Albeez 1

Nurayda Albeez

Ms. Thomas

American Literature

8 March 2022

My Only Daughter is not Only a Daughter

Years ago, I left my brothers behind in “Mexico City” for a better future here in Chicago. I

was able to get a good job as a mechanic and started looking for a good esposa. One woman out

of the many Mexican women in the area stood out to me because of her strong educational

background. I married her in the hopes that our children would be intelligent. This turned out to

be true, especially for my only daughter amongst six sons.

God gifted me two healthy sons in the first few years of my marriage, and I made several trips

back home to show off my two heirs as none of my brothers had even one. However, with my

third child, everything changed. I had a daughter who was the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen.

But she made me feel like a liar when I told people: “Tengo tres hijos.” (“I have three children”).

I wanted to give my daughter the world. But people told me she is only a daughter who is meant

for a husband. And I believed them.

Soon my brothers all had sons, and I was lacking. I went on to have another son and then

another. Every time my wife was expecting, my fear of having an additional daughter increased

to the point where my only daughter became only a daughter. After having six sons, I was

satisfied. When I said this to my wife, she asked me what other people began to ask me: “How

come you’re satisfied with six sons when you can have more?” Six just felt right, and I didn’t

know why. But now I know. The méxico inside me made me feel like six sons were enough to

make up for my only daughter.

 Albeez 2

Visiting Mexico with six sons and one daughter is very different from visiting Mexico with

two, three, four, or even five sons and one daughter. People respect you and honor you because

six sons of good health and physical stature are a unique logro (accomplishment) since they will

all carry your family name and support you as you age. None of my brothers had more than three

sons, so I no longer had a reason to show off my six sons. They brought me pride that I had

never experienced before. As I grabbed this pride and allowed it to take control of me, I let go of

my only daughter. I let go of her and didn’t notice until she was very far away.

When she was in fifth grade, my daughter came to me and told me about her plans for

college. I was very happy about her aspirations, but not for the right reasons. I wasn’t happy for

her; I was happy for me because it is easier to find good husbands for educated girls. That’s why

I didn’t mind that my only daughter majored in inglés, a degree that seemed useless to me at the

time. But when years passed and she still didn’t have a good husband, I started regretting my

decision to let her pursue a foreign language.

My sons went on to become doctores and ingenieros that received high salaries, worked in

skyscrapers, and wore suits to their offices; lived in big houses with pools, movie theaters, and

bathrooms attached to every bedroom; and went on luxurious vacations multiple times a year

with their wives. Their success showed how well I had fulfilled my responsibilities towards my

sons, but simultaneously shed light on how poorly I had fulfilled my responsibilities towards my

only daughter. My brothers wouldn’t leave a single moment to bring her up and highlight her

faults, which were also my faults. I would change the topic when people asked me: “What is

your daughter studying?” I would change the topic when people asked me: “What job does your

daughter have?” I couldn’t bring myself to say “inglés” and “es maestra” (“she is a

schoolteacher”). I thought that not talking about my daughter would stop people from asking
 Albeez 3

questions about her and make me feel less embarrassed of her and her profession, but it

worsened the situation.

For years, my daughter tried and failed to capture the attention and love I gave her brothers.

Every time I told people “tengo siete hijos” (“I have seven children”), she would tug on my

sleeve and say: “Seis hijos y una hija.” (“Six sons and one daughter”). I had convinced myself

that by saying “siete hijos”, I was preventing people from seeing my mistake and consequently,

seeing my only daughter as a mistake. But two years back, I had a stroke, which changed my

perspective completely.

When people came to visit me, they said I was “un hombre afortunado” (“a fortunate man”)

to have six sons that will take care of me. The reality was different. My only daughter stayed by

my side for months while my six sons only occasionally stopped by. During this time, I realized

that my daughter hadn’t tugged on my sleeve for years. I realized that my daughter and I hadn’t

had a good conversation in years. Most importantly, I realized that my daughter still cared for me

and loved me. And that I wasn’t deserving of her amor.

I was unsure how to finally mend my relationship with my daughter, so I didn’t. The

embarrassment I had been feeling for her turned into embarrassment for myself and distanced us

even more. Then one Christmas, she came to visit me and gave me the opportunity to read one of

her books. It was translated into Spanish and was about the colony and home I grew up in. This

book made me immensely proud of my only daughter because I could finally show people how

amazing she is and finally had a tangible reason to say “seis hijos y una hija”.

This memoir is a result of six English writing courses I took over the past year. I am writing

to surprise my only daughter with something she loves; to say things to her that I should have

said long ago; to convey emotions I don’t know how to express to her; and to promise her that
 Albeez 4

from now on, I will love her like I love her brothers and give her the attention she deserves.

However, I am not just writing to my daughter. I am also writing to the world and other fathers

like me to say that daughters are as important as sons and girls are as important as boys. If you

have a daughter, don’t think of her as only a daughter and not a son! It took me my entire life to

understand this and understanding it has made all the difference. Después de veintiocho años,

quiero darle el mundo a mi hija y el tiempo empieza ahora…

Annotation Key

● Italics: Spanish language

● Yellow: Dialogue

● Underline: Sentence structure

● Pink: “My only daughter” motif

 Albeez 5

Rationale

My piece is a response to Sandra Cisneros’ memoir My Only Daughter from her father’s

perspective. It emulates the style of Sandra Cisneros by utilizing three stylistic elements and one

structural element that she implements in her writing.

One stylistic element Cisneros employs is the Spanish language. I use this element to show

how Mexican culture influences the father and convey hidden messages. This can be seen when I

write, “But she made me feel like a liar when I told people: ‘Tengo tres hijos.’” By bringing up

the term “liar” with “hijos” in this context, I convey a message that only my Spanish speaking

audience will understand: Even though “hijos” can mean children, it can also mean sons, which

is how the father is using it to erase the existence of his daughter.

Another stylistic element Cisneros employs is dialogue, which can be seen when I write,

“...other people began to ask me: ‘How come you’re satisfied with six sons when you can have

more?’”. I use this element to not only develop the character of the father, but also to provide

insight on the people surrounding him and how they impact his thoughts and beliefs.

The last stylistic element of Cisneros that I use is sentence structure. Long sentences at the

start of my piece, such as “My sons [...] their wives”, are about the father’s sons while long

sentences at the end of my piece, such as “I am [...] she deserves”, are about the father’s

daughter. This shows how the father changes over time and begins appreciating his daughter.

The structural element Cisneros employs that I use is the “my only daughter” motif. One

example of this can be seen when I write, “The méxico inside me made me feel like six sons

were enough to make up for my only daughter.” The repetition of this phrase depicts how the

father’s daughter is viewed as insignificant in relation to his sons because she is perceived as

only a daughter.