The House on Mango Street The first book we read and wrote an essay on was The House on Mango Street written by Sandra Cisneros. The House on Mango Street is about a young girl named Esperanza. Esperanza in the very beginning of this novella is very insecure about everything. Her name is not pretty like the other girls in her class, her home is not the ideal home, her feet are big. She thinks everything about her is an ugly flaw. On Mango Street, where she lives, there are many girls who influence her. Sally, Marin, Alicia, and even her own mother. They all have some effect on Esperanza, she sees all of their actions and she finds that she does not want to be like them because the get trapped by men. They get verbally, physically, and emotionally abused by the males figures they are involved with. Esperanza does not want to be that way but that is the only way out of Mango Street, she thinks. Esperanza slowly begins to gain confidence in herself. Soon the reader will find out that Esperanza is Sandra Cisneros. And that is her story.
Sammy and Juliana The second book we read in Jill's humanities class was Sammy and Juliana by Benjamin Alire Saenz. Sammy and Juliana is about a young boy named Sammy and a sweet young girl named Juliana. Juliana is a smoker and so consequently Sammy catches on to smoking. Sammy falls hard in love with Juliana. But Juliana didn't get a chance to feel his love for her. Sammy later hears sirens he runs outside and tries finding the ambulances and when he does he sees Juliana lying dead on the gurney. Sammy then has a deep break down. Juliana's father caused her death as well as her siblings. He shot them all. Sammy is now left in mourning wishing and hoping she was still there.
Antigone The next piece of literature we read in class was Antigone by Sophocles. Antigone is about a young girl named Antigone and her family. Her father being Oedipus, her sister Ismene, her two brothers, Eteocles and Polynices, and lastly her mother and grandmother Jocasta. Antigone is determined to give her brother, Polynices, a burial, even though he was a traitor to Thebes and the laws forbid Polyneices' burial. When Antigone is caught she does not apologize and she states that she is only doing what is right.
My Sister's Keeper Then we read My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult. My Sister's Keeper is about a 15 year old girl named Kate who was diagnosed with a rare form of leukemia at the age of 2, her brother Jesse who is a lawyer, and her sister who's is 13 years old and files a lawsuit against her parents. Sara and Brian, all Jesse, Anna, and Kate's parents decide to have another child because Jesse their son was not a match for Kate. That's when they had Anna. Anna hasn't been able to do things that "normal" 13 year old kids would do. Anna files a lawsuit against her parents because she is sick and tired of being "used" by her parents and doctors for Kate.