The Influence Of Sandra Laing's Identity

It makes you think about if she were to act, feel, and express her feelings in a different way than what she did in the story, about what could possibly happen and how other characters would react. Leonora was nice and caring, saying that if she wasn’t the nice girl like she was in the story could’ve gotten her in a lot of trouble with the whites. She would’ve said things she shouldn’t have and did things that would get herself or others hurt but luckily she was feeling and expressing smart emotions that helped protect her. If she would have been arrogant she could have possibly said a rude comment to one of the clan members and that would’ve been the end of her. It is a good thing to stand up for yourself but at this point in time if Leonora was to stand up for herself she could’ve gotten in trouble or hurt, because following along with the story the Klan members don’t care about blacks and they won’t put up with anything that is not in their liking. When she got scared in the story she went and hid in the closet away from the clansmen burning the cross, instead of telling anyone or telling them to go away, which at the time it was a smart decision to stay back. (Witness pg. 54) Leonora also has a protective trait which makes her a more helpful selfless person, if she wouldn’t have been that way she wouldn’t have saved Esther from being hit by that train.

There views were different and often clashed. Her desire to be who she truly desired to become, compares to the first short story. Sandra wrote, and wrote, and wrote. She had journals, papers, essays, you name it she wrote it. Her family on the other hand, did not read her writing. They were not interested, nor were they capable of reading them due to the language barrier.

Esperanza is new to the neighborhood, and was never proud of her previous houses, but the negative intonation that the nun uses on her makes her feel like she is being judged, not on who she is, but what her family can afford. There is the place Esperanza now has to call home and the degrading presumption that the neighborhood already has causes her to accept that she can’t change her image without money and let her personality shine through. She seems to accept her label as poor in the story, “A Rice Sandwich”, where she believes the special, also known as rich, kids get to eat in the canteen and she wants to be part of that narrative, so she begs her mother for three days, to write her a note to allow her eat in the canteen. When she couldn’t endure her daughter’s nagging anymore, she complied. Thinking this would be enough affirmation, Esperanza went to school the next with the note and stood in the line with the other kids. She wasn’t recognized by the nun who checks the list, and has to face Sister Superior, who claims that she doesn’t live far enough to stay at school and asks Esperanza to show where her house is. “That one? She said, pointing to a row of ugly three -flats, the ones even the raggedy men are ashamed to go into. Yes, I nodded even though I knew that wasn’t my house,”(45). Esperanza was compared to the most raggedy men, and had to accept

In “Only Daughter,” published in Glamour magazine in 1990, Sandra Cisneros talks about how it’s like for her to be the only daughter in a Mexican-American family of six sons. She talks about some of the struggles she faces. Sandra is a writer. A writer who wants her dad to be curious about her writing. He never bothers to ask what she’s writing. When they’d ask her father how many children's he has, he’d respond with “I have seven sons.” The mention of only sons, not a daugher. This proved to her he was only proud of his sons but not her. According to him she’d also have to go to college but only to find a husband. A man who will take her out of poorness. Since, according to Sandra that's why her dad thought college was important for her. He didn't care about her major. Sandra Cisneros is a writer who didn’t have the attention she was meant to receive. Towards the end she finally gets the attention she desired. She translated one of her pieces into Spanish, the only language her dad could read. That's how it gained the attention of her father. When her dad finally reads her story, it fills her with joy. At first she didn't get any attention from her dad at all, because she’s a girl. Sandra Cisneros makes a great argument on her life being full of loneliness. Although, she only talks about her perspective on things. In this article she only talks about her side of the story, and her side only. Sandra talks about how her life was as being the only girl out of seven children.

There is a time when she gazes at her children, hugging each other while sleeping, which reminds her of Given. She states, “I think Given must have held me like that once… But another part of me wants to shake Jojo and Michaela (Kayla) awake, to lean down and yell so they startle and sit up so I don’t have to see the way they turn to each other like plants following the sun across the sky” (151). We usually expect a mother to be glad to see her children getting along with each other harmoniously. However, Leonie is indeed jealous of her children because they are doing it so well. Jojo and Kayla share their happiness and worries with one another, and their intimacy is building a wall against the outside world that no one can invade. Originally, Leonie also had a caring brother, but Given was killed by Michael’s white cousin at her early age. Therefore, young Leonie had to cope with the family grief over the death of Given, and she suddenly lost a role model that she trusted or learned from. Later, when she is asked to prepare the death of Mam, Leonie looks at the old pictures of Given, and she says “And I want him back so bad then, because I want to ask him: What should I do?” (217). The quote pinpoints that although Leonie is a parent herself, she is not definite enough to make a decision for the family. She is hopeless as there is no one giving her decisive advice and instructing her

Sandra Cisneros’ use of literary elements, such as voice, repetition, and figurative language, causes the reader to that it takes a long time to grow up.

