Chapter 1
Eleven
S a n d r a C i s n e ro s
A P re - R e a d i n g
1.
Think Before You Read
Answer the following questions:
1. Have you ever been disappointed by your birthday? How did you feel about
your birthday when you were a child? Did your birthday make you feel older?
2. Do you remember being embarrassed by a teacher when you were a child?
What happened?
3. What are some things a child might do in a situation where an adult, who has
more power, is being unfair to him or her?
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Childhood Memories
2.
Picture Focus
With a partner, talk about the picture. What do you think is happening?
3.
Story Preview
Read the preview of the story and, with a partner, try to guess the meaning of the
words in bold print.
Today is Rachels eleventh birthday.
As Rachel knows, when youre
eleven, youre not just eleven. For
example, sometimes you can feel
like a dumb ten-year-old or like a
scared five-year-old. Mrs. Price,
Rachels teacher, has found an ugly,
old red sweater. Mrs. Price says that
the sweater belongs to Rachel.
When Rachel tries to tell Mrs.
4.
Price that the sweater isnt hers,
Mrs. Price says this is nonsense
and puts the sweater on Rachels
desk. Rachel cant do anything, and
she feels very unhappy, even
though its her birthday. Rachel
cant even pretend that shes not
unhappy. She wishes that she could
be invisible or far away.
Using the Vocabulary
Fill in the blanks below with the bold words from the Story Preview above. Then,
with a partner, compare your answers.
pretend
Children love to make up stories and ________________
they are other people
or animals. Some children even have a(n) ________________ friend. The fact
that no one else can see this friend doesnt make the friend seem less real to the
child.
Sometimes, bad dreams can make children feel ________________. When
children tell adults they are afraid, the adults should take what the children say
seriously; they should never treat it as ________________.
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Eleven
5.
Making Predictions
From the Story Preview, try to predict what will happen. Which of the following
predictions do you think is the most probable? Circle your choice or give an
answer that you think is better.
1. Rachel will be able to explain everything to Mrs. Price.
2. Mrs. Price will listen to Rachel.
3. Rachel will become more unhappy and cry.
4. Rachel will keep the sweater.
5. Rachel will have a good birthday.
6.
Journal Writing Write your predictions in your journal. Explain the reasons for
your predictions.
I d i o m s a n d E x p re s s i o n s
kind of partly, in a way
right away immediately
thats enough stop it
6.
getting mad becoming angry
hold in control or not show (feelings)
its too late because of what has or
hasnt happened, the situation cant
be OK now
Literary Term: First Person Narrator
Eleven has a first person narrator. This means that the story is told in the first
person by the main character, Rachel, rather than in the third person, as many
stories are. The first person narrator refers to him- or herself as I. Because
Rachel tells the story, we see what happens through her eyes. We get a clear sense,
not just of what Rachel says and does, but also of how Rachel thinks, how she
feels, and what she wishes for. We get to know Rachel.
Focus As you read Eleven, ask yourself what you know about Rachel.
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Childhood Memories
B Th e S to ry
About the Author
Sandra Cisneros (1954 ), the only daughter in a family of seven children, was
born in Chicago. Her Mexican-American heritage, of which she is proud, is evident
in many of her short stories. Cisneros has had a successful and varied career. In
addition to being a poet and fiction writer, she has worked as an arts administrator
and has taught students who had dropped out of high school. She has written four
books of poetry and two books of short stories, The House on Mango Street and
Woman Hollering Creek. In many of her short stories, such as Eleven, Cisneros
creates a view of the world through the eyes of a child. The language of these stories
is simple and direct, but their ideas are serious and important.
Eleven
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10
15
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 just 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 makes
you eleven.
Like some days you might say
something stupid, and thats the part of
you thats still ten. Or maybe some
days you might need to sit on your
mamas lap because youre scared, and
thats the part of you thats five. And
maybe one day when youre all grown
up maybe you will need to cry like if
youre three, and thats okay. Thats
what I tell Mama when shes sad
and needs to cry. Maybe shes feeling
three.
