#writinggallery

Samuel Guerra

English 2, Period 2

Mr. Brown

5/17/13

Women Writers: Hybridizing Creative Gentility and Gender

Like the great American writer Mark Twain, female writers have struggled, even since ancient times, to gain recognition and a receiving audience. Similar to Twain, Sandra Cisneros, Rita Dove, and Amy Tan shared in such struggles as each of their works, Straw Into Gold: The Metamorphosis of the Everyday, For the Love of Books, and Mother Tongue, were inspired by their personal lives, experiences, people, and culture. Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn did not receive the widespread appreciation that it does today;  however, as the book explored the social justice issue of slavery, Rita Dove has explored related topics through her works. Being Dove’s contribution to American Literature, Sandra Cisneros has contributed to American Literature by shaping and identifying Chicana Literature; similarly, Amy Tan was part of a movement of Asian-American writers contributing to modern Asian-American literature. 

    Sandra Cisneros, Rita Dove, and Amy Tan each have upbringings and lives unique to her; each of these women have found success rooting from their childhoods.

  Sandra Cisneros has received many awards and is regarded as a key figure in Chicana literature. 

  One of her most important works, “House on Mango Street” was a breakthrough success in her career.

  It portrayed feminism, the struggle for a Latina growing up in poverty, and the struggle of culture shock.

  Rita Dove is an American poet and author; she is the second African American to receive the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry. 

  Her most famous work Thomas and Beula is a collection of poems based loosely on her grandparents.

  Amy Tan is an American writer who explores mother-daughter relationships.

  She was born to Chinese immigrants Dais and John Tan. Her older brother Peter died as well as her father. 

    Before the great American writers Sandra Cisneros, Rita Dove, and Amy Tan resided in the annals of American Literature, they struggled in their individual ways; like Mark Twain, these three women were influenced both positively and negatively on their roads to success. 

  Mark Twain was influenced by the Civil War in the two weeks he served in the military.

  Sandra Cisneros was highly influenced by her childhood growing up in poverty.

  She often lived between Mexico and the United States, so she never had any real friends, making her feel lonely and alienated.

  Rita Dove was influenced by Shakespeare, Boccaccio, and her grandparents. She took the ideas of the white literary world and interpreted them in the culture of the black people.   Amy Tan was influenced by her mother and grandmother, and often wrote about feelings concerning life and death.     The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn delved into the issue of slavery through the character Jim; Sandra Cisneros also delved into the social justice issue in her novel The House on Mango Street of feminism. 

  Jim is a slave who runs away with Huckleberry Finn to find freedom in the north of the United States of America. 

  Through this character Mark Twain addressed the issue of slavery, pointing out that slaves are in fact people, people who have feelings and emotions.

  Through Esperanza, Sandra Cisneros tackles the issue of feminism, and equal rights for women. 

  She often faces abuses such as rape and other forms of sexual aggressions, however, she finds silent strength and finds the will to leave her home to escape such issues, like Mark Twain’s Jim. 

    Sandra Cisneros’ Straw Into Gold: The Metamorphosis of the Everyday, Rita Dove’s For the Love of Books, and Amy Tan’s Mother Tongue are reflective essays describing an aspect of influence that shaped what these women chose to write about.

  These three short stories are written in the first person and describe a specific events that occurred in these women’s lives.

  Written in first-person.

    Sandra Cisneros’ story describes her childhood growing up in poverty and the daily activities she participated in.   Rita Dove’s story also depicts an aspect of childhood, particularly her love of books and how that made her want to be a writer.   Amy Tan’s story talks about a particular time she spent with her mother, and how she couldn’t speak English well. 

  However, Tan emphasizes that what really matters is what the words coming out of her house mean than what they sound like.

    Each of these women have found success in the literary world; furthermore, Sandra Cisneros, Rita Dove, and Amy Tan have each in her own way contributed to American Literature. 

  Sandra Cisneros has shaped Chicana literature.

  She explores feminism, religion, poverty, and oppression in her works. 

  She often incorporates Spanish into her English writing to improve the rhythm of the passage and pay tribute to her culture.

  Rita Dove took the ideas of the white literary world and interpreted them in the culture of the black people.

  As U.S. Poet Laureate she also brought together writers to explore the African diaspora through the eyes of its artists.

  She wrote about being alive and is a part of social justice because of her sensitivity to women’s issues.

She stands as a socialist for women and African Americans.

  Amy Tan achieved enormous political and critical acclaim through her stories reflecting her past.

  She learned a lot about her mother Daisy’s hard life as a Chinese immigrant. 

She escaped an abusive marriage in China.

    The fact that these three great American writers were women meant they had to work that much harder; being that Sandra Cisneros, Rita Dove, and Amy Tan were minorities meant their work had a tendency to be overlooked as a form of prejudice against females. 

  Women are still subject to segregation and prejudice.

  Book covers hinder women’s novels from reaching a large audience.

  Certain literary environments generally fail to understand that women’s issues are everyone’s issues.

  The majority of the critics in American literary publications are men, and they generally review women’s books far less often than men’s.   Works by women are often munched together into one genre called “women’s fiction,” which prevents women from entering the larger playing field.

