Everyone, the deadline for responding to this blog is Monday, February 23rd. Thanks for your patience. I have added a link to the author's website, in which she begins a conversation about the structure of a story. Here are the questions, which relate to setting, conflict, plot and character:
1) How does the listing of descriptive details affect your understanding of the narrator?
2) What can you tell me about the narrator's personality?
3) What conflict(s) exist within the text?
4) What is the narrator saying to you about her community or her world?
5) Is there a plot structure? If so, what is it?
Cisneros.pdf
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
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1) How does the listing of descriptive details affect your understanding of the narrator?
* The listing of descriptive details has led me to think of the narrator as young random girl. And by her way of mentioning things normally it made the story feel like a dialogue, as if I, the reader, was a friend who listened, understood and lived a similar life style. This creative way of narration sure helped me relate a bit more with the story.
2) What can you tell me about the narrator's personality?
* I can describe the narrator as a normal young girl who talks a lot, loves to play and have fun, thoughtful, humble, a dreamer or visionary, smart and just.
3) What conflict(s) exist within the text?
*I think one of the conflicts is the young girl’s struggle of convincing herself that a burnt and smelly Barbie from a flea market was as good as one from a clean new box from a warehouse.
4) What is the narrator saying to you about her community or her world?
* I think that the young girl’s appreciation of Barbie is an instrument of reflection, a mirror of how womanhood in general should really be looked at. The narrator presents Barbie as a woman with feelings and unique virtues. In some way, I believe she is trying to say that woman in every society whether they dress in bathing suits or wear golden hoop earrings, whether they are brown or white, poor or rich, burnt or not, they all are valuable. No matter ethnicity, type of job, profession or appearance all of womankind should be as important and respected like men.
5) Is there a plot structure? If so, what is it?
* I wouldn’t consider this story as to having a clean plot structure. But there are a few elements that every story should have such as a setting, description of characters (directly and indirectly), problems and a climax.
How does the listing of descriptive details affect your understanding of the narrator?
The descriptive details let us see that the narrator is a little girl who we know can't afford those barbies and they are her fantasy but for me the barbie no matter how ugly or if its damaged what really matters to them is the personality they put in the barbies and how the girls see them, unless other girls who wants the most gorgeous and expensive dolls and maybe they doesn't even play with them.
2) What can you tell me about the narrator's personality?
She's a humble little girl, not superficial who loves just having something to entertain herself with. I think she lives in a world were people are really materialistic because in the end of the story she says, so what if they're not perfect? She doesn't care but she knows that a lot of other girls do.
3) What conflict(s) exist within the text?
The conflicts in the story are: the external is what people may think of her barbie because it's not perfect. And the internal conflict is that she would've love to have all the barbies there are but it's not possible because she can't afford them.
4) What is the narrator saying to you about her community or her world?
Like I said before I think that her community may be really materialistic and care too much of apereances and not what's really important that is the inside.
5) Is there a plot structure? If so, what is it?
I think we see climax because it began with the girl talking about her barbies and her problems like the one where she wants the barbies and can't have all of them. But I don't see the perfect structure in Barbie Q.
1.The list of descriptive detail makes me think that a little girl between seven to nine years of age is the voice of this story.Perhaps convey the emotion and passion of this girl for one of the toys more purchases by little girls like the Barbie does.Consider by little girls as role model and will want to emulate her.Shows the big interest and of course understandable of this little girl because as she plays with Barbie and construct stories in her mind her personaity it´s reflected.
2.Well,first l felt very connected with the emotion of this girl through the descriptive details because it remainds me my childhood.As example when l want something or in general mostly all childrens when want something very important tend to do what she did like ¨please please please please¨ clearly a smart way to push daddy or mommy until their patience is over and they finally buy us what we want to control us and feel peace.She is a perfect model to describe the childhood stage.The girl is at the stage of dreaming ¨with a child vision¨ about future building worlds with Barbie imagining being Barbie.I also think that during the game,the stories created and the invented dialogues it´s reflected a lot about the personality and the stage of a girl.Thus,for example when a girl have six,seven or eight years will have a chat with a greater degree of innocence that when have ten or eleven.Of course if is still playing at that age because I played until l was fourteen.
3.Well I think that an external conflict in the story could be that smell of smoke and the melted part of the leg because of the fire.And an internal conflict could be when she mention ¨kens invisible right?¨ because it there´s no much money to spend in another things ¨less¨ important that Barbie or clothes to Barbie but inside her she wished to have more money to get one to complete the scenary and enjoy more the game.
