Shaylee Campbell

Journal 5: Cisneros, and Role Models

            The story I chose was The Earl of Tennessee on page 70, and 71. This story stands out to me because it is different. Everyone has that one weird neighbor, that doesn’t show their face that much, that you always wonder about. You always want to know their life but they stay hidden from the world, and come out at odd times during the day. The themes that are important in this story is that Earl likes to stay hidden and in the shadows. He likes to come out at night, and stay in his house all day. It kind of seems like he doesn’t like being around others that much. Language and writing is at its best when talking about the dogs Earl owns, “He has two little black dogs that go everywhere with him. They don’t walk like ordinary dogs, they leap and somersault like an apostrophe and comma.” I think that simile Cisneros uses is cool because you wouldn’t normally think of relating a dog to an apostrophe.

            A lady named Mrs. Sears who lived down the block from me. She was older like 75+ about 5’2, not fat, but definitely not skinny. She had big, curly, red hair, grandma glasses, and bright red cheeks. She had really bad knees that eventually got replaced. She smelled like cigarette butts and vodka with Coke. She also had two little yorkies, Muffy and Holly. My sisters and I adored Mrs. Sears and her dogs. We loved hanging out with her and walking her dogs. During the days of the week after school we would go to her house and play scrabble or watch the news with her, and sometimes make her dinner. She was like an adoptive grandma to us, and was closer to us than our actual grandparents. Mrs. Sears had a huge influence on our lives. She taught us how to play cards, and scrabble. She also taught us that being a widow had its ups and downs. She learned how to be independent and strong, but she also fought depression and drank to get away from life. She helped me see how much I love dogs. She made my behavior better in front of people. She taught me manners, and good study habits. She always bugged me to do my homework while I was over, so I could keep my grades up.