Sarah Jacobsen

Ms. King
ELA 10H Period 4
9 Sep 2015
Rite of Passage- Turning Eleven
There are many different narrative elements in the story Eleven. Some that were made
clear were repetition, figurative language (similes, metaphors, etc.), and imagery. The author
uses these elements to make the story more interesting and to help the reader understand what is
happening. These elements are used to bring the story into deeper detail. They put more depth
and clarity into the story to make it more interesting.
The first narrative technique that kept coming up in the story was repetition. Constantly
going through Rachels thoughts are repeated words. One example of this in the story is Not
mine, not mine, not mine, which Rachel is thinking when Mrs. Price first gives her the sweater.
This repetition helps the reader see that she really didnt want the sweater and wanted to make it
clear that the sweater was definitely not her own. Another example of repetition in the story that
occurs twice is Happy birthday, happy birthday to you. This repetition happens when
Rachel is trying to make herself feel better about the sweater being forced upon her by reminding
herself that its her birthday. She wants to let herself know that she will be out of the situation
soon. Its clear to see that repetition is very important in the story.
The next narrative technique that was important in the story was figurative language. The
author of this story used lots of similes and metaphors to describe the situation that Rachel was

in. One example is, I open my eyes, the red sweaters still sitting there like a big red mountain.
The sweater in this example is being compared to a mountain. This shows that Rachel was
focusing a lot on the sweater. She just wanted it to be gone, but it wouldnt go away. Thats why
shes comparing it to a mountain. Another time the author uses figurative language is, I wish I
didnt have only eleven years rattling inside me like pennies in a tin Band-Aid box. This simile
helps the reader understand how empty Rachel feels. It can make sense why she isnt feeling
very happy on her birthday. Figurative language is used a lot in the story to state how the main
character feels and to go deep into detail.
The last narrative technique that was used in the story is imagery. The author has used
sensory details to paint a picture for the reader to better understand the story and whats
happening. The first example of this is, I put one arm through one sleeve of the sweater that
smells like cottage cheese. This is showing how disgusting the sweater is and how much Rachel
hates it now. Its using smell to show the reader what Rachel really has to go through in this
moment. One more example of imagery in this story is, its just my body shaking like when you
have the hiccups, and my whole head hurts like when you drink milk too fast. This definitely
lets the reader know how Rachel feels in this moment. She feels awful and sick. With this
imagery, it helps the reader be able to feel how shes feeling in this moment. It helps you almost
feel the shaking and the headache that she has. It helps the reader to have empathy in this
moment.
To conclude, Sandra Cisneros uses lots of narrative elements to state how Rachel is going
through this rite of passage in the story. Repetition, figurative language, and imagery are all great
techniques Cisneros uses to help the reader understand Rachels rite of passage more fully.