Eleven

Eleven By Sandra Cisneros
Sandra Cisneros was born on December 20, 1954, in Chicago Illinois. Although her parents
met in Chicago, they were both from Mexico. They had seven children, but Cisneros was
the only girl. A year after she was born, her parents had another daughter, but she died as a
baby. When Cisneros was ten years old, she wrote her first poem. However, she did not
write any more poetry until she was in high school.
The first book Cisneros published was a short book of poetry called Bad Boys in 1980.
Four years later, she published a fiction novel called The House on Mango Street in 1984.
This book would go on to become one of her most famous writings. Just a year after it was
published, The House on Mango Street won the American Book Award from the Before
Columbus Foundation. Cisneros kept writing poems, short stories, and novels in both
Spanish and English. She published her first full-length poetry book called My Wicked
Wicked Ways in 1987. In 1991, Cisneros published a collection of short stories called
Woman Hollering Creek and Other Stories.
In 1994 Cisneros wrote her first children’s book called Hairs/Pelitos which was written in
both Spanish and English. That same year, she wrote another book of poetry called Loose
Woman that won the Mountains & Plains Booksellers’ Award. She wrote her second novel
in 2002 that was called Caramelo. This book won the Premio Napoli award and was
selected as an important book of the year by The New York Times, The Los Angeles
Times, the San Francisco Chronicle, the Chicago Tribune, and the Seattle Times. She wrote
a picture book for “grown-ups” in 2012 called Have You Seen Marie? Her latest book
called A House of My Own: Stories from My Life, is a collection of her personal essays.
This book won the 2016 PEN Center USA Literary Award for creative nonfiction.
Main Character
The main character is Rachel she’s a girl who just turn eleven years old. according to the
story she’s skinny and a little shy.
Summary
The story is about Rachel, a girl who is turning eleventh. At the beginning of the story,
she’s talking how she’s eleven but is still the previus ages, ten, nine, eight, etc.
She also recounts how her teacher, Mrs Price came to the class with an ugly sweater and for
a girl name Sylvia, who Rachel suspects doesn’t like her, lies and tells Mrs Price that the
sweater belongs to Rachel, and so the teacher gives the sweater to Rachel, who denies it,
but Mrs Price doesn’t believe her. When the class is over Rachel trying to leave the sweater
behind, and Mrs Price forces her to put it on, and Rachel does so, bursting into tears in front
of the whole class.
After this Phyllis a girl in the class remember that the sweater is hers, Rachel takes it off
and hands it to her. But her birthday has already been ruined by the incident with the
sweater, and she wants to forget it as quickly as possible.
Message in the story

We can see in the story how Rachel says that “The way you grow old is kind of like an
onion or like the rings inside a tree trunk or like my little wooden dolls that fit one inside
the other, each year inside the next one. That's how being eleven years old is.” Based on
this and in the story, I think is about how we acquired new experiences through the time
and those experiences form us as a person. All the little or big things that hapenned in our
life is something that we learn.
Migration
The migration of people from Mexico to the United States has been a complex and
controversial issue for decades. The reasons for this migration are varied and complex,
including economic opportunity, political instability, and family reunification. The U.S.
government estimates that there are more than 11 million undocumented immigrants in the
country, and a significant portion of these are from Mexico.
Family reunification is also a major factor in migration from Mexico to the United States.
Many Mexican immigrants come to the United States to join family members who have
already made the journey. Family is an important part of Mexican culture, and the desire to
be close to loved ones is a powerful motivator for migration. The U.S. government offers
several programs that make it possible for families to be reunited, including family-based
visas and temporary protected status.
In conclusion, migration from Mexico to the United States is a complex and multifaceted
issue that is driven by a variety of factors. While the economic opportunities in the United
States are a major draw for many Mexican immigrants, political instability and family
reunification also play important roles. Despite the controversies surrounding immigration
policy, the United States will continue to be a destination for those seeking a better life,
whether it be for economic or personal reasons.
My point of view
For me Eleven is about growing up. As Rachel I think, when we turn eleven, we don't
become a new person overnight. And, to some degree, we still have a permanent memory
of our younger selves. at one point, Rachel tells us that she tells her mother, whenever
"mommy" feels like crying, that she's back to her three-year-old self. years. And this
happens to us daily, when we have situations, we turn to our experiences to be able to face
them.
Problems in the story

 Bullying: Rachel, the protagonist of the story, is bullied and harassed by her
classmates. The way she is teased and humiliated in front of others is an example of
the cruelty and pain that children can inflict in a school setting.
 Peer Pressure: Rachel feels compelled to behave a certain way on her eleventh
birthday, even when her real desire is to cry and vent. The pressure to meet the
expectations of others, whether at home or at school, can be overwhelming for a
child.
Possible solution to solve this problem
Schools and parents can work together to create a safe and supportive environment for
children. This can involve implementing anti-bullying policies and promoting empathy and
kindness among students. Adults can also model appropriate behavior and intervene when
they witness bullying.
Eleven in DR
I think the story would have been very different if it were the Dominican Republic since
our children are very lively and almost never let themselves be trampled on. This is a
characteristic that not everyone necessarily has, but the vast majority do, so I don't think
that if Rachel were Dominican or the story had been inspired here, she would have had that
narrative.

Eleven

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Eleven

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Eleven By Sandra Cisneros

Message in the story

Problems in the story

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