“I am an only daughter in a Mexican family of six sons… I am the only daughter of a mexican father and a Mexican-American mother...I am the only daughter of a working-class family of nine.” In the opening line of “Only Daughter” by Sandra Cisneros, she includes sentences she believes “explains everything,”(paragraph 2). What Cisneros wants her readers to understand is that she was the only daughter in a Mexican family, and how that contributed to her writing. As she explains in the writing, she wrote for her father. He was the stereotypical patriarchal figure that believed women were to wives, and in this traditional box Cisneros finds herself unable to conform. In her guilt, almost subconsciously, she begins to write about her family, …show more content…
“I am an twin in a Black family of 3 kids.” Or, “I am the middle child in a Black family, of one son and two daughters.” Also, “I am a twin, in a single-parent family of four people.” Although this explained who I was in a literal way, I favored sentences like “I am a girl who goes to school, and is trying to find new hobbies.” Unlike Cisneros, whose identity revolves around her gender, and ethnicity. Yet, my ethnicity as a black person, doesn't force certain cultural ideas or moral judgments, so I feel as though I have more space to identify myself. I feel like the first sentence was important “I am the middle child in a Black family,” as it explains that I’m Black and a middle child, which contributes a lot to my role at home. Especially since I am now the oldest at home. Likewise, ““I am a girl who goes to school, and is trying to find hobbies,” is an important aspect of my identity, not because of the actual elements, but it shows that I’m still on a path for improvement. As someone that is still discovering my aspirations and what I enjoy, including that in my identity in important, because it explain my views and mindset; constantly shifting and
Cisneros creates Cleofilas from her background which explains why she doesn't understand that she has a family of several brothers, a dad and no mother, a family dominated by men. Jeff Thomas in the article" What is Called Heaven"
Cisneros starts the essay by reflecting on an anthology for a work that she wrote where she stated “I am the only daughter in a family of six sons. That explains everything” (Cisneros 366). Right after she introduces herself as how she sees herself now as the statement that she had written she feels does not explain enough about her to the reader. Next, she then goes into her story of how she sees herself and what has made her who she is. This explanation is taken throughout the entire essay as she explains how she got to where she was in her career. Her thesis is that growing up alone in isolation made her work hard to prove herself to her father. The thesis is very obvious in the essay and Cisneros successfully uses proves her thesis as she explains her childhood with her dad in the center of attention. Although others may argue that Cisneros’ relationship affects who she is in a negative way, Cisneros successfully proves the relationship between the two positively affects who she
Also, the fact that the Hispanic family speaks english and obtained other "American" characteristics. Within the story, the narrator is faced with remarks by the older generation of Hispanics who have "...strong Mexican roots"
She felt that breaking the standards placed on her by her cultural norms it would displease her tradition loving father. He felt that Cisneros should find a husband and not focus on her education so much. Cisneros writes “I am the only daughter in the Mexican family of six sons” (Cisneros 366). This not only exemplifies the internal family issues of being the only female, but also the external problems of the norms placed on women in a Hispanic culture to be an ideal wife. Tan’s essay emphasized the fact that her race, gender, education and up-bringing played a role in people knowing her writing, even though she does not want it to.
In the story "Woman Hollering Creek" Sandra Cisneros discusses the issues of living life as a married woman through a character named Cleofilas; a character who is married to a man who abuses her physically and mentally .Cisneros reveals the way the culture puts a difference between a male and a female, men above women. Cisneros has been famous about writing stories about the latino culture and how women are treated; she explain what they go through as a child, teen and when they are married; always dominated by men because of how the culture has been adapted. "Woman Hollering Creek" is one of the best examples. A character who grows up without a mother and who has no one to guid and give her advise about life.