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
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Eleven
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25
30
35
40
45
50
other, each year inside the next one.
Thats how being eleven years old is.
You dont feel eleven. Not right
away. It takes a few days, weeks even,
sometimes even months before you say
Eleven when they ask you. And you
dont feel smart eleven, not until youre
almost twelve. Thats the way it is.
Only today I wish I didnt have only
eleven years rattling inside me like
pennies in a tin Band-Aid box. Today I
wish I was one hundred and two
instead of eleven because if I was one
hundred and two Id have known what
to say when Mrs. Price put the red
sweater on my desk. I wouldve known
how to tell her it
wasnt mine instead
of just sitting there
with that look on
my
face
and
nothing coming out
of my mouth.
Whose is this?
Mrs. Price says, and she holds the red
sweater up in the air for all the class to
see. Whose? Its been sitting in the
coatroom for a month.
Not mine, says everybody. Not
me.
It has to belong to somebody,
Mrs. Price keeps saying, but nobody
can remember. Its an ugly sweater with
red plastic buttons and a collar and
sleeves all stretched out like you could
use it for a jump rope. Its maybe a
thousand years old and even if it
belonged to me I wouldnt say so.
Maybe because Im skinny, maybe
because she doesnt like me, that stupid
Sylvia Saldvar says, I think it belongs
to Rachel. An ugly sweater like that,
all raggedy and old, but Mrs. Price
believes her. Mrs. Price takes the
sweater and puts it right on my desk,
but when I open my mouth nothing
comes out.
Thats not, I dont, youre not . . .
Not mine, I finally say in a little voice
that was maybe me when I was four.
Of course its yours, Mrs. Price
says. I remember you wearing it
once. Because shes older and the
teacher, shes right and Im not.
Not mine, not mine, not mine, but
Mrs. Price is already turning to page
thirty-two, and math problem number
four. I dont know why but all of a
sudden Im feeling
sick inside, like the
part of me thats
three wants to come
out of my eyes, only
I squeeze them shut
tight and bite down
on my teeth real
hard and try to remember today I am
eleven, eleven. Mama is making a cake
for me for tonight, and when Papa
comes home everybody will sing
Happy birthday, happy birthday to you.
But when the sick feeling goes away
and I open my eyes, the red sweaters
still sitting there like a big red
mountain. I move the red sweater to
the corner of my desk with my ruler. I
move my pencil and books and eraser
as far from it as possible. I even move
my chair a little to the right. Not mine,
not mine, not mine.
In my head Im thinking how long
till lunchtime, how long till I can take
the red sweater and throw it over the
schoolyard fence, or leave it hanging
Of course its yours,
Mrs. Price says.
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60
65
70
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Childhood Memories
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85
90
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100
105
110
115
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150
on a parking meter, or bunch it up into
a little ball and toss it in the alley.
Except when math period ends Mrs.
Price says loud and in front of
everybody, Now, Rachel, thats
enough, because she sees Ive shoved
the red sweater to the tippy-tip corner
of my desk and its hanging all over the
edge like a waterfall, but I dont care.
Rachel, Mrs. Price says. She says it
like shes getting mad. You put that
sweater on right now and no more
nonsense.
But its not
Now! Mrs. Price says.
This is when I wish I wasnt 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, and then the
other arm through the other and stand
there with my arms apart like if the
sweater hurts me and it does, all itchy
and full of germs that arent even mine.
Thats when everything Ive been
holding in since this morning, since
when Mrs. Price put the sweater on my
desk, finally lets go, and all of a sudden
Im crying in front of everybody. I wish
I was invisible but Im not. Im eleven
and its my birthday today and Im
crying like Im three in front of
everybody. I put my head down on the
desk and bury my face in my stupid
clown-sweater arms. My face all hot
and spit coming out of my mouth
because I cant stop the little animal
noises from coming out of me, until
there arent any more tears left in my
eyes, and its just my body shaking like
when you have the hiccups, and my
whole head hurts like when you drink
milk too fast.
