Meaning Of Eleven By Sandra Cisneros

Throughout my brief time in Honors English II thus far, one concept that has stuck with me is the idea of looking behind the curtain. From my stance, looking behind the curtain means digging deeper. Questioning. Thinking. Uncovering an underlying message. In “Eleven” by Sandra Cisneros, repetition of various words and ideas were present; such as the mention of different ages. “...When you’re eleven, you’re also ten, and nine...and two, and one” (7) and “...And I’m crying like I’m three...” (9) are just two different mentions of age that are spread out in the text. Rather than just noticing this repetition, I began to question and think about why Cisneros had chosen to do this. Actually taking time to peer beyond the curtain has helped me with
comprehension as well as opened my mind. I have learned to question and think more about not only literature, but also about different forms of art, and even a person’s every day actions. (Like, why did Mr. Reese assign this?)