While growing up, Cisneros’ family frequently traveled between Chicago, where she was born, and Mexico to visit relatives, leading to a feeling of displacement throughout her childhood
She felt like the mistranslation was including her as one of her father’s sons. Either way, she would always remind her father that he had six sons, and one daughter. In other words, she wanted her father to have a special title for her when he introduced her. “This is my only daughter, the writer.” And not what he would always say, “This is my only daughter. She teaches.” Although this should have no importance in my opinion, the narrator is not satisfied by the way her father has introduced her in the past. Anyway, she goes on by describing how her father’s reaction after reading one of her stories – translated into Spanish- made her feel wonderful when he asked for more copies for their relatives. Similar to Cisneros’ story, I too have struggled for acceptance and felt some sort of lack of appreciation from my parents, and some
Questioning whether the environment you grow up in alters the mentality you develop as you become older has never been more appropriate for Sandra Cisneros. Cisneros, a Latina, feminist, and poet, grew up in a low-income community in Chicago, Illinois, born into a home with a Mexican father, Chicano mother, and six brothers. Originally from Chicago, Illinois, but as a child continuously moved back and forth from Chicago to Mexico. She declares that, as a child, she was not content with her Chicago community; defining it as an unfortunate portion of town deprived of wildlife and splendor. Cisneros found her escape in books,which pursued her to receive a B.A. in English at Loyola University of Chicago.
“Only Daughter” by Sandra Cisneros is a reading that everyone can relate to. Even if them - themselves are not going through what the main character, Sandra is going through they may think of someone that is experiencing something similar or have gone through a time that they have not been accepted by someone and constantly trying to seek their approval. Sandra is telling her story of trying to define stereotypes against her own father in a family of six boys and one girl. Sandra Cisneros's “Only Daughter” is a story that breaks a stereotypical theory along with sharing the message that even if you are a minority at the end of the day you will be appreciated, accepted, and respected for by your true colors shining through the surface.
In the Book women are looked upon as objects by men whether they are boyfriends, friends fathers or husbands. The girls in the novel grow up with the mentality that looks and appearance are the most important things to a woman. Cisneros also shows how Latino women are expected to be loyal to their husbands, and that a husband should have complete control of the relationship. Yet on the other hand, Cisneros describes the character Esperanza as being different. Even though she is born and raised in the same culture as the women around her, she is not happy with it, and knows that someday she will break free from its ties, because she is mentally strong and has a talent for telling stories. She comes back through her stories by showing the women that they can be independent and live their own lives. In a way this is Cinceros' way of coming back and giving back to the women in her community.
Over time, like many other complex topics in society, identity has been reduced to a simplified version of itself. Whether it was a conscious decision or it was fueled by the often lazy nature of humankind, identity was transformed from a far-reaching and perplexing wonder to a handful of terms. When it comes to gender, we are expected to believe that one’s identity comes in two forms: male or female; and with relation to race or ethnicity, we are often labeled by either the color of our skin, or a very large geographical region. Although in recent years, there has been a great deal of progress made towards accepting unconventional identities or being more specific when labeling, we still face an unwillingness to accept a spectrum of identity, rather than a sorted list.
In sociology, identity refers to a variety of factors that make a person or a group, such as qualities, beliefs, personality, appearance, or expressions. In order to think about my identity sociologically, I need to discuss various issues in detail. In particular, the most important points include the way how I define my identity, the factors that contribute to the formation of my identity, and the real-life events related to the development of identity. To begin with, my identity is characterized by a large number of elements. I believe that everyone has their own identity, which cannot be similar to that of other people.
A person’s identity is shaped by many different aspects. Family, culture, friends, personal interests and surrounding environments are all factors that tend to help shape a person’s identity. Some factors may have more of an influence than others and some may not have any influence at all. As a person grows up in a family, they are influenced by many aspects of their life. Family and culture may influence a person’s sense of responsibilities, ethics and morals, tastes in music, humor and sports, and many other aspects of life. Friends and surrounding environments may influence a person’s taste in clothing, music, speech, and social activities. Personal interests are what truly set individuals apart. An individual is not a puppet on the string of their puppet-master, nor a chess piece on their master’s game board, individuals choose their own paths in life. They accomplish, or strive to accomplish, goals that they have set for themselves throughout their lifetime. Individuals are different from any other individual in the world because they live their own life rather than following a crowd of puppets. A person’s identity is defined by what shaped it in the first place, why they chose to be who they are, and what makes them different from everybody else in the world. I feel that I have developed most of my identity from my own dreams, fantasies, friends, and idols.
How I identify myself is subject to change with context but there are several identities that are core to who I am that will not change no matter the
A person's identity is crucial in the decision-making process and behavior. The individual's identity depends on many aspects of their life and environment where they were raised. Many people's sports, clubs, or hobbies are what forms their identity. Personally, my early life and family dynamic have molded my identity mainly but, one aspect of someone's life cannot be the only contributing factor. Other contributing factors to my personal identity are having to move my junior year of high school, living with not only my grandparents but my aunt and uncle at the same time, and my faith.