In Conclusion...

    We have covered to much this year, but I really feel like it is all becoming united thematically now that I can look back on what we've done. Some of the books I've thoroughly enjoyed, like How the García Girls Lost Their Accents, some I haven't as much, like No Se Lo Trago La Tierra. I have to say, Salt of the Earth was one of my favorite parts of the class. I would encourage more films for the class in the future, then again, I might just be lazy. Looking back, hindsight is 20/20 and I can pick out some aspects of the books I may not have noticed as I should have.

   For example, taken in the context of the title story in Women Hollering Creek, the chapter about Sandra's boyfriend/cousin in How the García Girls Lost Their Accents is somewhat illuminated. So much of Cisneros' book dealt with the gender roles in Chicano communities and misogynistic attitudes towards women. At first, the description of Sandra's boyfriend sounded typical of deadbeat, sexist men (as stereotyped in literature). The actions of the sisters to take offense to his attidues and break the couple up seemed perfectly reasonable and none too remarkable. It is exactly what my friends would do if I started dating someone like that.

  However, after reading Women Hollering Creek, I began to understand how much sexism exists in many Chicano relationships. For the other García girls to notice and act on the situation with Sandra shows that they have become used to the standards in the United States (for better or for worse). 

   The book have enhanced each other, and my understanding of them.

 

and a body to remember with

First of all, I'm quite excited about the prospect of having Carmen Rodriguez into the class to speak to us about her writing. The opportunity to listen to an author talk about their work is one that I always enjoy and is beneficial to my understanding of the piece. 

I read the introduction to the book before the first story, and I must say, it gave me a bit of a negative impression. Did anyone else read the intro first as well? While her discussion of the process was engaging, Rodrigeuz came off a little self-congratulating, I felt. While writing a book, especially one as great as 'and a body to remember with' is a wonderful achievement, if she felt humility, it didn't come across in the introduction. She writes about how she orginally hired professional translators, then decided to do it herself, as she (and others) felt she could do a better job. There is a strong emphasis on the amount of work required to translate the stories back and forth, until she "felt that both the tips of my tongue and my two sets of ears were satisfied with the final product." 

Personally, I guess I like to imagine that brilliant books just flow out of the pens of brilliant authors. Although I know that this untrue, I think that usually pride stops authors from detailing the vicissitudes and work involved in the creation of their pieces. I think of literature like ballet: the beauty comes from a difficult and skillful art appearing effortless.  Is Rodriguez attempting to impress her readers with her description of endless translations and intensive effort?

Given the humility and self-deference she communicates throughout the rest of her stories, I doubt that the introduction was intended to be the  ego-stroke it struck me as. An entirely different interpretation is possible: is Carmen Rodriguez, by detailing the writing process, humanizing herself into a figure the reader can relate to? Perhaps this is a way of showing her audience that she struggles just like they do, and thus her stories are relatable. Thoughts?

The Blood of the Conquistadores

 The first chapter of Part III in How the García Girls Lost Their Accents, entitled 'The Blood of the Conquistadores', is one I find most interesting in the novel.  In this chapter, some agents of Trujillo coming to the García's family home in the Dominican Republic. After some interrogation and a significant tension, a CIA agent neighbor intimidates the agents into leaving. Carlos comes out of hiding and the family realizes they must leave immediately for the United States.

This is my favorite chapter in the novel, and I think the climax of the book. It is narrated by 'Mami, Papi, the Four Girls', and this group voice unites the family against their common enemy, the Trujillo dictatorship. For all of the rest of the book, there is infighting and conflict amongst the members of the family. Of course, this is entirely natural and an honest presentation of life, but I enjoyed reading a chapter that demonstrated why the Garcías were a special family. The individual narration of the other chapters provides insight into each of the characters, but this chapters shows the inner workings of the family unit. 

I asked a question in class on Friday that I had been wondering for quite some time: why did two of the four girls end up being so messed up? I think it was Beth who answered that it was because the family was forced to live in fear their whole live- fear of Trujillo, Americans, rape etc. Upon reflection, I really think Beth was right about that, and this chapter is an explanation for everything that happened before it in the book. It explains why Carlos is so fearful for his daughters: he loves them and has been scared for their safety, and also wants them to connect with their homeland. By taking the risks for revolution like Carlos and Laura did, it demonstrates their deep love for the Dominican Republic. Unfortunately, although they kept their family physically safe, the past took an emotional and psychological toll.