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

“Cultivate Positive Identities.” Laura M. Roberts. How to be a Positive Leader: Small Actions, Big Impact. Jane E. Dutton and Gretchan M. Sprieitzer. San Francisco: Berret-Koehler Publishers, Inc., 2014. 54-63.

Lindo was arranged to marry Tyan-yu. While the marriage was short-lived, Tyan-yu constantly lied to Lindo, and Tyan-yu’s mother treated Lindo like an object to be bartered between families. Lindo experiences depression being trapped in this lifestyle, so she decides to flee to America in order to escape it. When reminiscing on her marriage Lindo says, “I had no choice, now or later. That was how backward families in the country were. We were always the last to give up stupid old-fashioned customs” (Tan ). Similar to the mother in the beginning, Tan creates appeal to pathos, forcing the reader to sympathize with Lindo. The reader’s sympathy to Lindo allows Tan to expand on the larger issue of sexism, creating an emotional and educational tone in order to coax the reader into, again, understanding the true scale of sexism. Tan drilling this larger idea of sexism into readers changes the reader’s perspective. With new perspective, readers notice the need for change to establish equality between both sexes. Therefore, Tan is using her writing as a tool for a deeper subject: exciting change within the world, and thus, exemplifying Jong’s words.

Veronica Roth openly insisted, “I belong to the people I love, and they belong to me--they, and the love and loyalty I give them, form my identity far more than any word or group ever could”( Allegiant). Veronica examines that the overall influence family has among a person’s character and identity as they grow up and begin to comprehend the world strongly shapes an individual. Due to the overwhelming amount of time childhood and life is spent among family, people begin to pick up the similar habits, characteristics, and feelings as their loved ones. Despite whether the one’s around an individual teach them how they would like to live their life, or what path of life and difficulties they would rather avoid, family always has a major impact on someone’s identity. Although Hyeonseo’s identity in The Girl With Seven Names by Hyeonseo Lee is incessantly evolving throughout all three parts of the novel, her family manipulates her identity significantly more than the remaining parts of her erratic life in Part One as she is growing up and learning about her country, in Part Two as she starts her new daunting life away from her home country, and in Part Three when she is dealing with the consequences of her mother and brother’s perilous escape.

When she gave birth to Jake’s son, though, that was the hardest of all. She was entirely preoccupied with the baby, and although he did not resemble his father, Arthur was sure that she saw Jake when she looked into the child. Arthur saw him too. He found it next to impossible even to look at the boy. He knew it was wrong of him, knew that carter was not to blame for anything and that if he couldn’t love him he should at least try to accept him.(320-321)

The circus is an amazing place to be, with a dominant ringleader, the daring and bold trapeze artists, the courageous fire breather, and the whimsical and comedic clown. Many of us can find these specific traits in each of our personalities, which define what we do in our lives and the way we participate in our community. Because each of us portrays these characteristics, ordinarily we can relate with those who have come before us and connect with their identity. At age 14, the youngest of the Little Rock Nine to enter the previously segregated Central High School was Carlotta Walls LaNier. With her personality of a trapeze artist and the ringleader, the noticeable and bold Carlotta Walls LaNier decided to become one of the Little Rock Nine

To conclude, based on Reyna’s answers to the interview questions conclude what we have learned in class during this semester. This references to the 8 basic Elements by Harold Isaacs, which states, Ethnicity is so powerful because what your people teach you stays with you. All the things projected you are not your choice, but rather impose to you. It is often presented in bonds or family ties. “These elements carry a distinctive power by virtue of their primacy.” It happens to you even before you have an identity. For Reyna, she latches to her impose beliefs and is not easy to let them go. She has being influence since young; she carries ideas and theories in her back. Reyna gave meanings

beliefs. Sober uses the example of lightning. He points out that according to the Greeks,

The resentment within the young girl’s family is essential to the novel because one can understand the young girl better as she makes her decision.