The House on Mango Street

In our world today, we experience discrimination all around us, everywhere we go. There is racism, hatred, people being told that they are too young to do something that they want to do, people being discriminated against, and etc. It is very sad and depressing and that is not how we should live our lives. In fact, I have been a victim of discrimination. In 7th grade, I really wanted to learn how to solve a Rubik's Cube. I went to the store to buy a Rubik's Cube and when I went to go pay for it the cashier says to me, "You are too young to learn how to do that. You will never learn." I replied, "Wanna bet?" This encouraged me to want to learn to figure it out even more. His discouragement/him discriminating against me, ended up encouraging me to want to learn how to solve it even more. This is the truth with everyone. Discrimination hurts and it is hard to deal with. From the book, The House on Mango Street and the short story, "By Any Other Name", the girls in the stories are treated horribly, discriminated against, disrespected, and are victims of prejudice, because of this we learn that discrimination hurts and effects the way that we live our lives in a negative manner.

In both of the stories, all three girls (and in some cases more) are treated horribly. In The House on Mango Street, Esperanza describes one of her experience with one of the Nuns, and it does not go over so well. The quote from the book is from the vignette, "The House on Mango Street" on page five. It says, "Where do you live? She asked. There, I said pointing up to the third floor. You live there? There. I had to look to where she pointed--the third floor, the paint peeling, wooden bars Papa had nailed on the windows so we wouldn't fall out. You live there? The way she said it made me feel like nothing. There. I lived there. I nodded." Like shes says, "The way she said it made me feel like nothing." It made her feel like nothing. She felt like she was worthless and not good enough to please anyone. If anyone should have some sympathy on her, it should be the nun. In the short story, "By Ant Other Name", Premila is a victim of prejudice. The quote from the short story comes from the last page. It says, "Premila said, ‘We had our test today, and she made me and the other Indians sit at the back of the room, with a desk between each one.' Mother said, ‘Why was that, daring?' ‘She said it was because Indians cheat,' Premila added. ‘So I don't think we should go back to that school.'" Premila and all of the other Indian boys and girls in that class were victims of prejudice and stereotyping. The teacher was racist and showed no reasoning other than her own opinion as to why they should all sit apart in the back of the room. In these two examples, Esperanza, Premila, and the other Indian kids in her class, were stereotyped, treated horribly,