How the García Girls Lost Their Accents

    I'm rather happy that we've moved onto this wonderful book! Not that the others haven't been thought/conversation provoking and enjoyable, but this one is my favorite thus far. It is the topic of my Wikipedi article and I finished reading it a couple of weeks ago. In terms of entertainment I find the book pleasureful and the kind of thing I would enjoy to read independently. This may have to do with the characters and modern setting, as a young woman I can relate to their experiences.  

   This is Julia Alvarez's first novel, and was originally published in individual chapters in magazines before being complied into a book. She recieved significant critical and public acclaimation, which I think she is worthy of. I haven't read any more of her books or poetry, but the book 'Yo' is a sequel to this one, and continues the story of the García family.

   One thing I noticed about this novel in comparison to the others that we've read is the postivity of most of the characters towards the United States. Call me an idealist, but I enjoy reading about a family who immigrates and happily stays in their new country. One can become a bit burned out on books like 'Y no se lo trago...' and the title story in 'Women Hollering Creek'. Of course, those expiriences are just as valid as generally happy ones, but I like to have exposure to a full spectrum of opinions. Having been born and raised in Canada, I cannot personally relate to immigration, which is a reason why this course has been enlightening for me.

   This being said, the path was not entirely smooth. I like the tension between Carlos and Laura and the four girls, the old ways and the new, the Dominican Republic and the United States. Carlos frequently tells the girls how he send them to fancy school so they can learn to speak English without accents, but resists other aspects of their assimilation. The girls reach out for their independence of the stringent social restrictions placed by their parents, yet also pine for guavas from home. 

  This tension makes me think that hybridity is a major theme in How the García Girls Lost Their Accents. None of them desire or are allowed to fully assimilate into American society, but instead must strike a balance between  cultures. This is never more apparant than in the son born to Sofía and her German husband Otto. The baby is Aryan, but the namesake of Carlos and his favorite grandchild. The baby's white skin is prized above the García's darker tones, yet the cultural milieu that produced the baby is vilianized. Is it possible to achieve a perfect hybrid between cultures, or should one simply commit to one side or the other? In any case, these difficulties never ruined the Garcías and their lives in the United States. 

Cisneros: Woman Hollering Creek II

    Sandra's Cisneros' writing style is certainly a unique one. She utilizes a wide variety of techniques to establish her voice, and the individual voice of the characters in each story. I like how the beginning of the book is united with the child-like viewpoint, manifesting in the slant of naivety and honesty. The first sections of stories, including; 'My Lucy Friend Who Smells Like Corn', 'Mericans', and 'Tepeyac' communicate the directness of children, even in their titles.  I really find it wonderful how Cisernos changes her diction and syntax based on the voice she is speaking from, it adds true authenticity to her writing. 

  Her book is structured like a life cycle, with the titles of the section again congruent with the stages of a woman's life. For example, the diction and structure of the opening section, 'My Lucy Friend Who Smells Like Corn' is obviously grammatically incorrect and bears the stamp of a child.

   The mid section, 'One Holy Night', is short in both title and size, but the words each hold gravity and near melodramatic importance. This is very reflective of the emotions associated with adolescence, and the formative events (such as loss of virginity) in the story. Lastly, the section 'There Was a Man, There Was a Woman', is descriptive of the life of a grown woman. Male-Female romantic (or not so much) relationships are the central focus of this section, and the family that form out of them. The importance has shifted from that of the platonic ('My Lucy Friend') to heterosexual partnerships. This is also the longest section of the tale, like adulthood in one's life. 

Woman Hollering Creek

     Sandra Cisnero's collection Woman Hollering Creek: and other stories is, first of all, quite wonderful. I can understand why it is a commonly studied text in universities, and why it was chosen for our class. Other than How the García Girl Lost Their Accents (my wiki article), this is my favorite text thus far. Of course, the English enhances my experience somewhat.

While the topic of feminism and the role of the Chicana has been discussed in relation to almost everything we've studied thus far, Woman Hollering Creek most directly addresses women.  I like how the book is a collection of stories; this literary method allows the reader to identify with more than one or two characters. Also, the commonality of experience between the women makes the issues raised of larger importance. I think that this book is fairly politically charged, and will lead to excellent discussion in class. 

   Cisnero's voice, while varying amongst the individual stories, usually maintains a clear, simplistic tone. I don't mean this as a criticism, in fact I enjoy how openly she explores issues like domestic abuse, class stratification and accidental pregnancy. Too often, in literature and public discourse, these topics are euphemized to nothingness  but Cisneros brings them to the forefront through her many characters and their stories. 

Thus far...

