Author: Valeria Cortez
ENGLISH 1101 Dec 04, 2019
Valeria Cortez
Prof. Jewell
Research and audience assignment
INTRO
“Women shouldn’t have to dress modesty to be respected or to avoid distractions.” The topic I chose is important because women shouldn’t be seen as an object by society. People need to comprehend that choosing the way you want to dress is a way of self expression, and that restricting women from certain clothes is not right. Every time women wear a skirt or a shirt that shows cleavage, they automatically are seen as objects, people forget their humanity in the process. Society has the misconception that women wear certain kind of clothes to be provocative, since that idea has been built up throughout the years, now women are restricted from dress as they want because they couldn’t be respected and would cause distractions if they wear certain kinds of clothes. Society needs to understand that if a man is getting distracted by the way a woman is dressed, that’s their problem; not the way the woman is dressed.
The genre I chose to deliver my message regarding this issue is letter, I chose it because I feel that sending a letter to address such an important issue can be more personal and deep. Also people tend to take letters more seriously than emails.
1ST LETTER, AUDIENCE: School’s principal.
Valeria Cortez
4306 63rd St
Woodside, NY 11377
(123) 456-7890
valeriacortezp@icloud.com
04 December 2019
Ronny Miller
William Cullen Bryant HS Principal
48-10 31 Avenue
LIC, NY 11103
Dear Mr. Miller,
I am writing you this letter because I wanted to express some concerns that had come to my mind regarding the dress code your school follows, my main goal for sending you this letter is to inform you and hopefully make you reconsider some of the restrictions of your school’s dress code. I know as a fact that your school restricts women from different kind of clothes because they “can be distracting and provocative” for students and male teachers.
Women shouldn’t have to dress modesty to be respected or to avoid distractions.The problem with controlling the way women dress in an effort to control the responses of other people is that clothing itself is not the problem. Our society is conditioned to see women as objects. Their bodies are already over-sexualized even as young teens. This means that whenever we see a woman who bares her legs, cleavage, or even her collarbones, we reduce them automatically to objects rather than multifaceted human beings. We forget their humanity in the process. In your school’s case the dress code restricts women from different kinds of clothes.
Dress Codes are in schools for the good of the students and the teachers. But dress codes aren’t always good for the students, especially the female students. There are almost always more rules and guidelines for the female students than there are for the male students. Why? If a girl is showing something that shows even a little skin or maybe a bra strap, their attire is considered “distracting” to boys and male teachers and they are then ”’dress coded”.Now, I do believe that a dress code is important in some aspects. If a girl is wearing a shirt that shows her whole stomach and maybe a little bit of the underside of her breasts, that might be considered distracting to everyone, I know I would think that that was distracting. Or maybe if a boy is wearing his pants too low and they are sagging a lot, I know I would also consider that inappropriate and distracting. But when a girl gets dress coded because of a strap that is showing or maybe because her shirt is a little too tight, that’s just not fair. Sometimes girls are even sent home because of the way they’re dressed, no girl should ever have to forfeit her education because her shirt is the wrong color or she has a hole in her jeans. Sometimes girls get dress coded for something that’s not even listed as inappropriate in the dress code guidelines. While some parts of the dress code are reasonable, some are just plain absurd. The school’s dress code needs to portray the idea that women are not objects that are distractions for men, it needs to show them that girls are just as important and that if a boy cannot stay focused during class because of another student who needs to learn just as much as he does, that it is not the way a certain student is dressed or the girl student fault. Thank you for reading this, I hope this makes you rethink some of the school’s dress code guidelines, and consider to make some changes to it.
Sincerely,
Valeria Cortez.
2ND LETTER, AUDIENCE: PARENTS FROM QUEENS SCHOOL DISTRICT
Valeria Cortez
4306 63rd St
Woodside, NY 11377
(123) 456-7890
valeriacortezp@icloud.com
04 December 2019
Parents of Queens School District
Queens School District Offices
98-50 50th Ave,
Corona, NY 11368
Dear parents, I am writing you this letter because I want to express my concern towards how some parents are not allowing their daughters to dress as they desire to. The Purpose of this letter is to make you think about how a girl may feel when you do not allow her to dress as they want to.
