Only Daughter

Purpose and Audience

1.     Although Cisneros uses many Spanish words in her essay, in most cases she defines or explains these words. What does this decision tell you about her purpose and her audience?

Ans: 

It is normal for Cisneros, as being a Mexican daughter to use many Spanish words in her writing as per needed. Spanish being her first language is sure to be portrayed in her writings and we can see a lot of such words. Those words are usually explained or defined in English again because her readers are not Spanish readers only and she has become an international writer. So in order to make her writing meaningful she uses Spanish words and to make her writing clear to understand and meaningful she again explains the Spanish words. Specially, the audience of this writing are those Mexican fathers who cannot read English but they can read Spanish language in general.

 

 

2.     What is Cisneros’ thesis? What incidents and details support this thesis?

Ans:

Cisneros’ thesis is gender inequality within her culture. Being only daughter of a working-class Mexican father and Mexican-American mother, she had to do every house chores. Many details support her thesis, her father’s pride of having six sons. Her brothers always left her alone at home. Her father believed that she would find herself a suitable husband in college. Her father never believed in her success just being a daughter. …

 

 

3.     Do you think Cisneros intends to convey a sympathetic or unsympathetic expression of her father? Explain.

Ans:

Her father, although being a conservative Mexican father, allowed her to attend college and encouraged her in her writings. He never neglected her in her moments of life. He was a different dad as compared to other Mexican dads of her times where gender inequality prevailed. So her father was always sympathetic rather than being unsympathetic. 

Furthermore, in this essay, Cisneros presents her father as sympathetic in a sense she finds him as a hardworking man who loved his family and homeland. He wanted his children no to be poor. He affirmed her writings.