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.