Eleven is a short story by Sandra Cisneros that tells the tale of a young girl’s coming of age. The story is set in the suburbs of Chicago, and the protagonist is a Hispanic girl named Rachel.
Eleven is written in first person point of view, which allows readers to see events through Rachel’s eyes. This gives the story a more personal feel, as we are able to understand Rachel’s thoughts and feelings more easily.
Cisneros uses several literary devices throughout Eleven to help convey Rachel’s experience. One such device is symbolism. The number eleven itself symbolizes Rachel’s age, as well as her place in society. Eleven is also the number of years she has been alive, and thus it represents her journey so far in life.
Cisneros also uses foreshadowing in the story. This is when an author hints at future events, often using clues that are not immediately apparent. For example, when Rachel’s teacher tells her to take off her earrings before going out to play, readers might not think much of it at first. However, later on in the story when Rachel gets into a fight with another girl and her earrings are ripped out, we can see that the earrings were symbolic of Rachel’s innocence.
Finally, Cisneros uses flashbacks to give readers a more complete picture of Rachel’s life. These flashbacks help us understand why Rachel feels the way she does about certain things, and they also provide context for certain events that occur in the present.
Overall, Eleven is a well-written story that uses literary devices effectively to convey the protagonist’s experiences and emotions.
In “Eleven”, by Sandra Cisneros, Rachel’s personality is characterized through literary techniques including language and imagery during her switch from age ten to eleven. These literary tools allow us to see how Rachel feels in certain situations while also establishing her features and qualities.
One literary technique that Cisneros uses in “Eleven” is diction. Diction is the specific choice of words that an author chooses to use in their work. In “Eleven”, Cisneros chooses words that help to characterize Rachel and her emotions. For example, when Rachel is describing how happy she is to finally be 11 years old, Cisneros uses the word “exhilarated”. This word choice helps the reader to understand how Rachel feels and why she is happy.
Additionally, Cisneros also uses diction to describe Rachel’s relationships with other characters in the story. For example, when Rachel talks about her relationship with her mother, Cisneros uses words such as “resentment” and “disdain”. These word choices help to show how Rachel feels about her mother and their relationship.
Another literary technique that Cisneros uses in “Eleven” is imagery. Imagery is the use of descriptive language to create images in the reader’s mind. In “ Eleven”, Cisneros uses imagery to describe Rachel’s physical appearance as well as her emotions. For example, when Rachel is describing how she looks in her school uniform, Cisneros writes “I am a gigantic frump”.
This use of imagery helps the reader to understand how Rachel feels about herself and her physical appearance. Additionally, Cisneros also uses imagery to describe Rachel’s emotions. For example, when Rachel is describing her feelings towards her mother, Cisneros writes “My stomach clenches like a fist”. This use of imagery helps the reader to understand how Rachel feels about her mother and their relationship.
Lastly, another literary technique that Cisneros uses in “Eleven” is symbolism. Symbolism is the use of objects or characters to represent abstract ideas or concepts. In “ Eleven”, Cisneros uses symbolism to represent Rachel’s transition from age 10 to age 11. For example, the number 11 itself is a symbol for this transition. Additionally, other objects and characters in the story also represent this transition. For example, Rachel’s new school uniform is a symbol of her maturity and growth.
“Eleven” by Sandra Cisneros, which is about a young girl’s difficult eleven-year-old year, employs several literary devices to characterize her. Rachel, the naive 1st person narrator, recounts how she spent her eleventh birthday. Despite her maturity in terms of language, Rachel manages to convey childhood innocence with precision. When she tries to talk, she feels embarrassed and powerless, but she knows that soon after being home with her parents, her terrible day will be gone. The term “eleven” betrays not only the book’s name, but also Rachel’s own words.
She uses childish words like “terrible,” “stupid,” and “mean,” to describe how she feels. Another clue that Rachel is still a child is her lack of understanding regarding time. She says, “it seemed like forever before the day was over.” Eleven-year-olds are not known for their sense of time.
They often think that things take much longer than they actually do, or move much faster. In addition, Rachel has an innocence about her that is common in children her age. She does not know why Mrs. Price is staring at her or why she won’t let her go home early from school. This naïveté allows the reader to see the events of Rachel’s birthday through her eyes.
One literary device that Sandra Cisneros uses to characterize Rachel is irony. For example, when Rachel describes how excited she is to turn eleven, it is clear that she is not happy with this new stage in her life. She says, “I was excited and scared at the same time.
Eleven sounded so grown-up.” This use of irony allows the reader to understand Rachel’s complex feelings about being an eleven-year-old. Another instance of irony in the story occurs when Mrs. Price makes Rachel eat her cake in front of the whole class. Rachel is humiliated by this task, but ironically, it is one of the only things that makes her happy that day.
Sandra Cisneros also uses symbolism to characterize Rachel. For example, the number eleven is significant in the story because it is the age at which children are officially allowed to start attending middle school. This new chapter in Rachel’s life is symbolized by the number eleven.
Additionally, the cake that Mrs. Price makes Rachel eat is symbolic of Rachel’s birthday. It is a reminder of all the terrible things that have happened to her on this day. Finally, the fact that Rachel is allowed to go home early from school signifies that her ordeal is finally over.