Just because you have been raised in a society that has the misconception that women wear certain clothes to be provocative and also that men would disrespect and get distracted by the way women dress, it’s not fair for teen girls to be restricted to express themselves by the way they desire to dress. Teen girls should be allowed to wear what they want to wear. It should be maintained a balance of deciding what’s appropriate in an ever-shifting clothing landscape and conveying that to your daughters in a way that does not make them feel like their bodies are shameful, embarrassing things, or that what they wear on those bodies somehow excuses inappropriate behavior from others. that you have to discuss with them what is appropriate and not appropriate to wear to school, work, family reunions, hanging out with friends,etc. It is better to have that discussion rather than tell a girl “That is too revealing” or “Go get changed, you are not allowed to wear that”, that can make your daughters feel similar as to asking a sexual assault victim, “What were you wearing?” Your daughters have to keep the idea that clothing doesn’t cause rape; rapists cause rape. Advising your daughters to cover up blurs that message by implying that her body becomes an irresistible temptation when she shows too much of it. Girls should not be fearing on how people would react to the way she’s dressed. That misconception should stay in the past, and your daughters’ generation should grow thinking that they can express themselves by the way they want to dress, as long as they are being appropriate.
If you restrict your daughters from different clothes you’ll probably causing them to keep secrets from you. They will know you wouldn’t approve the way they want to dress and so she will learn not to share anything with you. Do you want your child sneaking off with a second set of clothing in her bag as she went off to school? I don’t think you would want her to think that in order to be “her” she has to be different around you and to keep secrets from you.
Women shouldn’t be seen as an object, society has created the misconception that every time a girl or woman wears something “too revealing” they are doing it to call men’s attention and that they would react in a disrespectful way. If you raise your daughter by restricting them from showing their personality by the way they want to dress just because men would get distracted and be disrespectful towards them. You will cause your daughters to be scared of being themselves. As long as girls are dressing appropriately for the occasion and are showing self respect in the way they’re dressed, you should be allowed to let them wear what they want.
I hope that this information would help and make you reconsider what you are allowing and not allowing your daughters to wear.
Sincerely,
Valeria Cortez.
CITATION:
Source 1:
Barret, Kira. “When School Dress Codes Discriminate.” NEA Today, http://neatoday.org/2018/07/24/when-school-dress-codes-discriminate. Accessed 04 December 2019.
Source 2:
Jones, Sasha. “Do School Dress Codes Discriminate Against Girls?” Education Week, https://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2018/09/05/do-school-dress-codes-discrimate-against-girls.html?cmp=cpc-goog-ew-dynamic+ads+recent+articles&ccid=dynamic+ads+recent+articles&ccag=recent+articles+dynamic&cckw=&cccv=dynamic+ad&gclid=Cj0KCQiAz53vBRCpARIsAPPsz8UZVFhxvTijg64QFeZwv3xqguR4zFQDx4sNxnkEKsVn55M0YSjM760aAvj3EALw_wcB. Accessed 04 December 2019.
Source 3:
Wang, Stephanie. “Dress codes blame girls for boys’ bad behavior”, Indianapolis Star, https://www.indystar.com/story/news/education/2017/11/27/how-some-say-washington-township-schools-dress-code-blames-girls-boys-bad-behavior/840061001/. Accessed 04 December 2019.
Source 4:
Levin-Epstein, Amy. “Letting Kids Choose What They Wear”, Parents, https://www.parents.com/toddlers-preschoolers/development/social/letting-kids-choose-what-they-wear/. Accessed 04 December 2019.
Source 5:
Alw5957, “Gender & Sexuality”, Gender Sexuality, https://sites.psu.edu/awcivicissue/2018/02/09/distracting-dress-codes/. Accessed 04 December 2019.
Reflection
Valeria Cortez
ENG 1101
Prof. Jewell
My genre was Oval Office speeches and after gathering the sources of my annotated bibliography I was able to identify certain characteristics found in these speeches. I noticed that they all contained several similarities to each other. One of the things they all had in common is that the Oval Office Speeches are always going to be given by the president of the United States at the time. Another thing that they have in common is that in most of the cases these speeches are given in order to address an important event or problem that the country had gone through or is going through. For example, when Bush gave his “9/11 Address to the Nation on Terrorist Attacks.” speech, he was informing the nation about the recent terrorist attacks that the country had been victim of. The fact that these speeches are about problems, accidents and important events leads me to other two similarities they all have in common, the tone and the constantly use of pathos. Since all of them address issues and important events, the speakers use a specific tone in these speeches, the tones used in these speeches vary between determined, uplifting, calm and serene. These tones are used in order to provide the audience sense of tranquility and also to make them feel that the country will get through anything it is going through. The speakers in their own way, try to emotionally appeal or connect the audience to the problem that they were addressing. The last remarkable similarity between the sources is the audience the speaker is trying to reach, since this is a speech given by the president of the nation, the audience of these speeches is the entire United States population.
