Britta Bechler, Kaitlyn Pham, Izabelle Traslaviña
Dr. Smith
English 1302
2 August 2018
Sandra Cisneros
Throughout this research process, we have decided to write about Sandra Cisneros. After being told many great things about her through you, Dr. Smith, we decided to chose her to research. Sandra Cisneros was one of the authors you strongly recommended multiple times claiming she is an amazing author. On the day we learned how to use the Gale Database, we went up to you hoping to do our research paper on Arthur Miller. Unfortunately, someone had already chosen the author beforehand. At that moment, you recommended us to do Sandra Cisneros because there is lots of information that can be found about her. We decided to begin the research process after being shown the documentary of Cisneros. She seemed very interesting, so we decided to go ahead and gather questions to research about her and her life. Sandra Cisneros is most known for her novel, The House on Mango Street, where she wrote based off of her childhood experience. As a Mexican-American writer, she had to overcome many struggles that later on helped fuel her success. This was because she found that writing poetry and stories helped bring her out of a dark place. We decided to find questions we thought helped her build who she is today; for example, her childhood, recurring themes in writing, and what makes her a powerful writer.
Q: What was Sandra Cisneros’ life like as a little girl?
A: She did not have what most people call a “normal” childhood. Raised by a Mexican father and a chicana mother, Cisneros grew up as the only female with six brothers, meaning she had to be loud. Cynthia Tompkins writes a quote from Cisneros herself saying, “You had to be fast and you had to be funny — you had to be a storyteller." A lot of the time, her brothers would run her life and believed that because she was a woman, she should follow the tradition of being one.
The Cisneros family was poor; they constantly moved from one home to another or back and forth from the United States and Mexico, often making it difficult for Cisneros and her brothers to plant roots wherever they went. Cisneros desperately wanted to believe that the poverty her family faced daily was just a provisional circumstance. When her family could borrow a fair amount of money, they bought a “small, ugly, two-story bungalow in a Puerto Rican neighborhood on the northside of Chicago” (Elías). One of her most famous works was influenced through this home, The House on Mango Street. Being young and constantly shifting from place to place caused Cisneros to come off cautious, and afraid of what could happen next.
The isolation she experienced from not having any sisters or friends led her to submerging herself in books; she was never able to own a book, but her mom often took her to the library to rent and return books. At the age of ten, she began to write. Throughout the course of her life, she stopped writing, but eventually continued again. It wasn’t until college that she found actual enjoyment in writing. Soon after college, Cisneros realized that she needed to become a writer of what she knew. She adopted a writing style that was intentionally different from her classmates. She got to meet famous writers who helped create something life changing for Cisneros. Eduardo F. Elías writes, “poets who had influenced a whole generation of Spanish writers, thus bringing Cisneros into touch with her cultural roots.” Joining the creative writing program helped boost her career for the future.
"Cisneros, Sandra (1954-), An Introduction to." Contemporary Literary Criticism, edited by
Roger Matuz and Cathy Falk, vol. 69, Gale, 1992. Literature Criticism Online,
http://0-link.galegroup.com.libcat.sanjac.edu/apps/doc/TATWZS673401478/GLS?u=txs
racd2544&sid=GLS. Accessed 29 July 2018.
Elías, Eduardo F. "Sandra Cisneros." Chicano Writers: Second Series, edited by Francisco A.
Lomeli and Carl R. Shirley, Gale, 1992. Dictionary of Literary Biography Vol. 122. Literature Resource Center, http://0-link.galegroup.com.libcat.sanjac.edu/apps/doc/H1200000922/GLS?u=txshracd2544&sid=GLS&xid=2151f2b8. Accessed 20 July 2018.
Tompkins, Cynthia. "Sandra Cisneros." American Novelists Since World War II: Fourth Series,
edited by James R. Giles and Wanda H. Giles, Gale, 1995. Dictionary of Literary Biography Vol. 152. Literature Resource Center, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/H1200000101/GLS?u=txshracd2544&sid=GLS&xid=bb5c08dd. Accessed 22 July 2018.
Q: What was Cisneros’ greatest work and why was it the greatest?
A: Cisneros’ greatest work was The House on Mango Street. This short story was influenced through the one house her parents could afford. After attending the Iowa writers workshop, it opened her eyes and caused her to realize she can write a book based off of her life. She then began to write The House on Mango Street off of everything she lived through and experienced. Written with multiple narratives, the story “counts the experiences of a maturing adolescent girl discovering life around her in a Hispanic urban ghetto” (Elías). It is about a girl who wants to have more time and room alone for herself. She ponders how her life would be if she had chosen to go to school for English rather than marriage. This major work took about 5 years to finish.
