Requiem

Ah, sunday. I feel as if my week has disapperaed as fast as light. The writing and thought for this paper coming due on this monday has taken its toll on me and also taken the time away from a thorough read and analysis of 'Requiem por un Campesino'. I had skimmed and read portions of the story and enjoyed it much. I like it in and of itself. I've heard people make a connection that Sender models this after Pilate (the facists), Pharisee (Millan), and Jesus (Paco). Maybe so, maybe not. Every writer needs inspiration.
But that and other blogs got me thinking about such things and what God in the Bible says. At one point Jesus is called "good". He asks why he should be called as such as only God is good. Again Paul an apostle writes to the Romans 'there is none righteous, no not one" So, that being said, what is the purpose of the Law. Obviously, humans cannot fulfill the law for at one point Jesus said that one must be more righteous than the Pharisees (being the most exacting to the Law) and we all know how Jesus scolded them harshly. The purpose of Moses' law then was to show humans that they cannot please God, and to foreshadow the coming of the messiah, the one who could/can/did please God. (Interesting that so many 'religions' including most of christianity give one instructions and formulas on how to please god - unfortunately it is the god of this world [momentarily] and not God.) Therefore, since no one can please Him (Hashem - to Jews) one must rely on the Annointed One to reconcile us to Him.
So inretrospect it isnt supprising that Millan has blood on his hands as it is in his nature not to be good. What Sender does nicely is call to account (though ultimately in vain) some of society during this time period, though my guess is that he selectively forgets to include the faults of the campesinos including Paco for his own purposes.
Just thoughts to fulfill the blog req. Hopefully it is not too disjointed.

Irritated

Second post for the week, but does the similarity between "Millás" and "Millán" bother anyone else, especially because we're reading these texts back to back?

I agree with Alisa about Millán doing everything automatically. When people just automatically do something they aren't putting their true heart into the activities they're doing and I do not believe it is morally right. When an act of worshiping God becomes automatic is not what is intended to happen and when it is automatic people are probably not paying attention to what they're doing. When someone is praying they should be speaking with God and not just say something because that's what they're supposed to do. It seems like sometimes people worship God so they can have a good afterlife, but they may feel obligated to do it. They look down on other people who do not live their lives the way they do. They believe that they are living their lives the way God wants them to live, but may not be completely "in tune" to what they're doing. Some people live their lives like a good person and have good morals but are told they are going to Hell. Sometimes people who do not give their lives to God live their lives helping people in need more than the people who live their lives just worshiping God. I'm not trying to say those people are living bad lives, I'm just saying sometimes they are too quick to judge.

Requiem por un Campesino

After this week's discussion on "Requiem por un Campesino", I really got a sense for how important the writing style of Sender is. The double meanings that he put into his texts are really interesting. I did not see these double meanings until we went over them in class, but they are evident in even the first few pages of the book. Although I do like the double meanings that he put into his writing, I agree with Monali when she said that Sender has a very narrow view of the rightists. It is so clear that he is on the leftist side and that is fine, but what did the rightists really go through? I don’t think their behalf was fully demonstrated in this novel. I wish he had included the corruption of both sides, so people reading the novel today could make their own interpretation on who is “right” in this political battle.

Réquiem por un campesino español

En la historia de réquiem por un campesino español podemos apreciar la historia de un típico muchacho de la época, quien llego a ser grande y fue sacrificado como un mártir por su creencia de lo que es justicia. El muchacho, Paco el del molino, creció cercano a la iglesia y era muy amigo del padre, Mosén Millán, persona al que el apreciaba mucho. Al crecer Paco se fue dando cuenta de la injusticia que le rodeaba; había muy poca gente rica dueña de todas las tierras y la mayoría de la gente era pobre y trabajaba en las tierras de los ricos. El se hizo líder de una organización quien estaba peleando por un cambio para la gente del pueblo, ellos exigían una división de tierras más justa para la gente pobre. Su pelea termino cuando fue entregado por un hombre quien lo vio crecer, un hombre quien fue confiado por la familia de el acerca de donde se encontraba; este hombre, Mosén Millán, dio la información del paradero de Paco y eso le causo la muerte a Paco.

I have started El mundo and I think I just may like it. It's a lot easier to understand than requirem. I don't have to try and figure out if this guy is having a flash back, and there don't seem to be any stories inside of stories. Also there are chapters so I can physc myself into feeling like I accomplished someting by finishing a chapter. I think chapters alos help in keeping me motivated to read it. I also think I like it becasue it is based off a real mans life and it's more like a memoir, which is pretty interesting!

Requiem and the role of memory

I thoroughly enjoyed reading “Réquiem por un campesino español” for a variety of reasons. When I first flipped through the pages, I was a little worried that there were no chapters because I thought it would be difficult to keep up with. However, the book truly read like a stream of consciousness, jumping from memory to memory similar to how we think.

In terms of how we think, I was very intrigued with how Sender explored the role of memory in the telling of this story. Sender tells much of the story through the memories of Mosén Millan, which gives us a biased and altered perception of the actually story. We cannot even be sure just how true these memories were because Mosén Millan would mentally block certain emotions or memories that brought a negative light towards himself. The fact is, this occurs everyday and with everyone. No one is above the limitations of our memories. While we may truly think and believe we have the true account of a past event, it is truly amazing how much that perception is skewed by our own feelings, expectations, and how we have been raised. We all see and feel different things when we look at a painting, which causes us to interpret it differently. In the same way, we view reality and events like a painting. Interpretations differ and I find that to be the root cause of so many conflicts among people. At the end of the story, Mosén Millan is confused as to why no one has attended the mass. To the reader, it is obvious why, but Millan is blind to his wrongful deeds. To him, he has done nothing wrong. Reading this book has made me introspectively look at myself and consider the factors that go into how I perceive reality. What shapes my memory? What shapes yours?

El Mundo vs Requiem

I completely agree with Will about El Mundo. It is amazingly easy to understand the meanings of sentences without having to constantly be looking up words. I usually spend hours throughout the week reading in order to finish in time, but El Mundo I will have finished much sooner. It is easier to read because of the language that Millan uses, and also it's easier to distinguish where things are taking place and to identify starting and stopping places of events and actions that are being placed.

I find this in high contrast to Requiem. In Requiem, I found it difficult to understand when things were starting and stopping and when the priest was in the present or when he was thinking about Paco. I really disliked this story just because it was hard to follow and I didnt feel captivated and like I was present in the story. This makes me glad that El Mundo seems like a second story I can enjoy reading without getting frustrated, because reading becomes so much easier and more enjoyable when you are there, in a story and understand the events going on without having to go back and be like wait is this happening now or did this already happen? Throughout the quarter, I've decided that books are like Michael Jackson for me, I either love them or I hate them.

Found in Translation

Throughout the entire quarter, there's always been some issue with my intial understanding of the texts. With El sí de las niñas, there was the constant stop and start of the dialogue, and the "wait, who is saying this again?" when more than two people were in the room. With El estudiante de Salamanca, there was the language that made the understanding of every single word necessary to see the picture that the author was painting. And don't even get me started on the colloquial word usage of Cuentos.... While sitting down to read El Mundo, I'm finding that I read a whole page, and I'm SHOCKED I understood it all. Millás seems to have this simplicity of writing that makes it so easy to read... it's almost conversational. I'm having a lot of "a ha!" moments in Millás's text... moreso than with any of the other authors.

When I think back to my English classes from over the years, texts written in the 18th and 19th centuries were harder to read. I can remember trudging through Jane Eyre (my summer reading book for freshman year of high school) at 11:35 PM the night before school started, incredibly frustrated at Brontë's writing. I also remember reading The Count of Monte Cristo, and while enjoying it, finding it very difficult to swallow. While some of these texts are important if we are to gain understanding of the periods and epochs throughout literature, I wonder if while students are beginning to learn to read Spanish (in 450, for example) if it would be more useful to use current texts rather than older texts which may have antiquated words or sentence structures.

