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Understanding characters in Sandra Cisneros stories
Understanding characters in Sandra Cisneros stories
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Although a main character, the father of Ines is an important person in the Sandra Cisneros story Eyes of Zapata. He is a traditional father figure, one who wants the best for his daughter. Ines believes Emiliano Zapata is the one for her while her father is in complete disagreement. He disapproves of Zapata, cutting off many of the close ties he has with his daughter.
-Throughout the story we learn that the father of Ines is characterized as a stubborn man,
one who views his opinion as the correct one.
“You’re as stubborn as he was” (90)
-When angered about Ines’s new love he wanted, “nothing to fo with [her]” (90).
-He is also a person who values the many characteristics and lifestyle choices he has
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known all his life. Ines having sexual relations with a man she is not married to angers him deeply.
“I named our daughter after my mother...Against my father’s wishes.” (100)
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3. Eyes of Zapata is important to our understanding of either Latino culture in general or the
Mexican-American ethnicity because it portrays an aspect that is commonly stereotyped
about Latina women and incorporates historical figures to further enhance her point.
Readers will be able to experience a possible scenario that occured between Ines and
Emiliano.
4. The story teaches us the theme of religion and spirituality by including La Virgen de
Guadalupe, and how Ines gathers strength from her. The theme of the dynamic of parent
and child is demonstrated through Ines and her father. Cisneros showcases an unhealthy
relationship between father and daughter.
5. Cisneros highlights the social issues of loneliness and self destruction in relationships.
Cisneros highlights these issues by creating a likeable character who analyzes the moments
she is alone and the moments she is with the love of her life. I believe Cisneros does a
good job in demonstrating these concepts by the rollercoaster of emotions the main
character goes through.
6. Questions for
classmates: Why do you think Cisneros decided to incorporate a well known leader in the Mexican Revolution rather than an ordinary male as the love interest? Do you feel sorry for Ines or do you believe it was merely the universe repaying her for her actions? Does this story connect to any modern day stories? If yes which ones? How do they connect? If not, why does Cisneros do this? 7. Visual/ activity: A photo of Emiliano Zapata (visual) Write down anything you know about Emiliano Zapata. (2 minutes) At the end we will look back to see if your knowledge or opinion of Zapata changes. (Journal Activity) At the end of class: Do you believe Cisneros usage of real life people as her characters enhance her them, or does it lessen her theme? (Journal Activity)
Finally, by reading Angela Morales essays “Chief Little Feather, Where Are you”? And “Skin and Toes, Ears and Hair”, she seemed affected by her father which he did not give her love and the time to spend with her. Also by her mom who was controlled by her father. She didn’t have a nice childhood which she
Doña Guadalupe is a woman of great strength and power, power and strength which she draws from her devout faith and her deep and loving compassion for her family, and power and strength which is passed down to her children. “‘Well, then, come in,’ she said, deciding that she could be handle this innocent-girl-stealing coyote inside. On going into the long tent, Salvador felt like he’d entered the web of a spider, the old woman was eyeing him so deliberately” (360). Doña Guadalupe is a very protective woman, which is extremely speculative when it comes to her children, this is especially true when it comes to boys, because she has not gone this far only for all of her hard work to be ruined by a no good boy. This shows how protective she is, she loves her family, and especially her kids so much that they themselves must pass her test before being able to pass on to her children. “The newborns were moving, squirming, reaching out for life. It was truly a sign from God” (58). Doña Guadalupe is also a very devout and faithful person. She sees God in everything and in everyone and by that fact, what she sees and who she sees is true, and she tries to be a model of clairvoyance for the family. “Doña Guadalupe put the baby’s little feet in a bowel of warm water, and the child clinging to his mother. He never cried, listening to her heartbeat, the same music that he’d heard from inside the womb” (57). Finally, Doña Guadalupe is very passionate which allows for a great model upon which her children follow. This further shows how she is clearly th...
The themes explored in the novel illustrate a life of a peasant in Mexico during the post-revolution, important themes in the story are: lack of a father’s role model, death and revenge. Additionally, the author Juan Rulfo became an orphan after he lost
Symbolism is the key to understanding Sandra Cisneros’ novel, “The House on Mango Street”. By unraveling the symbolism, the reader truly exposes the role of not only Latina women but women of any background. Esperanza, a girl from a Mexican background living in Chicago, writes down what she witnesses while growing up. As a result of her sheltered upbringing, Esperanza hardly comprehends the actions that take place around her, but what she did understand she wrote in her journal. Cisneros used this technique of the point of view of a child, to her advantage by giving the readers enough information of what is taking place on Mango Street so that they can gather the pieces of the puzzle a get the big picture.
