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CHAPTER 2
Setting
and
Props
31
2014
“Eleven” Sandra Cisneros
“Eleven” is a highly readable story. The simplicity of the language makes it accessible for all readers, yet
the ideas it presents are poignantly insightful and complex. Students respond enthusiastically to both the
accumulated years idea and the inherent ironic and anxiety-provoking situation that demonstrates this
central concept.
Vocabulary. Words crucial to understanding the story are presented in Pre-reading Vocabulary—
Context. Words that apply structural-attack skills are presented in Pre-reading Vocabulary—
Structural Attack. However, all potentially troublesome words are listed here in the order in which they
appear in the text, so that 1) you can easily identify words you may wish to stress and 2) you can locate
them easily in the text.
Chapter 2: Setting and Props
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Vocabulary — “Eleven”
1. today
2. mama
3. tree trunk
4. smart
5. remember
6. stretched
7. teacher
8. squeeze
9. tippy-tip
10. waterfall
11. sleeve
12. germs
Sandra Cisneros, Eleven
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Journal Answers.
MLA Works Cited.
Cisneros, Sandra. “Eleven.” American 24-Karat Gold. 4th ed. Ed. Yvonne Sisko. New York: Pearson
Education, Inc., 2012. 98–100.
Main Character(s). Certainly, Rachel, the narrator, is the central character. This story is centered on the
narrator’s perceptions as revealed through the irony—and anxiety—the sweater produces.
Supporting Characters. Mrs. Price is arguably a main character, as she produces the sweater problem. If
she is not mentioned in Main Character(s) then she certainly must be mentioned here. Sylvia Saldivar,
who names the narrator as owner, and Phyllis Lopez, who finally admits to owning the sweater, are
certainly Supporting Characters, as are the unnamed students whom the narrator is so embarrassed to
have witness her tears. Mama and the comforting roles she plays in the recollections also lends support
and insight.
Setting. Both setting and props play major roles here. The narrator refers to the comfort of home and
Mama, as opposed to the seemingly difficult and certainly embarrassing situation the classroom presents.
Further, the sweater is an absolutely essential prop here. It is the sweater that produces the anxiety that
lends to the narrator’s reflections, and it is the sweater that provides the ultimate irony—after all the
anxiety it causes, it never belonged to the narrator in the first place.
Sequence. Here is an informal outline, but answers will vary.
I. Birthdays are an accumulation of all prior years.
A. Ten is feeling “stupid.”
B. Five is crawling into Mama’s lap.
C. Three is crying.
II. The sweater brings up all ages.
A. The sweater produces anxieties.
B. The anxiety leads the narrator to review all ages.
C. The narrator cries like a three-year-old, to her own great embarrassment.
III. The sweater belongs to Phyllis.
A. The narrator has been unnecessarily embarrassed by a sweater that was never, ironically,
hers.
B. The narrator now goes home to celebrate but yet one more year, in her long procession of
years.
Plot. With a two-sentence limit, answers will vary. An embarrassing—and ultimately, ironic—prop causes
the narrator to reflect on the accumulative effects of aging.
Conflicts. Human versus human certainly applies to the narrator’s disagreements with both Mrs. Price and
Sylvia Saldivar. Human versus society applies to the seemingly embarrassing classroom situation. Human
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versus technology applies to the anxiety the sweater (a form of technology) causes the narrator. Human
versus herself applies to the narrator’s apparent discomfort with her age, whether that age is the present
eleven or the problems past ages cause her now.
Significant Quotations.
a. The student should note that today is the narrator’s birthday and that she does not feel any
different than she did as a ten-year-old.
b. The student should explain the narrator’s theory of every birthday being an accumulation of all
the prior birthdays. This is a seemingly simple yet highly insightful concept that the student
should explain thoroughly.
c. The student should describe the sweater and the anxiety it produces for the narrator.
d. The student should join the two central themes here—first, that we are the result of all our ages
with the sweater demonstrating this concept and, second, that the sweater is the ironic prop that
causes so much unnecessary discomfort.
e. The student should discuss the concluding irony; the sweater that causes so much embarrassment
does so unnecessarily, because the sweater has never belonged to the narrator in the first place.
