Have you ever been in a situation where you feel uncomfortable, like your being controlled? Well, Rachel knows exactly how that feels. In Eleven, by Sandra Cisneros, which is a short story. Rachel battles all of that stuff and more. The theme for Eleven is, It can be hard to stand up for yourself. It can be hard to stand up for yourself. Rachel knows what she wants, but it is hard for her to get it. Everyone thought that Mrs. Price was right because she is the teacher and “teachers are always right.” This shows that because Rachel did not find courage in herself, everyone just thought Mrs. Price was right. This also shows that Rachel was an outsider in the class if everyone took Mrs. Price’s side, and no one stood up to Mrs. Price. It
Rachel is obsessed with the idea of being perfect and needing to uphold an image of perfection, however she has finally realized this is not attainable. Living in the Congo is an
One of the events in this book was the Boston Tea Party. The Boston Tea Party was the dumping of 342 chests of tea into the Boston Harbor. Rachel and Debby, Sarah’s older sister, believed that Paul was one of the people who dumped the tea, but Paul denied it. Sarah and Debby, Sarah’s older sister, started talking about Rachel. They said that Rachel is really worried for Paul because he could get hurt or even killed. Rachel had already been worried about Paul but she was more worried when he started doing more stuff. This made Rachel unhappy because she doesn’t want anything to happen to
In “Eleven”, written by Sandra Cisneros, Cisneros uses literary techniques such as diction and imagery to characterize Rachel’s character during her transition from age ten to age 11. These literary techniques help to describe how Rachel feels in certain situations while also explaining her qualities and traits. Through the use of these literary techniques Cisneros also collaborated on Rachel’s feelings when she was other ages and how she felt at that time during her life.
The inner battle continues through use of similes and syntax patterns. Cisneros brilliantly weaves a series of vivid metaphors that of an eleven year old to further portray Rachel’s character. “Today I wish I didn’t have only eleven years rattling inside me like pennies in a tin band-aid box.” This simile characterizes Rachel as not only a child but also portrays her desire to be older. The image evokes a childish habit of collecting pennies in a tin-box, a juvenile form of a most precious piggy bank. But in addition to labeling Rachel’s age, it also hints at her feelings of wanting out. Rachel feels trapped by her ripe young age of eleven because she feels as if she doesn’t have the years behind her to justify her non-acceptance of the sweater. Afraid to say no and stand up for herself, Rachel unwillingly has to take the sweater, which “smells like cottage cheese” and hangs over the edge of her desk “like a waterfall.” Again, we see glances into Rachel’s mind and how she envisions the dreadful sweater. The images allow us to see into an eleven year old’s thoughts and see how the situation looks from a child’s eyes. Telling it like it is, as Rachel seems to do quite often, she describes the smell as cottage cheese, a
I never had that. My life was the store". This quote demonstrates that Rachel wanted a change and was ready to do whatever it took to get it. Rachel experiences at school were awful due to the fact that she was Jewish and her father owned a business. During this time period she stood out from other people and no one wanted to be her friend except for a white girl named Frances.
The book Breaking Through, by Francisco Jimenez is about his autobiographical novel. According to Wikipedia, he received both his master’s degree and his Ph.D. from Columbia University, and he is the director of the ethnic studies program. In this book, he wrote about his life and his challenging life in the United States, and how he overcame the challenge. His family moved to the U.S.A from the Guadalajara, Mexico when he was 4 years old, so he faced too many problems to live in the U.S.A. However, the major struggles that Francisco Jimenez faces were language and money, but he overcame them.
The two poems I chose to analyze were “Curandera” by Pat Mora and “Loose Woman” by Sandra Cisneros. They were an interesting read and made sure to reread several times to make sure I got everything I could from them. Both poems are so unique from other poems I have read; they are also unique from each other yet share similarities as well.
, she is giving the readers a way she knows how to describe her feelings. This shows her character because its her describing her feelings in a personal way. The point-of-view of the story helps to characterize Rachel. By the story being in Rachel’s point-of-view, the reader gets first person responses to events.
Age thirteen is a special time for boys. Sorry girls, I don't have a clue how it goes for you. I'm not leaving you out, I just don't know and don't feel confident to comment. If the shoe fits, wear it.
Rachel grew up in a house hold where she had to grow up really quick. In her early teenage years she witnesses her mom struggle through abusive relationships with her step dad and other boyfriends that came after. She eventually became an alcoholic. By the time Rachel was 13 year old, she dropped out of school to take the role of the emotional and financial care taker of her mother. Living in her
There are many concepts that Gloria Anzaldua discusses in Borderlands/La Frontera: The New Mestiza, but there are two that stuck out: linguistic terrorism, nephantla, and la facultad. These concepts have affected Women such as ElviraPrietoo and Norma Cantu to write from their personal experiences. To embrace their roots, they came from and never forget the events that shaped them into the women they are today. Perhaps expand a bit on your introduction. For instance, offer some context of Borderlands and the other two texts and then teases / a tease / the tease out what it is you will discuss the themes of memory and identity a bit more.
Beyond racial divide, Kingsolver portrays how Rachel’s self-obsession leaves no room for her family in order
One reason she is an outcaste is that she called the cops at the part where she was raped. This leads her to lose her group of friends “the Plain Jane’s” the only things they ever say to her now are words of hate, an example is Rachel mouthing the words, “I hate you.” Other people at school whisper about her in the halls and one girl at the pep rally knees her in the back and pull her
Have you ever felt so alone, you get the impression that you do not belong at a place? Sandra Cisneros describes the unfavorable relationship she faces with her family. Although Sandra is talked down upon, she persuades the readers how the loneliness impacted her life.
In the short story, “Eleven” by Sandra Cisneros, a young child named Rachel experienced her eleventh birthday in a classroom. As the story progresses there is a change in the tone- from nonchalant to sadness to anger. Cisneros uses various forms of figurative language throughout “Eleven”, such as repetition, metaphors and similes, and symbolism.