Oppressed and Hidden Capibility of the Skinny Ones

Sandra Cisneros uses the extended metaphor “Their strength is secret. They send ferocious roots beneath the ground. They grow up and they grow down and grab the earth between their hairy toes and bite the sky with violent teeth and never quit their anger. This is how they keep.” , in an excerpt from the short story “Four Skinny Trees” to compare herself to the 4 skinny trees in her front yard. This metaphor develops the theme of hidden capability, by demonstrating that although the trees and Esperanza both have “skinny necks and pointy elbows” they have “ferocious roots beneath the ground”. This is a metaphor for all of the strength they have. But they never are tall and strong in this story, so there capibality is hidden under the ground, beneath earth.   Sandra Cisneros chose to represent this theme because it is an issue among Esperanza, as told in a lot of Sandra Cisneros stories Esperanza has a lot of potential to be creative and outgoing and to fly free but she oppressed by the lack of opportunity. And all she can do is “grow down and grab the earth” and stay under the radar and hope and dream to become like a tall strong tree someday.