Literary Elements. This story is placed in “Setting and Props” because of time/age, place/classroom, and
prop/sweater are so essential to this story which is, after all, all about time perception. However, this is
also an insightful character study that could easily be placed in Characters and Conflicts. Further, it is the
central irony of the sweater that demonstrates all these ideas, so “Irony” is also relevant.
Foreshadowing, Irony, and/or Symbols. Irony certainly surrounds the sweater that produces so much
unnecessary anxiety and embarrassment. The student may also see the sweater as a symbol representing
authority, injustice, and/or any anxiety producing stimulus.
Follow-up Questions. 10 Short Questions
These are intended for objective assessment and focus on comprehension only, purposely avoiding
literary controversy.
1. b It is very obvious that she is a female (friends, name, and so forth), although her thinking is as
applicable for males as it is for females.
2. b The narrator continually tells us how uncomfortable she is with being eleven, either when she
acts younger or ultimately wants to be older/more in control.
3. c This is the central argument in this story. The student needs to understand this very basic
concept of cumulative aging.
4. c This is very basic. The narrator clearly wants nothing to do with the sweater that causes her
so many problems.
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5. a Again, this is basic. The narrator is horrified at the sight of the sweater, and this sets up 1) the
anxiety that demonstrates the cumulative age concept and 2) the concluding irony of the
erroneously placed sweater.
6. b Mrs. Price has clearly found the sweater in the coatroom.
7. a Again, it is Mrs. Price. The narrator wants nothing to do with the sweater and Phyllis only
appears later to claim the sweater.
8. b Repeating this very central concept that is fundamental to understanding the story, the
narrator wants nothing to do with the sweater that causes her so much anxiety and
embarrassment.
9. c Fundamental to understanding the irony and after all the problems it has caused the narrator,
the sweater has belonged to Phyllis all along. Sylvia is simply the person who first identifies
the sweater as erroneously belonging to the narrator.
10. c The narrator continually tells us about her dissatisfaction with her age. At the end, she seems
to wish she is anything but eleven.
Follow-up Questions. 5 Significant Quotations
These are highly focused and are intended for short-answer subjective assessment of comprehension only,
purposely avoiding literary controversy.
1. The student should explain that today is the narrator’s birthday and that the narrator feels we are
all our birthdays.
2. The student should explain the central concept, that we are the accumulation of all of our years.
3. The student should describe the sweater that causes the narrator so many problems, that
demonstrates the accumulation concept, and that sets up the concluding irony.
4. The student should explain the embarrassment the sweater produces and should explain the
demonstration of the aging concept.
5. The student should explain the concluding irony. After all the problems the sweater causes, all the
agony is in vain because the sweater has never belonged to the narrator in the first place.
Follow-up Questions. 2 Comprehension Essay Questions
These are highly focused and are intended for subjective assessment of comprehension only, purposely
avoiding literary controversy and ancillary opinions. Intended to draw upon all facets of the story,
questions 1 and 2 may repeat and/or complement each other.
1. The student should discuss the many descriptions and examples the narrator gives of her theory
on cumulative aging. The student should certainly explore the extended example the sweater
incident provides.
2. The student should explain the central irony the sweater provides. The sweater that is so
disagreeable to the narrator and that causes her such anxiety and resultant embarrassment has
never really been hers, which she states from the very beginning. However, in one breath, Phyllis
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takes the sweater and—except for providing the literary device for demonstrating the aging
theory—all the narrator’s travail has been in vain.
Discussion Questions.
Unlike the Follow-up Questions which are intended to measure comprehension only, thereby avoiding
personal opinions and/or literary controversy, these questions are intended to elicit opinions and/or
debate. Answers here are only suggestions, as the literary discussion may take many forms.
1. This question produces much animated discussion. To students, the sweater may represent
everything from out-of-control authority and injustice to inner anxiety and angst. Students relate
easily to and often offer many examples of discomfort and embarrassment similar to that causes
by the sweater.
2. This also produces spirited discussion. The whole idea that we are the product of all our ages
interests students and leads to many anecdotes.
