be your friend ya’ll stayed friends throughout the rest of the time. You seemed to be close and happy to hang out together, playing jump rope and talking about what you seemed to think of as adult conversations. I hope that you get your house that you have been dreaming of since you were young and get to decide whether you want bums to live in your attic.

 

                                                                                        Sincerely,

                                                                                               Hayley

My best friend is Michaela. She is tall and slender with long, dirty-blonde hair and light colored skin. She also has dark brown eyes and perfect teeth. We both have done cheer since we were very young and have been friends since our first year on ETAS, a competitive cheer squad. We were the only two girls our age on the squad, plus we went to the same school. We ended up in a stunt group together, her as a back-spot and me as a base, and you have to understand when you are lifting people up together you bond rather quickly and once you are friends you are friends for life. This is how we became close, the constant being together at cheer, riding to Dallas with one another to go to competitions.
What keeps us close is that we cheer every year together and tell each other everything. We have each other to vent to and we can’t stay mad at one another for long because we have something we need to tell the other. We hang out all the time and there is never a dull moment. We are always laughing and we know how to make the other one feel better if she is mad or upset. Plus, we don’t get jealous of each other and support one another in our accomplishments instead of being rude and acting like their accomplishments don’t even matter because we are jealous. This is the reason we are best friends and will stay best friends till the end.

 

My most prized possession is my pearl necklace that my grandfather gave me when I was old enough to be held responsible for such a valuable and expensive gift, which was at the age 14. When he handed me the delicate, beautiful necklace on my birthday, in a box among all of my other gifts. I found it at the bottom wrapped in light blue wrapping paper, and in a little blue box. on the box was a sweet little note that told me how much my grandparents love me and how important it was not to lose the necklace. It was made from individual pearls my grandfather would buy and have them put on one by one as he bought them until it was long enough to fit around my neck. The necklace has a gold clasp and many little pearls along it. I have not had an occasion special enough to wear my gift yet, but i hope to wear it on my wedding day to honor my grandfather. It sits on in my mother’s jewelry box next to the one she got from her grandfather.  No one has ever seen the necklace except my family because I haven’t worn it anywhere yet. I plan to keep it and wear it to very special occasions and leave it to someone in my family such as my future child or niece or cousin. But by far my most prized possession has to be my grandfathers necklace.

The Blueprint Selection

The game room is the sacred place of the children. This was where childhood memories are made, where the parents weren’t allowed and the place we could play and hang out with our friends and most importantly our best friends. Best friends are the ones we can cry and scream while watching scary movies without the thought of them judging you, because they are probably doing the same exact thing.One night my best friends, Michaela and Brittney, and I were watching, Mama, which is by far the worst scary movie ever, except for the few parts that make you jump because something pops out at your face and screams. We got five minutes into the movie and Michaela already had her hands over her eyes! As we are watching we are all huddled together with the blanket just below our eyes so we can cover them quickly if anything jumps out at us. Brittney and I had already see the movie a couple of weeks before, so when we knew something was going to scare Michaela we would both sit and watch for her reaction. We stayed huddled up together on the big, leather, brown couch until the movie finally ended and we could all gather ourselves to walk outside and drive home without the worry that Mama was going to come grab us and take us off into the woods. My Game room holds lots of scary-movie-night memories inside of it. j