House on Mango Street, i unfortunately have to say was not initially gripping. Perhaps i will need to re-read it again over the summer to find what was to be appreciated in it. I get the the fact that it is to see the streets through the eyes of a young girl, who doesn't always understand all that is going on. i get that she is trying to convey the the trials and prejudices against the poor and the immigrants. i get that there is a sub-plot of her coming of age, and the sometimes exciting/sometimes frightening/ and often discouraging awareness of herself and her friends and cousins beginning puberty. but there is no plot, no conquering of an obstacle, no deep insight- unless you count that there are many names and images in clouds... i dunno, i don't think this book will be in my choice of curriculum, as of now.
To Kill a Mockingbird: I read this in high school. I mean, i was supposed to read this in high school. I am sure i read some of it, and probably took some notes in class; but i couldn't remember a lick of the story. Anyway, i was instantly drawn into this story. I am a slow reader and was trying to be aware of any details i could get as i read, so i lost a lot of sleep trying to get this book done in a week. Unlike Mango Street, this novel is a feast of plot, irony, cultural awareness, and coming of age. I am so smitten with the book, it's hard to write without gushing. I think Scout is just as relateable as Esperanza, i think they mirror each other in many ways... i think it is just a matter of the authors and Lee definitely takes the cake on this one. Diversity is expressed on so many levels, i think it gives a much more mature and honest interpretation of reality. There are several economic classes, though no one is especially wealthy. There are several social classes, based on lineage, though no one's family is truly older than anyoneelse's. Unlike the "black and white case" that Atticus was trying; this novel is about so much more than just black people and white folk.
"I think Scout is just as relateable as Esperanza, i think they mirror each other in many ways." Perhaps this could be one reason to add House on Mango Street into the curriculum? I am with you, in that I was not a huge fan of this book. However, I think that it is important that we need to recognize that we are going to have to teach from some books that we are not always going to like, yet I believe that we should attempt to make as many connections and present the material in a manner that will benefit our students (such as cultural awareness, social classes, etc. that are apparent and relate able between the books).
ReplyDeleteI don't think we need to teach things we don't like as long as we convey the same messages with other things. I'm with Brian... I don't think HMS was good--maybe I missed the point(s).
ReplyDeleteI agree with you. The one thing that I really liked about Lee's writing in "To Kill a Mockingbird" was how she portrayed the events in a way that I was able to come to my own thoughts. It was never a required reading for me in high school, but I am glad that we were able to read the book for this class because I honestly do not know when I would have gotten around to reading it on my own.
ReplyDeleteI appreciated HMS the more I delved into some of the language of the book... her use of description, the symbolism, the images. Many parts of the vignettes proceeded along in poetry form. I also tended to focus on this idea of a dream... Esperanza's dream of a house and her obstacles in achieving her dream. Re: To Kill a Mockingbird, be sure to see the movie. One of my favorite movies....
ReplyDeleteI agree with most of your views on House on Mango Street. If I were to use this book in my classroom, I probably would not have the students read the whole book in class. As you pointed out, this is not a book to use for teaching plot. However, you don't have to use the whole book to teach a concept. I would focus on key vignettes and discuess literacy devices. If from these discussions students want to read, then I would encourage them to read it during Flex time,Homeroom or outside of school.
ReplyDeleteI feel like the unfortunate part of some classrooms is tachers due teach text that they don't like. I feel like as a student I was able to tell when a teacher was not into what they are teaching. I agree with not having to teach text you do not like as long as you teach the appropreate themes and messages.
ReplyDeleteI have to say I agree with you... To Kill a Mockingbird was much better the second time around. Reading it as a ninth grader in high school, I couldn't nearly take all the plot offered as I did as a college freshman. Sometimes I wonder if it would be better teaching books later because they are more meaningful.
ReplyDeleteI love "House on Mango Street," but I can see what you're saying here. It is a bit hard to grasp a "real plot" through all the little short stories told. If this were taught in a secondary curriculum, the teacher would need to relate all of the stories and do activities to show students an overall theme.
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