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“Everyday Use” Alice Walker
This lively story contrasts real with superficial values. It is smooth narrative that students of all levels
enjoy reading, as they easily empathize with the personality traits demonstrated here..
Vocabulary. Words crucial to understanding the story are presented in Pre-reading Vocabulary—
Context. Words that apply structural-attack skills are presented in Pre-reading Vocabulary—
Structural Attack. However, all potentially troublesome words are listed here in the order in which they
appear in the text, so that 1) you can easily identify words you may wish to stress and 2) you can locate
them easily in the text.
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Vocabulary — “Everyday Use”
1. extended
2. groove
3. homely
4. ashamed
5. envy
6. awe
7. confront
8. tottering
9. embrace
10. limousine
11. usher
12. tacky
13. flannel
14. witty
15. hesitation
16. enveloped
17. lame
18. sidle
19. ignorant
20. shuffle
21. blazed
22. concentration
23. dingy
24. knowledge
25. dimwit
26. organdy
27. disaster
28. temptation
29. earnest
30. hoofed
31. soothing
32. deliberately
33. porthole
34. pasture
35. furtive
36. well-turned
37. scalding
38. erupt
39. lye
40. courting
41. recompose
42. dash
43. glimpse
44. stocky
45. kinky
46. mule
47. loud
48. pigtails
49. lizard
50. navel
51. trembling
52. perspiration
53. stout
54. Polaroid
55. cowering
56. limp
57. oppress
58. Model A
59. pronounce
60. awkward
61. shelter
62. doctrine
63. collards
64. chitlins
65. rump
66. churn
67. clabber
68. whittle
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69. dasher
70. alcove
71. rifling
72. quilt
73. scrap
74. paisley
75. teeny
76. securely
77. stroking
78. lavender
79. appreciate
80. reckon
81. furiously
82. reserved
83. snuff
84. dopey
85. hangdog
86. scarred
87. portion
88. snatch
89. heritage
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Journal Answers.
MLA Works Cited.
Walker, Alice. “Everyday Use.” American 24-Karat Gold. 4th ed. Ed. Yvonne Sisko. New York: Pearson
Education, Inc., 2012. 109–117.
Main Character(s). Dee and Mama (the narrator) are certainly central. Maggie may also be considered
main as she is central to the conflict and the necessary foil to Dee’s superficiality.
Supporting Characters. Maggie may be considered supporting simply because she is so often in the
background, although her presence is inherent to the tension (please see Main Characters). Asalamalakim
seems to spur Dee on, while Grandma Dee and Aunt Dicie are references to the family’s real heritage.
Setting. The story takes place in a home set on a southern farm and can be located in any poor, rural area.
However, the fire in the first home and the quilts are utterly essential props in this setting.
Props. The fire in the first home and the quilts are utterly essential props in this setting.
Sequence. Here is an informal outline, but answers will vary.
I. Before the visit.
A. Setting is described.
B. The fire that scarred Maggie is described.
C. Dee’s demanding personality is described.
II. The visit.
A. Dee comes with new look, new name, and new man.
B. Dee wants the butter churner and clapper.
C. Dee wants the quilts.
D. Mama gives the quilts to Maggie.
III. After the visit.
A. Dee returns with her adopted heritage.
B. Maggie and Mama remain creating real heritage.
Plot. With a two-sentence limit, answers will vary. A shallow young woman, newly impressed with her
background, returns to a home she hates to take things that she once hated, and that now belong to her
sister.
Conflicts. Human versus human applies to the conflict between Dee and her mother and sister. Human
versus society also apply here, in this fine contrast between real versus superficial societal values.
Significant Quotations.
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a. This refers to the fire and the student should discuss Maggie’s scarring and Dee’s abhorrence of
their lifestyle.
b. This refers to Dee’s early worldliness and the student should discuss Dee’s uppity ways.
c. This refers to Dee’s new attitude—the home style she once hated she now wants to show off in
pictures—and the student should discuss Dee’s emerging superficiality.
d. Here, Dee wants specific artifacts not to use but, again, to show off.
e. This initiates the climax and epitomizes the contrast: Dee wants the quilts to mount and show off
while Maggie, who has learned the art of quilting, wants them to use them. The student should
discuss the difference between the real and sincere Maggie and the superficial and insincere Dee.