4.I think what the narrator said it the influence that may have Barbie in the life of a little girl. And I agree with Yomaris about the idea of a womanhood.Also could be the way a little girl sees a Barbie as her model to follow and they want to be one in specific according with her personalities.As example ¨ I want to be like this one or like that one... " or something like that.
5.I can not see clearly the plot.But maybe a climax would be when she sees the in the flea market all the Barbies and insist until her parents buy one.I think it is a continuation of something.As if we've never seen a novel and turn on t.v. one day and saw a chapter.l don´t know it´s just my perception.
Barbie-Q by Sandra Cisneros, is a short story constructed by a lot of details. This many details show the reader something important about the narrator. This barbies and this word of Mattel is really important to that girl, the narrator. This narrator is a little girl, with a family poor, that doesn’t have the money to have all the barbies and doll invented by Mattel. I believe the narrator and her family are black people living on a poor world surrounded by a white dominating society in which barbies represent how you are supposed to be to be accepted by this white dominating society. This is why the girl gives so many details; is because she has a conflict within herself. She is describing the doll which is how you have to be to be accepted by the white society. I do not consider this story having a define plot cause the many details trouble with the plot organization.
Diego Helbert González Bravo
INGL 3104 MB5
By Daryl
1. The way Sandra list’s the Barbie makes the story a fast one to read. She does it in a way that even though of all the description there is, it doesn’t seem enough. This type of description also describes the way the girl play’s with the Barbie.
2. The narrator seems eager in the way she tells the whole story. In some parts like when she plays with the Barbie, the author tells the other girl how to play and throughout the story she’s the only one talking. In the last paragraph of the story her personality changes because she doesn’t care about a specific Barbie, she just wants one. She doesn’t need them all, just someone to play with.
3. The conflict in this story has something to do with selfishness. Why? Because they’re not grateful with what they have, they’ll always want the latest things and the best of them. For Example: We one day buy a simple Barbie and in the next day there’s Barbie and Kent. No matter what, we will want Barbie and Kent, to just abandon the old Barbie.
4. The narrator is saying about the world that just because there’s something newer that what you have, it doesn’t mean that it’s better. The important thing is to always be grateful for what you have. Not letting anyone taking that away from you, because there are people in this world that would do anything to have what you do in this moment.
5. There is a plot structure, but it isn’t well defined. This may be because of the way the story is told, which makes it complicated.
1. She describes a lot of barbies, their dresses and asesories... I got the point about how you can dress a doll, nothing else really. I got lost because she'stalking about something I really know nothing about.
2. The narrator is a person tha obviously loves barbies, but is not a greedy person and is thankfull for what she has.
3. To me the conflict is that the girls want more and more stuff for the barbies and get very competitive on who has the best things and such, which to me create like a strugle from each part to get the best thing.
4. I see that its mostly about barbies their talking about. I just see that the girls get obssesed about their dolls and that they can persuade their parents to buy them stuff, not much about her community.
5. To me the plot is just about the barbies and their accesories and how they wantmore things for them and so on. The plot to me is not very clear.
P.S. I had to do it anonymously because the page did not recognize my name/password
Luis Fernando
1) How does the listing of descriptive details affect your understanding of the narrator?
By the way how the narrator adds so much detail to the story, in how she describes normal objects, it makes makes me understand her personality, how in this case, she is a little girl; that she is a smart, energetic, positive little girl that is about seven to ten years old.
2) What can you tell me about the narrator’s personality?
As I said before in the last question, I believe that the narrator has an extremely energetic personality, but that more than all is that she is a very smart girl because for child to memorize everything single object on a flea market is very impressive.
3) What conflicts exist on the text?
The conflict in the story is that the narrator and her sister are trying to get new Barbie dolls, even thou their family don’t have enough money to buy them new ones.
4) What is the narrator saying about her community or her world?
The main message that the narrator is emitting about he community is that people will try to beneficiate from anything to gain any money they can; the melted barbies are an example of my point, the barbies probably were dump some were and the people, just pick it up an though they could make a profit by selling damage barbies.
5) Is there a plot stricture? If so, what is it?
Even thou it has interesting parts and action; I don’t think that the story has a good organize plot.
While reading Barbie-Q I couldn't help but feel horrible because of the underlying truth I felt beneath Sandra Cisneros words and child-like narrative. To develop My overall impression on the story I'll begin by answering the questions posted. the details and the way they are listed helps me see the narrator as a child and the perspective she's looking out into the world through. The things she's holds important to her at the moment, how she seems satisfied and unsatisfied at the same time. Her listing of things make it hard for you to actually stop to analyze until the end because you are being bombarded with images. I think that is exactly how the narrator speaks images and then a thought at the end: "Who's to know?".
