The Prompt
Select one piece of figurative language (simile, metaphor,
personification) from “Salvador Late or Early” and analyze
its figurative meaning.
What needs to be included in the STATE in order to answer the
question?
1. Identify the figurative language you will be analyzing in your
paragraph.
2. Say how it is used to make a comparison
3. Explain how that comparison has an impact on the story,
and/or your reading of the story.
The “Needs Work-ies”
In the short story “Salvador…” the author Sandra
Cisneros uses descriptive, vivid language to get the
message across about a boy who lives in a poor
environment. The quote chosen helps us to see what
Salvador looks life as the author uses figurative language
to deeply affect the reader. “Salvador inside that wrinkled
shirt…limbs stuffed with feathers and rags…” (Cisneros).
This quote shows that Salvador came from a poor
environment and may be starved. Readers can conclude
that Salvador is abused. Child abuse is a major issue and
the author highlights this topic very well.
The “Needs Work-ies”
In the short story “Salvador..” by Cisneros the author uses
metaphors to describe how unfortunate Salvador’s
circumstances are. Cisneros describes Salvador as “a
boy who is no one’s friend, runs along somewhere in that
vague direction where homes are the color of bad
weather” (Cisneros). This metaphor shows that Salvador
is a boy who doesn’t have any friends because he has to
care for his family. The metaphor also shows his
environment and how he lives in a bad area of town
because he cant afford much. This matters because the
metaphor is a great description.
The Goodies
The short story “Salvador..” by Cisneros uses similes to
explain how Salvador disappears. Cisneros explains that
after school Salvador, “flutters in the air before disappearing
like a memory of kites” (Cisneros). The author is saying that
Salvador is unknown by his classmates. Similar to how when
kites are let go of, one may have a very short memory of what
it once looked like. Slowly the kite gets further and further
away until is disappears, much like the simile describes
Salvador as doing. Ultimately, Salvador is just a memory, and
this simile helps readers to understand how fleeting his
presence is. No one knows who he is, he is just a person that
others forget to acknowledge.
The Goodies
The short story “Salvador..” by Cisneros uses metaphors to
illustrate the pain that Salvador has gone through in his life.
The author shows the trauma by describing Salvador as a
“forty-pound body…geography of scars” (Cisneros). The
metaphor used helps the reader to visualize the pain that has
been inflicted on Salvador. The word “geography” makes the
reader imagine that these are everywhere, and possibly cover
his whole body. There are many children who suffer abuse
every day and this is an important issue that Cisneros draws
our attention to.
Tid-Bits
 AVOID 1st/2nd person POV in this kind of writing!
 Take out the “I’s” and the “you’s”
 I didn’t mark you off if you did not cite the quote
correctly this time, but I will do so next time!!!
Scoring
 If you received a 10/10, great job. That means your
paragraph was great!
 If you received a 9/10, then you were very close. You
probably only left out one small element in the paragraph.
 If you received an 8/10 or lower, you did not complete a
major element of the paragraph correctly.
If you received a 8 or lower on this assignment, you will
need to submit a revised paragraph (on the back of your
original paragraph) until it fully answers the prompt and
meets requirements. This is due to me by next class, but
you can submit it as you finish. See me during block 7 for
help!