Literary Elements. This is here because the quilts/props and even the non-rural setting are so important.
However, the interpersonal conflicts could place this in Characters and Conflicts, while the Mama’s final
resolution in favor of the much more deserving Maggie, as opposed to the assertive Dee, could also place
this in Irony..
Foreshadowing, Irony, and/or Symbols. The student should discuss the importance of the quilts that
represent real life and the irony of quiet and devoted but nearly invisible Maggie winning over the
assertive and colorful Dee.
Follow-up Questions. 10 Short Questions
These are intended for objective assessment and focus on comprehension only, purposely avoiding
literary controversy.
1. c This checks student understanding of character roles and Maggie is Dee’s sister.
2. a Again, this checks student understanding of character roles and the narrator is Dee’s mother.
3. b Dee’s prettiness can be inferred; Maggie’s scarring and the narrator’s self-description as large
and manlike are discussed.
4. c The narrator clearly states that she wondered if Dee wanted to “dance around the ashes” when
it burned.
5. a Maggie is clearly described as the victim of the fire in the sentence, “I can still hear the
flames and feel Maggie’s arms sticking to me, her hair smoking and her dress falling off her
in little black papery flakes.”
6. a Maggie is continually in the shadows and barely says a word.
7. c The student should clearly understand that superficial Dee’s only interest in the quilts is to
show them off.
8. a The student should also clearly understand that solid Maggie wants to use the quilts that have
been an understood part of her dowry and/or trousseau.
9. c The student, again, should clearly understand that Dee’s changed attitude is for show; her
superficiality is the very basis for the contrast in the story.
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10. b The narrator, who is the mother of both Dee and Maggie, is sympathetic to Maggie and sees
right through Dee as she retrieves the quilts and places them where she feels they rightfully
belong, which is with Maggie.
Follow-up Questions. 5 Significant Quotations
These are highly focused and are intended for short-answer subjective assessment of comprehension only,
purposely avoiding literary controversy.
1. The student should discuss the fire that scarred Maggie and the lifestyle that Dee hated.
2. The student should discuss Dee’s demanding and rather nasty personality. This quote also tests
some newly learned vocabulary.
3. The student should discuss Dee’s new look and new attitude. She has adopted Afro-centricity
because it is chic.
4. The student should discuss the quilts’ role which epitomizes both the contrast and the conflict
between superficial Dee and solid Maggie.
5. This is the moment of resolution when Mama takes the quilts from Dee and gives them to
Maggie. We can infer that Dee will go back to her phony heritage while Mama and Maggie will
continue to live with and to make the real thing.
Follow-up Questions. 2 Comprehension Essay Questions
These are highly focused and are intended for subjective assessment of comprehension only, purposely
avoiding literary controversy and ancillary opinions. Intended to draw upon all facets of the story,
questions 1 and 2 may repeat and/or complement each other.
1. Focusing on the prop or quilts, the student should discuss the implied importance of the quilts.
For Maggie and the mother, they are a functional part of their lives. For Dee, they are something
that someone else told her is important and that she now desires to show off to her superficial
friends. The student should discuss the mother’s ultimate awarding of the quilts to Maggie.
2. Focusing on the character contrasts, the student should discuss Maggie’s simplicity and sincerity
in unconsciously living her heritage with Dee’s layered superficiality that returns only to visit her
heritage very temporarily.
Discussion Questions.
Unlike the Follow-up Questions which are intended to measure comprehension only, thereby avoiding
personal opinions and/or literary controversy, these questions are intended to elicit opinions and/or
debate. Answers here are only suggestions, as the literary discussion may take many forms.
1. There is much humor here, although it is rather subtle sarcasm. Marna’s descriptions of Dee
wanting her to get a limo to see Johnny Carson serves to allow Marna to discuss her large bones
useful for her manual labor. The scene with the boyfriend and his alien name has great humor and
serves to point out the difference between Mama and Maggie’s real life and Dee’s adopted and
superficial life.
