The House on Mango Street - Annotations

"We each had to sit with one of Louie's little sisters on our lap, but that was okay." Page 24

Figurative language - Alliteration

"The boys and the girls live in separate worlds. The boys in their universe and we in ours." Page 8

Figurative language - Hyperbole

"My mother's hair...is the warm smell of bread before you bake it." Page 6

Figurative language - Metaphor

"My name is the Mexican records my father plays on Sunday mornings." Page 10

Figurative language - Metaphor

"Until then I am a red balloon, a balloon tied to an anchor." Page 9

Figurative language - Metaphor

"Windows so small you'd think they were holding their breath." Page 4

Figurative language - Personification

"Cathy who is queen of cats has cats and cats and cats." Page 13

Figurative language - Repetition

"At school they say my name funny as if the syllables were made out of tin and hurt the roof of your mouth." Page 11

Figurative language - Simile

"But all of a sudden and surprise like a pile of dishes breaking." Page 17

Figurative language - Simile

"Her house is like cat heaven." Page 13

Figurative language - Simile

"It's like all of a sudden he let go a million moths all over the dusty furniture and swan-neck shadows and in our bones. It's like drops of water." Page 20

Figurative language - Simile

"Just like that, as if she were a fancy chandelier." Page 11

Figurative language - Simile

"My Papa's hair is like a broom, all up in the air." Page 6

Figurative language - Simile

"Two girls raggedy as rats live across the street." Page 12

Figurative language - Simile

"Out front there are twenty one steps, all lopsided and jutting like crooked teeth." Page 22

Figurative language - Simile & Showing Language

"Bricks are crumbling in places, and the front door is so swollen you have to push hard to get in." Page 4

Showing language

"Tables with their feet upside-down and rows and rows of refrigerators with round corners and couches that spin dust in the air when you punch the, and a hundred T.V.'s that don't work probably." Page 19

Showing language

"The third floor, the paint peeling, wooden bars Papa had nailed on the windows so we wouldn't fall out." Page 5

Showing language

"For the time being, Mama says. Temporary, says Papa. But I know how those things go." Page 5

Theme - Change/Home

"We didn't always live on Mango Street. Before that we lived on Loomis on the third floor, and before that we lived on Keeler. Before Keeler it was Paulina, and before that I can't remember. But what I remember most is moving a lot." Page 3

Theme - Change/moving

"Nenny and I dont look like sisters...not right away." Page 17

Theme - Family

"If you give me five dollars I will be your friend forever." & "Five dollars is cheap since I don't have any friends except Cathy who is only my friend till Tuesday." Page 14

Theme - Friendship

"Look at that house, I said, it looks like Mexico. Rachel and Lucy look at me like I'm crazy, but before they can let out a laugh, Nenny says: Yes, that's Mexico all right. That's what I was thinking exactly." Page 18

Theme - Home

"They always told us that one day we would move into a house, a real house that would be ours for always so we wouldn't have to move each year." Page 4

Theme - Home/hope

"And I wish my name was Cassandra or Alexis or Maritza-anything but Esperanza." Page 15

Theme - Name/insecurity

"Around the back is a year, mostly dirt, and a greasy bunch of boards that used to be a garage. But what you remember most is this tree, huge, with fat arms and mighty families of squirrels in the higher branches." Page 22

Theme - Neighborhood & Showing language