Aim: How can the use of annotations aid in analyzing the figurative language, tone and conflict in “My Name,” by Sandra Ciseneros?
Do Now: (CLASS DISCUSSION)
What does your name mean? If you don’t know, look it up. Do you feel any connection to this meaning?
Kelly said her name in Chinese means beautiful and her English name meant warrior. She stated that she didn’t feel a connection towards her personality. Karis said her name means Grace and that she was quite graceful. Not only was she quite graceful, she’s Christian, which also has a religious connection to her. When I was called, I said that my name also means beautiful just like Kelly’s name, and that I didn’t feel a connection with it because I’m quite insecure and dislike the way I looked. The birthday boy, Zihan was called on next, and he said that his name meant knowledge, and he had no connection towards his name.
Annotating - Purpose & Techniques
We then watched a video learning about how to annotate while reading. Here’s a quick recap:
Annotating is a fundamental school habit that kids would need to develop as early as possible.
Annotating isn’t a requirement, but it is a useful skill to have when reading short or long books, chapters, excerpts, etc.
You can get a deeper understanding of the material. It allows you to comprehend what you are reading on a deeper level.
1) Circle unknown words and look up the definition.
2) Put question marks next to areas of uncertainty or parts that are unclear.
3) Put a star next to any text that you think is important.
4) Put an exclamation point next to key turning points or something you want to come back to.
5) Circle or mark any character names the first time they are introduced.
6) Keep a running list of characters and their traits. Add to this list as you learn more about the characters.
7) Write your notes somewhere accessible.
8) Paraphrase each chapter right after you read it. Write only a few sentences.
9) Write down questions as they arise.
10) Color code your notes. Use different colors for definitions, questions, thoughts, etc.
11) Give each chapter a title, even if it already has one. Title = main idea.
After the video, we discussed other different techniques like:
Chunking = summarizing each paragraph as you go
Common themes or repetition of ideas
Point of View = is it first person, second person, or third person (objective, limited, omniscient)?
Team Discussion:
Do you know why your parents chose your name?
Who chose it?
Were you named after a particular person?
Why were you named after him or her?
(Everyone was sent into a breakout room with their designated groups)
During team discussion, we were given 3 minutes to discuss everyone’s names and what it meant.
Kelly said that her sister has picked that name for her because it sounded nice.
Byron said that his name was picked by his mother.
I said that my name was also picked by my mother because my dad wasn’t there during my birth and that half of my first name is from half of my mom’s first name, which is Mei.
Owen said he has no idea about his name.
Zihan said that his parents chose his name, but he doesn’t know why.
After Team Discussion, students were told to share a group member’s name creation and how it was chosen.
We were then to read “My Name”, the first chapter in the book, The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros. While reading, we were to annotate the story while reading and paying attention to the following:
Figurative language (similes, hyperbole, etc)
Diction (the word choices a writer makes; informal or formal speech?)
Syntax (are the sentences long, short, simple, or complex?)
Tone (how is the attitude of the author?)
Anything else that stands out to you, etc.
DIRECTIONS: Make sure you rephrase all questions as part of your answer.
How does Esperanza describe her name using figurative language? Refer to your annotations and cite some examples from the text.
(Recap)
Figurative language: Any use of language where the intended meaning differs from the actual literal meaning of the words themselves. There are many techniques which can rightly be called figurative language, including metaphor, simile, hyperbole, personification, onomatopoeia, verbal irony, and oxymoron. (Related: figure of speech).
My response: Esperanza describes her name using figurative language by using metaphors, similes, and irony. For example, “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.” Another example is, “not quite as thick as sister's name Magdalena--which is uglier than mine.” She exaggerates how her name is at least better than her sister’s name by using the words “thick” and “ugly”.
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?
How does she establish a conflict of identity?
My response: Esperanza is revealing to us that she expresses a negative view about her feelings about herself, her life and her dreams for the future through the discussion of her name. Esperanza establishes a conflict of identity by hoping she may be able to change it to a name where it would fully describe herself and have a deep meaning to her.
Individual Activity:
Now it’s your turn to write about your name. Using the text as a model, write a paragraph about your name. You can try to mimic Cisneros’ style and voice. Think about the following questions as you write and be sure to include use of:
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?
My response: My whole name is Mei Ling He. In Chinese, my name means beautiful. Beautiful and delicate like soft silk, or a beautiful ring to a gentle bell. Half of my first name is after my mother, considering my dad was never there for my birth. My mother is a hard working person, and for her to pass on half of her name feels like I may be able to work hard for anything I do. My name reminds me of my mother, and the month of May because of the pronunciation. My name does not reflect who I am. I am not beautiful as described by my name, nor am I a beautiful ring to a bell. To be honest, I have nothing against my name, though there were times I wished it was something different. I cannot blame my mom for choosing this name out of the spur since it was so long ago.
Reflection:
I learned about not only the meaning of my name, but my fellow classmates’ meanings as well. I was able to learn about each name, and what significance each had held. I also learned that annotating has a big use when it comes to doing readings whether it was short or long. Annotation can guide a reader along the book as they read up to the climax, and slowly slide down the falling action. I learned about everyone’s name significance because they can describe someone as a whole, even if they can’t see it. I learned more about annotation because annotating is something everyone should keep as a useful skill and that you never know when or where you’re going to need this skill. I can use what I learned about my classmates to recognize their beauty in different ways, and appreciate how special each and every one of them are. Annotation can be used when I read articles, excerpts, books, and more.
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