This story was written mainly for those who share similar experiences as her; it includes everything from her life in Chicago and her struggle during her multiple careers. The story was written more for women and teenagers battling their emotional lives. The House on Mango Street allows the readers to see how Cisneros was raised and let them realize that growing up is a major aspect in life. Although she did not expect her novel to get anywhere, it won the “1985 Before Columbus American Book Award” (Elías). The book is often chosen as a one project read to students across the United States.
"Cisneros, Sandra (1954-), An Introduction to." Contemporary Literary Criticism, edited by
Roger Matuz and Cathy Falk, vol. 69, Gale, 1992. Literature Criticism Online,
http://0-link.galegroup.com.libcat.sanjac.edu/apps/doc/TATWZS673401478/GLS?u=txsh
racd2544&sid=GLS. Accessed 29 July 2018.
"Sandra Cisneros." Contemporary Authors Online, Gale, 2017. Literature Resource Center,
http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/H1000018161/GLS?u=txshracd2544&sid=GLS&xid=400313a8. Accessed 31 July 2018.
Elías, Eduardo F. "Sandra Cisneros." Chicano Writers: Second Series, edited by Francisco A.
Lomeli and Carl R. Shirley, Gale, 1992. Dictionary of Literary Biography Vol. 122. Literature Resource Center, http://0-link.galegroup.com.libcat.sanjac.edu/apps/doc/H1200000922/GLS?u=txshracd2544&sid=GLS&xid=2151f2b8. Accessed 20 July 2018.
Q: What sets Cisneros a part from other American writers?
A: After receiving her Bachelor's degree in English at the Loyola University, in Chicago, she attended the University of Iowa Writers’ Workshop where she acquired a distinctive education which formed her into a different kind of writer. It provided her with a detailed understanding of the problems the young Latinas were facing. Cisneros had multiple jobs including an administrative assistant, a counselor, and even a teacher to high-school dropouts.
These situations lead to a big turning point in her writing career. Cisneros’ writing often incorporates Spanish idioms mixed with the English language. In an interview, Cisneros argued the understanding and influence of shifting between cultures and languages saying, “I’m a translator. I’m an amphibian. I can travel in both worlds. What I’m saying is very important for the Latino Community, but it is also important for the white community to hear. What I’m saying in my writing is that we can be Latino and still be American” (Ramos).
In many of Cisneros’ stories, she explores different themes including “..economic oppression, ethnic identity, and female sexuality using the motifs of writing and storytelling as symbols of the Chicana ability to reinvent herself” ("Cisneros, Sandra. (1954-), An Introduction to. Vol. 305"). Growing up with Mexican tradition in an American culture, Cisneros had to find balance and creativity within herself to keep true to both sides of her identity. A lot of her inspirations for work come from the people that are the closest to her; like her friends and family. Every piece of literature Cisneros writes about is something she has seen or experienced first hand.
"Jorge Ramos: We can't 'be neutral' with a president like Trump." PRI's The World, 3 May 2018.
Literature Resource Center, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A537347279/GLS?u=txshracd2544&sid=GLS&xid=
b4c2c19d. Accessed 30 July 2018.
"Cisneros, Sandra (1954-), An Introduction to." Contemporary Literary Criticism, edited by
Roger Matuz and Cathy Falk, vol. 69, Gale, 1992. Literature Criticism Online,
http://0-link.galegroup.com.libcat.sanjac.edu/apps/doc/TATWZS673401478/GLS?u=txsh
racd2544&sid=GLS. Accessed 29 July 2018.
"Cisneros, Sandra (1954-), An Introduction to." Contemporary Literary Criticism, edited by
Jeffrey W. Hunter, vol. 305, Gale, 2011. Literature Criticism Online,
http://0-link.galegroup.com.libcat.sanjac.edu/apps/doc/CBVZOC514979053/GLS?u=txsh
racd2544&sid=GLS. Accessed 31 July 2018.
Q: How has the progression of life formed her into the writer she is today?
A: Growing up in a family dominated by males, Cisneros found herself in a minority. In the early stages of her writings, she had some hostility toward the male gender. It took Cisneros a few long years for her to realize what made her feel this way. In an interview, Cisneros says, “There’s been a lot of anger toward men in my writing. It doesn’t mean that they don’t piss me off. Men still piss me off. But the difference is, I’m looking to find a solution, whereas before I just used to fight” (Elliot).
