“Eleven” Prompt

After we read the short story “Eleven” by Sandra Cisneros, complete the following prompt. Be sure to discuss at least two of the following writer’s crafts AND how these crafts add to the understanding of Rachel’s character. Be sure to give at least two specific examples of each craft you discuss.

Ex: The author uses repetition with the phrase “ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four…” to remind us that even though birthdays signal change, we are still the same person, with all the experience that comes with that age. Rachel wishes she was older, so she would know what to say when she is humiliated in school.

Terms to choose from:

Diction

Simile- comparison using like or as

Metaphor

Repetition

Prompt Set-up

Paragraph 1

  1. Name the story and the author. TAG
  2. Give a few sentences of summary
  3. Explain the point of the prompt- Which crafts help you to understand Rachel’s character?

Paragraph 2

  1. Name the crafts that add to your understanding of Rachel’s character.
  2. For each craft, give at least two examples from the text to support your response.
  3. Wrap-up your paragraph

In the short story “Eleven” by Sandra Ciscneros, the main character wishes she could have more self-confidence. Rachel, the main character just turned eleven years old. It was Rachel’s birthday and her teacher mistakenly gave her a ragged old red sweater. Rachel wished she had the courage to tell the teacher it really wasn’t her sweater. The author’s diction helped me understand Rachel’s character.

Diction and repetition adds to my understanding of Rachel’s character. Rachel says, “Maybe because I’m skinny, maybe it’s because she doesn’t like me.” This helps add to my understanding of the story because it shows me how insecure Rachel is. Another example of diction is when Rachel says, she “bites down on my teeth real hard and try to remember today I am eleven.” This reinforces that Rachel wants to say something to her teacher, but doesn’t have the courage. Repetition also helps me understand Rachel’s character. FIND TWO EXAMPLES OF REPETITION.

Simile and repetition adds to my understanding of Rachel’s character.Rachel says, “The red sweater’s still sitting there like a big red mountain.” This helps to my understanding of the story because it shows me how Rachel character is angry about the red sweater.Another example of a simile is when Rachel says, “because the

The author uses writing strategies like repetition and diction to help us understand the story and characters a little better.For example, the author wrote “ten, nine, eight, six, five, four, three, two, and one” in the very first sentences. This is an example of repetition. The author uses repetition to demonstrate how the years have passed and Rachel has not grown any more secure with herself. Another example of repetition is when Rachel say “not mine, not mine, not mine”. This emphasizes how Rachel really did not want that sweat shirt. One other writing strategy the author used a lot was diction. This is when the author uses word or phases to make us feel a particular way. The first example is when Rachel said “maybe because I’m skinny maybe because she doesn’t like me” I feel it supposed to let us know that she is not very well like.