I'm definitely enjoying El Mundo, but I'm not sure if it's because of the story, or the fact that I'm not making wordreference.com my best friend for the evening!

Mosén Millán

Mosén Millán is a very interesting character. He is a priest, and therefore does all of his required duties, but he does it automatically. I understand if a priest memorizes the prayers, but I believe that a person should be thinking about what they are saying and applying to their life. When people do something automatically, they do not receive any pleasure from doing so, because they are not paying attention. As a clergy member, Mosén Millán should have been showing an example of how to pray correctly and pay attention to life instead of being in automatic mode. It is Mosén Millán’s job to give the last rights, and when in the caves with Paco, he gave the rights automatically because he knew that is what he was needed for. Paco asked him questions about the suffering of the poor who lived in the caves, but Mosén Millán didn’t reply and did not explain. In the church, it is taught to help others, especially those less fortunate. Unfortunately, it seems like Mosén Millán was worried about himself and his living rather than helping out those that needed him most. When Mosén Millán was giving Paco his last rights, he was doing it automatically. Maybe he wanted to numb the pain of losing Paco and therefore was not paying attention, or maybe he really thought that Paco should die. Then while remembering Paco a year later at Paco’s requiem, he selectively remembers the past. He probably does not put guilt on himself even though he is the reason that Paco was revealed and later killed. Instead of keeping Paco hidden from the Nationalists, he gave Paco up on a silver platter. In the back of his mind, Mosén Millán must have known that Paco would be killed even though he asked them not to. Paco had done so many things against the Nationalists that they could not afford to have him rebel again. Again, Mosén Millán was worried about his livelihood and he wanted to stay in the good favors of the Nationalists despite the deaths of other residents in his parish.

Requiem...

I really enjoyed reading Reqieum. I was pleasantly surprised with how it kept my attention without being divided into chapters or sections. I feel that Sender has so much to say in this story and through each of the characters that are presented. What really interested me was how Paco became so interested, and also deeply shaken, by the idea that there were people like those living in the cuevas that had no money and very poor means of living. For such a young boy simply tagging along with a priest, he seemed to consider the plight of not only the couple that he witnessed, but also all of the poor in his community, with great thought. He seemed truly interested in finding ways to help them, and truly bothered that no one had done so already. I think today's society would have a lot to learn from Paco's attitude. I hate to say it but I fear that too many young children of around Paco's age would have no concept of helping others nor such a profound understanding of their surrounding as Paco demonstrated. A little compassion can co a long way. And, even if children didn't or couldn't do anything to help, it would be at great start if they at least noticed the situations of other people and thought beyond their own lives to see the bigger picture of the world.

The use of flashbacks

This week, with our discussion focusing mainly on “Réquiem por un campesino español,” I was mainly intrigued by the particular style of writing used for this story. The use of flashbacks is an especially interesting way to tell this story. As we discussed in class, Mosén Millán remembered the story in a way that did not portray himself in such a negative light. However, I think the use of flashbacks affected the story in many other ways. For me, I think the biggest impact of the use of flashbacks was that the reader could see what was going to in the life of Mosén at the present time. Therefore, I did not initially think he was a bad person. In fact, as I began reading the story, I almost believed he was going to be a “good guy” in this story. I thought he was concerned for Paco´s sake that people came to his funeral. The amount of time he spent thinking about and recapping the events of Paco´s life made it seem as though he genuinely cared about him. Overall, I almost think that without the use of flashbacks, I (and probably most readers) would have thought of Mosén a lot more negatively.

Requiem

This is a very specific topic but I thought it was too interesting to pass up. Being pre-education and studying sociology, I have learned a lot about children and social issues (and a combination of the two). I thought the scene after Paco visited the caves with Mosen Millan was really interesting and relevant. Paco just can't keep quiet about the extreme poverty he had just witnessed and his father says, "That is the last time you go to give Last Rites with Mosen Millan." My initial question was, why? Why don't parents want to expose their children social issues like poverty? I can understand both arguments but it still got me thinking. That dinner scene reminded me of the classic familial situation where an awkward topic is brought up and a parent goes, "Discussion over" but doesn't explain why. Paco had such a lively and generous spirit and I think a major underlying conflict of Requiem is others (Mosen Millan and his parents, for example) trying to suppress that spirit. Like I said, this is a random observation but I guess it proves the relevance to modern-day and realistic (i.e. believable) feel of Requiem.

The Little Hero

I read Requiem por un campesino espanol in my 450 class and although I didn't remember exactly what the story was about or what happened, I remembered the character Paco. I was looking through my notes from 450 today and I have written down that Paco is looked at as a hero. Paco lived in a time where poverty was so common, but also very looked down upon. The people who lived in the caves that Mosen Millan visits are oppressed with poverty and sickness. They are secluded from the town and have formed somewhat of their own society, because they are not accepted to live with others. Paco is the one character in the story who questions this "normality." Paco's childish wonder and innocence make it believable to the reader that he would have such an interest in the people who live in the caves and why he would question them being so excluded from society. Paco i snot an extraordinary person, he is normal in every sense. But the thing that makes his character stand out is his willingness to help and his big heart. Paco's representation as a hero in the story inspires the reader, I think, to evaluate their life; to look at their blessings and the misfortunes of others and wonder "What can I do to help?"

Paco/Jesus figure in Requiem

One of the most interesting aspects of Requiem por un campesino espanol is the allegorical meaning behind the novel; that is, linking Paco to Jesus Christ. Like Jesus, Paco is a leader and helper of the poor or the working class and is dedicated to his cause; so dedicated, in fact, that also like Jesus, he dies for it. Paco is portrayed as a hero and martyr and is clearly, like we discussed in class, a “good” character; therefore, it seems to me that Sender is at least showing that Jesus is also “good.” I think this is particularly intriguing considering how Sender paints religion and the church through the character of Mosen Millan - a corrupted, stubborn institution that blindly follows the word of God despite the chaos and destruction occurring in reality (for example, when Paco is about to be murdered and instead of saving his life, Mosen Millan assures him that the Lord will save him and the only thing he can do is look to God). It makes me wonder what Sender is attempting to say about religion and spirituality; is he looking down upon the establishment while praising the actual spiritual figures? If anyone else has any thoughts, feel free to share.

la iglesia

What is it about the church (por lo menos la iglesia católica)? It always seems conflicted, if not self-admittedly, its actions seem to contradict the practices it preaches. We definitely see this in Réquiem in the character Mosén Millán. The interesting thing is, many of us had a hard time deciding whether MM is definitively uno de los buenos o uno de los malos, which I think is true about the church as a whole. The church can do a lot of good for a lot of people, but it can also do a lot of bad (and often times get away with it). I think MM is a fine example of a man who is comfortable in his position because the alliance between the church and the state protects him. Unlike Paco, MM is not a martyr in any sense. MM does not take risks and ignores answering any inquiries that might question the church's legitimacy (Why do bad things happen to good people?). The sad thing is that the Spanish civil war is not the first time that the church is hypocritical. Another example that has always bothered me a lot was the Spanish conquest of the Americas, that was in part, or so they "say", with the purpose of bringing Catholicism to all of the barbaric indigenous peoples of the Americas. Of course, the real goal was to build an empire, but what better way to justify ones actions than by claiming that you are saving the souls oh the inhabitants of the land by forcing them to covert to Catholicism. I'm not trying to say that Catholicism is bad, I am simply noting instances in which the church goes against the word that it preaches. After all, we are all just humans.