But the worst part is right before the
bell rings for lunch. That stupid Phyllis
Lopez, who is even dumber than Sylvia
Saldvar, says she remembers the red
sweater is hers! I take it off right away
and give it to her, only Mrs. Price
pretends like everythings OK.
Today Im eleven. Theres a cake
Mamas making for tonight, and when
Papa comes home from work well eat
it. Therell be candles and presents and
everybody will sing Happy birthday,
happy birthday to you, Rachel, only its
too late.
Im eleven today. Im eleven, ten,
nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three,
two, and one, but I wish I was one
hundred and two. I wish I was
anything but eleven, because I 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.
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Eleven
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C After Reading
Understanding the Story
1.
With a partner, answer these questions.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
2.
Where does the story take place?
Who is the narrator (the person telling the story)? How old is she?
Why is the day special to the narrator?
Why does Mrs. Price give Rachel the sweater?
What does the sweater look like?
What does Rachel plan to do with the sweater during lunchtime?
Why doesnt she do what she planned? What happens instead?
How does Rachel finally get rid of the sweater?
How does she feel at the end of the story?
According to Rachel, how is growing older similar to an onion or a
tree with rings?
Vocabulary Comprehension
Choose the word from the following list that best completes each sentence below.
Do not use the same word more than once.
alley
itchy
scared
skinny
invisible
lap
spit
toss
hiccups
raggedy
pretend
squeeze
lap
1. A(n) ________________
is a strange part of the body because you have it only
when you are sitting down.
2. To get juice from a lemon, you have to ________________ the lemon.
3. Children often get ________________ when they hear stories about ghosts
and monsters.
4. The red sweater wasnt comfortable because it felt ________________.
5. The red sweater looked old and ________________.
6. People who dont eat much are often ________________.
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Childhood Memories
7. With a microscope we can see many tiny things that to our eyes seem
________________.
8. Rachel wanted to ________________ the sweater over the fence.
9. In cities, some buildings have a(n) ________________ between them.
10. The water we have in our mouths is called ________________.
11. One way to stop ________________ is to drink water and hold your breath.
12. Rachel couldnt ________________ that she felt OK.
Word Forms
3.
Complete the chart by filling in the various forms of the following words taken from
Eleven. An X indicates that no form is possible. Use your dictionary if you need
help. Note: There may be more than one possible word for the same part of speech.
Ve r b
Noun
Adjective
A dv e r b
wish
wish
________________
________________
________________
scare
________________
________________
sadness
________________
________________
stupidity
________________
________________
loudness
________________
________________
smell
________________
________________
itch
________________
________________
Work with a partner. Fill in the blanks in the story below with the appropriate
words from your completed chart. Change the form of the word if necessary.
Tina says, I want to be a famous singer someday. Tina ________________
she could be famous right away, and she works very hard. Tina is a good singer,
and her friends hope her ________________ will come true.
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Eleven
4.
Grammar: Contractions
Contractions are shortened forms of one or more words, made by leaving out
letters. An apostrophe replaces the letters left out. Here are some common
kinds of contractions with examples from the story:
Noun or pronoun plus a simple present form of the verb be
Example:
You open your eyes and everythings just like yesterday.
A form of be, do, have, or a modal (such as can, should ) plus not
Examples:
The sweaters full of germs that arent even mine.
You dont feel eleven at all.
I cant stop the little animal noises from coming out of me.
Noun or pronoun plus will
Example:
When Papa comes home from work well eat it.
Noun or pronoun plus present form of auxiliary verb be (am, is, are) or
present or past form of auxiliary verb have (have, has, had)
Examples:
Im feeling sick inside.
She sees Ive shoved the red sweater to the tippy-tip corner of my desk.
Thats when everything Ive been holding in since this morning . . .
finally lets go.
Past modals that include have (such as should have, could have, would have)
Example:
I wouldve known how to tell her it wasnt mine.
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Childhood Memories
5.
