I have just read the first chapter of House on Mango Street. It's about a girl with a big family who can't afford to live in a house and they move to a house on Mango Street. I have found three aspects of writing voice in this writing piece:
They often employ techniques of narrative
In this piece, I found that there was movement; in the beginning, the author introduces her story and describes the house they just moved to and then at the end of the piece, the author transitions to her argument of wanting a "real" house: "I knew then I had to have a house. A real one." (5). The author also uses imagery to give us an image in our heads of the house on Mango Street: "It's small and red with tight steps in front and windows so small you'd think they were holding their breath" (4). The author also uses dialogue to move the plot along. In the example used in the text, someone confronts the main character about her house: "Where do you live? she asked. There, I said pointing up to the third floor. You live there?" (5) This moves the plot in the direction of her wanting a new house that people won't look at and judge. She wants a house she "could point to" (5).
They deliver interesting information
In this writing the author made the audience want to know more. In the beginning of the chapter, the author talks about how she has moved to many different places: "We didn't always live on Mango Street. Before that we lived on Loomis on the third floor, and before that we lived on Keeler. before Keeler it was Paulina, and before that I can't remember" (3). This makes the audience interested in what the authors life was like in that she had to move so much to so many different places that she couldn't even remember them.
They exhibit perceptivity. (Show keen insight or understanding)
The author was always keen on imagery and describing the things around her. She described the house on Mango Street in great detail but what was interesting was she wrote all of those details in contrast to the house that she always dreamed about. "Hallway stairs" instead of "real stairs" (4), "no front yard" instead of a "great big yard" (4).
I appreciated your blog post and enjoyed reading it. The imagery throughout allowed me to follow her story. I believe she created a relatable tone with the use of her descriptions and attention to imagery. I also agree that there was a great use of movement throughout that allowed the audience to follow along with her, and not loose sight of her key points. Do you believe that she could have incorporated more aspects of writing voice? If so, which one?
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