Los Manos de las Cuevas

Wow! After reading all of these posts I was so inspired on what everyone wrote that I felt dumfounded on what to write myself. But there is one thing about Requiem por el campesino, that keeps nagging me. To the left is a photo I found that represents the poor indigenous men and women that lived in the caves, just as Paco saw as a young child, and it is a part of their artwork. This picture to me fits the scene in the book perfectly, like they are all reaching out gently saying, "Don't forget me! I promise to work hard! I just need some help, Priest please have compassion, God would have compassion..." How could anyone with a heart not of stone not want to help? To me I cannot understand Mosen Millan. Since he is a priest, a follower of God, should he don't radiate the compassion of God in day to day life, yet he goes about doing his "job" without any emotion. His mechanical life, shows how is dedication to man, the nationalists party, has made him forget his relationships with other people for whom he cares (or cared), with God, and with the church. It is horrifying to see how a political party can consume a human life. Obviously life was different during '98, however, What consumes us today? For me, this all relates back to our day to day lives: Do we lack compassion because we get so vortexed into our day to day routine that we miss the hands on the wall? Has the arms race of politics caused us to forget WHAT is good and bad, and not WHO is good a bad?

History's Relevance to the Novel

I found it very interesting that we just finished reading poems from the "Generación del 98" era, where it was common to write about politics, but I felt that the poems we read didn't discuss the government very much. It seemed more common to use imagery and comparisons to transport the reader to a different time and/or place, thus possibly causing them to forget about the current state of the world in terms of politics. However, in Réquiem por un Campesino Español, the politics and state of the government are what drive the whole story. It is interesting because when this novel was written, the same events were happening in Spain, during their civil war, which seems like more of a naturalist perspective for writing. Either way, I found the story very intriguing, regardless of the fact that I had read it before for another Spanish class. Even though we only see one side of the story, that of the peasants, I love the way Sender's writing transports the reader into the scene, keeping us interested in what is going to happen next, especially with the flashbacks, and also the ease with which the reader feels for the main character and his untimely death.

-Emily Brown

Requiem

Voy a hablar sobre los campesinos y el pueblo. Una persona muy importante en esta clase es Paco el del Molino, una persona que quiere cambiar equilibrio de poderes en su sociedad. Quiere la capacidad y derechos para la clase baja: " En la elección en la aldea…El muchacho (Paco) fue elegido…en Madrid suprimieron los viene de señorío, de origen medioeval…el duque alegaba que sus montes no entraban en aquella clasificación…por iniciativa de Paco, no pagar mientras los tribunales decidían" (p.90). Los ricos no le gustan los cambios y vieron a Paco como una amenaza a las maneras tradicionales de la sociedad española.: " Estamos limpiando el pueblo, y el que no esta con nosotros esta en contra" (p. 106). Paco tiene el poder de controlar y perturbar el equilibrio de las clases sociales. También tiene la capacidad de destruir, un ejemplo es su revólver. Desafortunadamente, él no tiene el poder de riqueza. Sin dinero, su poder de voz es callado. Es necesario para tener tanto el dinero y el control para afirmar poder.

Sender

I am surprised that Sender’s Requiem por un campesino español has such a black and white picture of the events that took place during the struggle between Nationalists and Republicans. I think he demonstrates very well how much the farmers and leftists struggled during this time. However, I feel he has a very narrow view of the situation. I think the story could’ve been made more complicated and more reflective of the time period if he had chosen to include a more sympathetic view of the right-wing government as well. I am sure that not all of the attacks were against the Republicans. They probably answered just as severely and violently against the Nationalists. I think that the story may have been a more respectable representation of the actual tension if he had chosen to tell both sides of the story. It definitely would have been possible for Sender to show the Nationalist’s struggles while still demonstrating his opinion in favor of the leftists.

Requiem

This week I wanted to reflect on Requiem por un campesino espanol. What hit me in class the other day was the fact that the story is being told by Mosen Millan, not Paco. Obviously I realized this when I read the book, but at first I did not recognize how this could introduce bias/a limited perspective, or a different story. It just reinforced the fact that one really must question everything, not only in this book and how Mosen Millan remembers Pacos’ story, but in different aspects of life. Last quarter in one of my classes, my friend and I noticed that one of my professors had multiple mistakes and contradictions in her lectures. If we hadn’t questioned it and taken the effort to dig a little deeper into the information, we would just be blindly agreeing with everything we were told. As a pre-med student, I relate this to medicine as well. It’s becoming increasingly popular to practice “evidence-based medicine;” or practices that have been proved through research, as opposed to doing things just because “that’s the way they’ve always been done.” This relates to Millan as well, who as we have seen, is afraid to contradict the higher powers because of tradition, and he just always repeats the same prayers because it’s what he’s used to and what he has always done. I think it is important as we discuss the book that everyone has a different perspective, and the one that Paco really had could have been misrepresented in this story.

Week 8 Post

I have started reading El Mundo, and so far it is very interesting and a somewhat easier read than what we have read thus far. This autobiography of Juan Jose Millas' life is one that is very detailed and personal. From what I have read so far, Millas had a very difficult childhood. His family did not have a lot of money and this was the cause of many of his difficulties. For example, he spends a lot of time describing the cold that he had to suffer through. What I like about this book is the perspective of who is telling the story. This relates to our discussion in class today about how Requiem por un campesino espanol is a story within a story. It is being retold through the eyes of the preist and therefore contains the selected information that he wants to include. In contrast, this story allows the reader to connect directly with the author because it is his own memory about his life. Again, Millas choses what to remember and include about his life, but I think that the things he includes are the things that had the biggest impact on him. I think this is a great choice for our final book because it allows us to read an autobiography and experience a whole new form of writing.

Movie, Requiem...

Did you know there is a Requiem por un campesino movie!!!!???? and Antonio Banderas is in it, so young and handsome!!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rIQw_mRHsFo

Semana8Blog

Una de las cosas que a mi mas me gustan de Requiem por un campesino espanol es que desde muy temprana edad, Paco el del Molino demostro compasion y una genuino interes por el servicio y justicia hacia los demas, especialmente a aquellas personas pobres y en necesidad como las de las cuevas.

Algo que tambien es muy curioso...Mosen Millan representa la Iglesia y la Iglesia apoya la milicia y el bando de los Nacionales. Sin embargo, Paco representa a los Republicanos pero es Mosen Millan quiem aprecia muchisimo y apoya a Paco el del Molino a pesar de que al final lo "delata".

Es una novela triste pero basicamente cuenta algo que muy posible en esa epoca y eso es exactamente lo que el autor quiere comunicar tambien, porque el quiere mostrarnos como eran las cosas durante la Guerra Civil.

La clase baja

En Réquiem, un clase que el escritor habla sobre es la clase social baja: los campesinos y el pueblo. Una persona muy importante en esta clase es Paco el del Molino, una persona que quiere cambiar equilibrio de poderes en su sociedad. Quiere la capacidad y derechos para la clase baja: " En la elección en la aldea…El muchacho (Paco) fue elegido…en Madrid suprimieron los viene de señorío, de origen medioeval…el duque alegaba que sus montes no entraban en aquella clasificación…por iniciativa de Paco, no pagar mientras los tribunales decidían." Los ricos no le gustan los cambios y vieron a Paco como una amenaza a las maneras tradicionales de la sociedad española.: " Estamos limpiando el pueblo, y el que no esta con nosotros esta en contra." Paco tiene el poder de controlar y perturbar el equilibrio de las clases sociales. También tiene la capacidad de destruir, un ejemplo es su revólver. Desafortunadamente, él no tiene el poder de riqueza. Sin dinero, su poder de voz es callado. Es necesario para tener tanto el dinero y el control para afirmar poder.

algunas observaciones

Just finished Réquiem por un campesino español , and found the reading to be quite entertaining! Not the kind of funny, care-free entertainment that I look for when I am trying to relax and forget about school for a little while (obviously), but I actually enjoyed reading this book. I was a little nervous on Wednesday when RH asked if anyone had read the book before and the students that had mostly responded that it was "ok". Which is fine of course, but what I enjoyed most about the book was that I was able to make observations while I was reading. Perhaps because I did have too many problems with comprehension. Being able to know what is going on in the text is helpful, and I felt for one of the first times able to analyze a text in Spanish while reading it. I was able to make connections within the text, recognizing certain themes and ideas that might be useful for writing the next paper. I would like to list some of my observations! : the use of animals in the text (especially in comparison to humans), the three enemigos (Cástulo Pérez = neither amigo ni enemigo) of Paco, what each represents, how they are different, what role do they play in Paco's asesino...the role of religion and god, la vida de los campesinos, las campanas, the role of music (el romance, los cantos de los campesinos)...just a few topics that would be interesting to analyze within the text!