Understanding and having compassion for the people she comes across gives her the ability to create stories that the reader can relate to. Giving the reader a chance for clarity on how and what they are really feeling for themselves. Cisneros claims that, “you have to be a good human being, and that will help your writing a great deal” (Elliot). She knew that to be a good writer she had to go further and look deeper within the people that she comes across.
Soon after her most well-known novel, The House on Mango Street was published, Cisneros was teaching at a school in California, but was not successful. She thought she was the worst teacher in the world and became depressed to the point where she contemplated suicide. After her battle with suicide, she said, “Los fracasos se quedan como espinas en el corazón” (Chino). Which means, failures remain like thorns in the heart, “Writing is a way to get those espinas out” (Chino). Cisneros found herself through meditation and was offered a job as a full time writer. Cisneros says, “My whole life is a mission. Every time I pick up the pen it’s in service, and I do meditation so that I can be of service” (Gross). At that moment, she realized her purpose in life.
Elliot, Gayle. “Interview with Sandra Cisneros.” The Missouri Review
Mar. 1, 2002, https://www.missourireview.com/article/interview-with-sandra-cisneros/
Gross, Rebecca. “Recognizing ourselves” NEA ARTS MAGAZINE, 15 Mar. 2016,
https://www.arts.gov/NEARTS/2016v1-telling-all-our-stories-arts-and-diversity/sandra-ci
sneros
Chino, Jorge. “The Buddhalupist: The Spiritual Life of Sandra Cisneros.” El Andar Magazine,
Winter 1999 Issue. http://www.elandar.com/back/winter99/stories/story_cisneros.html
Q: What is the significance of Cisneros’ writing?
A: As Cisneros grew up in a Chicago, many of her writing ideas and themes were inspired by her experiences and thoughts on her surroundings. Her themes often speak of borders and stress the space issues she most likely felt herself. Cisneros uses the “longed-for house symbolizing economic freedom and privacy as well as female confinement within the prescribed gender roles of wife and mother” (Hunter 102). The significance of her writing shows because many people in those positions can relate which lead to the overall positive critical responses. In one of her most well-known novels, The House on Mango Street, she illustrates a young girl named Esperanza who lives in the thematic house and her family’s struggles. Young Esperanza deals with sexual abuse and other less positive situations despite having the seemingly positive house. With inspiration from two other women, she learns that writing is her way out (Tompkins). This is most likely relating to her own struggles growing up, and shows the significance writing can have on an individual. In a New York Times interview, Cisneros stated, “I am a woman and I am a Latina. Those are the things that make my writing distinctive.” (Contemporary Authors Online). Being a successful female latina writer is the power that makes her significant.
"Cisneros, Sandra (1954-), An Introduction to." Contemporary Literary Criticism, edited by
Jeffrey W. Hunter, vol. 305, Gale, 2011. Literature Criticism Online,
http://0-link.galegroup.com.libcat.sanjac.edu/apps/doc/CBVZOC514979053/GLS?u=txsh
racd2544&sid=GLS&xid=9f9beb43. Accessed 31 July 2018.
Tompkins, Cynthia. "Sandra Cisneros." American Novelists Since World War II: Fourth Series,
edited by James R. Giles and Wanda H. Giles, Gale, 1995. Dictionary of Literary
Biography Vol. 152. Literature Resource Center,
http://0-link.galegroup.com.libcat.sanjac.edu/apps/doc/H1200000101/GLS?u=txshracd25
44&sid=GLS&xid=bb5c08dd. Accessed 31 July 2018.
"Sandra Cisneros." Contemporary Authors Online, Gale, 2017. Literature Resource
Center,http://0-link.galegroup.com.libcat.sanjac.edu/apps/doc/H1000018161
/GLS?u=txshracd2544&sid=GLS&xid=400313a8. Accessed 31 July 2018.
Conclusion: Most of the sources were very helpful because the Gale database helps filter our searches to more reliable sources. We were provided with good overviews of her books, short stories, and poems. We learned through the overviews and further research that Cisneros’ most successful themes and plots were inspired by her life. A favorite source would have to be the interview between Sandra Cisneros and Gayle Elliot: Cisneros talks about how she is just like everyone else in this cruel world and all she is really writing for is to touch someone and give them a different perspective about people who may not be like yourself.