Names Nombres Companion Text to House on Mango

“Names/ Nombres” Companion Text to “House on Mango Street” pg. 782 (Red Lit. book)

Autobiographical Story- Personal Essay • Julia Alvarez recalls her family’s early years as Dominican immigrants in America. • She is proud of her own heritage, and struggles to fit in. • Julia’s struggle mirrors Esperanza’s fictional struggle in many ways. • As you read, consider how these struggles connect.

Class Discussion: Change • 1) Describe the author’s attitude toward her American “new names” in the beginning of the essay.

Class Discussion: Allusion • 2) On pg. 784 Julia’s mom alludes to Shakespeare, saying “a rose by any other name would smell as sweet. ” To what is she referring?

Class Discussion: Irony • On page 784, Alvarz states, “Ironically, although she had the most foreign sounding name, she and I were the Americans in the family. ” Explain why this statement is “ironic. ”

Class Discussion: Citing Evidence • What evidence demonstrates that Julia did not want to be treated as the “rare, exotic” friend? What does this show us about her?

Class Discussion: Drawing Conclusions • Consider Alvarez’s attitude about her and her family being different change during the story? How do you know this is true?

Julia + Esperanza • What connections do you notice in Julia’s real life experience that parallel Esperanza’s own experience in “House on Mango Street”?