Aim: How can the use of annotations aid in analyzing the figurative language, tone and conflict in “My Name,” by Sandra Cisneros?
Do Now:
We started the lesson by searching up the definition of our names. We then compared the definitions of our names and our real personality to see if the definition was accurate or not. Some people had a straightforward name that had a quick simple definition, but some people had extraordinary names that did not have a straightforward definition. For example, my classmate Loezee had a Chinese name that did not have a definition so she searched up what each letter of her name meant, which ended up being “to be romantic.” This definition did not fit her at all.
Annotating- Purpose and Techniques:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w5Mz4nwciWc&ab_channel=SchoolHabits
We first watched a video (posted above) about how to annotate text while reading. The video talked about how the reader can use symbols to annotate the text. For example, you can put question marks near areas of uncertainty, exclamation points of turning points, put stars near areas of importance, and keep a list of characters and their traits.
We also learned a couple of other techniques like chunking, which is to divide a text into multiple parts and summarize those parts. A second technique is to write down common themes or repetition of ideas. A third technique is to mark the places where the point of view starts and ends.
Team Discussion:
We were sent to the breakout rooms then talked about why we were named a certain name. My parents named me Raymond because it was an uncommon name back then. Lapyan said he was named Lapyan because it’s the first name his parents thought of. Sahil said he was named Sahil because it fit with his brother’s name. After the breakout rooms, during the class discussion Mohammed R said that he was named after the religious leader, Mohammed. This goes to show the limitless reasons of how someone could be named.
“My Name” by Sandra Cisneros:
We then proceeded to spirit read “My Name”, the first chapter in the book from The House On Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros. While spirit reading, we applied the annotating tips and tricks that we previously learned to the text. After the spirit reading, we were sent to our breakout rooms to discuss the text and the questions.In the breakout rooms we used our annotations to answer the questions and discuss our answers.
1. How does Esperanza describe her name using figurative language? Refer to your annotations and cite some examples from the text.
Esperanza describes her name using figurative language by comparing it to similar words and definitions. She describes her name as sadness, waiting, a muddy color, and as a sad song. All these similar definitions are dull, melancholy, and negative, which does not represent her. One example is: “In Spanish it means too many letters. It means sadness, it means waiting. It is like the number nine. A muddy color. It is the Mexican records my father plays on Sunday mornings when he is shaving, songs like sobbing.”
2. What is Esperanza revealing to us about her feelings about herself, her life and her dreams for the future through the discussion of her name?
Esperanza is revealing to us that she believes that Esperanza is a name for people who sit by the window with their sadness on an elbow. This was the fate of her grandma, who had the same name as her. Esperanza doesn't want her future to be about grief, she wants a different, better future that fits her personality. She believes that she has a personality similar to her grandma, a wild, horse of a woman. The only other thing Esperanza wants is freedom.
How does she establish a conflict of identity?
Esperanza establishes a conflict of identity because she wants to change her
name. She feels as if she is not Esperanza, and Esperanza does not fit her
personality. Esperanza wants a new name, a name that will fit her personality.
Individual Activity:
What is your whole name?
What does your name mean? Share what your name actually means and define what it means to you by using figurative language.
Are you named after someone? Who are they and how do you feel about them?
What does your name remind you of?
Does your name reflect who you are?
Do you wish you had a different name/have you ever wanted to change your name?
For the individual activity we wrote a small paragraph about our name and what it means. We used the previous text we just read as a model for the paragraph about our name. We implemented figurative language, and wrote about how each name has a personality attached to it. This was used to compare whether the name fit our real personalities or not, which was what happened in the previous text by Sandra Cisneros.
Reflection:
In this lesson I learned how to annotate while reading text. This is helpful because annotating allows the reader to have a deeper understanding of the material. It also marks important parts of the text and acts as a bookmark so the reader can easily find the information they need. Annotating also keeps you awake and engaged, which makes it easier to process the text that you just read. This lesson is to simply show how important annotations are. It allowed me to learn the different methods of annotation, and to try them out myself on the chapter that I read. From my experience, it quickly allowed me to answer the two given questions because I had all the important information marked out and ready to be used.
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