Ryan Smith

Research Report: Sandra Cisneros

What I wanted to research for the report, originally, was a group of immigrants to America who were mostly trying to assimilate, but were facing oppression and various difficulties. I decided on Mexican-Americans because I have some personal experience with the group (extended family) and wanted to learn more. Sandra Cisneros was chosen as the primary subject for several reasons. For one, she is highly popular and well-respected among Mexican-American authors. We also read her story “Barbie-Q” for class. Finally, for another class this semester, I read her most famous work The House on Mango Street. Without any research I could tell this woman was a powerful writer, and was in some way influential on modern Mexican-American writing and culture issues. While gathering information on Cisneros, I decided to offer a basic biography, cover two of her works which are both important and valuable to the purposes of this course, as well as describe her general impact on the Mexican-American community and that of writers.

I discovered, as I did my research, which was primarily online, that Cisneros is as important to Mexican-American writing and culture as I had guessed, if not more so. She was born in Chicago to a large family – six boys - and was educated there as well, receiving from the University of Chicago a B.A. in English, and from the University Of Iowa, M.F.A. in Creative Writing (they have such a degree?). While writing, she has held a variety of teaching positions and worked as a visiting artist (writer) for various schools and colleges. Her works include two poetry collections, a collection of stories, two novels,  and a children’s book. She has won a number of prestigious awards, including a Doctor of Letters from the State University of New York, and has set up several focusing on different types of community outreach. Sandra Cisneros currently lives in San Antonio, Texas, and is still working on various projects. (Summarized from http://www.sandracisneros.com/bio.php )

Her most famous work is entitled The House on Mango Street, published in 1984, and is a series of vignettes, collected into a novel, about a young woman, much like Cisneros herself, named Esperanza Cordero. Esperanza, who is growing up in Chicago, in a Latino-heavy, poor neighborhood, has her experiences and important moments “recorded” by Cisneros. The book is read widely in schools of all levels, from grade school to college courses, and is revered for its honest and poetic descriptions of growing up as a young woman in complex and sometimes contradictory cultures. In the books introduction, which has been recently added, Cisneros describes, referring to herself in third person, her early job of teaching high school drop-outs who have decided to try again for their diploma; she wonders if art can help her troubled students: “How can art make a difference in the world? This was never asked at Iowa. Should she be teaching these students to write poetry when they need to know how to defend themselves from someone beating the up. Can a memoir by Malcolm X or a novel by Garcia Marquez save them from the daily blows?” (xviii). Her desire to mix art, literature and beauty with practical advice and inspiration would eventually result in the highly acclaimed novel.

Another work of Cisneros that is both popular and valuable for an immigrant literature class is the short story collection, Woman Hollering Creek and Other Stories, published in 1991. The stories mostly concerning a group of women living on the border between Mexico and the U.S. and the work as a whole has been credited for its incredible style, which combines characteristics from novels, short, stories and poetry. Most pieces are first-person narrated and about individuals who are assimilated to America’s dominant culture but are still devoted in some ways to Mexico. Thematically, the collection is concerned with the struggles of Mexican-Americans, especially women, in overcoming (or succumbing to) cultural repression to create an identity for themselves. Not only is a work such as this powerful inspiration for generations of similarly torn Mexican-Americans, but is a useful tool for teaching multi-cultural and immigrant narratives. (Summarized from http://www.enotes.com/short-story-criticism/woman-hollering-creek-and-other-stories-sandra )

Besides her various works, Sandra Cisneros has also been a part of various charities and community outreach programs. Notable is The Macondo Foundation, of which Cisneros is the President. According to her website, the foundation is a coalition of artists, especially creative writers, who are dedicated to serving their communities with their various skills. Specific tasks of the organization are community-building and non-violent social action and protests. Annual workshops are held in San Antonio, but have since expanded to other areas as well. The Macondo Foundation is supported by various Mexican-American writers, and in turn helps provide for struggling writers, providing various types of support, including health-insurance. (Summarized from http://www.sandracisneros.com/macondo.php )

The impact of Sandra Cisneros on contemporary American literature is great, but overshadowed by her determination to make art that is practical and useful in shaping and improving the lives of others. She is inspirations simply as a writer, but especially so to those who share her story of the struggle for and beauty of Mexican-American identity. In an interview for her second novel, Caramelo, Cisneros is asked about a specific portion of the novel: “In the edition of Caramelo that I have there is a poem at the end of the book that doesn’t appear in the finished copy.” She responds, explaining the difficulty of translation and the beauty inherent in separate languages and cultures, “You are talking about the final chapter, which is a pilon chapter. Pilon is what the grocer gives you as a little token of thanks. He throws in some extra of whatever it is you bought. Or a toy or candy. Just to say thank you for patronizing her store…It's called pilon and it's not a word used in any other country in that sense. It's a Mexican term.” (from http://www.identitytheory.com/people/birnbaum76.html )

Works Cited

"About." Sandra Cisneros. Web. 11 Dec. 2009. <http://www.sandracisneros.com/bio.php>.

Cisneros, Sandra. The House on Mango Street. 2nd ed. New York: Vintage, 2009. Print.

"The Macondo Foundation." Sandra Cisneros. Web. 11 Dec. 2009. <http://www.sandracisneros.com/macondo.php>.

"Sandra Cisneros | Identity Theory Interview." Online literature | fiction, poetry, interviews | identity theory. Web. 11 Dec. 2009. <http://www.identitytheory.com/people/birnbaum76.html>.

"Sandra Cisneros Woman Hollering Creek and Other Stories Criticism." ENotes - Literature Study Guides, Lesson Plans, and More. Web. 11 Dec. 2009. <http://www.enotes.com/short-story-criticism/woman-hollering-creek-and-other-stories-sandra>.