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House on Mango Street, a la Shmoop. There's a little artist in every one of us.
Even if he only allows us to draw stick figures. But what does artistic expression mean to
us? Isn't art a reflection of our souls? We all rely on numbers . . .
. . . and scientific formulas . . . . . . to help us get through our day.
In fact, we'd be lost without them. But what if logic and rational thinking were
our only options . . . . . . and no one felt compelled to express
themselves through dance . . . . . . or music . . .
. . . or literature? Would it really be such a big deal?
In The House on Mango Street, Esperanza dreams of having her own little house where she can
write. She quotes poetry . . .
. . . and writes stories to make her difficult life more bearable.
Esperanza uses creative expression to escape. But what about the rest of us? Do we all have
the need to write a book . . . . . . or dance in the ballet . . .
. . . or paint a masterpiece? And if so, why? Is that our saving grace?
Well, we already mentioned the whole "escape" thing.
Life isn't getting any easier, so we all need to chill out once in a while with something
that makes us laugh . . .
. . . or something that allows us to cry. There's also the chance that someone else's
artistic expression will touch our souls . . . . . . or inspire our own creativity . . .
. . . or completely knock our socks off. All good things.
And, even if we never have his eye . . . . . . or his grace . . .
. . . or her pipes . . . . . . we keep trying.
Because our tiny attempts at creating works of art . . .
. . . or thoughtful self-expression . . . . . . may make us feel better about ourselves
than just about anything else we do. And whether or not they are masterpieces...
...they open a window to our souls. We thought it was getting drafty in here.
So... is practicing some form of art essential to the human experience? Or can we do without?
Shmoop amongst yourselves.