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Sandra Cisneros: “The Most Famous Chicana Writer”
“Revenge only engenders violence, not clarity and true peace. I think
liberation must come from within.”
This was stated by Sandra Cisneros, who further explains this point of
view in her poetry. Cisneros is a Mexican-American woman, who was born on
December 20, 1954. She was raised in a predominately poor community in
Chicago, Illinois. Her mother was an immensely strong, independent woman
who was Cisneros’ main role model. Her father was an upstanding citizen and
worked excessively hard to provide for his family of nine. His homesickness
greatly affected his children’s lives, and caused a homeless feeling for his only
daughter. She moved between Chicago and Mexico City the majority of her
childhood, but currently resides in San Antonio, Texas (“Hispanic Heritage:
Sandra Cisneros ).
Cisneros’ writing success has been affected by many variables in her life.
She got her start in writing as a young child growing up in one of the poorest
communities in Chicago. She was the only daughter in a family of six boys and
didn’t have a close relationship to any of them. I addition, she never made any
long-lasting friendships, due to her families near constant migration between
her birthplace and her father’s hometown. All of those factors led her to feel
lonely, and she began creating stories and characters in her head (“About
Sandra Cisneros”).
Biography
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She was encouraged to put them on paper when her mother took her to the
local library. Cisneros playfully states, “I always tell people that I became a
writer not because I went to school but because my mother took me to the
library. I wanted to become a writer so I could see my last name in the card
catalog,” (“Sandra Cisneros Quotes”). Cisneros pursued this dream as she
matured and got a Bachelor of Arts degree from Loyola University. She then
went on to earn a Masters of Fine Arts from the University of Iowa. Soon after,
she published her first novel in 1984, The House on Mango Street. She claims
that this work and many others by her were influenced by strong male writers,
such as Jorge Luis Borges, James Writ, Richard Hugo, and Theodore Roethke
(“Sandra Cisneros”). They turned out to be very efficacious people to model
her works after, as she because very successful. In 1995, she was awarded the
MacArthur Foundation Fellowship award. In 2003, she was granted the Texas
Medal of Arts (“About Sandra Cisneros”).
Several things have affected Cisneros’ poems and novels. First and
foremost, she writes almost always about her childhood and how it formed her
as a person. An unusual theme in her poems is about how she is a bad person.
She reiterates in many poems how she let people down and made poor
choices, but she has very little regret about these decisions. She also includes
the point of view of influential people in her life who have suffered in some
way.
Biography
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In addition, she writes poems in English, but with several Spanish words
incorporated (“Sandra Cisneros”). She will leave an impression on the
literature community because she writes freely about her controversial
stand point on taboo topics such as: feminism, sexuality, and unhealthy
relationships. Without a shadow of a doubt, Sandra Cisneros will leave a
lasting impression on future poets and nations.
Biography
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Old Maids
Las Girlfriends
Caramelo
You Are My Saltwater Pearl
My Wicked, Wicked Ways
Loose Women
Night Madness Poem
Biography
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Inspired Poems
Original Poems
Bibliography
Night Madness Poem by Sandra Cisneros
Biography
There's a poem in my head
like too many cups of coffee.
A pea under twenty eiderdowns
A sadness in my heart like stone.
List of Works
A telephone. And always my
Night madness that outs like bats
across this Texas sky.
I’m the crazy lady they warned you about.
Sample Poems
The she of rumor talked about and worse, who talks.
It's no secret.
I'm here. Under a circle of light.
Inspired Poems
The light always on, resisting a glass,
an easy cigar. The kind
who reels the twilight sky.
Swoop circling.
Original Poems
Bibliography
I'm witch woman high
on tobacco and holy water.
I'm a woman delighted with her disasters.
They give me something to do.
A profession of sorts.
Keeps me industrious
And of some serviceable use.
In dreams the origami of the brain
Opens like a fist, a pomegranate,
an expensive geometry.
Not true.
I haven't a clue
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Why I'm rumpled tonight.
Choose your weapon.
Mine—the telephone, my tongue.
Both black as a gun.
Original Poems
I have the magic of words,
the power to charm and kill at will.
To kill myself or to aim haphazardly.
And kill you.