Something I learned about Oval Office Speeches after gathering and analyzing my sources is the speakers approach to the topic is the key to deliver a clear and specific message. The speakers of these speeches typically show a calm, confident and determined approach towards the topic they are addressing. For example, in Obama’s speech on “The Killing of Osama Bin Laden”, His approach toward this controversial and important topic was determined and confident tone, Obama kept the details limited, focusing on the reasons for targeting bin Laden and the process by which he and his team assessed intelligence and found the leader’s compound, which provided the nation calmness and made them feel safe. The fact that he approached in that way is what made the speaker achieve the intent of his speech. After completing the assignment, I still wonder if these speeches have to last a specific time or if the speaker can take as long as he/she wants?
Throughout this assignment I discovered many things about myself. I learned that I have a huge inclination and interest in speeches and in learning how speakers use rhetorical appeals as techniques in order to cause a certain emotion or opinion in a specific audience, towards the message they are delivering. At first when I tried to write the annotated bibliography I didn’t really know exactly how to start writing it, however along the way I used different resources as a guide and taught myself a process on writing it. Once I started it took me time to think and put my thoughts together, so that the reader could be able to understand what I was trying to portray. After that I realized that the best thing to do was to listen and read the speeches a couple of times, and take notes while doing that after that I took my time to brainstorm and come up with the most relevant aspects about the speeches. Once I did that, I was able to complete the assignment. As a writer I think I am good at analyzing how the speakers used different rhetorical to provide their intended message. I know that because I took my time analyze every specific detail about the speeches. As a writer I would still want to improve at organizing my ideas to be able to portray the right message. Another thing I would want to evolve in is in the vocabulary used in my writings, I would want my vocabulary to expand and become more sophisticated. Also to take more time at writing and not to leave it to the last minute. To improve in those aspects I think that organizing my time is the first step to do. Once I have enough time to work on my writings I think all the other aspects I need to improve on would stop being a problem.
Annotated Bibliography – Address To The Nation Speeches
Valeria Cortez
Prof. Jewell
English 1101
Annotated Bibliography
Bush, George. “9/11 Address to the Nation on Terrorist Attacks.” Address To The Nation, 11 September 2001, Oval Office Address, Televised by NBC News.
In George W. Bush speech “9/11 Address to the Nation on Terrorist Attacks.” Bush began his speech with a concerned and serious, yet uplifting tone; stating that the American people and their way of life have been the victims of several terrorist attacks. He then portrayed the victims, stating that they were passengers of the airplanes hijacked by terrorists and workers in the buildings which were attacked. He reminded the audience that they were people from all walks of life. He was trying to call the attention of everyone so we can all get together as one nation. “This is a day when all Americans from every walk of life unite in our resolve for justice and peace” (Bush 6). The Audience of this speech is the American people. Bush used several methods of rhetoric appeals, for the purpose of trying not only to inform his audience but also for them to be aware of what could come in the future. He used ethos into the speech by asking the audience to pray for those who lament. “Tonight I ask for prayers for all who grieve” (Bush 5). And also to provoke unity in the county. He used logos by giving one main example of factual based information. This conveys the message surrounding the sense of urgency and suggests the little information that is available gives a sense of the unfolding tragedy.
Bush, George.“ Outlines Iraqi Threat” Address To The Nation, 7 October 2002, Cincinnati Museum Center, Cincinnati Union Terminal, Cincinnati, OH.
In George W. Bush’s speech “ Outlines Iraqi Threat”, Bush attempted to justify the invasion of Iraq. He claimed that al-Qaida possessed, “chemical and biological weapons.” (Bush 1). Through the whole speech Bush is dedicated as well as determined to protect his country in any way possible. He argued that the vulnerability of the United States following the September 11 attacks of 2001, combined with Iraq’s alleged continued possession and manufacture of weapons of mass destruction and its support for terrorist groups. The audience of this speech is the American people, when he was delivering his speech at the Cincinnati Museum Center at Union Terminal. Outside, approximately 3000 people gathered to were protesting against the upcoming war. To persuade his audience Bush used diction to harness fear to influence his viewers. The tone is consistently assertive and used reason to support the central points. Bush also used an appeal to emotion when he asks viewers why we were only facing the problem at that time. He continued to explain that if action was not taken, al-Qaida would engage in nuclear war. This is a huge statement, but Bush made it work through an appeal to logic, where the threat of nuclear warfare being only a year away felt more possible than ever. “America is a great friend of Iraq.”