Samuel Guerra

English 2, Period 2

Mr. Brown

5/13/13

Formal Outline

Thesis: Like the great American writer Mark Twain, female writers have struggled, even since ancient times, to gain recognition and a receiving audience. Similar to Twain, Sandra Cisneros, Rita Dove, and Amy Tan shared in such struggles as each of their works, Straw Into Gold: The Metamorphosis of the Everyday, For the Love of Books, and Mother Tongue, were inspired by their personal lives, experiences, people, and culture. Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn did not receive the widespread appreciation that it does today;  however, as the book explored the social justice issue of slavery, Rita Dove has explored related topics through her works. Being Dove’s contribution to American Literature, Sandra Cisneros has contributed to American Literature by shaping and identifying Chicana Literature; similarly, Amy Tan was part of a movement of Asian-American writers contributing to modern Asian-American literature. 

Sandra Cisneros, Rita Dove, and Amy Tan each have upbringings and lives unique to her; each of these women have found success rooting from their childhoods.

Sandra Cisneros has received many awards and is regarded as a key figure in Chicana literature. 

One of her most important works, “House on Mango Street” was a breakthrough success in her career.

It portrayed feminism, the struggle for a Latina growing up in poverty, and the struggle of culture shock.

Rita Dove is an American poet and author; she is the second African American to receive the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry. 

Her most famous work Thomas and Beula is a collection of poems based loosely on her grandparents.

Amy Tan is an American writer who explores mother-daughter relationships.

She was born to Chinese immigrants Dais and John Tan. Her older brother Peter died as well as her father. 

Before the great American writers Sandra Cisneros, Rita Dove, and Amy Tan resided in the annals of American Literature, they struggled in their individual ways; like Mark Twain, these three women were influenced both positively and negatively on their roads to success. 

Mark Twain was influenced by the Civil War in the two weeks he served in the military.

Sandra Cisneros was highly influenced by her childhood growing up in poverty.

She often lived between Mexico and the United States, so she never had any real friends, making her feel lonely and alienated.

Rita Dove was influenced by Shakespeare, Boccaccio, and her grandparents. She took the ideas of the white literary world and interpreted them in the culture of the black people. Amy Tan was influenced by her mother and grandmother, and often wrote about feelings concerning life and death. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn delved into the issue of slavery through the character Jim; Sandra Cisneros also delved into the social justice issue in her novel The House on Mango Street of feminism. 

Jim is a slave who runs away with Huckleberry Finn to find freedom in the north of the United States of America. 

Through this character Mark Twain addressed the issue of slavery, pointing out that slaves are in fact people, people who have feelings and emotions.

Through Esperanza, Sandra Cisneros tackles the issue of feminism, and equal rights for women. 

She often faces abuses such as rape and other forms of sexual aggressions, however, she finds silent strength and finds the will to leave her home to escape such issues, like Mark Twain’s Jim. 

Sandra Cisneros’ Straw Into Gold: The Metamorphosis of the Everyday, Rita Dove’s For the Love of Books, and Amy Tan’s Mother Tongue are reflective essays describing an aspect of influence that shaped what these women chose to write about.

These three short stories are written in the first person and describe a specific events that occurred in these women’s lives.

Written in first-person.

Sandra Cisneros’ story describes her childhood growing up in poverty and the daily activities she participated in. Rita Dove’s story also depicts an aspect of childhood, particularly her love of books and how that made her want to be a writer. Amy Tan’s story talks about a particular time she spent with her mother, and how she couldn’t speak English well. 

However, Tan emphasizes that what really matters is what the words coming out of her house mean than what they sound like.

Each of these women have found success in the literary world; furthermore, Sandra Cisneros, Rita Dove, and Amy Tan have each in her own way contributed to American Literature. 

Sandra Cisneros has shaped Chicana literature.

She explores feminism, religion, poverty, and oppression in her works. 

She often incorporates Spanish into her English writing to improve the rhythm of the passage and pay tribute to her culture.

Rita Dove took the ideas of the white literary world and interpreted them in the culture of the black people.

As U.S. Poet Laureate she also brought together writers to explore the African diaspora through the eyes of its artists.

She wrote about being alive and is a part of social justice because of her sensitivity to women’s issues.

She stands as a socialist for women and African Americans.

Amy Tan achieved enormous political and critical acclaim through her stories reflecting her past.

She learned a lot about her mother Daisy’s hard life as a Chinese immigrant. 

She escaped an abusive marriage in China.

The fact that these three great American writers were women meant they had to work that much harder; being that Sandra Cisneros, Rita Dove, and Amy Tan were minorities meant their work had a tendency to be overlooked as a form of prejudice against females. 

Women are still subject to segregation and prejudice.

Book covers hinder women’s novels from reaching a large audience.

Certain literary environments generally fail to understand that women’s issues are everyone’s issues.

The majority of the critics in American literary publications are men, and they generally review women’s books far less often than men’s. Works by women are often munched together into one genre called “women’s fiction,” which prevents women from entering the larger playing field.