This is an essay that I was assigned after reading The House on Mango Street.
(10/08)

What is a Home? Essay

“Home is where the heart is,” is a popular definition of a home. For me, that phrase is only a summary. A home can be many different places for different people. To me, a home is a place where you live with loved ones (a family), the place where you grew up, and a safe haven.

When the word “home” is used, I think of my family. Even though I did not live with my whole family for very long, I still associate my parents, sister, step-parents, and my step-sister with the word “home”. I think of both of my homes and have many memories with both families. I also think of how much I love my family. My family will always be a home to me.

A home is the place where you grew up, and it’s where you learned the most. Majority of the time, I consider the apartment my dominant home in my life because that is where I spent the years I grew up. I learned the most lessons there because I got on trouble for making mistakes, and then learned from them. Another dominant home for me is my dad’s house. I also grew up there and learned many things there, such as riding a bike and swimming.

I also think of safety when I think of home. I always felt safe when I was home with my family. Also, safety was found when I was over at a good friend’s house. I believe that whenever somebody finds a place where they feel safe, they have found a home.
In conclusion, from my reasoning that a home is where you live with family, where you grew up or learned the most from, and a place of safety, the phrase, “home is where the heart is,” is only a summary. You could not find reasons like those if you did not have a heart.