Trump, Donald.“Congressional Baseball Practice Shooting” Address To The Nation, 14 June 2019, Televised Speech, White House, Washington, D.C.
In Donald Trump’s speech “Government Shutdown and Congressional Baseball Practice Shooting”, Trump informed the nation that a gunman opened fire on a congressional baseball practice, injuring Rep. Steve Scalise, the Louisiana Republican and House majority whip, along with four others. President Trump purpose of this speech is to inform and call for unity after the shooting. He provided all the information about the shooting by maintaining a calm and serene tone. He used rhetorical devices to convey the idea that the country has to stay together and calmed. He used pathos when he said “He will recover from this assault and, Steve, I want you to know that you have the prayers not only of the entire city behind you but of an entire nation and frankly the entire world,” by causing the audience to feel sorrow for the victims of the shooting. He also used logos by providing the audience with information of what happened to the gunman, “Authorities are continuing to investigate the crime, and the assailant has now died from his injuries. The FBI is leading the investigation and will continue to provide updates as new information becomes available.” this supports his desire to keep the nation calmed and together, because it assures the nation that the shooter is dead and would not be causing any other problems to the country.
Trump, Donald.“Government Shutdown and the Proposed United States-Mexico Border wall” Address To The Nation, 8 January 2019, Pressed Conference, Oval Office, White House, Washington, D.C.
In Donald Trump’s speech “Government Shutdown and the Proposed United States-Mexico Border wall”, Trump declared a “growing humanitarian and security crisis at our southern border.” He also stated that he had the authority to declare a national emergency to be able to build the wall. By using a determined tone, he implored Congress to take up immigration reform and asked citizens to press their lawmakers on the issue. President Trump strategically used rhetoric appeals to persuade congress and also american citizens. He used pathos by saying “Over the years, thousands of Americans have been brutally killed by those who illegally entered our country and thousands more lives will be lost if we don’t act right now” to convey the idea that illegal immigrants are guilty thousands of deaths, by causing the audience to feel sorrow and guilty of the deaths caused by illegal immigrants. Trump also used ethos by saying “To every citizen, call Congress and tell them to finally after all of these decades secure our border,””This is a choice between right and wrong, justice and injustice.” to make his audience reflect and reconsider their moral beliefs, what could be good and bad for the nation.
Obama, Barack.“Immigration Reform” Address To The Nation, 20 November 2014, Pressed Conference, Oval Office, White House, Washington, D.C.
In Barack Obama’s speech, “Immigration Reform” Obama stated that America was built by immigrants and that today we as a country are facing a broken immigration system (Obama 10). By using a respectful and determined tone, Obama claimed that this problem should be handled with a fix that is modern and one that works with the new era of immigration. Obama claimed that he was doing what he could to improve the immigration policies. President Obama was cautious in his speech, as he used ethos to seem relatable.”As my predecessor, President Bush, once put it: “They are a part of American life.” He quoted former President George W. Bush in an attempt to relate to the republicans who constantly oppose him, as an attempt to persuade the conservatives to consider his ideas. He also used emotional appeals when he stated, “For more than 200 years, our tradition of welcoming immigrants from around the world has given us a tremendous advantage over other nations.” (Obama 1). This line remind the audience that we Americans too, one day were immigrants. Also when he points out that “undocumented immigrants who desperately want to embrace those responsibilities see little option but to remain in the shadows, or risk their families being torn apart.” (Obama 1). The idea that people work hard every day and still are not respected for their labor brings a sense of heartbreak. Obama used pathos as his strongest tool to make his argument because he did not deal with politics and it is made of the issue just as a human being.
Obama, Barack.“The Killing of Osama Bin Laden” Address To The Nation, 1 May 2011, Pressed Conference, White House, Washington, D.C.
