Questions for Eleven
1. Cisneros uses many examples of figurative language to enrich her short story. Find four examples of similes in the story. What is Cisneros comparing in each? Why does Cisneros use each of these comparisons?
2.
The use of repetition in the story creates a rhythm for the reader and creates more emphasis. Find three examples of repetition in the story and explain why Cisneros uses this repetition.3.
How did Sandra Cisneros write the story so that it seems as though Rachel wrote it herself? (Point of View)4. To
analyze a short story, the reader needs to think of the following:Setting - When and where does the story take place?
Characters - Protagonist, antagonist, other characters.
Plot - Exposition, Narrative Hook, Climbing Action, Climax, Falling Action, Resolution - Central Conflict.
Theme - Why did the author write the story? What is the main idea you are to remember?
Write an analysis of each of these elements in the short story "Eleven."
5. Draw the metaphor Rachel uses in the story to describe what it is like to grow up. Then explain what she means in your own words.
Because the way you grow old is kind of like an onion or like the rings inside a tree trunk or like my little wooden dolls that fit one inside the other, each year inside the next one. That’s how being eleven years old is.