Author & Genre
Is the short story "Eleven" fiction or nonfiction?
fiction
Who is the main character and narrator of the story?
Rachel
Where does the story take place?
in a classroom at school
Why does Rachel start to feel sick inside?
(HINT: Reread page 3.)
Sylvia Saldivar says the sweater belongs to Rachel. Rachel tries to speak up, but Mrs. Price doesn't believe her and places the sweater on Rachel's desk.
“Because the way you grow old is kind of like an onion or like the rings inside a tree trunk or like my little wooden dolls that fit one inside the other, each year inside the next one. That’s how being eleven years old is.”
What type of figurative language and what does the author mean?
Simile - As Rachel gets older, she feels like her past ages are still a part of her.
Who wrote "Eleven"?
Sandra Cisneros
"Eleven" is written in _____ point of view.
a) first person b) third person
first person
When does the story take place?
on Rachel's 11th birthday
Why does Rachel finally start crying in front of everybody?
(HINT: Reread pages 4-5.)
Mrs. Price forces Rachel to put the sweater on.
“Only today I wish I didn’t have only eleven years rattling inside me like pennies in a tin Band-Aid box.”
What type of figurative language and what does the author mean?
Simile - Rachel feels like her past ages are shaking inside of her. She feels very anxious.
TRUE or FALSE: "Eleven" is based on a real childhood event that happened to Sandra Cisneros when she was 9 years old.
True
Who says the sweater belongs to Rachel?
(HINT: Reread the first paragraph on page 3.)
Sylvia Saldivar
How does the setting of the story contribute to the conflict and Rachel's humiliation?
(HINT: What happens with the sweater?)
Sylvia Saldivar says the sweater belongs to Rachel. Mrs. Price puts it on Rachel's desk.
What is the external conflict?
Mrs. Price and the other students think the sweater belongs to Rachel.
“It’s an ugly sweater with red plastic buttons and a collar and sleeves all stretched out like you could use it for a jump rope.”
What type of figurative language and what does the author mean?
Simile - The sweater is very worn.
"Eleven" was published in _____.
a) 1962 b) 1991 c) 2024
1991
Who does the sweater actually belong to?
(HINT: Reread the last paragraph on page 5.)
Phyllis Lopez
Why does the setting make Rachel feel powerless?
(HINT: Why does Rachel struggle with speaking up?)
Rachel is afraid to speak up because she doesn't want to get in trouble.
What is the internal conflict?
(HINT: How does the external conflict with the sweater make Rachel feel?)
Rachel feels humiliated and powerless because her teacher and classmates think the sweater belongs to her and she is afraid to speak up.
“It’s maybe a thousand years old and even if it belonged to me I wouldn’t say so.”
What type of figurative language and what does the author mean?
Hyperbole - The sweater is very old.
What is the genre of the short story "Eleven"?
a) fantasy b) realistic fiction c) science fiction
realistic fiction
Who is the antagonist of the story?
(HINT: Who creates the most conflict for Rachel?)
Mrs. Price
What setting does Rachel wish for after Mrs. Price places the sweater on Rachel's desk?
(HINT: Where does Rachel wish to be? Reread the last paragraph on page 3.)
Rachel wishes to be home with her Mama and Papa singing "Happy Birthday" and eating her birthday cake.
While Phyllis Lopez eventually realizes that the sweater belongs to her, is the internal conflict of the story truly resolved? Cite at least one reason.
(HINT: Does the story have a happy ending?)
No, the internal conflict of the story is not resolved because Rachel still feels embarrassed and humiliated at the end of the story. Her birthday was ruined and Mrs. Price never apologized.
“This is when I wish I wasn’t eleven because all the years inside of me—ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, and one—are pushing at the back of my eyes when I put one arm through one sleeve of the sweater that smells like cottage cheese…”
What type of figurative language and what does the author mean?
Personification - Rachel's past ages are pushing at the back of her eyes, trying to get out. She is about to cry like a little kid.