Meanings

Most of the time poems seem the same, like they have the same meaning/theme, a lot of times about love. I think it was interesting how there were two different types of poets following the War of 1898: modernism and generation of '98. These artists had the same idea about writing about what they believed was going on, or their reactions to the events.

Writing is a good way for people to get their emotions out without anything turning violent. When someone is having a hard time sometimes it's just easier to write it down and get it out of their systems, some write songs, some write poetry, some just write letters. I believe these people writing the poetry helped calm the events and helped people cope with what was going on.

Machado y Sender

Hola todos. Me gustan muchos los poemas y el cuento para esta semana. En cuanto a Machado hay muchas palabras nuevas y me encanta sus descripciones vividas, y su uso y elección de vocabulario. Cuando leo sus obras, veo y siento la acción como si estuviera allí. Son palabas muy vivido y me muestra una descripción que puedo entender fácilmente. Las descripciones del campo de Castilla inspiran dentro de mí un deseo para correr a través de las colinas de España.
Me gusta el cuento “réquiem por un campesino Español”, específicamente el estilo sencillo y natural y el cambio en que Sender nos relata los eventos. El cuento, en el presente del relato solamente pasa en tiempo muy corto mientras que Millán ‘flashes back’ a la vida de Paco. También, se puede mirar el desarrollo de él y ver la sangre en las manos aparece. Un buen leer, este cuento es.

Bad people vs. good people

After out discussion of the poems we read in class, I couldn't stop thinking about the images in “He andado muchos caminos” of the good people and the bad people. While I know in this time, the writers were more focused on images and did not want the focus to be on political/ or real life connotations, I cannot help applying this to life today. As much as we sit there and think badly about the “bad people” who just ignore the people who are sad and suffering, who judge others and think they know better, the parallels to American society are somewhat uncanny. Millions of people are suffering everyday in the Sudan, Gaza, and all over the world, yet we as Americans turn a blind eye. We think that because we are fortunate enough to live in a society where violence and suffering on this scale don’t exist that we know better for developing this “perfect” democracy. In reading this, I imagine most people, like I did, sort of sided with the “good people,” automatically relating them with ourselves. However it almost made me sad thinking of how different from this description I am. We get so caught up in work and school and things that seem so important that we don’t always take time to play and dance. Not only do we know what it is to hurry, most of the time it defines out lives. While I know this might be a little heavy for a 150 word blog entry, this poem had the greatest effect on me and has given me a lot to think about.

Sunset

Our discussion in class of Soledades really made me think of a specific moment of the summer I spent in Toledo, Spain. There was really no way to explain this in class without sounding ridiculous or "oh, look at me, I studied abroad"... so I figured I'd post about it this week, with hopefully some more explanation.

There were a few rooms in the residence I stayed in that overlooked the city. Not anything extravagant, of course, but you could see a lot of the buildings from the bedrooms, and from the bathrooms, the cathedral. You could hear the bells from the cathedral in most of the rooms, but at sunset, for some reason, they were incredibly resonant.

There was one night that I leaned on the windowsill and watched the sun set over the city, and watched the city silhouettes fade to black. This is the feeling I got from Soledades. The feeling is ethereal... you almost want to grab it in your hands before it escapes... like sand falling through your fingers.

Machado's poem still resonates with readers today... even if not in the original context.

I wonder what other modern literature will still be relevant/poignant a century from now (2110, for anyone playing along at home)?

Método Socrático

Me gusta mucho los poemas de Machado con una excepción: El efímera mañana, que era bien difícil entender. Usualmente no me encanta la poesía, porque muchas de mis experiencias son en la sala de clase. Y como en cualquier clase de literatura, tenemos que mirar bajo el exterior y buscar interpretaciones en las sombras de las palabras. Además, por lo general (de nuevo en las experiencias mías) los instructores o profesores nos dijeron LA interpretación del poema. Gracias a Dios que Ud. no hizo como así.

Me encanta la manera en que nos presentó los poemas. Leímos todos y después habíamos examinado el contexto histórico y la significa con respeto al tiempo dentro España, nos preguntó que pensamos. Era como el método socrático. Esta me dio la habilidad de pensar para si mismo.

Adicionalmente, llegaremos muy pronto al tiempo que me gusta más que otros, el siglo XX. Durante el siglo XX era muchos eventos como, la Guerra Civil, Primera y Segunda Guerra Mundial, el régimen de Franco, entre otros, que han moldeado España como la nación que existe hoy. No puedo esperar!

Jeff

In mondays class we went over why cuba became such an inters to the U.S. and how the spanish American war such a big deal for spain. i found it very interesting that the spanish-American war inspired poets in the way it did. I was interesting to hear and even think about how losing a war made people redifine theirselves and their country. I liked the idea of looking to the center of ones country to define who they were as a people instead of looking to the world outside to find who they were as a people. I think it gave them more a definition of who they were and it showed in their poems. my favorit one is the one wher they talk of loneliness. It is sad but it is powerful, and defining.

In mondays class we went over why cuba became such an inters to the U.S. and how the spanish American war such a big deal for spain. i found it very interesting that the spanish-American war inspired poets in the way it did. I was interesting to hear and even think about how losing a war made people redifine theirselves and their country. I liked the idea of looking to the center of ones country to define who they were as a people instead of looking to the world outside to find who they were as a people. I think it gave them more a definition of who they were and it showed in their poems. my favorit one is the one wher they talk of loneliness. It is sad but it is powerful, and defining.

Los Poemas de Machado

When we read the Proverbios y Cantares, number seven really spoke to me. In class we discussed that this short poem is not necessarily negative, but even has a positive message embedded. Every person is an individual and should create a path that they personally walk along. There is no road, unless you make it. And life is what you make of it, so we must take the path that we this is right for us. I definitely feel like this poem has a counterpart in Robert Frosts, “The Road Not Taken” that Erinne wrote about earlier. For me, I have been having a very hard time deciding what to do with my life after college. The never ending question of ‘who do you want to be when you grow up?’ nags at me everyday because I cannot decide. I know that there are many paths I can take, and once I decide on one, the other paths will end. I also know that ending a path is scary, but picking one and sticking to it is a lifelong exciting adventure as well. This poem is very inspirational and even though I compare it to my decisions of a career path, Machado uses it to inspire others to never give up. Times are rough, life has its ups and down, but every person, every country, has a chance to change and succeed and hope for a better future to come. Frequently, Dr. Seuss just puts it all into perspective, especially with this excerpt from All the places you’ll go! :)

"You’ll look up and down streets. Look’em over with care. About some you will say, “I don’t choose to go there.” With your head full of brains and your shoes full of feet, you’re too smart to go down a not-so-good street.

And you may not find any you’ll want to go down. In that case, of course, you’ll head straight out of town. It’s opener there in the wide open air.

Out there things can happen and frequently do to people as brainy and footsy as you.

And when things start to happen, don’t worry. Don’t stew. Just go right along. You’ll start happening too.