The narrator's personality seems to be like that of any little girl from a family that isn't well off and possibly struggling. She's a child, but a child who may not be aware of a very clear insight that she has at the world through her Barbie games.
The conflicts in the story , run from a financial conflict which in turns runs to social class conflict but then ends with something that seems to be a conflict with society as a whole.
The narrator says plainly that there is a financial problem, that she can't have those toys she covets, that we covet, me and her. The narrator says "you" we are made part of the story and forced to SEE what the child sees. If there is a plot in Barbie-Q, it is very difficult for me to outline. I figure that the exposition would be when the narrator speaks of the dolls owned,the rising action could be the information that "we" cannot afford more and a description of the games played with the little had. The climax would be when on a Sunday there are possibilities to acquire more outfits,the falling action the ability to acquire dolls though they are a bit disfigured and the resolution the decision to keep her dress down so no one will notice the disfigurement.
This is what I really wanted to get to. The symbolism of the whole story.While I read this story I was reminded of decay and of disfigurement, the endless hiding underneath things. The outfits described, the way the faded, all reminded me of the what people try to be, and of what they really are. The story reminded me of what children see and learn "Every time the same story. Your Barbie is roommates with my Barbie , and my Barbe's boyfriend comes over and your Barbie steals him, okay?" The luxury represented in the outfits but since they are faded or worn they represent an image that isn't...isn't real. It only stands for what we which we were but aren't. "Everybody today is selling toys, all of them damaged and smelling of smoke." There has got to be more to that line. I feel like if what everyone, society is selling are dreams,dreams in pretty packages of Mattel pink for girls and G.I Joe green for boys. This is what you can be and have, it doesn't matter if the dreams are a it distorted. "So what if our Barbies smell like smoke when you hold them up to your nose even after you wash and wash and wash them." The repetitiveness of our actions with no change in the outcome. Then one of my favorite line from this story : And if the prettiest doll, Barbie's MOD' ern cousin Francie with real eyelashes, eyelash brush included, has a left foot that's melted a little-so? IF YOU DRESS HER IN HER NEW "PROM PINKS" OUTFIT, SATIN SPLENDOR WITH MATCHING COAT, GOLD BELT, CLUTCH, AND HAIR BOW INCLUDED, SO LONG AS YOU DON'T LIFT HER DRESS, RIGHT?-WHO'S TO KNOW?" We have the most modern chic, best dressed Barbie with a disfigured foot, BUT, as long as no one looks underneath, who will see?
1) How does the listing of descriptive details affect your understanding of the narrator?
By Cisneros describing details of the Barbies shows the eagerness of the girls wanting to get many Barbies, just like wealthy girls did. The narrator is just a girl, she just wants to have fun like other girls of her age.
2) What can you tell me about the narrator's personality?
This is a little girl that just wants a Barbie, she doesn't care if its brand new or used, or burnt. The girl is not greedy and she talks to someone else, probably a sister or a cousin, that is probably shyer to ask for a new Barbie.
3) What conflict(s) exist within the text?
It is more of a social conflict. The parents cannot afford to buy expensive toys or accessories. The girls also do not care about the appearances of their Barbie dolls, whether they're burnt, smell like smoke or are missing some parts.
4) What is the narrator saying to you about her community or her world?
She knows that the world is not perfect, and doesn't care about the flaws of her dolls. She doesn't have money to afford lots of things, but she's humble. At the same time, she's a kid and she is desperate to own a brand new Barbie, like the rest of the kids of her age.
5) Is there a plot structure? If so, what is it?
I cannot seem to define a plot out of all the description about the Barbies. Probably it is because of the way it is written.
1) How does the listing of descriptive details affect your understanding of the narrator?
Well the narrator gives alot of details and she names every part of the barbie, like her clothes, shoes, handbag, gloves and more accesories. And thas gos because you cant imagine what she is decribing and also tells you how she is.
2) What can you tell me about the narrator's personality?
She is a youn girl who loves having barbies. She is very inteligent because of the vast amount of detail she gave us.
3) What conflict(s) exist within the text?
The conflict is the she is poor and she can afford to buy new dolls, so in a fleamarket she bought burn babies withouth caring if there where burn and damage it will still a barbie.
4) What is the narrator saying to you about her community or her world?
Well a barbie is lie a simbol of a "perfect woman" and thats what many girls wanted to be whe grownups. In the story the girl can not afford to buy new dolls that are the perfect ones, but when they are damage show us that they are not perfect as whe thought.
