Sanda Cisneros
"What does a woman inherit that tells her how to go?" (Cisneros 3). There has never been a great literary work written without an inspiration or as a product of life experiences. Although Sandra Cisneros knew she was destined to become a writer, she felt lost in her search for a topic about which to write. Then, in college, she finally had a revelation. She decided to write about her own life, offering readers an unprecedented look at Mexican-American culture (Dasenbrock). Since this revelation, Sandra Cisneros has poured her soul into her writing, allowing her language and life to uniquely influence her work.Born in Chicago in 1954, Cisneros grew up in poverty with six other brothers and sisters (Dasenbrock). She described her family's financial situation as turbulent, requiring them to move a lot and not allowing her to form any lasting friendships. She often found herself lonely, and chose to observe life quietly, recording her feelings and thoughts in a secret journal. Attending a Catholic school, Cisneros received poor grades because she was very quiet and didn't feel comfortable participating in class. Although she was constantly writing at home, it wouldn't be until her sophomo
As she began college at the University of Iowa, she noticed most of her classmates came from privileged backgrounds and concerned themselves with more classical literature (Juffer). She feels her works shouldn't just be read by Mexican-Americans because they're likely to already know what she is trying to share. Both Cisneros and Esperanza eventually leave their neighborhoods, but then ironically struggle not to abandon the life they had so desperately tried to escape. Besides Spanish sayings, there are many symbols in her books that come from Spanish culture. Whether it is a sign on the side of a building, something carved into a restaurant table, or even taken off a menu, Cisneros feels these real-world uses of her language are powerful in conveying her culture. This is true whether she's writing of a coming of age teenage girl, or a poor Mexican family. When looking for a phrase, her favorite places are everyday locations (Juffer). In order to establish her identity in the novel, she sought an "anti-academic voice, a child's voice, a girl's voice, a poor girl's voice, the voice of an American-Mexican. Becoming that woman required a developed sense of pride, something that isn't only evidenced in her work, but at the foundation of it. " She has used this figure several times to regulate sexuality, setting up a virgin/whore dichotomy that she hopes will help young Chicana women, who are struggling to learn about their bodies (Dasenbrock). Gaston Baeneard's Poetic of Space offended her because it suggested writers should only write about the familiar and comforting "house of memory. " This voice wasn't only used in The House on Mango Street, but was rather extended into all of her work. While she is sensitive to that, she refuses to make concessions for the non-Spanish reader if it will make her writing sound clumsy (Dasenbrock). She feels Spanish explicitly changes the rhythm in her writing, and allows her to create new expressions by literally translating her Spanish to English (Dasenbrock).
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Acceptance Essays
