"Straw into Gold"

      Turning straw into gold is like doing the impossible. That is what Sandra Cisneros believed she did throughout her life: achieving the impossible. This week in class we read an excerpt from her autobiography titled "Straw into Gold: The Metamorphosis of the Everyday". Cisneros gave an introduction to her life, and wrote about her successes and accomplishments. Her travels and family greatly influenced her writing. Her mother and father also shaped who she would become. She inherited her father's love of wandering and sappy heart, as well as her mother's intelligence and strong will.
      This autobiography was written in a very simple, personal tone that flowed. Cisneros makes it easy for the reader to understand her emotions and thoughts throughout the different events depicted. For example, Cisneros explains how, throughout her life she accomplished things that she thought were impossible, such as passing her MFA exam or even making something as simple as a corn tortilla. She went against all the traditions of her family and culture to do what she loved, which was writing. Against all odds, including her grades in school and her family's beliefs, Cisneros went on to become a successful writer with many years of hard work.