Project Summary: Provide three possible thesis statements for your Literary analysis essay. I have found that writing your thesis statement out at least three different times and ways helps you to come up with the strongest statement by ultimately combining all three ins some way. For example one student submitted the following last semester (thesis statements are underlined): A woman of color who collects empty bird cages tells the stories of the women she left behind in the ghetto, who couldn't fly away as she did. She tells the stories with brutal honesty about the violence and poverty that plague her neighborhood, all the while maintaining the innocent naivete of childhood, distancing herself from the woman she has become. Sandra Cisneros, tells a story of place that echoes with themes of femininity and power. Her work is flavored with spices found in the work of her contemporary, Gloria Anzaldua, and education philosopher, Paulo Freire. By applying elements of Feminist and Marxist critical theory as well as concepts developed by Anzaldua and Freire, this paper discusses the themes most prevalent in "The House on Mango Street" and their particular meaning to the Latin community. "I'll fly away" is an African-American spiritual rife with images of freedom and choice. Sandra Cisneros's "The House on Mango Street" translates similar themes for the Latin community. This paper will delineate the themes of power and femininity found in the novel, while highlighting intersections of philosophy and cultural identity that Cisnero's novel has in common with the works of Gloria Anzaldua and Paulo Freire. Understanding the women who cry out for freedom in Sandra Cisneros's, "The House on Mango Street" can be approached through careful attention to details and themes. What is revealed about these disaffected members of the author's community when metaphors like windows, keys, cages and kisses are compared to concepts in other Latin works like those of Gloria Anzaldua and Paulo Friere? Such readings expose powerful veins of Feminist and Marxist thought running consistently through all the stories (chapters) in this novel. This paper will detail these intersections of cultural thought to more fully explain the strength of Cisneros's stories and more completely reveal her portraits of those she left behind.