Esperanza's tones of admiration and compassion towards Sally in Cisneros's passage reflect her respect for an outwardly mature girl, but also her sadness over Sally's troubled home life. Esperanza is trapped in the awkward pre-teen years where she is just barely noticing changes in herself and those around her such Sally. On the other hand, Sally's family issues make Esperanza compare herself on a more personal level with Sally as she wonders if she too wants to leave Mango Street.
Esperanza often compares Sally's adult features to much grander objects and people through similes and metaphors that effectively portray her desire to be like Sally. Esperanza immediately speaks of how Sally's "eyes [are] like Egypt" and how she "flips her hair back like a satin shawl." These exaggerations are often accompanied by phrases like "will you teach me" and "who taught you to paint your eyes like Cleopatra?" Esperanza looks to Sally as a model of what she would like to be, but does not......
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Approximate Word Count: 612
Approximate Pages: 3 (260 words per double-spaced page) |