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2. This can lead to lively discussion. Most will find no good reason for Dee to get the quilts and
these students will adamantly argue with any who find reasons. This discussion should elicit
much citing from the story.
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“Bone Girl” Joseph Bruchac
This is a most interesting story that combines the observations of Joseph Bruchac, of Abenaki Native
American heritage, with very eerie tales. It is down-to-earth yet supernatural and is readable for all
students.
Vocabulary. Words critical to understanding the story are presented in Pre-reading Vocabulary—
Context. Words that apply structural-attack skills are presented in Pre-reading Vocabulary—
Structural Attack. However, all potentially troublesome words are listed here in the order, they appear in
the text, so that 1) you can easily identify words you may wish to stress and 2) you can locate them easily
in the text.
Joseph Bruchac, Bone Girl
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Vocabulary—“Bone Girl”
1. abandoned
2. quarry
3. reservation
4. ghost
5. condemned
6. wander
7. eternity
8. ectoplasm
9. remnants
10. violent
11. vengeful
12. apparition
13. Indian
14. muted
15. tomtom
16. continent
17. equivalent
18. ghoul
19. international
20. ancestor
21. dread
22. cemetery
23. foundation
24. lodge
25. relatives
26. chief
27. Seneca
28. familiar
29. extension
30. crest
31. ditch
32. metaphor
33. cute
34. model
35. spirit
36. weird
37. stranger
38. ignored
39. Cherokee
40. Abenaki
41. development
42. polluted
43. recession
44. depression
45. digressing
46. circle
47. generation
48. Puritan
49. neurotic
50. lantern
51. spooky
52. flickering
53. goofing
54. blond
55. disgust
56. interfere
57. ashamed
58. bridge
59. stagger
60. pale
61. figure
62. shy
63. fool
64. romance
65. moon
66. face
67. skull
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Journal Answers.
MLA Works Cited.
Bruchac, Joseph. “Bone Girl.” American 24-Karat Gold. 4th ed. Ed. Yvonne Sisko. New York: Pearson
Education, Inc., 2012. 126–132.
Main Character(s). The narrator and the Bone Girl are the central characters. Certainly, the narrator is the
main character. The student may also consider the Bone Girl as main as she is central to the narrator’s
story and change and she is, after all, the title character.
Supporting Characters. The surrounding community on the reservation may be considered supporting.
The narrator’s wife and nephew and the nephew’s friends who have the graveyard adventure are also
supporting. The nephew’s story is, in fact, a form of foreshadowing. The various ghosts also are
supporting here.
Setting. The story is set on a present-day reservation. The reservation—and all the qualities the narrator
attributes to the reservation—make this location central to the story. In addition to the key role the
reservation plays, another reason this story is placed in Setting is because of the important role the Bone
Girl’s hair plays. It is an important prop because it originally lures the narrator and then becomes a sort of
mask to hid the Bone Girl’s real identity as a ghost.
Sequence. Here is an informal outline, but answers will vary.
I. Introduction to Indian graveyards.
A. They are close to home.
B. Native Americans “stay put.”
II. Nephew’s graveyard adventure.
A. Nephew and friends set up trick at the graveyard.
B. Nephew is tricked by a ghost.
III. Narrator meets the Bone Girl.
A. Narrator’s life spirals to drinking and available women.
B. Narrator pursues a young girl who is really a ghost.
C. Narrator changes his life.
Plot. With a two-sentence limit, answers will vary. A man meets a ghost and changes his wayward life.
Conflicts. Human versus supernatural is central here, as ghosts spook both the nephew and then the
narrator himself. Human versus himself would apply again to both the nephew and the narrator as their
woeful pursuits lead both to encounters with the ghosts. Human versus society may apply to the narrator’s
unacceptable ways that are changed by the ghostly encounter.
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Significant Quotations.
a. The student should discuss the narrator’s observations on the uniting of the present-life and the
after-life in Native American thought. This thinking is central to setting up the believability of the
story.
b. The student should discuss the narrator’s observations on the settlement of Native Americans
close to ancestral lands. This also sets up the story.
c. The student should discuss the graveyard prank played by the nephew and his friends and the
ultimate lesson taught by the ghost(s).
d. The student should discuss the narrator’s wanton ways and the meeting with the assumed young
girl.
e. The student should identify that the narrator meets not a young girl but rather the Bone Girl and
that this causes him to change his ways.