…

You’ll get mixed up, of course, as you already know. You’ll get mixed up with many strange birds as you go. So be sure when you step. Step with care and great tact and remember that Life’s a Great Balancing Act. Just never forget to be dexterous and deft. And never mix up your right foot with your left.

And will you succeed?
Yes! You will, indeed!
(98 and ¾ percent guaranteed.)

Machado's poetic imagery

I was surprised at how interested I was in the poems we discussed in class by Antonio Machado. I tend to avoid poetry mostly because I have difficulty understanding it, but after discussing the poems in class I wanted to read other poems by Machado. Specifically, I enjoyed the style of “Modernismo” because of how it conjured very different, strange, but enjoyable imagery in my mind. In the past year or so I have made a conscious effort to appreciate the beauty we take for granted in every day life, like looking at how the snow sits on top of tree branches in the oval. I feel like these poems aim to do the same thing, to different degrees of course, and that is why I feel an affinity towards them.

One poem I found that I especially enjoyed was “La Noria” (The waterwheel) in Soledades, galerías y otros poemas. While reading this poem, I could literally picture and hear water being elevated in a waterwheel and the sound of it trickling into the body of water below. The imagery relaxed me, just like the mule in the poem that sleeps to the beat of the water.

I also found another poem in the same collection where he makes use of the waterwheel. In “Mí corazón se ha dormido”, Machado uses the waterwheel as a metaphor to describe how his thoughts function. He questions whether his thoughts and heart are vacant, like a waterwheel which stops spinning because there is no water. This imagery I find to be beautiful, and I can really appreciate the careful choice of words that Machado uses. I hope to continue reading more of Machado’s poems.

La Noria

La tarde caía
triste y polvorienta.
El agua cantaba
su copla plebeya
en los cangilones
de la noria lenta.
Soñaba la mula,
¡pobre mula vieja!,
al compás de la sombra
que en el agua suena.
La tarde caía
triste y polvorienta.
Yo no sé qué noble,
divino poeta,
unió a la amargura
de la eterna rueda
la dulce armonía
del agua que sueña,
y vendó tus ojos,
¡pobre mula vieja!...
Mas sé que fue un noble,
divino poeta,
corazón maduro
de sombra y de ciencia.

Mí corazón se ha dormido?

¿Mí corazón se ha dormido?
Colmenares de mis sueños,
¿ya no labráis? ¿Está seca
la noria del pensamiento,
los cangilones vacíos,
girando, de sombra llenos?
No; mi corazón no duerme.
Está despierto, despierto.
Ni duerme ni sueña; mira,
los claros ojos abiertos,
señas lejanas y escucha
a orillas del gran silencio.

Machado

Las poemas del ‘Generacion del 98’ tenían ideas importantes sobre un renovación de la manera de pensando social y político. Después leíamos la poema He andado muchos caminos por Machado, el concepto de ‘paisaje’ era mas claro para mi. En este poema, Machado muestra claramente el pasado histórico y la realidad y sentido actual de la gente. Me gusta como el dibujo la vida y las cosas que ha visto y ha sentido. El describe como ha visto muchos lugares y ha tenido muchas experiencias, pero las cosas simples son más importantes. También, como Machado lo escribió del punto de visto de la gente común era muy interesante. Pienso que es porque la vida más sencilla y la vida no se da por sentado es la forma en que es mucho más apreciado. La manera en que Machado se escribió su obra fue la realidad de existencia o lo que el sabe y muchas personas aun hasta hoy, podrían relacionar con esto.

Generacion del 98... again?!

I've read poetry from this era for another Spanish class before, and I don't remember being too enthusiastic about it. However, when I read our assigned poems for this week, I wondered to myself why I didn't like it before. The images that these poems paint in the mind when one reads them are very strange and different, but beautiful at the same time. And I thought it was interesting that I didn't really see the beauty in the first poem from Soledades until we discussed it in class and Professor Haidt talked about how much she loved it. And the fact that it has the ability to transport the reader to another time and place in the past with a few simple words is so powerful. I also find it very interesting, and it adds a sense of mystery, that there is a random voice in the poem that speaks out about the bells and describes the afternoon as having gone to sleep and "dreaming" now that it is nighttime. I like this because most people don't think about the course of the day like this, they just go about their business and the day passes along as they do this. Night fades into morning and morning into afternoon and so on, and most don't really see these inanimate objects as having feelings or committing actions like humans. But that is what makes this poem so beautiful, because night and day are inanimate, however there is so much animation that takes place during them that it is hardly believable.

-Emily Brown

Machado

I'm so excited to be reading poetry for class! I've always found poetry to be so fascinating because of the ability to say so much in fewer words than almost any other form of writing. I love that a few stanzas of a great poem can take you to another place, can transport you into the mind of another human being for just a second. For me, poetry has always been my favorite means of expressing myself. Somehow, laying in bed at night thinking about whatever happens to be on my mind, poems will suddenly come to me and there's no easy to to describe it. I tend to be very wordy, and I love to write and be descriptive and just go on and on about a topic that matters to me. But, with my poetry, it seems like I can  say the same things, if not more, in fewer words. I love to anaylze poems and think of the many different many that each word could have for the author and for the reader. Reading Machado has been no different. I have thoroughly enjoyed his poetry and it's wonderful to have the chance to experience my favorite genre in another language, which although I'm biased, I believe makes it all the more beautiful!

Machado

During class this week, I have found the history very interesting and the effect it had on the literature of the time. I think it is interesting that many artists wanted to write about more beauty and the good things around them other than writing about the current situation and Spain and their loss to America. When reading the first poem, De Soledades (1903), it is supposed to distract the reader from the current situation but when I was personally reading it, I only was thinking about the situation in Spain. The poem has many words and images of sadness and dreaming, lagrimas, infertil, fantasmas, suenan, and for me, it really did not take me to another place. I found that the El manana efimero was nice because it showed the hope for change that Machado has for the future of Spain. In the time when Spain was very down and, as I believe, lost a piece of what it was, it is important that Spain try to regain the spirit of what it has always been and regain its pride. Lastly, I like the proverbios y cantares number 7 because it is still very useful in today's world. I love the idea of a person taking their own path and saying that life is what you make of it. Machado's poetry is beautiful, and I like how it is easy to understand. Many poets write so abstract that is difficult to understand what they are trying to get accross. Machado uses descriptions and words in a way that is difficult yet understandable so that his view comes accross more clearly for his readers.

Soledades, galerias y otros poemas

This was one of my favorite Machado poems from the packet. The message was very simple and transcends time. For those classic rock fans out there, “Simple Man” by Lynyrd Skynyrd:

---
Take your time... Don't live too fast,
Troubles will come and they will pass.
…
Forget your lust for the rich man's gold,
All that you need is in your soul.
---

I thought that those lines fit perfectly with what Machado was trying to say about the important things in life; basically, a combination of diligence and lightheartedness.

I also personally related to the poem. “No conocen la prisa.” How amazing would it be to not even recognize the idea of hurrying? Our lives would be so different. Maybe not as efficient but we would have so much more time to work on our relationships and ourselves. I think it's amazing how Machado described something so relevant to our lives. It's almost like he knew how society would continue to get more and more fast-paced and materialistic. His poem was like a reminder for me; to stop and ask myself what's really important - working as many hours/attending as many meetings as I possibly can or taking a break to call my mom for no reason at all. Thanks Machado!

