Beginning of Essay
In the autobiography by Esmeralda Santiago, there are many cultural differences. She feels alienated from the rest of the people in New York or the United States, for that matter. When Esmeralda was thirteen she moved to New York with her family from Puerto Ri ....

Middle of Essay
.... other person that most people related her to was Rita Moreno’s character in "West Side Story". Esmeralda hated this one even more. Moreno’s character was a Puerto Rican girl named Maria caught in the middle of a gang rivalry. Esmeralda thought they portrayed Maria as a whore because of the way she dressed and the way she acted towards men. Her peers and some teachers in school thought that way of her. Esmeralda knew that was not true because most Latin people she had met, including her closest friends, were never allowed to wear a skirt that was above the knee or even have a boyfriend. Towards the end of Junior High School one of ....