5) Is there a plot structure? If so, what is it?
The stoy is narrated and the way is made is complicated to tell where exactly is the plot structure in the story.
1. In my opinion, the amount of detail that the narrator gives it´s a lot for her to be just a little girl. Taking that in mind, I assume that she knows all that because of the real interest and liking she has for the Barbie doll. Otherwise, she would´t be able to describe so meticulously all the outfits of Barbie.
2. As a person I can assume she is simple and humble. The girl could also be kind of shy. But, besides that, I think the young narrator is ambitious. I think the girl dreams she could have what Barbie has. The wardrobe, the friends, the attitude, the coolness, everything Barbie has she wishes she could too.
3. In my oppinion the conflict in this story is cultural. This Barbie represents the norm for the "perfect women" in society, how people wants women to be or to act. Barbie is a very dinamic and polyphasetic character that seems to be able to do everything in life. She has good friends, boyfriend, family, a job, she´s cool, beautyful, etc. She has everything around the word "successful". The young narrator in the story wants to be like this.
4. The narrator is communicating her point of view of the word she lives in. I see a very superficial world, where apperiances matter more that what´s really in the inside of people or whatever the subjet is. A good example of this is the last paragraph when she exposes that it doesn´t matter if her Barbies are burned or dammaged as long as no one notices. For that, she covers the doll with a long dress, the dress of apperiance.
5. I don´t really think there´s a plot structure, at least not a direct one. The details that create plot are somewhat scathered all over the story.
1) How does the listing of descriptive details affect your understanding of the narrator?
With the many precised and detailed descriptions i can say for sure that the narrator is a little girl. I can also say this because of the way she's talking and expressing herself by repeating a lot of the same words.
2) What can you tell me about the narrator's personality?
The narrator's personality resembles that of a 8 to 9 year's old girl. The girl loves to play with her barbies, she's an imaginative girl, she tells us a lot of descriptions about how her barbies look like, and she seems to be full of energy.
3) What conflict(s) exist within the text?
I personally think that the conflict is internal. I think it's more like man vs circumstances, because the little girl is struggling with the circumstances of her life. She has to deal and accept the fact that she cant't afford to have or buy new barbies.
4) What is the narrator saying to you about her community or her world?
I thnik that this community suffers from constant poverty. The thing is that, for me, the barbies play a big role in this type of society, because the barbie can be simbolized like some sort of stereotype. Barbies are seen like "the perfect woman" that every girl wants to be, thus the reason the reason of why girls treasure their barbies so much.
5) Is there a plot structure? If so, what is it?
I personally don't see a complete plot structure in this story. There's no action or climax, at least for me. It could be because of the way the story is narrated. The narrator gives us a lot of description details and the whole story is basically driven by that.
1) One can mold different types of understandings. To me, well, the contrast of fancy sets of barbie clothing to displeasing objects like "a coffee can full of rusty nails" and "windshield wiper blades" hints out to me that Sandra Cisneros had lived a choppy/rough childhood full of - *What Could Have Been* - thoughts. By no means am I saying she's unsuccessful; today shes is a highly regarded writer of poetry and short fiction.
2) She has a sassy attitude. By that I mean two things: a little rude, for example, when she pesters the reader with "How much? Please, Please, Please, Please, Please, Please, Please", and very spirited in the sense that theres always a way to mend a problem.
3) The conflict is obviously social and she mirrors the conflict through barbie dolls.
4) She's trying to convey the magnitude of her societies prejudiced and corrupt behavior.
5) Every text bearing a conflict should at least have some type of structure and everyone, including me, can devise some way of interpreting it but, honestly, Barbie-Q is too fuzzy around the edges...
++----/JOSEPH MALDONADO SUAREZ\----++
1) How does the listing of descriptive details affect your understanding of the narrator?
The listing of the details makes me visualize the narrator as a perky little girl; it reminds me of me at age 6. This girl (the narrator) seems to be having a conversation with another girl that could be her sister, or a friend. The girl wants to get as many Barbies as wealthy girls do and doesn’t care if the Barbies are damaged or not.
2) What can you tell me about the narrator's personality?
As I said before this girl reminds me of myself. Her personality is the personality that many girls have between the ages of 5 to 10, she’s playful and charming and she just wants a Barbie, she doesn’t care how damaged the dolls are, if they smell like smoke or not, she just likes them for what they are and for what they represent.
3) What conflict(s) exist within the text?
