Language and Writing Style Within the novel The House on Mango Street

What is the difference? Statement One: “He was tall with horrible looking teeth.” Statement Two: “He was one of these very, very, tall-, round-shouldered guys- he was about six four-with lousy teeth…They always looked mossy and awful,…”(page 19)

What is imagery? Imagery is the use of vivid description within a piece of writing, that contains a lot of sensory words to create a picture in the reader’s head.

Example One… “But I just couldn’t hang around there any longer, the way we were on opposite sides of the pole, and the way he kept missing the bed whenever he chucked something at it, and his sad old bathrobe with his chest showing, and the grippy smell of Vicks Nose Drops all over the place. (Page 15)

Example Two… “It was this red hunting hat, with one of those very, very, long peaks…It only cost me a buck. The way I wore it, I swung the old peak way around to the back- very corny.” (Page 18)

Example Three… “He always looked all right, Stradlater, but for instance, you should’ve seen the razor he shaved himself with. It was always rusty as hell and full of lather and hairs and crap.” (Page 27)

Now You Try… “The child jumped into the pool.” “The pen is on the desk.” “The school is very big.”

Description… On your own, write one paragraph describing the person that you chose for your homework assignment yesterday. As I stated before, this person can be a family member, neighbor or a close friend. Remember to use a lot of descriptive language in order to help the reader create an image in their mind. What does the person look like? What does this person sound like? What images come to mind when you think of this individual? Use those images to help you describe them.