In Barack Obama’s speech, “The Killing of Osama Bin Laden” Obama announced the death of the person responsible for the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Osama bin Laden in a Special Forces operation. By using a determined and confident tone, Obama kept the details limited, focusing on the reasons for targeting bin Laden and the process by which he and his team assessed intelligence and found the leader’s compound. In his speech, the president used powerful rhetorical tools to effectively deliver different, yet equally powerful messages to multiple audiences. The main rhetorical appeal from this speech is ethos, while the title of President of the United States carries its own credibility, being known as the president who killed Osama Bin Laden greatly builds the man’s validity. He also used pathos by retelling of the destruction of 9/11, which is followed by a powerful summoning of the ghosts of the past: “The worst images are those that were unseen to the world: the empty…leaving a gaping hole in our hearts.” These images provoke all the emotions that every American felt on September 11, 2001. Obama does this so he can call the American people to unify and become “one American family”, as they did on that fateful day. He creates the feeling of hope as he calls the death of Osama Bin Laden the “most significant achievement to date” for the War on Terror.
Presidencial Speech, George W. Bush 9/11 address to the nation.
The September 11th terrorist attacks on the United States will forever be burned into the memories of its citizens. On that same day in 2001, president George W. Bush addressed the nation in an effort to reassure American people of their country’s strength. George W. Bush’s “9/11 Address to the Nation” speech responding to the terrorist attacks on the U.S. was a success for his prhuge inspiration to the country. Bush delivered his speech primarily to the American people, but it was also aimed for the rest of the world to see. Throughout his address to the nation, George W. Bush uses argumentative appeals, as well as, diction techniques to persuade his audience.
The purpose of George W. Bush’s speech “9/11 address to the nation” is to inform the world of the terrors that America faced on that day. He explains throughout his speech how we should always remember those who got their life taken by the people who made this terrorist attack occur. All through his argument speech, he explained all the terrors that happened on that day. “The victims were in airplanes or in their offices: secretaries, business men and women, military and federal workers, moms and dads, friends and neighbors. Thousands of lives were suddenly ended by evil, despicable acts of terror” (Bush 1). He was intending to deliver his speech not only to the people of America, but to everyone in the world to show how much that terrorist attack affected our lives emotionally and physically. He was trying to call the attention of everyone so we can all get together as one nation to be against these terrorists.
George uses several methods of all three argumentative appeals, for the purpose of trying not only to inform his audience but to also to them to be aware of what could come in the future. He uses logos when Bush uses one main example of factual based inflation. This conveys the message surrounding the sense of urgency and suggests the little information ghat is available gives a sense of the unfolding tragedy. “Thousands of lives were suddenly ended by evil, despicable acts of terror. The pictures of airplanes dying into buildings, fires burning, huge — huge structures collapsing” (Bush 2)
There’s numerous examples of pathos- appeals to emotions- found on the speech. He touched on sensitive subject to all of America at the moment he did this speech. The former President also had numerous diction techniques that he used to push to his audience to be aware of the importance of what was happening to the nation. He was trying to show the importance of how we should all bond together to combat against all the madness that went on. He started to use the word “I” to show that he was trying to do everything that would benefit the country in a hard time. In addition, he uses ethical appeals. Bush incorporated ethos into the speech by asking the audience to pray for those who grieve. “Tonight I ask for prayers for all who grieve” (Bush 5). This is ethical because prayer is a part of moral beliefs and using this collectively creates the sense of unity.
George W. Bush employed argumentative appeals to make his address to the nation speech persuasive to all the American people, to reassure the people that the country will be fine.
The power of reading
Just like any other muscle in the body, the brain requires exercise to keep it strong and healthy, and reading is a very effective way to stimulate and exercise the brain. I didn’t know all the benefits that reading can cause in human beings. I wasn’t until I went through a certain experience, when I finally realized how important and necessary is for humans to read. The personal experience I had with reading was when I read the book “The Perks of Being a Wallflower”. When I was 11 years old my whole group of friends were interested in reading, however for some reason I wouldn’t get interested in books or in reading. It was like that for about a year, up until I saw that my best friend was reading “The Perks of Being a Wallflower”, I asked her what was the book about and she told me the main details of the story. For some reason the plot of the book made me get really interested in it. The book is a novel about an adolescent named Charlie and his path through his freshman year of high school. The novel is composed of letters, which Charlie has written to an unknown person. He tells this person about his life, his struggles, and triumphs but makes sure not to say anything that could point out who he is. I got interested in this book because it celebrates inclusivity and tolerance by showing how people can blossom when they are accepted for who they are and how painful life can be for people who are ignored or mistreated. When Charlie enters high school, he is withdrawn. He does not try to connect with people because he is actively dealing with the pain of the two traumatic experiences he has had to undergo. When I was reading this book, it opened my eyes, by showing me that life is not a bed of roses for some people, and that we have to be flexible and understanding to everyone, because we don’t know what people are going through in their private lives. After I was done reading this book I realized the importance of reading. I realized that reading develops the mind, It is how we discover new things. Books, magazines and even the Internet are learning tools which require the ability to read and understand what is read. I also developed a strong relationship to books and reading. I started reading several books, from different genres. I would say that I started reading at least one to two books a month. I also developed a huge interest in fiction and romance books.
