Esmeralda Santiago's When I Was Puerto Rican

Self-exploration is hindered in this book and my life. I can very much identify with Esperanza perspectives on societal issues that Latin women face. A society dominated by men and women relying on them, whether it is a father, spouse or friend. Men are considered the strong reasonable as where women are weak and emotional, in turn women need men for protection. A young girl may have two story paths, one where she relies on the protection of her father while she watches her mother cater to him or two, witnesses the struggles of a single young woman and absence for a father. This book describes marriage as priority for every girl or else how could she survive; appearances and physical features are highly valued traits. This attitude is not one that Esperanza agrees with, nor do I. For example, Marin she is the girl standing on the street just “waiting for a car to stop, a star to fall, someone to change her life.” This character implies that she does not dream of actively setting life goals for herself and working to earn them, instead she will wait until a man makes it happen for her. The ideology behind this thought being that as a woman she must thrive to be as attractive as possible to heighten her chances of marriage and acquire

“Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement. Nothing can be done without hope and confidence.” This quote by Helen Keller claims that in order to thrive, one needs hope and confidence. Esperanza happens to have both-- at least she eventually comes to have both. In her series of vignettes, “The House on Mango Street,” Sandra Cisneros writes of several of Esperanza’s experiences to show her evolution as a child into a woman. Esperanza starts as an insecure child, before beginning to gain confidence, and finally gaining that confidence. This evolution of Esperanza’s can be seen in the vignettes, “A Rice Sandwich,” “Papa Who Wakes Up Tired In The Dark,” and “Beautiful and Cruel” respectively. These experiences and vignettes that Cisnero covers

Esperanza has a variety of female role models in her life. Many are trapped in abusive relationships, waiting for others to change their live. A female role model or friends seems to be important to Esperanza. Some of the women that are her role models are, Esperanza's great-grandmother, Marin, and Rafaela. Even though she may not have known these women very well they still impacted her life immensely , some showed the way that Esperanza did not want to live in her life to information about boys she found interesting.

She was born in Chicago, Illinois. Cisneros grew up in a Latino family around the 1950s and 1960s. She had a Mexican father and Chicano mother. Cisneros was encouraged by her mother to read and was not insisted with spending all of her time performing classic “women’s work”. Cisneros welcomes her culture with open arms, but acknowledges the unjustness between the genders within. Having experience growing up in a poor neighborhood in a working class family while facing the difficulties created by racism, sexism, and her status, Esperanza longed to leave the barrio. Later, she finds her capability to succeed individually and find a “home with herself”; she worked to recreate some Chicano stereotypes for her community. Cisneros didn’t want to

Lots of things can change when era changes except gender roles but after read this story, gender roles are changing distinctly than others. Even though it has changed a lot now, woman still has difficulty with when they get a job so we must strive until the equality of man and woman is evenly distributed. Esperanza make effort to improve her life and cultivate own self but not make effort to gender equality. She has interest in gender role but not that much so she think about it but not to act. From this essay, I have gave examples of how people might react to the idea about gender roles. However, we need to realize that women should take action for themselves instead of following

The book Esperanza Rising, by Pam Munoz Ryan, gives readers a reason to never be afraid of starting over. The main character named Esperanza, is faced with several challenging situations as a young girl. These challenging events are life changing at times, which forces her to make adult decisions at young age. The life Esperanza is forced to live is unfortunately a reality to many Mexican families that made the move to the United States in search of the American Dream. Events faced by Esperanza’s family alongside workers of the El Rancho de las Rosas, which Esperanza’s family owned, forces Esperanza to change into a mature young teenage female. Munoz Ryan shows Esperanza’s character change by challenges she is faced with. The outcome of these events show growth within her young life by the emotions Esperanza expresses. Throughout the book Munoz Ryan uses symbolism to show growth and change within all characters. However; it is obvious to see the symbolic aspects the author provides related to Esperanza’s changes. The author faces Esperanza with different events to help remind her of a once wealthy life along with her current immigrant life style. As a whole many factors influence Esperanza's change. In the onset of Esperanza Rising, Esperanza is a wealthy, spoiled and dependent eight year old child, due to life changing events, she matures into an independent and mature teenage female.

The autobiography When I was Puerto Rican, written by Esmeralda Santiago, tells a story of a poor girl trying to succeed. The settings in this novel have an important influence on Esmeralda. They influence her behavior and change her ideals as an adult. Negi goes through many changes based on the challenges she faces by moving to new locations where society is different. All of these changes allow her to become a stronger person. When she lives in El Mangle, Negi has to face extreme prejudice against her upbringing as a jibara. When she leaves Puerto Rico to move to Brooklyn, she is forced to face an entirely different society. All of these events that took place in Esmeralda’s childhood had a significant impact in shaping her into an adult.

