Journal Five by Bekah Hennip

In Sandra Cisneros’ The House on Mango Street, The most meaningful chapter for me was Mango Says Goodbye Sometimes. It brings home the theme that your origin is important and your family should never be forgotten. Cisneros repeatsa paragraph from chapter one, but changes it up a bit. In the very first paragraph of The House on Mango Street aka chapter one, she says “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” (Cisneros 3). In the final chapter, she repeats the same paragraph but instead of saying “...and before that I can’t remember. But whatI remember is moving a lot” she says “...but what I remember most is Mango Street, sad red house, the house I belong to but do not belong to” (Cisneros 110). This is very powerful in my eyes because it shows how much Cisneros matured and grew up from the beginning of the book to the end. I love how she changed the ending of the paragraph to show that she’s accepted her origin and how she grew up, but she will still make a name for herself. She shows that Mango Street will always be apart of her, but it won’t be her.

In my life my biggest influence, other than my parents, is my best friend Ande. I met her when I was in sixth grade after I had just moved here from Michigan. I was shy, I didn’t talk at all, and I let people walk all over me. Ande coaxed me out of my shell a bit each year, until I could speak to someone without stumbling over my words, blushing like mad, and/or having a full on panic attack. Ande has greatly influenced me for the better. Ande taught me how to develop confidence and she helped me learn to love myself. Seven years later and she’s still the closest friend I have and I can never thank her enough for what she’s done for me/taught me. 

Ande and I at WNCI 2019 Summer In The City concert