Mr. Shakur

Abdel Shakur

Song #1: Story
"The House on Mango Street"

Quote from the book: "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." p.4

The main theme of the story "The House on Mango Street" story is that Esperanza and her family are looking for a home that fits there family. They are tired of renting houses because the landlords don't take care of them.

"A House is Not a Home" by Luther Vandross

Quote from the song: "But a chair is not a house and a house is not a home. When there's no one there to hold you tight. And no one there you can kiss goodnight"

"A House Is Not a Home" by Luther Vandross is about the difference between a house and a home. Vandross is saying that you can't actually have a home until you have someone who will love you and hold you tight. I picked this song because it shows how important it is for Esperanza and her family to have a place where they can love each other and make into a home.


Song #2: Character

Rosa Vargas -- "There Was An Old Woman She Had So Many Children She Didn't Know What To Do"

Quote from the book: "Rosa Vargas' kids are too many and too much. It's not her fault you know, except she is their mother and only one against so many."

Rosa Vargas is a mother who is living in a home trying to raise a bunch of kids all by herself. The story says that the children's father left her without " a dollar for bolgna or a note explaining why". She is tired all of the time and wants the children's father to return.

"Dear Mama" by 2Pac Shakur

Quote from the song: "Over the years we was poorer than the other little kids. And even though we had different daddy's, the same drama. When things went wrong we'd blame mama"

"Dear Mama" by 2Pac Shakur is about a man who is looking back at all the hard times that his mother had to go through. He describes how the mother suffered because she was trying to raise "bad" kids on her own.

I picked this song because it showed how the struggle that Rosa Vargas went through and the struggle that 2Pac's mother went through were similar.


Song #3: Book Theme

Theme: Love Yourself for Who You Are

Quote from the book: "And all I hear is the clapping when the music stops. My uncle and me bow and he walks me back in my thick shoes to my mother who is proud to be my mother." p.48

One of the major themes in the book is how important it is to love yourself, no matter what. This quote comes from the story "Chanclas" where Esperanza dances with her uncle Nacho, even though she doesn't like the way her feet look. Throughout the book Esperanza feels like she's not as pretty as other girls, but by the end she knows that she has to love herself for who she is.

Book Theme Song: "I Am Not My Hair" by India Arie

Quote from the song: "I am not my hair. I am not this skin. I am a soul that lives within."

This song is all about a woman who tries to change her hair to fit what other people think it should look like. By the end of the song she realizes that as long as she is happy with her hair, than that is good enough.

I chose this song because it showed how Esperanza felt about her body at first, but in the end she found out she was good enough no matter what she looked like.