Esperanza believes in feminism and women independence. In the vignette Rafaela who drinks coconut and papaya juice on Tuesday, this character is confined in her house because her husband thinks she is too beautiful to look at. “And then Rafaela who is still young but getting old from leaning out the window so much gets locked indoors

Esperanza's mother was also a very influential role model for Esperanza. Esperanza learns how important an education is by looking at her mother's situation. Her mother laments, “I could have been somebody, you know?” (91). Her mother could have had a better life and a better job if she continued to go to school, and she imparts this wisdom upon her daughter. “Esperanza, you go to school. Study hard” (91). Esperanza does not want to end up in her mother's situation. Without a proper education, a successful life is nearly impossible to achieve. Esperanza's mother teaches her the importance of being strong, educated, and independent: “Got to take care all your own” (91).

In the book The House on Mango Street, author Sandra Cisneros presents a series of vignettes that involve a young girl, named Esperanza, growing up in the Latino section of Chicago. Esperanza Cordero is searching for a release from the low expectations and restrictions that Latino society often imposes on its young women. Cisneros draws on her own background to supply the reader with accurate views of Latino society today. In particular, Cisneros provides the chapters “Boys and Girls” and “Beautiful and Cruel” to portray Esperanza’s stages of growth from a questioning and curious girl to an independent woman. Altogether, “Boys and Girls” is not like “Beautiful and Cruel” because Cisneros reveals two different maturity levels in Esperanza;

A poignant figure in Esperanza’s life is her own grandmother. In fact, Esperanza was given her birth name after her grandmother. A touching gesture that came from good faith. A name may have some value, but for Esperanza there was a high intrinsic quality to such a simple component. Despite, never encountering her own grandmother in person, Esperanza was grateful to have fond memories by carrying her legacy through her name. Life’s motto concerns dealing with adversity and carrying the legacy of one’s family eternally. Being confident and smart was the only way to live by. No man was needed to help raise and nurture herself. Her grandmother instilled in Esperanza a sense of fortitude and independence. It is sad that a regret of Esperanza is linked to her grandmother, further illustrating the physical and mental hardships one can endure in

Everybody has difficulties in their lives that change them in some way, shape, or form. When a person experiences these difficulties; It can cause them to shift their outlook on certain things and/or cause changes in character. This is certainly the case when it comes to Esperanza Ortega. She is the main character in Esperanza Rising. Esperanza 13 years old and lives in El Rancho de las Rosas. She is the only daughter of a very wealthy rancher. Esperanza is forced to leave her perfect life due to the murder of her father. She comes to California and becomes a peasant worker. This journey causes Esperanza to change in many different ways.

She is just to use that identity to prove to others who her right self is, rather than the self that does not convey who she is. Near the end of the novel, Esperanza has come to the conclusion that she will not be someone who society had plan out for her, “... but I have decided not to grow up tame like the others who lay their necks on the threshold waiting for the ball and chain… in the movies there is always one with red red lips who is beautiful and cruel… I am one who leaves the table like a man, without putting back the chair or picking up the plate.” (Cisneros 88,89) Esperanza will not grow up to be ordered around like the other women in her neighborhood. She will be a woman that is beautiful, yet cruel and in the eyes of men, she will be the man. She decides that she will not follow the rules of society like the fact that all a woman can do to escape, is to wait for a man to sweep them off the street. Instead, she will be a “man” of her own self where she will be “beautiful and cruel.” Esperanza will be cruel as she will not “grow up tame” like the women who does so by being scared, afraid, and controlled by their husbands. She is to be beautiful as she will be the one who holds power, and independence where she will depend on her own self. Esperanza changes the use of her identity, from having an identity to only represent her true inner self, to an identity that will change both the rules and paths that society. With the

There are several main characters in this story ”Esperanza Rising.” First of all, there is Esperanza, a girl who faced many conflicts throughout the story. PaPa, Esperanza’s father was generous, however, later killed by bandits. Ramona, Esperanza’s mother was very nice, but later became very sick. Alfonso, Ramona’s servant, brought Esperanza and MaMa to the United States. Miguel, Ramona’s servant and Alfonso’s son, also went with Esperanza. One day, Miguel took Esperanza’s money and used it to bring Abuelita to America. Abuelita, Esperanza's grandma tried to flee to the U.S. to have a better living away from the corrupt uncles.

A girl should be like a butterfly, pretty to see but hard to catch. In this section of the book Esmeralda is maturing a lot, mainly because she doesn‘t have a choice. At first Esmeralda wished she was prettier, and had Cleopatra make up like her new friend, Sally. Sally was very pretty and her Dad knew this. He didn‘t want her marrying a husband a moving away like his sisters did; so he would keep her inside when he could and beat her when he catches her talking to boys or "acting up." Sally wanted out, and she‘d do anything leave. I think Esmeralda says this because she saw what happened to Sally, she realized that in order to be happy she has to be independent unlike Mommacita and her own mother so she can get out of Mango Street. I think