Mango Street Blues.
by Brandon Koller
I am from LOTS of stories,
telling my past
and how hard life can
sometimes be.
I am from an old house,
water pipes broken
and bricks crumbling in place.
I am from my family,
Mama,
Papa,
Kiki,
Nenny
and Me.
I am from the name
I wish I didn’t have,
Alexis,
Cassandra
and Maritza.
I am from 5 dollars,
the money I used
to get 2 new friends.
I am from riding a bike,
sitting on the back seat
while Lucy pedals along the sidewalk.
I am from naming clouds,
getting called ugly,
and making fun of Lucy.
I am from a music box,
one that looks interesting,
but isn’t for sale.
I am from a rice sandwich,
eating the cold rice
and crying while everyone stares.
I am from the hard times,
like listening to Mamacita cry
because she doesn’t speak English.
I am from saving Sally,
the boys telling me
to leave them alone
and running away.
I am from darkness,
as the world spins around me.
I am from being woken up,
papa telling me that
our abuelito is dead.
I am from Four Skinny Trees,
the only ones
who ever understand me.
I am from Mango Street,
the place I have to remember,
and can never forget.
Essay Part
The main theme is how Esperanza struggles with her life while on Mango Street, has to deal with others and have her ups and downs. “Telling my past and how hard life can sometimes be.” That quote shows the she is forced to remember her past, and the bad times in the life that happened to her as a child on Mango Street. It also says that she could also be telling her life story, as lessons so that the reader can understand what happened and how it could get any worse.
My key idea at the beginning is family based issues. The quote; “How hard sometimes life can be” reveals inner conflict by telling Esperanza’s hard life. It shows that during someone’s life, family conflicts can happen and that is ok because it is life. It also shows that Esperanza’s life will have to face those fears if her lifes gets in a very bad situation.
That Esperanza can go through ups and downs through her life. (Mixed feelings sometimes) The quote; “I am from naming clouds, getting called ugly, and making fun of Lucy.” shows the character attitude of Esperanza, even when making fun of Lucy. It shows how she can happy in the funniest of times, but then sad when bad things happen.
Of how all these memories will be the ones Esperanza will HAVE to remember. She will have to remember the time she sat alone in the Lunch Room, and the time she was raped by the boys that she tried to save Lucy from. “The place I have to remember, and can never forget.” is the quote I chose, because it shows how things can end, and how you are always supposed to remember them, even when they go bad.
The tone at the beginning of the poem is how she struggles with her family, and house.
In the middle it becomes more of an upsetting tone, with all the bad things that happened to her, and some happy ones to make the reader see that she wasn’t unhappy all her life.
Towards the end, it shows the she needs to remember Mango Street and the bad things, because it is part of her life and it needs to be remember so she can move on.