Question

Read the paragraph from a student’s literary essay comparing two different works. (1) Sandra Cisneros’s “Mericans” is about a young American girl of Mexican descent who is struggling to find her own cultural identity. (2) Cisneros illustrates this through a number of images and ideas. (3) For example, the speaker, Micaela, calls her grandmother “awful,” and seems to resent the woman’s strict views and religious ideals. (4) The speaker also mentions how she and her brother emulate characters from popular American television programs when they play make-believe. (5) Lastly, she describes physically standing outside her family’s church, an act that symbolizes the fact that she feels like an outsider to Mexican culture. (6) Although Micaela is of Mexican descent, she seems to feel a stronger connection to the United States. This paragraph supports the idea that Micaela

Answer 1

identifies with her Mexican heritage in a different way than her grandmother.

This paragraph supports the idea that Micaela is struggling with cultural identity. While Micaela's heritage is Mexican, she lives in the United States. She wants to live as she feels American's live by copying what she sees on television and resisting her grandmother's traditional ways.