Bibliography
In Night Madness Poem by Sandra Cisneros, she uses tone to show how
she feels on the manner of which she and other women like her are interpreted. “A
pea under twenty eiderdowns” means that even though she is living a comfortable
life now, there is still something that is bothering her. The issue that continues to
trouble her is further exposed in the lines “I’m a witch woman high/ on tobacco and
holy water. / I’m a woman delighted with her disasters. / They give me something to
do” which shows that she is aware of the mistakes she has made in her life, but is
satisfied despite the fact that she must defend herself to critics. She reveals that she
isn’t afraid to protect herself by speaking out for what she believes in, even though
she has become famous, yet criticized, for those loud opinions. This is shown though
the lines “The she of rumor talked about-/ and worse, who talks. / It’s no secret. / I’m
here. Under a circle of light.” Perhaps she sees it as her duty to speak out for woman
like her who have been put down because of their reckless ways, and believes that
without having a voice for them, her writing abilities will go to waste. The reader is
led to consider this because of the lines in “Night Madness Poem” stating, “A
profession of sorts. / Keeps me industrious/ And of some serviceable use.” Her drive
to support these women sends her to battle in some ways, as shown in the lines
“Choose your weapon. / Mine—the telephone, my tongue.” The final lines of the
poem “I have the magic of words, / the power to charm and kill at will. / To kill myself
or aim haphazardly. / And kill you.” show that she is aware that her point of view and
strong reinforcement of it could hurt her writing career, but it may also silence
people who are discriminatory against women like her. Sandra Cisneros’ use of tone
helps the reader to feel her emotion towards the way she and others have been
judged.
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I chose Sandra Cisneros’ “Old Maids” because of its relatable topic. The lines
“We don’t marry/ we’re too old/ by Mexican standards/ and the relatives/ have lone
suspected/ we can’t anymore/ in white” struck me as a situation that many women deal with
today. Cisneros is just one such woman who is frowned upon by her family for her lack of a
successful marriage. Similar circumstances are shown in today’s pop culture, such as
through movies like “My Big Fat Greek Wedding.” Cisneros often connects with popular
issues in today’s world.
Old Maids by Sandra Cisneros
My cousins and I,
we don't marry.
We're too old
by Mexican standards.
And the relatives
have long suspected
we can't anymore
in white.
My cousins and I,
we're all old
maids at thirty.
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Who won't dress children,
and never saints-though we undress them.
The aunts,
they've given up on us.
No longer nudge--You're next.
Instead-What happened in your childhood?
What left you all mean teens?
Who hurt you, honey?
But we've studied
marriages too long-Aunt Ariadne,
Tia Vashti,
Comadre Penelope,
querida Malintzin,
Senora Pumpkin Shell-lessons that served us well.
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“Caramelo” by Sandra Cisneros has several beautiful lines that
struck me as significant. The end lines of the poem, which are “I am considered
harmless. / Armed and dangerous. / But only to me,” I found very insightful. It is
nearly a narrative of her life in the ways that she is pleasant to others, but tears
herself down. I believe that this is something that most people do, and
Cisneros showed that she connects with people on a deep level in “Caramelo.”
Biography
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Caramelo by Sandra Cisneros
Sample Poems
I sleep with the cat
when no one will have me.
When I can't give it away
for love or money --
Inspired Poems
I telephone the ones
who used to love me.
Or try to lure the leery
into my pretty web.
Original Poems
Bibliography
Biography
I'm looney as a June bride.
Cold as a bruja's tit.
A pathetic bitch.
In short, an ordinary woman.
Grateful to excessiveness.
At the slightest tug of generousness,
I stick to the cyclops who takes me,
lets me pee on the carpet
and keeps me fed.
Have you seen this woman?
I am considered harmless.
Armed and dangerous.
But only to me.
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My Wicked Wicked Ways by Sandra Cisneros
This is my father.
See? He is young.
He looks like Errol Flynn.
He is wearing a hat
that tips over one eye,
a suit that fits him good,
and baggy pants.
He is also wearing
those awful shoes,
the two-toned ones
my mother hates.
Here is my mother.
She is not crying.
She cannot look into the lens
because the sun is bright.
The woman,
the one my father knows,
is not here.
She does not come till later.
Biography
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Biography
My mother will get very mad.
Her face will turn red
and she will throw one shoe.
My father will say nothing.
After a while everyone
will forget it.
Years and years will pass.
My mother will stop mentioning it.
This is me she is carrying.
I am a baby.
She does not know
I will turn out bad
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Old Photograph by Morgan Hausauer
(Inspired by My Wicked, Wicked Ways)
Smiles in an old photograph,
The ones that make me laugh.
That, right there, is my father.
Gentle strength of our family.
His eyes squint against the boiling sun.
It’s toll has been taken, his cheeks ruddy like a fresh poppy.
Basketball shorts, button up shirt,
He thinks he looks sharp.
This is my momma.
She’s exuberant, you could never tell.
Small weak grin barely kept on her face.
She holds my big sister close,
Already seeming afraid to lose her.
I will come later,
They don’t know their lives are not yet complete.
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Biography
Loose Women by Sandra Cisneros
You bring out the Mexican in me.
The hunkered thick dark spiral.
The core of a heart howl.
The bitter bile.
List of Works
The tequila lágrimas on Saturday all
through next weekend Sunday.
You are the one I’d let go the other loves for
surrender my one-woman house.
Sample Poems
Allow you red wine in bed,
even with my vintage lace linens.
Maybe. Maybe.
For you.
Inspired Poems
Quiero ser tuya. Only yours. Only you.
