Only
Daughter
Comprehension
1.
What does Cisneros mean when
she writes that being an only daughter in a family of
six sons "explains everything"?
Ans. Cisneros is from a conservative male dominated
Mexican-American family. Cisneros means that her male-oriented household shaped
her identity, even those elements of her personality that developed contrary to
her father's expectations. Her father's pride in having six sons was so
important that she felt negated; especially when he, in a confusion of
languages, mistakenly claimed he had seven sons rather than six sons and one
daughter. As a result, Cisneros developed her talents to please her father.
2.
What distinction does
Cisneros make in paragraphs 2 and 3 between being “the only daughter” and being
“only a daughter”?
Ans. "The only daughter"
simply means gender issue. It deals only a description of gender in the family.
When the author restates this as
"only a daughter," she is emphasizing her family's preference for
male children, and how she was made to feel as if she was beneath them.
3.
What
advantages does Cisneros see in being “the only daughter”? In being “only a
daughter”?
Ans. As “the only daughter”,
Cisneros was isolated from other family members. This isolation gave her time
to read and develop the abilities of a good writer.
As “only a daughter”, she was
sent to college to meet a suitable husband. Finally, she got good education and
made her a popular writer.
4.
Why does
her father think she has wasted her education? What is her reaction to opinion?
Ans. Her father thinks she has wasted her education because she didn't
get married when she was in
college. Looking back, she was glad
that he only saw worth
in a woman who was married because he didn't bother her when she wanted to pursue her own dreams of writing.
5.
Why is her father’s reaction to her story the “most wonderful”(22) thing
that happened to Cisneros that year?
Ans. When Cisneros’
father asked for additional copies of her story in Spanish translation, he
affirmed (declared) her as a person, independent of the gender.