The conflict seems to be economic and social because this girl parents don’t seem to have the money to afford expensive, brand new Barbie dolls and the girl doesn’t seems to care if the dolls she gets comes from a flea market and are burnt, or damaged.
4) What is the narrator saying to you about her community or her world?
The girl knows that the world isn’t an easy place to live, and like any other girl her age she wants new Barbie dolls but she realizes that her parents can’t afford it but she is happy even if the ones she could get are damaged because she is modest and humble.
5) Is there a plot structure? If so, what is it?
I can’t define a plot maybe because the way the story is written, and the girl always describing the Barbies.
1. I think S. Cisneros had done that because is away to understand with what kind of person is telling this story. May this story were tell by a little girl of a person with a children mind, that is what I think.
2. The personality of the narrator is a dreamer, surely a humble person. Love to play with her dolls. She is happy what she have, she isn’t greedy.
3. I think the conflict of this story is a social one, the narrator has to indulge with the things she have, in that world what she is living.
4. How we lose in the materials things in this world. And sometimes we are happier living humble than with great and expensive things.
5. I think there is not plot in this story in the way this story is written, I think is because this is happening in the life of this girl and can arrange the things inside of her mind.
Alexander Ortiz Martinez-MB5
1) It leaves us knows clearly that the one who is narrating the story is a girl because of the way in which she repeats words.
2) I can say that she is a girl with no economic resources and that she lives in a Barbie World. I can say also that it compliant. She's not worry if the Barbie is damage she only wants one.
3) The conflict is economic. Her parents do not have the sufficient money to buy what she wants.
4) She knows that her world isn't easy and that she had to conform with what her parents could give her. She understands that is not an easy but she steels being humble.
5) I do not believe that there is a clear structure. At the end we can't tell if she finally had her Barbie or not. It is an opened end.
1) How does the listing of descriptive details affect your understanding of the narrator?
Barbie has always been a figure of womanhood to little girls ever since it came out, may it be with all the clothes and all the accesories and everything that revolved around Barbie. So by the way the narrator described everything, she allowed me to remember when i was that age and played like that and obviously made me understand and get closer to the story.
2) What can you tell me about the narrator's personality?
I think the narrator projected a very playful, observative, innocent yet understanding personality. And i say "observative" because she knows how life is now a days between older people, like the way her friend's Barbie stole her Barbie's boyfriend Ken. "Understanding" because instead of crying and fighting like most girls she understands the they don't have much money and they are playing with all they have. "Innocent" because she in one moment begged like a little girl or boy does to get what they want, and "playful" because she just wanted to play! :D
3) What conflict(s) exist within the text?
I believe "acceptance" is very noticeble because of how she was explaining the barbies defects and and then she said "so?" like asking the reader the difference between a pretty thing or and ugly thing.
4) What is the narrator saying to you about her community or her world?
Again with the acceptance thing, i think she is highlighting the strong case of discrimination there is in this world between pretty and ugly, when people should be thinking about beautifulness, which is a totally different concept.
5) Is there a plot structure? If so, what is it?
I don't think the plot is completely there, but it does have some elements that look like it. There is tho, a bit of what could be a problem; the part where the place is burning and then her barbies are all burnt and not completely pretty.
1) How does the listing of descriptive details affect your understanding of the narrator?
The descriptive details of this story help visualize a little girl who loves to play, and understand her parents economic situation. She doesn’t care about the way the dolls looks.
2) What can you tell me about the narrator's personality?
The narrator’s personality is a humble little girl, who doesn’t care of the appearance of the people. Loves the Barbie dolls, and likes to play and have fun with them.
3) What conflict(s) exist within the text?
The conflict of this story is the poverty of the little girl, because this situation don’t let her have what she wants. But she understands and doesn’t care about the appearance of the dolls.
4) What is the narrator saying to you about her community or her world?
The community that the little girl lives I think is a poor place
5) Is there a plot structure? If so, what is it?
I think that this story has a few elements of the story, but doesn’t have a clear plot structure.
1. Let us see a little girl about 5 or 9 years, in her own world, loving to play with barbies and imagine events.
2. she don't care if they are damaged. She is really excited dreaming about getting new barbies. Don't care about what other people in her society would think. Is persistent for what she want in life.
3. Maybe went she is try to convince herself that the burn barbie is still the same like a new one.
4. No matter from where you came or are, everyone have their own dreams, goals, experience...
5. I don't know.
1) How does the listing of descriptive details affect your understanding of the narrator?