Quiero amarte. Atarte. Amarrarte.
Love the way a Mexican woman loves. Let
me show you . Love the only way I know how.
Original Poems
Bibliography
The Mexican in Me by Morgan Hausauer
(Inspired by Loose Women)
You bring out the Mexican in me.
Deep within us all,
Through heritage or humanity.
You have found it contained beneath my crystal façade.
Outside of familiar comfort,
You discover me still.
Beyond my skin, beyond my soul,
The other side of sanity, out of control.
Unlike the girl I thought I knew so well,
I scarcely recognized who I’ve become.
Those months modify what I am,
And what I believe is fact.
You bring out the Mexican in me,
And I may never go back.
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Las Girlfriends by Sandra Cisneros
Tip the barmaid in tight jeans.
She's my friend.
Been to hell and back again.
I've been there too.
Girlfriend, I believe in Gandhi.
But some nights nothing says it
quite precise like a lone Star
cracked on someone's head.
Last week in this same bar,
kicked a cowboy in the butt
who made a grab for Terry's ass.
How do I explain, it was all
of Texas I was kicking,
and all our asses on the line.
At Tacoland, Cat flamencoing crazy
circles round the pool
player with the furry tongue.
A warpath of sorts for every
wrong ever wronged us.
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My Plan
(Inspired by Las Girlfriends)
Biography
Tip the barmaid in the tight jeans.
She’s my friend.
Been to hell and back again.
I’ve been there too.
List of Works
I believe in you.
Like I believe in the lord.
Only wanting joy for you.
Fearing your vocation endangers my hopes.
Be done, I beg of you.
You’ll never get your innocence back.
Act smart, I beg of you.
Nothing is worth your safety.
I want us together forever.
Best friends for life.
And you do not have my permission.
To ruin that plan.
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Think Green by Morgan Hausauer
Think Green,
I am instructed to do.
But how can I think green,
When all I think about it you
Green is the summer grass through which you frolic,
Paws keeping a beat, ever pounding like a heart.
The bed that you rest your smooth, dark head upon,
When the day becomes too much.
The collar that proves you’re mine,
Tags chiming relentlessly, a beautiful reminder.
A friend is an understatement,
Of what I have found in you.
My buddy, my dog, my Marlie Boo.
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Depth of Evil by Morgan Hausauer
The sea roars with bliss,
Awaiting the arrival of the ignorant swimmer.
A soaking wet fire boiling deep beneath the surface,
The darkest of desires left uncontested.
Starving, yearning for another victim.
Beautiful murderer, stunning destructor.
“10,000 Leagues Under the Sea”
Evil knows no depth.
The origin of joy,
The source of mourning.
Meer mortals can not find sufficient strength to fight it,
So from dust you come, and to dust you shall return.
Biography
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Biography Credits:
http://www.sandracisneros.com/
http://www.english.illinois.edu/maps/poets/a_f/cisneros/cisneros.htm
http://www.gale.cengage.com/free_resources/chh/bio/cisneros_s.htm
http://www.poets.org/poet.php/prmPID/747
http://www.identitytheory.com/people/birnbaum76.html
http://voices.cla.umn.edu/artistpages/cisnerosSandra.php
Photo Credits:
Biography
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http://events.stanford.edu/events/78/7835/ (Cisneros)
http://www.laprensatoledo.com/Stories/2006/September%2027.%202006/Ci
sneros.htm(Cisneros) (Cisneros)
http://www.enotes.com/contemporary-literary-criticism/cisneros-sandra-vol-118
(Cisneros)
Http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTSfGHucr_Ad9AEiqppiYRIToJhXArz-RzlvSXzJp97M-zJLxp (Mexican Summer)
Inspired Poems
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Biography
http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSvW1nUndQwLqR4B7VDd2wZCe
Qz2R-MkVniVSKInKjMlrx-ab3igQ (Family Picture)
http://t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSi4SUpa5eYd1ZkTZ2Ggdar2suQWrRhrtB5_-5yTPuBy_ioLBTuw (Angry Sea)
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1240737419162&set=a.1169484
597886.2025426.1251113258&type=1&theater (Marlie)
http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTzKBX9C9tEVeaXJBCpu8bQVK2j0f
Nf9w4dP7T5EeRTOyUllEUn (Rings)
http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQNFZ1tVnJ5kC0oG90XVCFETnn73
G4Xd06B4sVYcLWD_OqWFvzc (Crying)
http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcS6-ehePXvGed7HlIFp2LjjjX6EGrvyOkZ4-byx35zpN0zqiV_ (Latino Family)
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Biography
List of Works
http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRhHk2FZRqXXwHngLord9l9g45IZBXg8AdFGqzUxknog7hdAUeSA (Red Wine)
http://dilldosti.blogspot.com/2010_04_01_archive.html (Night Madness Poem)
http://henniz.com/fooled-florida-bartender-liability/ (Bartender)
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