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Summary Of Eleven By Sandra Cisneros

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In her essay, Eleven, Sandra Cisneros narrates the story of Rachel’s ruined eleventh birthday. Cisneros uses this to characterize Rachel as insecure about her age, shy and sensitive, especially when talking to adults, and intelligent, as shown in her description of the different ages people have within them and how they act can be attributed to them feeling a certain age. This is done through the use of figurative language, syntax, and diction.
Rachel’s insecurity in regards to her age can be seen in her incident with Mrs. Price, during which she says, “I wish I didn’t have only eleven years rattling inside me like pennies in a tin Band-Aid box”(Cisneros, 29-30). The simile comparing her age to pennies helps demonstrate that Rachel does not …show more content…

When she is questioned about the red sweater, Rachel is overcome with shyness and freezes, “I would’ve known how to tell her it wasn’t mine instead of just sitting there with that look in my face and nothing coming out of my mouth” (Cisneros, 34-36). She is also unable to say anything when Mrs.Price places the sweater on her desk other than “That’s not, I don’t, you’re not...Not mine”(Cisneros, 53). Even Though Rachel is a eleven year old, talking to her teacher, she is overcome with shyness. Furthermore, Rachel’s shyness leads to an outbreak of her sensitivity when she absolutely loses it when her teacher makes her wear the sweater, “I don’t know why but all of the sudden I’m feeling sick inside, like the part of me that’s three wants to come out of my eyes, only I squeeze them shut tight and bite down on my teeth real hard and try to remember today I am eleven” (Cisneros, 63-65). Her shyness can also be seen in her desire to be “far away already, far away like a runaway balloon”(Cisneros, 125). The simile demonstrates her shyness by showing that Rachel, like the balloon, desire to far away and would rather not interact with Mrs. Price and her classroom. The use of diction such as “invisible,””bury,” and “corner”(Cisneros, 101,104,82) helps reinforce the idea Rachel is shy and

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