May 17, 2011
“Only Daughter” Response Questions
1. What distinction does Cisneros make between being “the only daughter” and “only a
daughter”?
I believe he was stating that she is the only daughter of six sons. It was major to her father for her to find a husband so she will be well off, and being the only daughter he expected her to meet someone and since she wanted to go to college he had bigger expectations to find a husband in college. “Only a daughter” and “the only daughter” his distinction meant to me that since she was the only girl and the only daughter she had to prove to her father and family that she could make it on her own and become successful for herself rather than relying on a husband to do those things.
2. What advantages does Cisneros see in being the only daughter? In being only a daughter?
Being the only daughter I believe Cisneros believes that she needs to one day find a husband. Since the daughter was independent and wanted to go to school she was trying to prove she was independent and didn’t have to have a husband, and being the only daughter she could do that because she didn’t have to compete with anyone and having a family first because she was the only daughter
3. Cisneros quotes her father several times…what do we learn about him from his words?
Throughout the reading we learn her father is a hard worker and a traditional man. He wanted his daughter to be successful, but also find a husband in college to take care of her. We learn that throughout the years she didn’t find a husband but became very successful in writing her own books. I believe at the end of the reading her father realized she did the right thing that made her happy and wrote about her family and realized he raised her the right way and she and him were both proud of their family after reading her book.
4. Do you think Cisneros intends to convey a sympathetic or unsympathetic impression of her
father? Explain.
I believe that Cisneros intends for the daughter to feel sympathetic for her father. At the beginning going over and over her getting a husband and still didn’t have one two years into graduate school, but she worked hard and knew what she wanted. I believe once she became successful that he wasn’t harping on her and he was getting older and he knew she was doing well on her own. At the end of the story he had a stroke and things were laying around the house because he couldn’t do much. She brought him her book and translated it into Spanish so he could read it and giving him that book and seeing his reaction to it I believe Cisneros was being sympathetic towards the father, because the father realized the family he raised and was happy with how his seven kids turned out.
5 Only Daughter” ends with the line: “Of all the wonderful things that happened to me last year, that was the most wonderful”…what “wonderful thing” is Cisneros referring to? Why do you think this “thing” means so much to her?
The part of the story is referring to the daughter bringing her published book home to her father. She translated it into Spanish so he could read and understand it. The book was about her family and growing up with six brothers and having a Mexican and American family. I believe this was a strong line in the story, because no matter what her father wanted for her she did what she wanted and he learned it was right for her and she knew what was right for her. It made the father happy and realize how lucky he was to have the family he has.
Pre-Writing
1. Outgoing
2. Strive for accomplishments
3. Determined
4. Organized
Daughter ESSAY
I chose the first essay. I believe my family today has shaped me the way I am and hope to be. I grew up with an older sister. We are six years apart and seeing her grow up and seeing the good and the bad things she went through it helped me shape the way I am today. She wasn’t a bad kid growing up but went through some rough times in junior high and some throughout high school where she hung out with some people in the wrong crowds, which led her to making some wrong choices. As she started growing up she changed. Through high school she made friends that she is still friends with today and I believe her friends and my parents helped her become who she is today. She is now married and has a little boy that is four and she is a great mom well organized and a hard worker. I believe that my parents had a major role in her growing up and becoming who she is now. She went through school and now works at a University today. Seeing my sister’s footsteps led me to who I am today, also with the help of my parents.
My parents have always been there for me and my sister. They had rules, but at the same time they weren’t overly strict. We grew up playing soccer and we played on traveling teams, and played throughout high school. It kept us busy and out of trouble. Being who I am today I wouldn’t be where I am today without my parents and my sister. I believe my parents taught me to be independent and taught me right choices in my life. Growing up in high school they bought my car and supported me. I didn’t have to work but I did work throughout high school to help for gas and to have extra money of my own. My parents trusted me and I believe trust and communication are the main key. I had a curfew in high school, but as I started to get older and could drive I would come home later than curfew and I would call to let them know and they trusted me and never got mad. If I stayed over at a friend’s house I would just have to call and let them know. The way my parents raised me not only trust and communication, but I learned to be independent as well. They supported me throughout college, they helped with my rent and if I needed gas money. They expected me and my sister to go to college after high school so we could get a degree and support ourselves in the future, rather than finding a husband to support us. My sister and I both finished college and my sister can support herself and lived on her own before married, and now that I have strived through college I plan to do the same before marriage. I believe my parents want us to be independent and manage life on our own before starting a family.
My parents have helped me out so much and are proud of me and my sister and I couldn’t ask for a better family. We are all very close and my parents have always kept us happy and took us on many family vacations. I believe spending time with family and doing things as a family keeps you close and enjoy the same things. I also think they mold you and want the best for you always.
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