Since time immemorial, people have celebrated their birthdays with a sense of importance. They tend to feel that a year added to one’s age is a sign of progression or development not only in physical terms but also in other aspects of life. This is the notion that many kids grow up with and they tend to think that the older they grow, the better. Well, to some extent, this is acceptable, but a deeper analysis reveals that people need to look deeper into the issue of growing up. It is not just about an additional of years; rather, it is about life in general. Sandra Cisneros (1-3) brings out this issue quite strongly in her essay entitled “Eleven.”
The reader can understand why Rachael has such a feeling. It is a feeling that many people tend to associate with at one time of their lives or another. Be it in the work place, it so happens that at times a senior employee raises an accusation against a junior servant. In as much as the junior servant might be innocent and tries to justify his position, all his efforts can be in vain. More often than not, the junior servant finds himself in a similar position as Rachael. At such a time, the person feels so humiliated, inadequate and hated. Of course, such hurting feelings can make an individual cry, even if not the physical tears.
There is a sense of humiliation in Rachael’s voice. She feels so dehumanized that she wishes that the world could swallow her whole. She wishes that she could bury her face on her desk only to avoid facing the same people in the class who were witnessing her humiliation (Cisneros, 14). Most of all, she felt resentment towards Mrs. Price who did not give her a chance to say something in her defense. The fact that the teacher believed someone else’s claim that the sweater belonged to her, even without bothering to find evidence of the same, made Rachael see her as the real devil. Most of all, her self esteem is brought down since she says that “Maybe because am skinny, maybe because she doesn’t like me, that stupid Sylvia Saldivar.” (Cisneros, 8). Through this, it comes out vividly that her self perception was quite low.
Again, this is a situation that we can associate with the process of life. Of course, it is on several occasions that we feel that we have been treated in a manner that was not right for us. When there is nobody to stand up for us, or when there is no way that we can defend ourselves, we tend to shift the blame to ourselves. Rather than focus on the real reason as to why the misfortune befell us, we are keen on looking for a scapegoat or a place to pin our excuses. When there is utterly no place to hide, the self becomes the victim. Some of us hate ourselves; some feel inadequate while others feel that they are to blame for what happened. As a remedy, we tend to believe that should we seek self improvement or self empowerment, then we could free ourselves of the humiliation.
With such an understanding, it is very easy to relate with Rachael’s situation. Here is a teacher who does not want to listen to her pleas of innocence. On the other hand is the accuser from whom she cannot defend herself. What then can she do? She turns to the inner self, heaps the blame on herself and her shortcomings then wishes that she could do something to turn the tables on her tormentors. As those tears well up behind her eyes, she realizes that even if she is eleven, she still has a long way to go in handling life’s issues. She discovers that the fantasy about being eleven is baseless. All that is important is the ability of the individual to stand up, face life assertively and know his worth. That is the essence of growing up. One cannot run away from the challenges of life and neither can one avoid the ups and downs of life. Rather, there is the need to know how to navigate the corners of life successfully. That is the essence of growing up. It also matters with the lessons that one goes on through life. As such, an experience at one stage of life should be used as a bridge through another stage. It is through this argument that Cisneros (1) observes that when one is eleven, he is not just eleven but also ten, nine, eight all through to one. This means that the lessons that one gets all through life are vital. This is what Rachael learnt during her moment of shame and it is what we feel when we are confronted by such a situation.
Cisneros’ Style
In order to make Rachael’s feelings vivid to the reader, Cisneros has to employ some tactics. These are the literary skills that make literature quite interesting and also rich. In this passage, the most effective tactic is the use of the first person narration. The experience is told through the view point of Rachael herself, a young girl of eleven. As such, as she explains about her feelings and her humiliation, the reader can relate with her. In fact, it is not a wonder that the reader sympathizes with her. Cisneros understands that use of the first person makes the people relate with the story as if it was actually happening. The use of ‘I’ is a strong factor in the passage. Secondly, the persona is a small child. Not only is the narration in first person but a child’s view point is given. As such, the helplessness and the vulnerability level come out quite strongly. There is also the tendency of the reader to empathize with the young child. It is well known that no one likes to see a child suffer. Even in the rules of any country, child protection is usually given a very high priority. Using a child as a persona is therefore very effective in driving home the message, especially when it is about discrimination or mistreatment of individuals.
There is also the use of repetition. For instance, rather than count the years one by one from eleven to one, she could have simply summed them up and concluded. However, she goes to the extent of explaining everything in detail. This helps to heighten the feelings that Rachael had. In fact, it serves to indicate how, when we are confronted by a crisis, we tend to concentrate in the factors that we feel are the causes of our misfortunes. In Rachael’s case, her misfortune came because she was not of age. As such, there is the repetition to indicate how young she actually is and therefore assert the fact that it is her age that makes her to be treated as such.
Cisneros (15) also employs escapism to show the intense of Rachael’s feelings. The young girl tried to tune her mind from the fact that she was facing the humiliation to the fact that her mother was preparing a birthday cake for her and there would be a celebration at her home that night. “my mother is preparing a birthday cake and at night, everyone will sing happy birthday” (Cisneros, 15). This is the same thing that we often do. When we are disappointed, we tend to find an activity that engages our thoughts so that we do not concentrate on the issue. However, the truth hits at the end and we ‘cry’ uncontrollably. This is the same fate that befell Rachael. Cisneros uses her uncontrolled crying to explain her feelings. The crying is explained in detail.
Work Cited
Cisneros, Sandra. N.d. Eleven. (Attached Document)