Machado / He andado muchos caminos

By far, the Antonio Machado poems we read for class have up to this point been the most enjoyable texts I’ve encountered in the texts. Although I can’t say that poetry is typically my favorite type of literature, I can appreciate it especially after interpretation and analyzation of the lines. Out of all of the poems, something about “He andado muchos caminos” really struck me. In terms of the sound of the lines, I was most impressed with the second stanza. This may have to do with the repetition of the “s” sound and the way the final words of each line worked together; they don’t completely rhyme but at least they have similar sounds. But as far as meaning, I especially liked the last couple of stanzas. The poet is clearly valuing the lives of the hard workers, who get through life the best they can with what they have and don’t rush through their days, instead taking the time to enjoy the things they can before they end up under the ground. On a personal level, this is a sentiment I try to bring into my own life, which is most likely why I appreciated this poem so much. I hope in the future to read some more of Machado’s work.

El abuso contra las mujeres

En las medias rojas y en silencio Emilia Pardo Bazán nos quiere apuntar el abuso contra las mujeres que era evidente durante la época. En la historia de las medias rojas la protagonista es golpeada por su padre con tal extremo que le lastimo un ojo y la dejo tuerta de él. En silencio llevo las cosas a otro extremo, ya que el marido mata a su esposa a causa de celos. En ambas de las historias los hombres no son castigados por la ley a pesar que en las medias rojas la protagonista acude a un medico que no dice nada acerca de su golpiza. Esto nos demuestra como en la época era tan común golpear a una mujer que la gente no se alarmaba. Lo más sorprendente es que como es que alguien no dijera nada al ver en el silencio que el hombre está saliendo del pueblo sin su esposa y con el negocio recién vendido; no debería de causar sospecha en la gente. Sin, embargo nadie dice nada y el hombre logra salir sin que nadie pregunte donde está tu esposa esto demuestra que la mujer no valía nada en la época.

the role of women

The women’s roles in Bazán’s stories are really varied depending on the socioeconomic class of the character. For example, both the women in “Las Medias Rojas” and “En Silencio” are victims of cruel violence forced onto them by a male member in their lives. On the other hand, in “El Legajo”, the great-grandmother is able to murder her husband without being detected. When Ildara gets beaten up by her father, it is shown as an event that happens often. It is something that’s normal for women in that area/class. Similarly, the wife in “En Silencio” is killed, but the readers don’t find out if the husband ever gets punished. We are led to assume that he won’t ever be blamed for her death. Those two stories show the power men seem to have in lower class families. To the contrary, “El Legajo” shows the power a woman from a higher class possesses. It’s amazing that she is even able to think of killing her husband. The other two women don’t even think about being violent towards their dad/husband. The great-grandmother has a strong mind to think of a plan and go through with it. While comparing these examples in my mind, I think class probably had a lot to do with how these women acted towards the men in their lives.

Poetry

I have really enjoyed all of the different time periods, wars, movements, etc. that we have been able to experience and read about in this short time period during the quarter. I think it’s given us a great general perspective on what Spain has gone through, what people are inspired by, and how they have struggled but also prospered and accomplishment through the challenges the country has faced. I first read the poems without any background information (it was before our lecture on the Generation of ’98) and I was so confused on what was going on and what the poems were describing because I had no context to go off of. However, after hearing the lecture and discussing what was going on with Spain and Cuba during this time, and the movement of Modernismo, it is all slowly making a lot more sense, especially after going through most of the poems in class yesterday. I am amazed by both the simplicity of the writing of Antonio Machado, but the hidden complexity and multitude of issues that he discusses through his poems. I like it because his writing lays things out there, but then it is up to the reader to form their own opinion and make observations about what he is means. Like we discovered in class, some of the things he says could be taken in many different directions. I especially respect poetry because it is a soft, yet strong way to express opinions and shed light on a situation while still showing the talent and art of writing.

The Path Less Traveled By

The Road Not Taken
TWO roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

Instantly when I read the Poem XXIX by Antonio Machado, I thought of the poem that every college student has heard or read when they are questioning there life path. The Road Not Taken, by Robert Frost. The poem I inserted above, dipicts the life of a man and his life choices in simple terms. Who hasn't wanted to go out on a limb, be a daredevil, and change the world by taking the path less traveled by! Rights? I feel like Antonio Machado was saying "Hey Spain, C'mon, you can do it. Let's take a path less traveled by, and make a change for the better. He points out the sterotypes that they struggled with in a few other poems and he realizes that we are all wandering about, in unknown path like retreating seafoam after high tide. But he challenges Spain to be fresh, young, new, and to be something that will take a stand and last. Robert Frost makes my heart melt too, everytime I read this poem I feel inspired, each day, to take the path less traveled by.

Week 7 Blog

Cuba queria ser un pais independiente. De hecho, Puerto Rico y Cuba ya estaban luchando por su independencia contra Espana antes de que los Estados Unidos estuviera envuelto. Ambos, Puerto Rico y Cuba lucharon juntos por su libertad e independencia en contra de Espana. Cuba obtuvo su independencia pero no Puerto Rico.

Es gracioso que Wikipedia dice "...the indigenous struggles for independence in Cuba, Puerto Rico, Guam and the Philippine Islands..." pero estas personas no eran solamente "indigenas" (natives from the Americas). Estas personas eran una mezcla de razas como Africano, Indigena y Espanol (criollo) y mas importante aun, estas personas tenian una indentidad propia y autentica quienes se consideraban como un pais y por eso sentian justo ser independientes de Espana.

Spanish American War Discussion

Adriana and I had similar ideas in class on Monday. Both America and Spain wanted to fight for the rights to Cuba because of the valuable and profitable exports that exist in there such as Tobacco, sugar, rum and slaves- but what did Cuba want? Im sure neither country was considerate enough to think about what the Cubans wanted for themselves. Instead the Americans at the time hide behind the Monroe Doctrine using it as a decoy to seize control of Cuba because it granted them the access to intervene. Once Spain lost control, they were paralyzed as a country for a very long time. We also talked about how they lost their identy and sense of being when they lost their power.
Im not saying that Im a hippie but I agree that each person has the right to be happy and a happy medium should be reached which would benefit everyone. I feel strongly that this only benefited American and weakened Cuba and Spain. Greed is a very nasty characteristic. Spain reaped what they sewed but what about America?

Fifth Blog

Although we haven't discussed "Requiem por un campesino espanol" together as a class yet, I wanted to post my blog comparing this story to "San Manuel Bueno, Martir", a story that we read in Spanish 450. I found these stories to be so similar and after finishing "Requiem por un campesino espanol", I decided to look back at information on "San Manuel Bueno, Martir", and I found out that they both took place during "La generacion del 98".
The first similarity is the narration of the two stories. "Requiem por un campesino espanol" is told in third person omniscient and allows the reader to see in the minds of both the priest and the alter boy. "San Manuel Bueno, Martir" is told through Angela but then at the end the reader learns that this is a legend being retold by the author. Although the stories are not narrated in the same form, their unique narration engages the reader because the reader is able to see the thoughts of many different characters. The second similarity is the main character in each story. Both stories focus on Catholic priests that live in Spain. "Requiem por un campesino espanol" takes place in a church but the thoughts in the priest's mind take the reader back to different settings in his life. In both stories, the priests are very well liked and form a strong friendship with another main character; Paco in "Requiem por un campesino espanol" and Angela in "San Manuel Bueno, Martir". Finally, as I mentioned above, both stories were written during "La generacion del 98" and thus contain similar messages and themes.

I agree they are both very interesting nd we should go over it in class a little more. I see what divides the two but sometime s when I am actually reading a story I have trouble picking out if it is naturalismo or realismo. It like I can define the two but when I see them in action the lines et blurred and i have to guess what kind of work I am reading. It's not like seprating a romantic story where things are clear cut and defined in the reading that jump out at you and scream romantisismo.

Something Interesting During Studying?!