IT SEEMS SHE LOVES HER BARBIES, BUT IT MADE ME FEEL AS THOUGH SHE HAD A SORT OF COMPETITION WITH ANOTHER PERSON AND IN SOME ASPECTS, SHE PROBABLY FELT THAT HER BARBIE WAS LESS THAN THE OTHER. ALSO THE BARBIES SEEM TO COMPETE IN LIFESTYLES, WHICH WAS VERY ODD TO ME! :)
2) What can you tell me about the narrator's personality?
SHE IS CONTENT WITH WHAT SHE HAS EVEN THOUGH IT MAY NOT BE VIEWED AS "THE BEST" TO OTHERS. SHE IS HUMBLE EVEN THOUGH THERE IS A SENSE OF COMPETITION, SHE IS OKAY WITH WHAT SHE HAS AND WHAT SE GETS.
3) What conflict(s) exist within the text?
FOR ME IT WAS THAT IT ALL DEPENDS ON HOW YOU LOOK AT THINGS, O.K. HER BARBIE WAS A LITTLE BURNT, AND IT DIDN'T COME IN A BOX, BUT THAT DOESN'T CHANGE THE VALUE IT HAS FOR HER IN HER HEART. HER BARBIE IS (FOR HER) JUST AS PRETTY AS THE ONES IN THE STORE, IN THEIR PERFECT LITTLE BOX.
4) What is the narrator saying to you about her community or her world?
IT SEEMS THAT THEY ARE PEOPLE OF LITTLE WEALTH I GUESS YOU COULD SAY. THEY GOT THE BARBIES IN A FLEA MARKET, AND THE GIRL SPEAKING STATES "...BUT THATS ALL WE CAN AFFORD..." LETTING US KNOW THAT THIS IS IN THE PRESENT TENSE. AS FAR AS HER WORLD, THE REAL WORLD IS ONE IN WHICH A BARBIE IN A BOX IS MORE VALUBLE THAN A BURNT ONE. BUT IN HER WORLD, HER BARBIE IS JUST AS GOOD AS ANY OTHER BARBIE.
5) Is there a plot structure? If so, what is it?
I PERSONALLY DON'T THINK IT HAS A SPECIFIC PLOT STRUCTURE, DUE TO THE FACT THAT IT IS MOSTLY JUST DESCRIPTION.V
1)How does the listing of descriptive details affect your understanding of the narrator?
It’s so interesting how Sandra Cisneros uses all the details of her story referring to Barbie dolls. Those descriptive details explain a lot from her social standing to her personality, and much more just by using the description of the Barbie dolls. Probably she is 7 to 13 years old, around that age, she comes from poor or low middle class family.
2) What can you tell me about the narrator's personality?
The narrator’s personality seems to be a very happy girl, she seems to be grateful of what she haves and looks for the positive things and not the defects, perfect example was when she talked about the Francine Doll that had a burnt foot and that just with a big dress covering all it could be fixed.
3) What conflict(s) exist within the text?
Maybe one of the conflicts has to do with poverty; her family doesn’t have enough to buy all the Barbie dolls she likes although she so happy with the Barbie doll and grateful of what she has. Another conflict is how people are obsessed with perfection and if they see a little flaw they believe that everything is flawed and it doesn’t have any use for it the perfect example is selling the burnt dolls very cheap, not looking the positive things that it has like the narrator saw.
4) What is the narrator saying to you about her community or her world?
Maybe she sees a superficial world where everything is materialism and that everything that is flawed is thrown away and not seen as something of value in the inside.
5) Is there a plot structure? If so, what is it?
In terms of structure the story doesn’t have a conventional pattern, I find it being a bit confusing because I can’t tell the raising action from falling action, because I can’t identify the climax that easily.
José M. Delgado Díaz
1. The story shows us a little girl, living her life, very interested in playing with barbie dolls.
2. The girl doesn't seem to care if she has a new, old or damaged Barbie, she just wants one for her her own.
3. Maybe the conflict in the story is the lack of economic resources that the parents have that they cant buy the little girl barbie dolls, but the girl doesn't care about that, she just wants one.
4. Dealing with the fact that her parents can't buy her barbies due to their econimical situation, i can infer that the community is poor.
5. I really can't see any structure within the story because the little girl just keeps on with the description of the barbies
1)The way she describes every single thing about the barbies just let's us know how much she likes them. When she sees the barbies on sale on the street she get's really ecxited. Even if the barbies are a little damage.
2)Basicly she loves barbies, but I think she is a humble girl because she dosen't care about how the barbies look or smell as longest she has them she will be happy.
3)I think the conflict is about the incoming in her house. As she is telling the story she tells about having a few barbies and also about how much she wants to have those on sale damage dolls.
