In general, up until this point, I have thoroughly enjoyed the course material and differences in literary pieces that we have studied. I liked how Cumanda focused on the difference between the distinct indigenous culture of Cumanda’s family with that of Carlos'. Mama Blanca was a good contrast, although not as exciting, in that it enabled us to learn more about family life and interaction within the hacienda.
Moreover, I also found it interesting how Mama Blanca revealed destruction with the progression to modernization, while Piedra Callada was the opposite which really emphasized their differences.
My favourite piece would be Veinte Poemas by Neruda since the style of writing and chronological format of the poems appealed to me greatly. Piedra Callada was another piece I liked a lot because it was action packed and full of drama and the character of Eufrasia was quite extreme. The one reading I was not fond of would be Las Hortensias because the story was just too bizarre, weird and a bit creepy for my liking. I didn’t like how the story revolved around dolls which feed Horacio’s and Maria’s imagination and obsession.
I have never read Cien Años de Soledad so I am looking forward to starting the book and learning more about it!
Sunday, February 25, 2007
Sunday, February 11, 2007
"Piedra Callada" by Martha Brunet
“Piedra Callada” by Martha Brunet was an eventful, attention-grabbing yet violent story which mainly revolved around the conflict between Eufrasia and Bernabe.
In my opinion, Eufrasia’s violence was rooted in her love for her daughter, Esperanza, and how she wanted better for her child’s life. She was opposed to their marriage from the start, threatening her that she would no longer have a mother if she married this beast. As the story continues and conflict and violence grows stronger between the mother and Bernabe, she says “Claro que otra como la Esperanza no va’hallar.” This makes me feel that all her violence is coming from the hurt inside of what has become of her daughter and how she deserved a husband that could offer her more in life. Furthermore, I think this story is a good example of “Mother knows best” since if Esperanza never married Bernabe, this mess would have never occurred between the two families.
In the beginning, I felt somewhat sorry for Esperanza because she whole-heartedly loved Bernabe and wanted to marry him, but her mother was completely opposed to her wishes. “Ambicion de madre que tal vez queria un hombre con mayores posibilidades para marido de la muchacha…” (36). It’s interesting how different in personality and physical appearance the mother and her son in law are; Bernabe is described as a “bestia…con un nez enorme…y una frente estrecha” and often answers with a grunt (40), while Eufrasia is seen as cold and firm. As the story develops, I begin to sympathize with the children; they become victim to the violence and furious behavior of the family and have Bernabe as a father, and after all, in the end, they are left without a mother or father.
In my opinion, Eufrasia’s violence was rooted in her love for her daughter, Esperanza, and how she wanted better for her child’s life. She was opposed to their marriage from the start, threatening her that she would no longer have a mother if she married this beast. As the story continues and conflict and violence grows stronger between the mother and Bernabe, she says “Claro que otra como la Esperanza no va’hallar.” This makes me feel that all her violence is coming from the hurt inside of what has become of her daughter and how she deserved a husband that could offer her more in life. Furthermore, I think this story is a good example of “Mother knows best” since if Esperanza never married Bernabe, this mess would have never occurred between the two families.
In the beginning, I felt somewhat sorry for Esperanza because she whole-heartedly loved Bernabe and wanted to marry him, but her mother was completely opposed to her wishes. “Ambicion de madre que tal vez queria un hombre con mayores posibilidades para marido de la muchacha…” (36). It’s interesting how different in personality and physical appearance the mother and her son in law are; Bernabe is described as a “bestia…con un nez enorme…y una frente estrecha” and often answers with a grunt (40), while Eufrasia is seen as cold and firm. As the story develops, I begin to sympathize with the children; they become victim to the violence and furious behavior of the family and have Bernabe as a father, and after all, in the end, they are left without a mother or father.
Sunday, February 4, 2007
Teresa de la Parra: Las Memorias de Mama Blanca
I didn’t exactly like “Las Memorias de Mama Blanca” by Teresa de la Parra as I found it very boring, rather tedious and confusing to follow. I didn’t find it exciting or interesting at all and wouldn’t recommend it to others. But, on the upside, I did learn more about the culture and upbringing of Parra and her family on their hacienda and their life as an upper-class, privileged family.
I liked how this book was realistic and showed different sides of Mama Blanca. From the first Chapter, I got the impression that Mama Blanca was a very caring and harmonious individual as “su trato hospitalario, [es] una muestra natural de su amor a los humildes.” Although poetic and emotional in character, in the later chapters, her strict, rather narracistic and beauty-consiencious side was reaveled by Parra.
This family was not a typical family as non-relatives played a large role in the family’s life. Evelyn seemed to engage the most with the girls, caring for them and she was favoured by Mama Blanca due to her love for order and strictness. I found it rather sad the mom left for Caracas often and the Dad was not very warm to his children as he hoped for a son to begin with.
The children seemed rather spoiled, as Mama Blanca says “no sean tan desobedientes!” and since they played games and had a lot of leisure time, which I suspect was not the commonality of children at that age at that time, but I’m not quite sure.
I liked the character of Vincente because I found it gave the book a different dynamic and showed the life of the servants and other less-privileged workers on the Hacienda and their interaction with the family. Parra describes him to be passionate, full of heroism, faithful and basically an individual of excellence. The dad’s character was revealed when Parra made a parallel of his interaction with Vincente with a Christian persecution, since the father was cruel and intolerable. Parra uses rather harsh words and descriptions when addressing her father; “se abrio la puerta con violencia y lleno de arrogancia,” “cruel” “[el] dijo terrible” are examples of words and phrases associated with her father.
On a whole, I did not enjoy “Las Memorias de Mama Blanca” as it was boring, somewhat hard to understand and follow, and tedious to get through. Hopefully the next book will be better and more eventful!
I liked how this book was realistic and showed different sides of Mama Blanca. From the first Chapter, I got the impression that Mama Blanca was a very caring and harmonious individual as “su trato hospitalario, [es] una muestra natural de su amor a los humildes.” Although poetic and emotional in character, in the later chapters, her strict, rather narracistic and beauty-consiencious side was reaveled by Parra.
This family was not a typical family as non-relatives played a large role in the family’s life. Evelyn seemed to engage the most with the girls, caring for them and she was favoured by Mama Blanca due to her love for order and strictness. I found it rather sad the mom left for Caracas often and the Dad was not very warm to his children as he hoped for a son to begin with.
The children seemed rather spoiled, as Mama Blanca says “no sean tan desobedientes!” and since they played games and had a lot of leisure time, which I suspect was not the commonality of children at that age at that time, but I’m not quite sure.
I liked the character of Vincente because I found it gave the book a different dynamic and showed the life of the servants and other less-privileged workers on the Hacienda and their interaction with the family. Parra describes him to be passionate, full of heroism, faithful and basically an individual of excellence. The dad’s character was revealed when Parra made a parallel of his interaction with Vincente with a Christian persecution, since the father was cruel and intolerable. Parra uses rather harsh words and descriptions when addressing her father; “se abrio la puerta con violencia y lleno de arrogancia,” “cruel” “[el] dijo terrible” are examples of words and phrases associated with her father.
On a whole, I did not enjoy “Las Memorias de Mama Blanca” as it was boring, somewhat hard to understand and follow, and tedious to get through. Hopefully the next book will be better and more eventful!
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