Application
Complete the following sentences from the story with the contraction for the
words in parentheses. Then, with a partner, reread the story to find nine other
sentences with contractions. List the sentences on a separate piece of paper,
providing blanks and the full words in parentheses, as in the sentences here. Then
give your sentences to another pair to complete. (To avoid using the same
sentences, you can work with one half of the story and the other pair can work
with the other half.)
shes
Thats
1. ________________
(That is) what I tell Mama when ________________
(she is) sad and needs to cry.
2. I ________________ (would have) known how to tell her it
________________ (was not) mine.
3. ________________ (It is) maybe a thousand years old and even if it belonged
to me I ________________ (would not) say so.
4. Maybe because ________________ (I am) skinny, maybe because she
________________ (does not) like me, that stupid Sylvia Saldvar says, I
think it belongs to Rachel.
5. ________________ (That is) not, I ________________ (do not),
________________ (you are) not . . . Not mine, I finally say.
6. The red ________________ (sweater is) still sitting there like a big red
mountain.
7. This is when I wish I ________________ (was not) eleven.
8. ________________ (There is) a cake ________________ (Mama is) making
for tonight.
9. ________________ (There will) be candles and presents and everybody will
sing Happy birthday, happy birthday to you, Rachel, only ________________
(it is) too late.
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Eleven
D Th i n k i n g A b o u t t h e S to ry
1.
Sharing Ideas
Discuss the following questions with a partner or in a group:
1. Do you agree with Rachels idea that, no matter how old we are, we always
have all the ages we have been inside of us? Why or why not?
2. If you were Mrs. Price, how would you have handled the situation with Rachel?
3. Why do you think Phyllis Lopez at first didnt say the sweater was hers?
4. How does Cisneros make us understand how Rachel feels? Give examples from
the story of descriptions and language that helped you understand Rachels
feelings. Is the story believable that is, do Rachel and her situation feel real to
you?
2.
Reading Between the Lines
Reading between the lines is an expression for understanding ideas that are
not specifically stated. When you read between the lines, you infer things,
that is, you figure things out from what the author does tell you.
Circle the letter of the answer that best completes each of the following sentences:
1. Rachel wishes she were 102 because
a. at that age school and teachers like Mrs. Price would be in the
distant past.
b. at that age she wouldnt have an 11-year-old inside her.
c. at that age she would have many older ages inside her.
2. In the end, when Phyllis has the sweater, Mrs. Price pretends everything is
OK because
a. she doesnt want Rachel to be upset.
b. she doesnt want to admit she made a mistake.
c. she doesnt want her class to be late for lunch.
3.
Analyzing the Story
Look back at the Literary Term on page 6. What have you learned about Rachel
as a result of her telling her own story? How much of this would you know if the
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Childhood Memories
story had a third person narrator, who could only tell you what Rachel said and
did? Look at the story again and then make a chart like the one below and add
examples to each category.
I n f o r m at i o n Yo u
L e a r n F ro m R ac h e l A s
N a r r ato r
I n f o r m at i o n A n y
N a r r ato r C o u l d
G i v e Yo u
Rachels ideas:
Rachels words:
you have other ages inside you
Thats not, I dont, youre not . . . Not
mine.
Rachels feelings:
Rachels wants and wishes:
Rachels actions:
Rachels way of looking at the
red sweater:
Pair Discussion With a partner, compare answers. Do you think you
learned much more about Rachel because the story is told in the first person?
Why or why not?
4.
Writing
Choose one of the following writing assignments:
1. Write a summary of the story in two to three paragraphs. Be sure to include all
the important events.
2. If you were Rachel, what would you have done? To answer this, write a
dialogue between Rachel and Mrs. Price. Begin your dialogue with:
Mrs. Price: Of course the sweaters yours. I remember you wearing it once.
Continue the dialogue any way you want.
3. What sense do you have of Rachel from reading this story? Write a description
of Rachel how she looks, what shes like as a person, what her family is like,
what she wants to do in the future based on the information in the story and
your imagination.
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Eleven
