Esperanza used to be one of the ones that played, and now she has to responsible and not play. When Esperanza and her friends got high heels, they messed around a bit and showed off, and just in general weren’t being that responsible. The quote that shows this about how Esperanza was in the beginning of the book is, “Hurray! Today we are Cinderella because our feet fit exactly, and we laugh at Rachel’s one foot with a girl’s grey sock and a lady’s high heel” Pg. 40. This shows that she wasn’t that responsible earlier in the book. Later in the book, when her her father tells her that her abuelito died, and she had to tell the others that her abuelito died. A quote that shows this and how she changed is, “Because I am the oldest, my
The first challenge Esperanza faced as an immigrant was when mama got valley fever, ‘’ Esperanzas voice strangled with fear all she could do was whisper the doctors uncertain word if she survives.’’ This quote shows that Esperanza is scared that mama might die, since
Esperanza begins her journal by stating where she has been and where she has temporarily ended at. When she finally moved with her family, Esperanza immediately realizes that her place in the world was not going to be in the “small and red”
or it could be that she feels that the lord is only after one thing.
In the society that Esperanza and her friends live in, love takes a back seat
True, it was a hard decision when I was decided which of my classmatesí papers to choose as ìthe one.î I considered a question when trying to decide. I asked myself, ìWhat purpose this time capsule will serve?î My answer told me that the song inside this time capsule must be one that can still teach a message while telling the future generation something about our time. I believe the culmination to this answer was found in Erin Flanneryís ìBitter Sweet Symphony.î The title is fairly self-explanatory when it refers to the word bittersweet. That is what life is. We canít expect only the good or the bad. Life is a heterogeneous mixture of both. Yet this mixture comes together in a harmonious conglomerate that is altogether something beautiful.
Despite Esperanza’s efforts to be independent of her parents, they do play a crucial role in her life. All around Esperanza are examples of bad parents: Sally’s father beats her, Minerva’s father left her mother, Minerva’s husband leaves his children, and the Vargas kids’ father has abandoned them. Similarly, Ruthie’s mother Edna shows no love for her daughter, and Tito’s mother does not care how Tito behaves toward girls. Esperanza’s parents at least set a good example and try to instill values in their daughter. They advise Esperanza not to hang around with Sire, a neighborhood punk, and Esperanza’s mother tells her never to be ashamed as she was in her youth. Her parents show that they value education highly by sending their children to
Esperanza faces many challenges as an immigrant. One of the challenges that she faces is not knowing how to do daily chores. When Esperanza made it to the camp, she had to do daily chores. She did not know how to do the chores because before, she had always had servants do the chores for her. On page 107, towards the end of the last paragraph, Mamma told Esperanza, “‘But I don’t know how to do chores!’ Esperanza said, ‘Isabel will show you how’ mamma said” This quote shows that Esperanza doesn’t know how to do chores. She feels as if she is letting her mother down. Esperanza is further into the day and she receives a question from Isabel. On page
Esperanza dreams of someday having a satisfying life. She doesn't want her path of freedom to be cleared by having a baby or finding a husband. She has no desires to fall into the trap of dependency. As the author writes, "Her power is her own. She will not give it away" (Cisneros 89).
Chinese Cinderella is a compelling autobiography by Adeline Yen Mah, a struggling child, yearning for acceptance and love in her dysfunctional family. In this novel of “a ‘secret story of an unwanted daughter”, Adeline presents her stepmother Niang, as a violent, impatient, biased, domineering and manipulative demon. Analysing the language used by the author, we can discover how effectively she does this.
Gender is an essential matter in this novel. Sandra Cisneros dedicated the book to women, particularly las mujeres. The amount of oppression suffered by women, mainly colored women is exhibited in this literacy piece. The woman that is repeatedly mentioned on the windowsill serves as a metaphor representing the women who are trapped in a home and must take on the role of a mother, daughter, or wife. As Esperanza describes her neighborhood, she mentions various women whom she does not wish to be like. There is for example, her grandmother whom she was named after. Esperanza hates her name for what it signifies, ‘hope’ and to ‘wait’. She felt that this name
Bad things can happen to good people and your life can get better are some of the greatest themes of Esperanza Rising. For example, in the last sentence of the novel, Esperanza tells Isabel, ”Do not ever be afraid to start over.”(253) This quote was almost the same statement Abuelita told Esperanza while crocheting a blanket, but Esperanza never thought she would turn back to it, until Papa died and sure enough, Esperanza didn’t want to start over. She held on to everything from her magnificent, princess-like life, especially her doll. She didn’t know her life would never be the same again, but after living in California for a while, she looked back at what Abuelita told her and learned to let go of her past, even giving her favorite, special doll from Papa, to Isabel. Papa’s death broke Esperanza to pieces, but when she moved to California she took a turn for the better because she learned a lot of everyday skills, such as sweeping, cleaning clothes, and how to work which benefitted her and she embraced her life and enjoyed everyday.
... They didn’t seem to be my feet anymore. And the garden that had been such a good place to play didn’t seem mine either” (Cisneros 98). The play place that was once so innocent and is now a junkyard that reciprocates Esperanza’s innocence that slowly turns into reality. She is growing up. Additionally, she gains enough confidence and maturity to make her own life decisions. This is shown when she makes the important decision of where she wants her life to take her. “I have decided not to grow up tame like the others who lay their necks on the threshold waiting for the ball and chain” (Cisneros 88). This shows Esperanza’s maturity to make her own life choices by herself. She is finally confident and independent enough to know where she wants her life to take her. Esperanza finally completes her evolution from young and immature to adult-like and confident.
Esperanza's overwhelmed tone reveals her fear and doggedness to adversity when sally's game defiles the garden's innocence/purity, exposing Esperanza to the realization that she cannot remain a kid forever.
Esperanza is constantly influenced by the women in her own family including her mother, sister and other various family members. Even early in the novel Esperanza recognizes that the boys hold more powers than the girl. She states “The boys and the girls live in different worlds” and how once outside of the house her brothers will not talk to the girls (10). Her brothers recognize that if the other boys in the neighborhood see them with their sisters, they will be mocked. This signals that Esperanza has internalized that the men hold more power even from an early age and her male siblings hold mor...
Her friend Rachel is also grown up believing this. When Rachel and Esperanza are outside playing jump rope and discussing the reasons for hips, Rachel makes a comment which is common for women of the household. “Hips are good for holding a baby when you 're cooking, Rachel says, turning the jump rope a little quicker. She has no imagination” (20.3). Esperanza scoffs Rachel for having a one sided mind, thinking that woman and supposed to take on the responsibilities of a mother and a housewife This task Rachel brings up fits the personality of a housewife, one that we see is not the ideal role for Esperanza. Esperanza sees the use for hips differently, she says hips have a musical quality to them. Esperanza, as seen above does not want the life society is expected of her. She want the life where she can use her hips for dancing, instead of to her husband’s advantage of becoming a housewife; cleaning, cooking, and raising her children. This ultimately limits her sense of self identity by making her feel trapped in a situation which she does not want for