4)She seems to be from a poor place. That's because she is so conforming with the dolls. She seems to be very mature in that cituation.
5)I can't really determine if theres a plot because everything in the story is about the love she haves for the barbies.
1) The listing of descriptive details makes me realize that the narrator is in fact a little girl telling us about her favorite type of doll, or at least thats what the author wants us to think.
2) The narrators personality is used in the story as a connection between us and the little girl. With her personality shown in the story we can almost feel and connect to the joy and happiness these dolls bring to her. Other thing is that her personality let us know that besides her social condition, she is very happy with what she has.
3) The conflict shown in the story could be the economical and social problems that society is going through during the story telling.
4) The narrator gives some explanation and clues throught the story that leads us to believe that her comunity is poor as well as her own family.
5) By the way the story is told I can't find anyhing that could help me visualize the storie's plot
The listing of descriptive details makes this story more understandable because it gives us a wider look on what the narrator is trying to say. We can see thing the exact way the narrator wants us to see them. If those descriptive details weren’t given, every reader might imagine everything different.
The narrator’s personality is of a normal person who likes that the readers of her story’s can see every detail and aspect of the story. The only conflict that I think that is present in the story is that the girl want to buy her Barbie new stuff but her family doesn’t have money to buy her the things that she wants. Other conflict might be when she plays with the barbies and one wants what the other has.
I think that the narrators is telling us that now a day’s people don’t like to buy stuff that is damage or used and that’s why we have economic trouble. In this story is a plot structure that can be inferred because she’s guiding us all the way to the plot.
1) How does the listing of descriptive details affect your understanding of the narrator?
Thanks to the use of that many descriptive details, we get a better understanding of the point of view ,triying to be created by the
author of the story. And it help's us get more involve as well grow with the story so we get tangle on it.
2) What can you tell me about the narrator's personality?
We can see that the little girl is a humble, and well going person she, show's us that even do she wishe's for something meaning in the story the doll
She is still happy at the end with getting the doll that smells of smoke, and she even show's us that she is trap in a materialistic world when it is said by her: That she dosent care
if her doll is not perfect and smells of smoke eeven after a few times been washed , she is till just happy that she could get one.
3) What conflict(s) exist within the text?
There are two conflicts in the story : The external is what she feels people may say or think of her barbie because it's not perfect. The internal conflict is that she would've love to have more money so that she could own everysingle barbie out there so she dosent have to keep pretending with the invisible ken and enjoy more her childhood.
4) What is the narrator saying to you about her community or her world?
Is showing us the fact that people will never be happy with that they got, and that we must learn to be more appreciated of the things we get in life, and becasue you have something that some people may thing is out of date or ugly it dosent mean that it can be the best in world to you, just for the fact that is your's.
5) Is there a plot structure? If so, what is it?
In the way the story is structue is hard to define a plot structure.
1) How does the listing of descriptive details affect your understanding of the narrator?
By the listing of details you as a reader experience along the narrator the dressing of the Barbie, the walk down the street, the excitement of the finding box, all the way to the sense of the smoke smell.
2) What can you tell me about the narrator's personality?
It seems to be a joyful young girl, conscious of the economical status, a good sister, maybe an older sister, simple and familiar.
3) What conflict(s) exist within the text?
The sense that the girl’s family is struggling with the economical issue also the way the girl is trying to induce the idea of the Barbie condition is as good as new along nobody lift the dress.
4) What is the narrator saying to you about her community or her world?
The narrator is reflecting the prejudice of people, how people don’t treat with equality persons with disability, or some disadvantage. The girl lives in a community where your role in society marks you as the person you should be and don’t have a chance to change only to cover.
5) Is there a plot structure? If so, what is it?
The story doesn’t really have a structure plot. But whit the details and character you see the development of the story, the climax at the moment in the flea market, and the resolution by the statement of the dress will cover everything.
Vanessa Estrada Rodriguez- M10
1-The descriptions of the little girl make you understand her economy situation and how shecresponds to it. The way she narrates make you feel bad about her situation.
2-The narrator has a good actittudr towards life, the little girl is trying to work with what she has even tho she is very concerned about the new trends in the barbie world.
3-The girl wants more but she is stuck in a world with limitations.
4-The little girl allows us to see that what she has are practically leftovers pf something way bigger, but what she is trying to tell us is that it doesnt really matter where you come fron you are worth just as much as the others.
5- Yes, it have exposition,climax and resolution.
1) How does the listing of descriptive details affect your understanding of the narrator?