While I was studying for the midterm I realized how interesting I found Naturalism. The fact that there was this literary era where it was new and exciting to write about real facts and events that actually take place in daily life is so strange to me! I would think people would have already been writing about daily life and all the things that take place, not just the good things, and that a fantasy era would be the new and exciting thing. I also think it is interesting that most of the time, authors only wanted to write about the good things, not the real things, which is what makes a story about a girl who is abused by her uncle so compelling because readers know that it is real, not made up. One definition that I found really explained it well, and also talked about the difference between Naturalism and Realism (because they are similar): Realists know what is occurring, but Naturalists investigate the cause and effect of what is occurring.

Week6Blog: Am I the only one...?!!!

Naturalism and Realism are very interesting and I’m pretty sure that they inspire endless debates about how are they different; even though I have a general understanding; I think we should go over them more in class.

The purpose of Realistic and Naturalistic literature is to write about real people, “replicate everyday reality” instead of just entertaining. However, I have never been too pleased reading this type of literature because it is most of the times depressing and like a labyrinth without exit. That is why I prefer fantasy, fiction, romance, action, poems, or what we have read in class before the short stories.

It is not that I do not like Bazan’s short stories, actually “El Legajo” is very interesting, and once I started the story I couldn’t put it down. It is just that Naturalist literature is most of the times the same.

I remember reading Latin American realist/naturalistic works and they were always the same: women get raped, or people can’t get out of their poverty and misery and if they do, then some loved ones will die and the misery is eternal.

:(

Ha sido muy interesante y divertido la primera mitad de la clase. Los cuentos que hemos leído me dan placer de sus formas escritas y también un entendimiento de las épocas de aquellos. Mi cuento favorito es El estudiante de Salamanca. Me gusta mucho el lenguaje de descripción. Espronceda nos pone en un ambiente entonces nos envuelve con una manta de palabras que nos cautivan. Sin embargo yo no tengo género favorito, pero juro cada cuento que leo independientemente sobre meritos suyos.

Realismo, "El legajo"

I really enjoyed the discussion we had this week on Naturalism. I found myself becoming really interested in the genre and especially Realism, mostly as a reflection of the way my mind thinks. Since I was younger, I always entertained an affinity towards the sciences, even though my main interests lied in humanities. I find that Realism is a perfect balance of these two areas, balancing a logical and scientific approach to the world around us while giving a literary account of it. “El legajo” by Bazan was a perfect example of this balance in my opinion, but only because of Bazan’s realist touch to the naturalist approach. Without the perspective of the mental process that Lucio Novoa goes through when he fantasizes his ancestral past, I feel like the story would lack a significant portion of the story. The look inside his romantic thoughts revealed a side of Lucio that makes up who “Lucio” really is. This is true for all of us too. Our inner thoughts, dreams, desires, while many times are not made public, are revelations of the true self. I find this perspective of realism most interesting, and plan on reading more of Bazan’s works in the future.

Cuentos
La discusión el miércoles sobre ‘Cuentos’ por Emilia Pardo Bazán era muy interesante porque la incorporación del texto de Zola se había hecho su estilo más clara para mí. Nosotros hablamos sobre el estilo de Bazán y su usa de realismo en combinación con naturalismo. Antes de la clase, la distinción entre los dos estilos era un poco confusa para mí, pero cuando leíamos ‘Las Medias Rojas’ y ‘El Legajo’ se hizo más claro. En los dos ‘cuentos’ Bazán muestra claramente su influencia de realismo con sus caracteres y descripción de sus situaciones con bueno mimesis de realidad. Sin embargo, la psicología de sus caracteres como Ildara y el señorito Lucio muestran algo más de la realidad exterior. La corazón y determinismo de Ildara y la imaginación y interpretación de Lucio muestran una realidad interior que podemos relacionar con la. Entonces, estos características son lo que separarla de Zola porque los presentan algo de una mixta de los instintos de naturalismo con la realidad de sus caracteres y la situación que nos muestra. Para mí, el texto de Zola y la interpretación en profundidad de sus ‘cuentos’ me ayudo a entender y apreciar sus obras y estilo mucho más.

Money, the solution to everything, or is it?

In El Legajo I thought it was interesting how Lucio decided to act in the end. Since his family had a lot of money they kept their family archive. Back before internet and computers, that was the only way to really tell a family history besides legends and stories passed from generation to generation. At first he really wanted to find out why those bones were there, he dug through all of the files to try and trace the history and find out whose they could possibly be. Once he found out the real story, he decided not to inform anyone of what truly happened because he found out it was one of his ancestors who killed her husband. He did a lot of work to uncover the mystery, but if the truth would get out, he might not be looked as highly upon. Also if it wouldn't have happened in the first place, he would not have the money he has now; he would be poor, so in a way he's happy that it happened.

I think it's interesting what people will do for money. His ancestor killed her husband, who she supposedly loved (I guess you can't assume she loved him), but if you make the commitment to be married, you would most likely have some feelings towards them. She killed him because of money. Lucio decided to not inform anyone of his findings, of the real story, because of money. People will do a lot for money and for their reputation.

Not everyone will kill for money, but some people will do some pretty stupid stuff. A lot of times, people will say I wouldn't do that even for a million dollars (such as jump off a bridge). But if it really came down to it, if the situation was in front of them, most people would jump off (if they weren't going to die and it was "safe") for the million dollars. And by no means am I implying anyone would kill for money. I'm just saying some people believe money solves a lot of problems.

Naturalism/Las Medias Rojas

Before reading the stories in Cuentos de la tierra, I did a little background research on naturalism. I got what I thought was a workable understanding of the style as a departure from the emphasis on the individual (subjectivism), legends, fantasy, and the triumph of freedom found in romanticism, and towards an attempt to reproduce reality of the human condition objectively, as it is experienced in everyday life. The themes of naturalism focused on the weak and vulnerable as well as the ills and harshness of life such as: prostitution, inequalities in gender, poverty, violence, greed, prejudice, etc. I got the sense that the naturalist writer was going to take the reader to a place or situation somewhere in this world, in contrast to the romantic writer who took reader to somewhere in his imagination.

Las medias rojas was the perfect story start off this collection of stories as an introduction to naturalism. Emilia Bazan does an amazing job reproducing a world that the reader (or at least this reader) feels as if they are actually there, like a fly on the wall. Bazan effectively makes the reader feel the vulnerability, the harshness, the violence and the desperation that Ildara feels and from which she desires to escape. But quite possibly what is most amazing was that she was able to give the reader a vivid sense of the setting, the mood, and the conflict in so few lines. This was the best short story I think I have ever read, as well as a great introduction into naturalism.

Blog Meditation-- from Profesora

This is my second day hacking and coughing and feeling dizzy and exhausted. All the stress of last weekend made my immune system crash, and some nasty virus seems to have taken advantage of it. I spent seven hours sleeping today! And needed it. Though I'm very ill, I did get to read your posts as of tonight, and I will be read more tomorrow. I'm thrilled that so many of you are excited about the Naturalismo discussions and readings. Hurrah! Yay! We will definitely discuss at least two more stories when we get back together for class, during the first half of class time on Monday the 15th. Everyone have a great weekend, and a good time studying. Suerte-- and see you Monday.

Zola...

I think Zola’s idea of monitoring humans using the experimental method in order to write literature is very interesting. It is very much like what field anthropologists do while observing different cultures. They write “exactly” what happens and how people interact. However, in order to write a fictional story, I don’t think the experimental method would work on humans. I think the method cannot measure complex human feelings. In reality, we haven’t found any method that could measure the full complexity of human feelings even now. In addition, while writing a story, the writer would have to create characters that have details that make them come alive to the readers. This would be really hard using a scientific method, because the descriptive words would still be in the perspective of the writer. In fact, even if a group of humans were just filmed doing their daily activities, the perspective of each viewer would be different. And, therefore, each would have a different opinion of the same film.