A conflict that arises in the beginning of the story is the controlling of her husband Richard towards her. Ines feels trapped and imprisoned in the providing for the specific needs for Richard. She lives in his world where rules and regulations are to be expected of her. In the beginning of the story Garcia introduces the thoughts of Ines towards her husband stating “When her husband returns home he'll expect her trussed up in a silk dress and pearls and wearing make-up and high heels.” Ines is in a conf...
Demetria Martínez’s Mother Tongue is divided into five sections and an epilogue. The first three parts of the text present Mary/ María’s, the narrator, recollection of the time when she was nineteen and met José Luis, a refuge from El Salvador, for the first time. The forth and fifth parts, chronologically, go back to her tragic experience when she was seven years old and then her trip to El Salvador with her son, the fruit of her romance with José Luis, twenty years after she met José Luis. And finally the epilogue consists a letter from José Luis to Mary/ María after her trip to El Salvador. The essay traces the development of Mother Tongue’s principal protagonists, María/ Mary. With a close reading of the text, I argue how the forth chapter, namely the domestic abuse scene, functions as a pivotal point in the Mother Tongue as it helps her to define herself.
This novel is a story of a Chicano family. Sofi, her husband Domingo together with their four daughters – Esperanza, Fe, Caridad, and Loca live in the little town of Tome, New Mexico. The story focuses on the struggles of Sofi, the death of her daughters and the problems of their town. Sofi endures all the hardships and problems that come her way. Her marriage is deteriorating; her daughters are dying one by one. But, she endures it all and comes out stronger and more enlightened than ever. Sofi is a woman that never gives up no matter how poorly life treats her. The author- Ana Castillo mixes religion, super natural occurrences, sex, laughter and heartbreak in this novel. The novel is tragic, with no happy ending but at the same time funny and inspiring. It is full of the victory of the human spirit. The names of Sofi’s first three daughters denote the three major Christian ideals (Hope, Faith and Charity).
II. After additional research, I have decided to talk more about the topic of Chicano and Chicana education.
Although it is desirable to incorporate personal experiences of others to get a feel of the encounters that occurred to the typical or atypical individual within the Chicano movement, this does not entirely mean that the filmmakers left out those who studied the history of it. Historian Mario T. Garcia was a prominent addition in contributing to the historical experiences within the movement and brings in credibility. The concept of utilizing Chicanos who endured the reign of oppression and discussed their involvements to the impartiality efforts was a thrilling and clever one, there was still a need of a backbone in the factual side of it. By introducing an essence of experience, it generates a personal and emotional aspect in the documentary that can be unfavorable and stray from the informative attitude of a documentary. Having Garcia apart of the documentary grounds this enlightening dimension that insights as preventative measure which is an adept move on behalf of directors Luis Ortiz and Antonio
In the first verse of “La casada infiel”, the reader is introduced quickly to the sexist narrative voice and Lorca’s criticism of societal values surrounding female sexuality and sex at the time:
Family is one of the most important institutions in society. Family influences different aspects of a person’s life, such as their religion, values, morals and behavior. Unfortunately, problems may arise when an individual’s belief system or behavior does not coincide with that of family standards. Consequently, individuals may be forced to repress their emotions or avoid acting in ways that that are not acceptable to the family. In the novel The Rain God, written by Arturo Islas, we are presented with a story about a matriarchal family that deals with various conflicts. One major internal conflict is repression. Throughout the novel the characters act in strange ways and many of the family members have internal “monsters” that represent the past that they are repressing. In his article, “The Historical Imagination in Arturo Islas’s The Rain God and Migrant Souls”, Antonio C. Marquez’s implicitly asserts a true idea that The Rain God is a story about repression. Marquez’s idea can be supported from an analysis of secondary sources and a reading of the primary text.
Gonzalez, Araceli. “Discussion #2.” Chicano Studies 10. University of California Davis. Wellman 229. 8 October 2013.
Catholicism glorifies and represents mothers as the main foundation of the family through the example of the passive and unconditional loving Mary, the mother of Jesus Crist. This idea of the mother as unconditional lover beings has been passed on and reproduced in the Chicana/o community. Gil Cuadros and Reyna Grande through their autobiographical work testify against this predominate idea of the mothers being caring and loving persons. Even though most mothers fall into the norm of a normal mother, normality is subjective, therefore Cuadros and Grande’s work represent the complexities of reality. Grande’s The Distance Between Us and Cuadro’s City of God are autobiographical narratives that incorporate reality as a form of testimonial of existence, an act of healing and resilience. Given that these author’s life experiences can be
Told entirely in his own words, we come to the story of Inocente as she realizes that her life is at a crossroads, and for the first time, she decided to take control of its own destiny. Irreverent, funny and flawed, it is now channeling its irresistible personality to a future it controls. Her talent was finally noticed, and if it can create a body of work over time, it has the possibility to put on his first art exhibition. Meanwhile, her family life is in a tense standoff, if legally emancipated from her mother in the strike on its own, it will risk placing his brothers in foster care, but to stay is unbearable.