Literary Elements. This is here because the setting is so essential. However, the foreshadowing in the
nephew’s story could place this in Plot and Foreshadowing.
Foreshadowing, Irony, and/or Symbols .The student should discuss how nicely the nephew’s ghostly
encounter foreshadows the narrator’s encounter, setting the reader up for the role of such apparitions in
Native American thinking.
Follow-up Questions. 10 Short Questions
These are intended for objective assessment and focus on comprehension only, purposely avoiding
literary controversy.
1. b It is central to understanding the story that the student recognizes that the narrator is a Native
American. This also tests “reservation” and other words from Context.
2. a This tests an important detail. The narrator is married and has taken a wrong turn in life for a
married man during the time that he meets the Bone Girl.
3. c Again, this is central to understanding the story. The narrator clearly tells us that spirits are a
part of the Native American experience.
4. b The narrator clearly states and even contrasts the differences between Western and Native
American spirits. He certainly does not think they are “irrelevant.”
5. a This is the only correct answer here. He certainly believes in spirits and scaring “everyone”
offers practice in applying the test-taking technique of avoiding extreme answers.
6. b The nephew is neither turned into a ghost nor scared by his friends. Rather, it seems that a
ghost has now scared him at the graveyard.
7. c As a relevant detail, the narrator tells us that he is writing this story for a writing course.
Changing his life seems to “clear his conscience” and he is resentful of “cute” Indians.
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8. c The narrator clearly states he has had marital problems. Further, both answers a and b apply
avoiding extreme answers in test-taking.
9. c The narrator certainly does not think the Bone Girl is a spirit. He does think she is a young
girl and that she is chilled by the weather. This type of question requires careful reading and
offers practice in solving negatively phrased questions.
10. a The narrator clearly states that he changes his ways as a result of this meeting.
Follow-up Questions. 5 Significant Quotations
These are highly focused and are intended for short-answer subjective assessment of comprehension only,
purposely avoiding literary controversy.
1. The student should discuss the role of spirits in the narrator’s and, by inference, Native American
thinking. This closeness is central to making the story believable.
2. The student should discuss the narrator’s observations on Native American settlement patterns
and on the importance of the setting.
3. The student should discuss the nephew’s graveyard adventures wherein his trick ends up with a
ghost(s)’ spooking him.
4. The student should discuss the narrator’s wanton ways and his pursuit of what turns out to be a
ghost.
5. Building on the above answer, the student should discuss the lessons learned from the narrator’s
meeting with the ghost.
Follow-up Questions. 2 Comprehension Essay Questions
These are highly focused and are intended for subjective assessment of comprehension only, purposely
avoiding literary controversy and/or ancillary opinions. Intended to draw upon all facets of the story, 1
and 2 may repeat and/or complement each other.
1. This asks the student to focus on the setting and the many insights the narrator offers concerning
Native Americans, land, and location. Staying close to the land means staying close to the
ancestors and spirits that also remain with the land, and this thinking is central to the story.
2. This asks the student to focus on the characters. The narrator and the Bone Girl, of course, are the
central story, but the nephew and the graveyard adventures are also part of the story. The student
needs to focus on both the living and the spirits and the lessons learned therein.
Discussion Questions.
Unlike the Follow-up Questions which are intended to measure comprehension only, thereby avoiding
personal opinions and/or literary controversy, these questions are intended to elicit opinions and/or
debate. Answers here are only suggestions, as the literary discussion may take many forms.
1. This may elicit varying and often animated responses. The Bone Girl in the story seems to be
rather a benevolent character who leads the narrator to reform, but students may bring their own
preconceived notions about spirits, ghosts, and the like.
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2. Unlike the responses to question 1 which have already focused on the ghosts within the story, this
asks students now to compare their own feelings and/or experiences with those of the narrator. If
question 1 focuses on characters then this question focuses on events.