Every since then I have had a huge passion in reading and learning new things by doing it. Having a passion for reading has helped me in several aspects and experiences in my life, such as improved focus and concentration, my analytical skills got better, learning a new language and I have also noticed that my memory has had an improvement too. The one that I considered the most important, was that having a passion for reading helped me to learn a new language, which is English. Two years ago, when to the US, I was able to understand some things but I was not fully able to talk or write in English. However, for me reading was not as hard as talking and writing.When I noticed that I found reading easier than writing and talking, I thought that it could be helpful to read the books I had read before again, but this time in English. Then I started reading books and what I did is that every word I did not understand or know, I would highlight them and look them up. I would write every new word and its meaning in a notebook. Every time I finished reading one of the books I had decided to read, I noticed progress in my writing and understanding of the language. In a matter of three months the progress in the way I spoke and wrote was huge. All the reading and learning I did happened before attending school because when I came to the US, it was summer break therefore I did not attend school until the summer break was over. When I started attending school, after taking an English exam for the school to know my English level. I got the highest level, and it was not necessary for my to take ESL classes or anything related to learning English. I know that if I had not read all those books to get better at speaking and writing en English, I would have not been able to take regular classes. After having that experience, I had no doubt of how powerful and helpful reading can be in several aspects of people’s lives. Reading did not only helped me to learn a new language or made me realize important life lessons, reading made me become a new me.
Personal Experience – Resubmitted
A personal experience I had with reading was when I read the book “The Perks of Being a Wallflower”. When I was 11 years old my whole group of friends were interested in reading, however for some reason I wouldn’t get interested in books or in reading. It was like that for about a year, up until I saw that my best friend was reading “The Perks of Being a Wallflower”, I asked her what was the book about and she told me the main details of the story. For some reason the plot of the book made me get really interested in it. The book is a novel about an adolescent named Charlie and his path through his freshman year of high school. The novel is composed of letters, which Charlie has written to an unknown person. He tells this person about his life, his struggles, and triumphs but makes sure not to say anything that could point out who he is. I got interested in this book because it celebrates inclusivity and tolerance by showing how people can blossom when they are accepted for who they are and how painful life can be for people who are ignored or mistreated. When Charlie enters high school, he is withdrawn. He does not try to connect with people because he is actively dealing with the pain of the two traumatic experiences he has had to undergo. When I was reading this book, it opened my eyes, by showing me that life is not a bed of roses for some people, and that we have to be flexible and understanding to everyone, because we don’t know what people are going through in their private lives. After I was done reading this book I realized the importance of reading. I realized that reading develops the mind, It is how we discover new things. Books, magazines and even the Internet are learning tools which require the ability to read. I also developed a strong relationship to books and reading. I started reading several books, from different genres. I would say that I started reading at least one to two books a month.
Response to Only Daughter by Sandra Cisneros
In Only Daughter by Sandra Cisneros she writes about her life growing up in a big Mexican family, being the only daughter with six brothers. Growing up with all boys and being the only girl. Throughout the story she is trying to impress her father, and just wants him to be proud of his only daughter. I found this story very interesting, especially because she wouldn’t stop trying to make her father proud of her. As the only girl she always felt different in her family, her brothers wouldn’t include her, and what really impressed me was that she became stronger from that experience. All the time that she had by herself really helped her become a talented writer. She even says at the end of the third paragraph, “But that aloneness, that loneliness, was good for a would-be writer – it allowed me time to think and think, to imagine, to read and prepare myself.” She never gave up and continued to pursue her dream, despite all the exclusion she was victim of. The perseverance that Cisneros showed throughout the story inspired me, the perseverance she showed in order to overcome all the obstacles she had throughout her life.
