In Sandra Cisneros' novel The House on Mango Street, we meet the narrator, Esperanza, a Latina girl growing up in a poor neighborhood in Chicago. Regardless of her difficult circumstances, Esperanza dreams of a better life and turns to writing as a way to escape and express herself. In fact Esperanza’s attitude towards writing is a central idea of the novel, and Cisneros uses language and literary devices to show how important writing is to Esperanza and how it helps her navigate the challenges of her world.
One example of how Cisneros conveys Esperanza's attitude towards writing is in the chapter "My Name." In this section, Esperanza reflects on the meaning and significance of her name, which she dislikes because it connects her to her family and their poverty. However, as she writes about her name and what it means to her, Esperanza begins to see it in a new light. Cisneros uses imagery and metaphor to show how writing helps Esperanza transform her understanding of herself and her name. Esperanza states, "In English, my name means hope. In Spanish, it means too many letters. It means sadness, it means waiting. It is like the number nine. A muddy
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Cisneros uses repetition and alliteration to emphasize the power of writing for Esperanza. For example, Esperanza states, "Those who don't know any better come into our neighborhood scared. They think we're dangerous. They think we will attack them with shiny knives. They are stupid people who are lost and got here by mistake. But we aren't afraid. We know how to build our own cages” (Page 28). Through this passage, we see how writing gives Esperanza a sense of control and agency, allowing her to assert her own voice and