“Only Daughter”

1. What distinction does Cisneros make between being “the only daughter” and “only a

daughter”?

Cisneros feel that she is the only daughter and usually the only daughter is spoiled and treated differently,but in her family this is not true. In her family she feels under appreciated and she is just sitting around waiting till she is old enough to get married to be come someone's wife

2. What advantages does Cisneros see in being the only daughter? In being only a daughter?

One of her advantage was all the boys would not play with her and public because she was a girl, but that worked into her advantage as she says because she becomes a writer and by them not bugging her it gave her time to think.

3. Cisneros quotes her father several times…what do we learn about him from his words?

To me it sounds like she is trying to point out how he is not proud of her until she does something with her mind or get married.

4. Do you think Cisneros intends to convey a sympathetic or unsympathetic impression of her

father? Explain.

Like I said in that last question I feel she feels he is unsympathetic until she becomes successful.

5. Only Daughter” ends with the line: “Of all the wonderful things that happened to me last year,

that was the most wonderful”…what “wonderful thing” is Cisneros referring to? Why do you

think this “thing” means so much to her?

The thing that was most wonderful was that her father was finally proud of her and she knows this because he asks for more copies to share with the rest of the family. So by her father showing is happiness of her success it means a lot to her.