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Description:

Do we need creative arts to survive, or is logic enough? And how can The House on Mango Street help us decide? Check out this video to find out.

Language:
English Language

Transcript

00:07

House on Mango Street, a la Shmoop. There's a little artist in every one of us.

00:16

Even if he only allows us to draw stick figures. But what does artistic expression mean to

00:21

us? Isn't art a reflection of our souls? We all rely on numbers . . .

00:26

. . . and scientific formulas . . . . . . to help us get through our day.

00:29

In fact, we'd be lost without them. But what if logic and rational thinking were

00:37

our only options . . . . . . and no one felt compelled to express

00:41

themselves through dance . . . . . . or music . . .

00:44

. . . or literature? Would it really be such a big deal?

00:54

In The House on Mango Street, Esperanza dreams of having her own little house where she can

00:58

write. She quotes poetry . . .

01:00

. . . and writes stories to make her difficult life more bearable.

01:05

Esperanza uses creative expression to escape. But what about the rest of us? Do we all have

01:12

the need to write a book . . . . . . or dance in the ballet . . .

01:17

. . . or paint a masterpiece? And if so, why? Is that our saving grace?

01:24

Well, we already mentioned the whole "escape" thing.

01:29

Life isn't getting any easier, so we all need to chill out once in a while with something

01:33

that makes us laugh . . .

01:34

. . . or something that allows us to cry. There's also the chance that someone else's

01:42

artistic expression will touch our souls . . . . . . or inspire our own creativity . . .

01:48

. . . or completely knock our socks off. All good things.

01:54

And, even if we never have his eye . . . . . . or his grace . . .

01:58

. . . or her pipes . . . . . . we keep trying.

02:00

Because our tiny attempts at creating works of art . . .

02:03

. . . or thoughtful self-expression . . . . . . may make us feel better about ourselves

02:07

than just about anything else we do. And whether or not they are masterpieces...

02:12

...they open a window to our souls. We thought it was getting drafty in here.

02:17

So... is practicing some form of art essential to the human experience? Or can we do without?

02:24

Shmoop amongst yourselves.

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