The Struggle In Cisneros’ story, “Only Daughter”, she describes her “struggle” for acceptance from her father as his machismo kicks in when the narrator announces to her father that she wants to go to college and get an education. He did not express it directly but the idea that he had in mind that, college was good for girls but only to find a husband, pointed out that the narrator had a lack of encouragement from her father; However, this was not a reason for the writer to get discouraged. She still felt the need to succeed so she could stand out amongst her brothers, with the idea that this way she would gain her father’s acceptance. Another thing that the narrator struggled with was that she felt like she was being “erased” every time …show more content…
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 …show more content…
She did not agree with my dad’s opinion, then again it was not the first time that happened which was most probably the cause of the divorce. Anyway, she believed that I should stick and focus in my education only. She had a good point, “you start working, and get money and end up losing interest in school because you start liking the money. Then you will see that getting an education and going to college as a waste of time.” Now I’m not saying working while studying is not a good thing, I know plenty people do it and still end up successful. Nor am I judging my own ability to be able to excel on both, but I saw my mother had a good point. Also, I had enough examples of what dropping out of school to work looked like, either by necessity or by choice. My brother was one of them. He had dropped out for the necessity of money, and he would always tell me to focus in school and try to get a higher education. Personally, I plan to be successful. But honestly I never saw working and studying at the same time as my plan to success. Still, I felt the need to satisfy my dad’s desire for me to work, but at the same time I did not want to disappoint my mom. I mean, what if I did lose interest in school and just focused on getting money? Most importantly I wanted to be a successful psychologist. My mother’s last words when it came to me making decisions were always; “It’s your choice, tu sabes.” This left a lot of doubt
...cts of the mother and the descriptions, which are presented to us from her, are very conclusive and need to be further examined to draw out any further conclusions on how she ?really? felt. The mother-daughter relationship between the narrator and her daughter bring up many questions as to their exact connection. At times it seems strong, as when the narrator is relating her childhood and recounting the good times. Other times it is very strained. All in all the connection between the two seems to be a very real and lifelike account of an actual mother-daughter relationship.
Madeleine Neveu eloquently gives words of wisdom to her daughter Catherine in her piece entitled, "Epistle to My Daughter." Madeleine is quite aware of the attitude surrounding educated women in her time period. Yet, she abandons those opinions to express her own for her daughter. Her epistle embraces the need for a woman to be true to herself and to stand on her own two feet, as opposed to relying on a man to hold her up.
This is a book that tells the important story about the social significance and long-standing implications of fatherless families from a seldom heard point of view. The male siblings are linked by their struggles achieve peace with father and with the women in their lives as they move from adolescence adulthood. This text is filled with rich characterization and visual imagery.
The daughter alludes to an idea that her mother was also judged harshly and made to feel ashamed. By the daughters ability to see through her mothers flaws and recognize that she was as wounded as the child was, there is sense of freedom for both when the daughter find her true self. Line such as “your nightmare of weakness,” and I learned from you to define myself through your denials,” present the idea that the mother was never able to defeat those that held her captive or she denied her chance to break free. The daughter moments of personal epiphany is a victory with the mother because it breaks a chain of self-loathing or hatred. There is pride and love for the women they truly were and is to be celebrated for mother and daughter.
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
The author uses different points of view to create tension in the story. The mom acts in a way that neglects the daughters interests. This makes them both feel less connected and leaves the daughter feeling hopeless. In paragraph 9, “‘It’s strange actually. I wasn’t expecting it, but then at the last minute the funding came through.’ She folded her arms across her waist. ‘I’m going to Costa Rica to finish my research.” This made the narrator/daughter angry and flustered with her mom’s actions. She has trouble remaining connected with her parent because they both want different things which leaves on character feeling betrayed. “Opportunity? For me? Or for you?” (34). Both of their actions and responses create tension in this story. Their communication lacks and this results in pressure on both
This passage defines the character of the narrators’ father as an intelligent man who wants a better life for his children, as well as establishes the narrators’ mothers’ stubbornness and strong opposition to change as key elements of the plot.
Unrealistically, the narrator believes that she would be of use to her father more and more as she got older. However, as she grows older, the difference between boys and girls becomes more clear and conflicting to her.
Daughters have always had a special bond with their fathers, even at the time where women did not have the same rights as men, and were seen as the weaker sex. This father is no different, in wanting the best for his little girl. The father in this letter wants the daughter to accomplish her roles differently than the women before her because he knows that women are capable of accomplishing “male” tasks. The letter also addresses how women were seen and treated by men and the changes that were occurring in order to gain a status quo for both men and women.
She attempted to get me to switch my minor to business or language, even though I made it clear I had no interest in either subject. This was a big deal to me because I usually do everything my mother asks without putting up much resistance. This was the only time I did something that was just for me. I’m glad I did not switch. Drawing 1 was one of the hardest classes I ever took. I had to sleep in the studio just to have enough time to finish my artwork, as did all of my classmates. The entire class of about twenty people became close, a result of spending every meal together. I learned how to be friendly in this class, and my awkwardness from high school evaporated. Even though I loved Drawing 1, I still wanted to make my career in the
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.
The persuasive attempts in both literary works produce different results. The effectiveness of the mother’s guidance to her daughter is questioned since the girl cannot recognize the essence of her mother’s lesson. Despite that, the mother’s beneficial instruction serves as a standard for the daughter to reflect her future behaviors in order to live up to the community’s expectations. On the other hand, Anne’s value of candid expression and lasting relationship dissuades her from obliging to her family’s meaningless duty to place her love and interest above to experience fulfillment in life.
Many years ago I remember my parents telling me that in order for me to become successful a college education was a must. They always told me that if I wasn’t in school I could no longer live at home. Both of my parents attended college but neither of them finished. They did not want me to go down that same road because they really regret not getting their degrees.
1. I grew up in a family where work was an important aspect, but both of my parents did not always work. My father had many medical issues and was unable to walk for many years. Financial stability was always looked at as the ideal. I was taught working is just a part of life and you should do it to survive. Both of my parents did not attend college, but encouraged me to go to college. They were not happy when I wanted to also go to graduate school because they did not see the point of doing so. I was fortunate to have their help and support in my undergraduate degree because this allowed me to not have to work too much. I did have a lot of volunteer positions and ultimately got what I would call a real job in 2014 doing counseling like services in the community. I always knew I wanted to help people and I enjoyed doing this job, but decided to go back to school for my Master’s so I could ultimately open my own private practice.
While the relationship between fathers and sons has been documented at length, the father/ daughter dynamic figures less prominently in literary tropes; in fact the last canonical piece I can recall reading was Euripedes’ Electra in high school. The tenuous relationship between Daddy and his little girl, however, harbors depths more personal and tangible than Greek tragedy and psychological analyses invoking the Electra complex. The emotionally void or aloof father in particular often burdens the female psyche, for his absence proves just as palpable as his sought after presence, shaping the landscape of a daughter’s future relationships and the construction of a self-image fragmented and disjointed by an early and intimate knowledge of rejection and abandonment. Transcending characterizations attached primarily to filial duty as experienced by the matriarch, the father figure remains the subject of mythologization, just as Sylvia Plath turned her father into a Colossus, a cold, inanimate stone edifice revealing none of his secrets or affection.