Our video cut-off halfway through the story. Beowulf’s battle with Grendel’s mother and part of the battle with the dragon cannot be viewed.

 

In “The House On Mango Street” Sandra Cisneros shows the difference in age between Nenny and the rest of the girls in the vignette ‘And Some More’. When Esperanza, Rachel, and Lucy are naming the clouds and then they begin to argue she continues to name the clouds.

For example,

“There’s that wide puffy cloud that looks like your face when you wake up after falling asleep with all your clothes on./ Reynaldo, Angelo, Albert, Armando, Mario…/ Not my face. Looks like your fat face./ Rita, Margie, Ernie…” (Cisneros 36)

This little chatter between the girls and then Nenny’s unknowing chatter shows that she is a little girl and she doesn’t understand what is going on. The characterization of Nenny during this excerpt shows that she wants to be a big girl, but still has the little girl one-track-mind. She isn’t old enough to realize what is going on in the conversations the older girls have.

Also in the vignette ‘Hips’ Nenny attempts to be like one of the big girls by making up her own jump-rope chant, but doesn’t understand what theirs are about. “Engine, engine number nine,/ running down Chicago line./ If the train runs off the track/ do you want your money back?” (52).  While the other three girls are talking about wanting hips and making up rhymes to suit that fancy, she goes on to chant a rhyme that “children” would say.  Nenny is characterized through these vignettes as a little girl just trying to fit in with the older girls.

Dear Sally,

I wanted to take the time to write you this letter expressing my thoughts on your marrage. First I want to congratulate you but at the same time I am dissapointed in you. I hope that you are pleased with the choices you have made and are satisfied with the life you have chosen for yourself. You didn’t have to marry him to get out of your house. You could have come and stayed with me. You could have finished school, got an education, and made something of yourself. You are 13 years old, you had such a life ahead of you, why did you have to go and throw it all away. You could have been anything you wanted. You were so young, and pretty, you could have been a model and made so much more than your marshmallow husband does. Did you even think this through before you jumped up and married him? I know you wanted to escape your father and Mango Street, however getting married at 13 was not the correct choice. I wish that you would have at least mentioned your plans to me, I was suppose to be your best friend, but now I guess it is too late to do anything about it. I have always loved you and I hope that we can still be friendd when you get home. I home Marshy treats you right and doesn’t hurt you the way your father did. Even though I am somewhat dissapointed in you, know that I am proud of you and hope that you write me soon.

Much Love, Esperanza

I tried

To fit in

At least I thought I did

I did what they said

I went along with their games

 

But

That wasn’t right

What they did was wrong

So in the end

I guess I didn’t.

 

I tried

To be pretty

I did everything she said

I bought all the clothes

I wore all the makeup

 

But

I will never look like her

I won’t be as skinny

My hair won’t look like that

So in the end

I guess I didn’t.

 

I tried

To be me

 

But

I was too busy pleasing them

So in the end

I guess I didn’t.