Question

why does Cisneros choose the word "bread" to describe her mother hair? what is suggested by these sensory details

Answer 1

When Cisneros describes the smell of her mother's hair as "the warm smell of bread before you bake it," she is showing the comfort she gets from her mother's hair.

The smell of baking bread is a comforting smell that reminds her of home. Bread is also nourishing. By comparing her mother's hair to baking bread, she is showing the reader how beautiful, comforting, and necessary she finds her mother.