Family and being grateful. You may be asking yourself why those words are said. Well they are both special things that both Ezperenzo and Connie learn in their poems, “Abuela Invents the Zero” by Judith Cofer and “The House on Mango Street” by Sandra Cisneros. In both poems, “Abuela Invents the Zero” and “The House on Mango Street” two characters learn many important lessons such as one character, Ezperenzo not respecting and ignoring her grandmother because of how she is but in the end she learns to respect her family and starts to be very nice to them and for the same as Connie when she is not liking her house and is wanting a new one because of how it looks but as the story ends she starts to like her things more and becomes more grateful. …show more content…
For example, in the text it states, “I try to explain what happened. “I don’t understand why she’s so upset. She just got lost and wandered around for a while,” I tell them. But it sounds lame, even to my own ears. My mother gives me a look that makes me cringe…” (Cofer Ortiz 17). This citation shows that Connie was treating her abuela poorly and was ignoring her in church as well, not even talking to her. After her actions, she knew she made Abula very sad and confused because of the way Connie talked to Abuela and the way Connie’s mother yelled at Connie after Abuela came home very sad. Connie then knew she had to be more kind, caring, and became more respectful to her family. Another example, in the text is, “I can feel myself shrinking right there in front of her. But I can’t bring myself to tell my mother that I think I understand how I made Abuela feel.” “(Cofer Ortiz 18-19)” This example shows that Connie made Abuela cry and stop talking which made more examples on why Connie started to understand why she needs to be nicer and more respectful to her feelings because of the way she made Abuela
The quote that proves that Connie was helpful was when it said “I have to help her climb the stairs.” ( Ortiz page 427). That shows that she is helpful because she was helping her grandma do something that she was having trouble with doing on her own. Another way that Connie shows that she was helpful was because it had said in the short story “ I lead her down the aisle.” ( Ortiz page 427).
(Oates). Also, her dad does not pay her any attention to her either. Her father goes to work and eats. If Connie’s family was more active in her life, then she would have never followed the wrong path and
She felt like it was not up to her to make a decision. Even though she wanted to leave, run away from Arnold Friend and the dangerous situation he had her under. Connie did not want to jeopardize the life of her family. Arnold used the excuse of hurting her family members as a manipulation strategy to control her actions and decisions. As the quote stated, that her body wasn’t hers it empathized that her body was Arnolds.
"My mom and I got in a fight and she told me she was going to kill me," she recalls. "And I wrapped a belt around my neck and told her I would do it for her. I ended up in a psychiatric hospital and from there I went to foster care." The author appeals to emotion by trying to get as personal as possible as she could to
She does not get affection from her family, and feels isolated from them. Connie first receives affection from Arnold when he asks her “You wanta come for a ride” (Oates 8). No one has ever offered Connie any affection. Her family looks down on her as the disappointing child and she is just a young girl trying to be loved. Arnold asking her to come for a ride and seeking to spend time with her is the attention she is missing in her daily life.
Connie’s refusal to listen is another reason why she is responsible for Arnold visiting her. Connie’s mother is always scolding her about the way she looks. However. Connie thinks that she is just jealous. Oates says, “now her looks were gone and that was why she was alway after Connie” (Oates 195).
When Arnold Friend threatens to hurt her family if she does not come with him, it made Connie go with Friend (Oates 136). Lynn Z Bloom discusses how her and her own class were discussing “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” when she started to discuss her own horrific encounter with a person like Friend. Bloom said that although she started screaming she stopped because, “then I thought, still screaming, ‘I don’t want my children to hear this.’” (825).
Connie does not have any relationship with her father, which allowed her to be vulnerable to older men. Oates describes the father’s character as, “…away at work most of the time and when he came home he wanted supper and he read the newspaper at supper he went to bed. He didn’t bother talking much to them…” (26). Her parent’s lack of effective communication allowed Connie to seek validation in all the wrong places.
Connie is insecure and hyper-aware of herself and how others perceive her. Considering the fact that Connie is unhappy about aspects of herself, she judges other people to make herself feel better. According to Oates, “They would lean together to whisper and laugh secretly if someone passed who amused or interested them.” (Oates 1). This passage reveals Connie’s judgemental nature.
The stories “Abuela Invents the Zero” and “A Celebration of Grandfathers” follow the past of a very nice, thoughtful man by the name of Rudolfo Anaya, and the present day of a rude, unthoughtful girl by the name of Constancia. Both of these stories give very different points of views in terms of character personality and respect towards their elders. To begin, both of the stories are based off of the relationship between a grandparent and their grandchild. In “Abuela Invents the Zero”, Constancia’s grandmother went on her first trip to America. She went to America between September and March because the story explained that she wanted to see the snow in America before she died.
When she was young, she could not process the way her father raised and treated her, so she believed everything he said. When she is able to understand, her tone changes and becomes clinical and critical remembering the way he constantly let her
Obstacles Numerous people stumble upon obstacles, but only a few can overcome them. Most obstacles are influenced by the values of the society. In The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, Liesel Meminger overcomes her lack of education and her different beliefs on Jewish people. In Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet both overcome the obstacle of not being able to be together because of the feud between their families. In “The House on Mango Street” by Sandra Cisneros, Esperanza overcomes the obstacle of not fitting into her society because of her lack of money.
“But now her looks were gone and that was why she was always after Connie.” (Oates ). Also, there is another opportunity for friendship within the family, between Connie and her sister, however, that is lost in their rivalry and hostility. “Her sister was so plain and chunky and steady that Connie had to hear her praised all the time – by her mother and her mother's sisters.” ( ).
Apparent in the beginning stages of the short story, Connie despises her sister, June, for the glory she receives for being the reliable child. She hates her mother for liking her sister more than her,
Tan was in shame and pain when she would feel that people were giving her mother a negative reaction. As Tan grew older she realized that it wasn’t a big deal that her mother’s English was not that well. She got used to it because she had been talking to her for years using “Broken English” and when her mother was around