Literary Analysis Essay: Only Daughter by Sandra Cisneros

Introduction

One may feel disconnected from their family or not accepted by them. Some people feel they need to find their inner selves in teen, while others struggle with mid-life crisis. There are many different ways you see yourself and others. We as humans need to be accepted by our parents. They should feel happy for us, and recognize our individuality. It is a basic human instinct to want to feel loved and acknowledged by those we love the most. Negative consequences can result if these emotions are lacking. Let's examine these questions in the "Only Daughter Sandra Cisneros Analysis” paper.

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Sandra Cisneros' essay "Only Daughter" shows how parents' inability to acknowledge and support their children can have a negative impact on their self-perception and influence the individual's ability to live a fulfilled life. Cisneros uses a variety of writing techniques to show how her struggle to overcome a childhood that was confined to her. Cisneros depicts her feelings disconnection and edginess in order to feel enough in the eyes of her father using emotion that connects with her reader. The article is filled with sympathy for Cisneros throughout. Despite her potential as a writer, her father, siblings and social norms tried to stop her from realizing her potential. Her siblings laughed and mocked her attempts to become a writer when Cisneros mentioned going to college. Her father wanted his daughter to go to university so that she could find a successful and educated husband. Cisneros describes how her father's view of her truly affected her. She says, "In some sense, all I have written was for him, in order to win his approval." The reader feels sorry for Cisneros, and all her many attempts to please her father. To please her father, every one of her attempts to be a writer was to find fulfillment. As she seeks her father's approval, we can see her franticness. Sandra Cisneros was one of six siblings in a multi-ethnic family. She was the one little sister among six brothers, who often ignored her because she was not the only one.

They made her stay home because she was too embarrassed to be seen with a girl from the neighborhood, evidently due to the current gender expectations. Sandra Cisneros had to fight to establish herself as a family member. She experienced dejection from the very beginning. Cisneros emphasizes throughout the story how disconnected she felt due to her family. When her dad was talking about his seven children, he would say to people, "I have seven children." Although he didn't mean to hurt her, his perception of her father not mentioning the significance of his only daughter still affected her mental health. Cisneros states, "He didn't mean any by that mistranslation. I'm certain." But somehow, i could sense myself being erased'. Sandra Cisneros implied that it was a mistranslation when she said it. Although Cisneros was raised in isolation and was rejected by her family, Cisneros felt insulted and took the phrase out of context. Although this was a disheartening experience, Cisneros used her rejection to her advantage. Cisneros uses her solitude to become a better writer. Her father said that her motivation was to become someone's partner. His father shook his head in frustration after he realized that Cisneros went to university solely for education and employment, not for the purpose of finding a husband. Cisneros says, "After four year in college, two more in graduate school and still no husband," and that her father is snoring about how he wasted all of his education. Cisneros is able to see that her education was not wasted despite her father's limited perspective on gender roles in society. Cisneros tries to understand how other people perceive her. She also explains that her motivation to write was for her father and others like him. Cisneros states, "My father represents the public majority." Uninterested public in reading. Yet, one who I am writing about and for and privately trying to win over. Cisneros emphasizes the fact that her father degraded her and failed to recognize her goals in every day life. Cisneros uses a few Spanish words throughout her article to emphasize certain points in her story. Cisneros uses the words'maestra 'and 'profesora'when she is describing her role as a teacher. She said, "I wanted to explain to my father what I was writing, and to introduce me as 'My only child, the writer', not as 'This only my daughter. She is a teacher. Not even profesora". Although the Spanish words for teacher are the same, profesora refers to a more respected, taught educator.

Professora is used more often to refer to a university or school professor than maestra. This denotes the lower dimensions of teaching. Her achievements and the way she referred to Cisneros was demeaning. Her father's impression of her and her goals for the future heavily influences her. Cisneros uses irony to show the strained relationship she had with her father, which has influenced her life. Ironically, Cisneros will go to great lengths to distance herself from the only person she truly craves endorsement from. From different perspectives, Cisneros tries to be different from her father. Cisneros, on the other hand, was a complete opposite of her father who struggled to learn English and spent his time doing physical labor. She was able to learn English and write stories in Spanish and English. She wanted to go to college to further her education. She had to move away from her social norms and not resemble her father, who she said "suffered from nostalgia". Ironically, Cisneros dad insisted that his children experience life with their heads and not their hands. He then went on to criticize Cisneros ambitions. While he scowled at her when she was asked to go to training class, he insisted that Cisneros think critically. Cisneros wrote, "Use this," his father said tapping his head, "and not that,' showing us these hands." Her father's inability to acknowledge her and give her approval may have caused harm to Cisneros. Cisneros clarifies how important it is for a child to have a loving parent. The absence of these feelings can have a negative impact on an individual's ability to feel. Although Cisneros was able to use her feelings of disconnection and lack of acknowledgement to her advantage, it is not the same for everyone. Cisneros shows how to deal with issues like hers in a sound and productive way.