Sandra Cisnero's Abuelito Who

Love and respect are a couple of the few things that will last forever, but they are not always shown. In the Russian folk tale retold by Leo Tolstoy, “The Old Grandfather and His Little Grandson” and “Abuelito Who”, an informal yet intimate poem by Sandra Cisnero, the universal theme is “love and respect your elders”. A universal theme is “a message about life or human nature that is so fundamental to human existence that is true for all people of all time periods and cultures.” (Sato, 76) These themes aren’t restricted to just one particular place or time, but reappear over and over again, all over the place. “Themes in literature tend to recur because human beings are more similar than different, no matter what the culture.” (Sato, 77)

The speaker-which, in this case, is Sandra Cisnero herself-compares her abuelito-which is “grandfather” in Spanish-to many things, such as dough, a glass of water, a “doorknob tied to a sour stick” (Cisnero, 79), blankets, and “rain on the roof that falls like coins”. (Cisnero, 79) The grandfather tells the speaker “in Spanish you are my diamond/who tells me in English you are my sky”. (Cisnero, 79) And even though he is aging, and is less and less able to spend time with the speaker, the grandfather is always with the speaker. He “is hiding underneath the bed/who talks to me inside my head”. (Cisnero,

Love and respect are essential for all life. It makes us who we are! Without these special emotions and passions, the world would be so much different-and not for the better. We all need to love, respect, care for each other-and show that love, respect, and care. Love and respect are a couple of the few things that will last forever, and they should always be shown with generosity and