Eleven

In this first person narrative, looking back as an adult, by Sandra Cisneros she explicates the use of detailed diction, repetition, hyperboles and a tone of frustration to represent a coming of age story of a traumatizing situation as an eleven year old girl.

By receiving the story in a first person account, not only is the situation fully explained, but also her inner most thoughts like that of frustration and feelings of being bullied. Cisnero’s repeats the phrase “When you’re 11, you are also ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one.” This thought showcases that age is just a number, but measures maturity and knowledge, and that those years will always be apart of you from the time you are born. Hyperboles to the sweater and her life appear throughout the story to show how dramatic and tramautizing the situation was in the eyes of an eleven year old. The frustration really shows towards the end of the piece fighting with her teacher but not knowing how to handle it she says “I wish I was one hundred and two…Id known what to say,” showing the reoccurring theme of maturity level of her age and feeling frustrated and upset that she could not handle it better and it turning into such a horrific day to her when it should be something to celebrate.

Cisnero’s short story represents a coming of age of a woman regressing to her eleven year old self and reflecting on a negative event in her childhood years.