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Read the short story Eleven by Sandra Cisneros. Be sure to discuss at least three of the following literary techniques and devices AN how these techniques!devices add to the understanding of Rachel"s character. Re#e#ber to write in $resent tense and do not refer to the author% writer% or reader after the introduction of your essay. & N&' E()NE 'ER*S )N +&,R ESSA+'er#s to choose fro#. )#agery iction Si#ile Re$etition /oint of 0iew

Turn this paper in with your essay!!

ELEVEN by Sandra Cisneros What they dont understand about birthdays and what they never tell you is that when youre eleven, youre also ten, and nine, and eight, and seven, and six, and five, and four, and three, and two, and one. And when you wake up on your eleventh birthday you expect to feel eleven, but you dont. You open your eyes and everythings ust like yesterday, only its today. And you dont feel eleven at all. You feel like youre still ten. And you are!underneath the year that "akes you eleven. #ike so"e days you "ight say so"ething stupid, and thats the part of you thats still ten. $r "aybe so"e days you "ight need to sit on your "a"as lap because youre scared, and thats the part of you thats five. And "aybe one day when youre all grown up "aybe you will need to cry like if youre three, and thats okay. %hats what & tell 'a"a when shes sad and needs to cry. 'aybe shes feeling three. (ecause the way you grow old is kind of like an onion or like the rings inside a tree trunk or like "y little wooden dolls that fit one inside the other, each year inside the next one. %hats how being eleven years old is. You dont feel eleven. )ot right away. &t takes a few days, weeks even, so"eti"es even "onths before you say *leven when they ask you. And you dont feel s"art eleven, not until youre al"ost twelve. %hats the way it is. $nly today & wish & didnt have only eleven years rattling inside "e like pennies in a tin (and+Aid box. %oday & wish & was one hundred and two instead of eleven because if & was one hundred and two &d have known what to say when 'rs. ,rice put the red sweater on "y desk. & wouldve known how to tell her it wasnt "ine instead of ust sitting there with that look on "y face and nothing co"ing out of "y "outh.

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-Whose is this./ 'rs. ,rice says, and she holds the red sweater up in the air for all the class to see. -Whose. &ts been sitting in the coatroo" for a "onth./ -)ot "ine,/ says everybody. -)ot "e./ -&t has to belong to so"ebody, /'rs. ,rice keeps saying, but nobody can re"e"ber. &ts an ugly sweater with red plastic buttons and a collar and sleeves all stretched out like you could use it for a u"p rope. &ts "aybe a thousand years old and even if it belonged to "e & wouldnt say so. 'aybe because &" skinny, "aybe because she doesnt like "e, that stupid Sylvia Saldivar says, -& think it belongs to 0achel./ An ugly sweater like that all raggedy and old, but 'rs. ,rice believes her. 'rs. ,rice takes the sweater and puts it right on "y desk, but when & open "y "outh nothing co"es out. -%hats not, & dont, youre not1)ot "ine./ & finally say in a little voice that was "aybe "e when & was four. -$f course its yours, /'rs. ,rice says. - & re"e"ber you wearing it once./ (ecause shes older and the teacher, shes right and &" not. )ot "ine, not "ine, not "ine, but 'rs. ,rice is already turning to page thirty+two, and "ath proble" nu"ber four. & dont know why but all of a sudden &" feeling sick inside, like the part of "e thats three wants to co"e out of "y eyes, only & s2uee3e the" shut tight and bite down on "y teeth real hard and try to re"e"ber today & a" eleven, eleven. 'a"a is "aking a cake for "e for tonight, and when ,apa co"es ho"e everybody will sing 4appy birthday, happy birthday to you. (ut when the sick feeling goes away and & open "y eyes, the red sweaters still sitting there like a big red "ountain. & "ove the red sweater to the corner of "y desk with "y ruler. & "ove "y pencil and books and eraser as far fro" it as possible. & even "ove "y chair a little to the right. )ot "ine, not "ine, not "ine. &n "y head &" thinking how long till lunchti"e, how long till & can take the red sweater and throw it over the schoolyard fence, or leave it hanging on a parking "eter, or bunch it up into a little ball and toss it in the alley. *xcept when "ath period ends 'rs. ,rice says loud and in front of everybody, -)ow, 0achel, thats enough, /because she sees &ve shoved the red sweater to the tippy+tip corner of "y desk and its hanging all over the edge like a waterfall, but & dont care. -0achel, /'rs. ,rice says. She says it like shes getting "ad. -You put that sweater on right now and no "ore nonsense./ -(ut its not 5-)ow6/ 'rs. ,rice says.

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%his is when & wish & wasnt eleven because all the years inside of "e! ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, and one!are pushing at the back of "y eyes when & put one ar" through one sleeve of the sweater that s"ells like cottage cheese, and then the other ar" through the other and stand there with "y ar"s apart like if the sweater hurts "e and it does, all itchy and full of ger"s that arent even "ine. %hats when everything &ve been holding in since this "orning, since when 'rs. ,rice put the sweater on "y desk, finally lets go, and all of a sudden &" crying in front of everybody. & wish & was invisible but &" not. &" eleven and its "y birthday today and &" crying like &" three in front of everybody. & put "y head down on the desk and bury "y face in "y stupid clown+sweater ar"s. 'y face all hot and spit co"ing out of "y "outh because & cant stop the little ani"al noises fro" co"ing out of "e until there arent any "ore tears left in "y eyes, and its ust "y body shaking like when you have the hiccups, and "y whole head hurts like when you drink "ilk too fast. (ut the worst part is right before the bell rings for lunch. %hat stupid ,hyllis #ope3, who is even du"ber than Sylvia Saldivar, says she re"e"bers the red sweater is hers. & take it off right away and give it to her, only 'rs. ,rice pretends like everythings okay. %oday &" eleven. %heres a cake 'a"as "aking for tonight and when ,apa co"es ho"e fro" work well eat it. %herell be candles and presents and everybody will sing 4appy birthday, happy birthday to you, 0achel, only its too late. &" eleven today. &" eleven, ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, and one, but & wish & was one hundred and two. & wish & was anything but eleven. (ecause & want today to be far away already, far away like a runaway balloon, like a tiny o in the sky, so tiny!tiny you have to close your eyes to see it.