Las medias rojas y el legajo

Aspects of both Las medias rojas and El legajo are very relatable to our everyday lives. In Las medias rojas, Ildara protects her face in order to save the most important thing that would help her get out of her current life. Similarly, we protect ourselves and those we care about, from harsh words and bad situations. For example, when someone starts ‘ragging’ on your parents, one’s instinct is to stand up to them and defend their name or perspective. Also when someone attacks your pride or a personality trait, you tend to rise up and challenge those assumptions. We protect the aspects in life that are important to us and that will further our future goals. If someone wants to go to college and cannot afford it, they make sure to have a very good resume, wonderful grades, and do well on standardized tests in order to get college scholarships. We do all that we can to protect the people and things that will help us have a more fulfilling life. Also, in El legajo, Lucio has a romantic vision of what could have happened to the man that was buried under the wall. Frequently, it is in our nature to come up with overly romanticized notions of events that have or will occur. Unfortunately, our romantic vision bursts and we come to terms with reality. It is not necessarily a bad thing to have these romantic visions, it shows an optimistic outlook on life, but eventually we must understand what is real and learn to deal with the problems that arise. Often, my mother tells me that my head is in the clouds, but I think it is important to spend some time in the clouds as well as on the ground. Bazan shows what real life is like, brutal and unfair, but having a balance of a positive outlook on life while dealing with the bad is very important.

Las Medias Rojas

I agree with Jessica when she said that reading these stories at times makes her doubt her Spanish. I too wonder how much Spanish I really know if I am having to look up almost every other word. Besides that, I really did enjoy los cuentos after getting past all of the vocabulary look ups. My favorite story had to have been, Las Medias Rojas, like so many others. I really like the idea of the American Dream in here. It is so interesting to see what people think of other countries. Ildara had this view of golden roads in her head. She was thinking that America would be the best place ever. Maybe any place other than where her abusive Tio Clodio is could be considered equal to a place lined with golden roads for Ildara?
It was made clear in the text that she was willing to sacrifice her freedom, security and even her life to get out of Galicia.

Cuentos

Reading the Cuentos for class, I found myself hoping I wasn't the only one who was so confused at times. I think I get overwhelmed, because I see a relatively short story and get comfortable on my couch to read it, and before I know it, I'm lost and confused and tired of having to look up every other word and still not understanding the story. I begin to doubt my knowledge of the Spanish language, or any language for that matter, and I feel like I might as well not read anything ever again Okay, maybe that's an exaggeration, but sometimes I just get discouraged. The Cuentos were no different. I found the vocabulary overwhelming and the story lines hard to follow at times. But the light at the end of the tunnel for me was our class discusssion. We didn't get to go into the stories in depth, but just starting our discussion put me at ease. It's great to be around a group of people who all had different experiences reading the stories and different perspectives to share. I feel better coming to class knowing that I will be able to hear the input of Professor Haidt and my classmates and that before I leave I will be much less confused and feel much less alone than I did when trying to navigate the maze of vocabulary and plot while I was reading the stories. I think Pardo Bazan has a lot to say in such short stories and I look forward to discussing them more.

The color red

One of my favorite stories that we read by Emilia Bazán was “Las Medias Rojas,” or the red stockings. I couldn’t help but wonder about the significance of the red color of the stockings. This is especially interesting to me because I was thinking about the parallels between the prevalence of the color red and domestic violence in this story and the prevalence of the color red and domestic violence in a movie we watched in Spanish 450, “Volver.” In “Volver,” the daughter, Paula kills her father who attempts to abuse and rape her. The colors of the movie are pretty bland; however specific things such as a red dress and a red car are very obvious. Did the director and Bazán specifically include the color red to symbolize something about domestic violence? The obvious reason for this would be the red symbolizes blood, representing the suffering and struggle that both of these women go through. Red however can also symbolize evil, as it is often associated with the devil. The red could be highlighting the inherent even in these men who abuse their daughters. However, maybe the red doesn’t stand for something negative. The short story and the movie are both a series of dark negative images. In “Las Medias Rojas” the description is depressing describing the sad life of the girls who’s Dad barely realizes she’s alive. In “Volver,” the subject matter is also somewhat gloomy. The brightness of the red could be used to symbolize maybe a glimmer of hope (brightness) in the lives of these girls.

Emilia Pardo Bazan/Las medias rojas

Out of all of the Bazan short stories we read for class, I was most intrigued by "Las medias rojas." In my opinion there are some very clear markers of realism in this particular story. For instance, the importance of psychology can be seen here, and this is one of the ideas we talked about in class in terms of contrasting realism and naturalism. The narrator delves deep into Ildara’s mind, revealing her dreams of living in a society with better circumstances for women and an escape from the bleakness of her own life. Additionally, part of her uncle’s motivations are indicated as well; although the reader is not made to understand entirely his violent disposition against his niece, we do know that he wouldn’t hesitate to kill her if not for the fact that he’d be alone if he did so. By understanding the unhappiness and loneliness of these two characters, the reader is able to get a sense of each as an individual in a developed way – at least impressively developed for how short the story is. This is another concept of realism as we discussed in class. Also, if realism as defined by Barzan is the idea that human nature is comprised not only of instinct but of aspirations as well, then “Las medias rojas” fits in quite well in the movement. The instincts and actions of Clodio in his abuse of Ildara and the hopes and wishes of the young girl balance each other out and certainly this makes the story a realist story.

I was so glad when I read the stories in Cuentos de la Tierra. Frankly, I don’t really like reading, not even in English. But, I can sincerely say that this time was a rare occasion where my objective of reading as a means to an end meandered off the map that is my brain.

My favorite story was by far and away “El legajo.” I loved this story because I found it incredibly relatable. Despite being almost 50 years old, I found myself realizing how pertinent Lucio Novoa’s thoughts were to my life. He immediately thought of how the mangled body came to be, and got lost in inventing a heart-throbbing justification for it. He knew that, whatever the cause of death or whomever it was, it was somehow going to involve his line of inheritance. Being a descendent, he instinctively imagined a complex, insightful, and glorified love story. In other words, his thoughts were about as promising as they could be considering the mutilated corpse inherently promised tragedy. I think this was because the story was directly related to him, in his time and in his place, no matter how far back the story might have occurred.

We live in a world of omnipresent judgment, and we have become so conscious of every little thing that we do, and, moreover, every little thing that other people do. We love to judge others, without passing judgment on ourselves. But when the time for self-judgment comes, we tend to sway towards positive thoughts, solutions, and causes. However, I find that when we judge other people, when it is in no relation to ourselves, our instinct is pessimistic. Whether that is to feel good about ourselves or just the cynical world we live in, I do not know, but if my mother taught me one thing, it was to always step into other people’s shoes, to see all angles of the situation, no matter how far-fetched or unwanted they might be; rather than judging them, understand them. Lucio was “disrespectismo” to all of his workers, and he quickly judged them, even for just walking over and bothering him. Then, when he sees the jolting corpse, because it directly relates to his standing in society and society’s perception of him, he quickly metamorphoses from his noble arrogant “prick-ness” into a dramatic and astute romanticist. It’s amazing how we go through life captivated in this mood or in that mood and obsessed with what other people are doing and why. Our capriciousness is staggering. Sure, this story is not even in the sphere of modernity that we know, because we just don’t live like that anymore, but it's not the story line that makes it relatable, it's the human disposition exemplified within it; I can see where Lucio is coming from.

I've tried to gloss the naturalism within this story without stating it directly, but now dawns the hour of recognition and testimony. Most other literary movements ripple confusion, indifference, or sometimes even anger through my thoughts and feelings, which isn’t necessarily bad because it forces me out of my element, but it is certainly frustrating. But not this one. The blunt nature of this meditation endorses my affinity for the intertwined naturalist and realist literary movements-- human nature and character, down-to-earth feelings and thoughts, perceptions I can relate to-- ahhh after 22 years I have finally stumbled into my literary sanctuary.