Introduction
The purpose of this study is to analyze the poetry written by author Sandra Cisneros. Although born in the United States, Cisneros uses the Spanish language to construct her Latina identity, but also challenges the stereotypical view of what it means to be a Latina woman. The study will focus on poems such as "You Bring Out the Mexican in Me", "Old Maids", "Loose Woman", and "A House of My Own." It explores the author's use of code switching, word choice, and similes and metaphors that are involved in the construction of identity.
"There are green-eyed Mexicans. The rich blond Mexicans. The Mexicans with the faces of Arab sheiks. The Jewish Mexicans. The big-footed-as-a-German Mexicans. The leftover-French Mexicans. The chaparrito compact Mexicans. The Tarahumara tall-as-desert saguaro Mexicans. The Mediterranean Mexicans. The Mexicans with Tunisian eyebrows. The negrito Mexicans of the double coasts. The Chinese Mexican. The curly-haired, freckle-faced, red-headed Mexicans. The Lebanese Mexicans. Look, I don't know what you're talking about when say I don't look Mexican. I am Mexican. Even though I was born on the U.S. side of the border."
-Sandra Cisneros, Caramelo