The list of descriptive details confused me a little bit, I sometimes thought that a small over energetic girl was talking to her best friend, and the next second I see the doll itself talking, about the shoes, the clothes, fashion… either way this writing style intrigued me to read more into the story to finally understand the poor child within the story.
2) What can you tell me about the narrator's personality?
A small , talkative , naïve but intelligent, sugar influenced, doll loving nonstop yapping little girl, with not much of money which gives her a small touch of humbleness (if that’s how its called… how else would she pick Barbie clothing from the trash XD)…
3) What conflict(s) exist within the text?
I seriously believe that her conflict is her inner struggle of actually convincing herself that her burnt up Barbie is actually a good one not just to herself but to the world around her.
4) What is the narrator saying to you about her community or her world?
That no matter how you dress, look, smell or appear in general you’re all an important contribution to our society and to our world no matter what.
5) Is there a plot structure? If so, what is it?
Umm no I don’t think so… and if there is im still a bit confused where the climax is pretty much located, as I said the story confused me a bit.
1)How does the listing of descriptive details affect your understanding of the narrator?
All these descriptive details make us “reader” understand and fell the real moment that the narrator is trying to tell us. By these details we can sense the author and get more of a felling toward what she sees.
2)What can you tell me about the narrator's personality?
This young girl personality shows us how conformant and how grateful she is. Even though she dint had much we could see her effort on having a lot of dolls no matter what… She only wanted only her doll.
3)What conflict(s) exist within the text?
The conflict is that no matter what or how society looks at her she is very please on what she have and is happy the way her doll are. No matter what status or where a person is from we can’t judge anybody because her situation.
4)What is the narrator saying to you about her community or her world?
The narrator is trying to say that her community is a separate and ignorant community because the way they see her, is only trough her shoulder and there are not really seeing the real situation this person is going trough and the struggle she has, but even thou all of this she overcome her problems and we can see her as an intelligent person managing her way through life.
5)Is there a plot structure? If so, what is it?
It is really difficult to see the plot structure because the narrator doesn’t give us many details for the setting or even the characters and this because she goes on with a lot of description of her doll, is not so clear…
Carlos M. Font
INGL-3104-MB5
Luis O. Mercado-
1) How does the listing of descriptive details affect your understanding of the narrator?
It gives a better understanding of where the narrator, a young girl, stands socially.
2) What can you tell me about the narrator's personality?
I believe she comes from lower to middle class family, based on her descriptions of her Barbie dolls, and her friend being from a family with higher resources.
3) What conflict(s) exist within the text?
The girl is trying to justify the limits (resources) her family has, that are reflected through her Barbie collection. She constantly compares her Barbie to that of a friend.
4) What is the narrator saying to you about her community or her world?
She lives in a very tight financial situation, or maybe her parents don't like to spend much money on toys for her, so they prefer to shop for them at the flea market.
5) Is there a plot structure? If so, what is it?
I believe there is no plot.
The way she describe the story help understand it better. From here we can tell the author give a lot of emphasis to the surrounding.
She is very graceful and considerate. Because even thought she wanted a barbie doll she didn't ask for a pricey one. She decide to pick the one that was a little burn.
That money doesn't bring happiness. And that good things doesn't always have to be new.
That it doesn't mater were you live what mater is how you use the things that life gives you.
If their is then is really hiding withing the story. But i could not fine it.
How does the listing of descriptive details affect your understanding of the narrator?The listing of descriptive details has the effect of keeping you imagining thing. Its like a movies that you are building scene by scene in your mind. this is very good to imagine the story but also the excess of details can sometime take you out of the action of the story, of what is happening.
What can you tell me about the narrator’s personality?
The narrator personality is very passionate, very enthusiasm. The way she its telling the story and describing it, it’s like she enjoy every word that is coming out of her mouth. also is very knowledgeable, she know all it has to be know about barbies.
What conflicts exist on the text?
The conflict of the text is that this two girls has two barbies and they want new ones with new dresses. also we can say the interest of this girls to material things or appearance. Another conflict can be the economic, that no matter if the toy where damage they were selling it.
What is the narrator saying about her community or her world?
that her world is ruled by appareance, especially when they are talking about dressing the Barbie with the long dress so no one will see her melted leg. That’s like a way of saying that this worl is trying to cover all those imperfection.
Is there a plot structure? If so, what is it?
I think that it has a plot structure. The development is found when she is describing the Barbie that she already has, the climax could be when she found out that there was a sale of damage barbies with her dresses and the decreasing action when she narrating how you can dress the barbies so you couldn’t see the damages that it had.
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