   Firstly, I know I'm publishing this a bit late, but I was ever so busy giving thanks and eating turkey this weekend and simply couldn't tear myself away to blog. Also, I figured everyone else was fairly similarly engaged, and probably wouldn't be lining up to comment. 

   Excuses aside, we have done some thought provoking reading, discussing and viewing which deserves to be commented upon. My personal favorite thus far is the film The Salt of the Earth, which I found enjoyable as a story and interesting snippet of 1950's American cinema. I haven't exposed myself to very much film of that era, and I must say it was better than I expected. Jon mentioned in class that the producers came under fire from the Communist witch-hunting that occurred during the McCarthy Era (Second Red Scare). At first, I didn't notice the distinctly (for the time) Communist flavour of the film, but upon reflection it seems that it would have been fairly radical. 

   Like most of what we've studied so far, The Salt of the Earth is armed with a strong social message championing equality. To me, this begs the question of the ubiquity of the egalitarian theme in all Chicano texts and media, or simply that which we've studied. I think it is an issue which, especially historically, pertains to the lives of Chicano people in North America. The three texts we've studied treat the message fairly differently, but still manage to communicate it effectively. 

Rivera II

   I just read the last post on the class blog, and had to laugh out loud. I too am on my way out to the VIFF, although not to see the film on border relations. Perhaps it would have been fitting though...

  Finishing the Rivera book was a different experience than with most novels, there is little conclusive about the ending. Overall, I think that this is fitting with the nature of the text, having little chronological narrative quality. It did, however, set a united tone with connecting the individual stories around common themes. 

  Since I finished the book, I went on to read 'How the García Girls Lost Their Accents' by Julia Alvarez. Interestingly, both of these novels employ an unorthodox method of story telling. In Rivera's text, the viewpoint remains from that of a young boy but the chronology is disordered. In contrast, Alvarez writes from a number of perspectives but the order remains consistently reverse. 

   Personally, I preferred Alvarez's style over Rivera's because I found her narrative structure flowed better and communicated her points well.  While the way Rivera writes is interesting and made me think more thematically than in terms of plot points, I didn't find it as engaging. Alvarez manipulated her diction and syntax based upon the perspective she was writing from, which I enjoyed as a writing style.  

Rivera

Firstly, let me admit to initially having trouble understanding Tomás Rivera's '...Y No Se Lo Trago La Tierra'. While the vocabulary is much less advanced than the complicated vernacular of Martí, the structure is considerably less

intuitive. In order to enhance my experience of the text, I watched a film of a 1994 English-language stage production of the book. It is titled 'And the Earth Did Not Swallow Him', and was put on by America Playhouse Theatrical Films. I'm not sure if this is cheating or not, but I really do feel like it enhanced my understanding and enriched my experience of this text.

As I mentioned before, and many of my fellow blogging classmates have noticed, the structure of the book is very unorthodox. I cannot quite call it an anthology or collection of shorts, but is not a 'novel' per say either. I was at first, and still am somewhat, confused by this arrangement, but have been attempting to figure out the reason to write it as such. The best explanation that I can come up with is that the structure-twelve stories layered into thirteen shorter anecdotes-is reflective of Latin American understanding regarding time and space. In comparison to current and historically linear North American conceptions, many Latin American legends etc. are constructed with more fluid and less chronological time structures. For example, the Popol Vuh, commonly refered to as the Mayan 'Bible' or sacred religious text, in written in such as way as time appears more circular than in the Christian Bible, for example. Given this historical context, I can understand why, to Rivera, this book would be structured in a way consistent with the cultural milieu he lived in, and to us it may seem foreign or unintuitive.

Martí: "Es mejor morir a pie que vivir arrodillado"

Firstly, I will agree with the sentiment expressed by other students that this was a challenging reading assignment. His stories took me a great deal more time than they would have were they written in English, but I suppose that is what one can expect from SPAN 322. And admittedly, I believe his work was worth the effort required in reading it. 

I find it interesting that the majority of my fellow students seem to be riffing on the 'heavy-on-the-description' vein, because this was not the first thing I noticed about the 'Escenas Norteamericanas' that Martí wrote about. After constulting the Wikipedia article (it could use some work!), I learned about his past as an exiled revolutionary and Cuban national hero. There was a surprising discrepancy between his wonderment at facets of the North American lifestyle, and his work as a diplomat and revolutionary. Overall, one would not expect this level of scientifically-based dedication to a structure (El Puente De Brooklyn) from someone who is a vocal freedom fighter. He lobbied, and indeed died for, such causes as Cuba's independence from Spain and an end to racism. 

   Overall, my impression garnered from Martí's writings combined with his political and personal history is that he was a man of resolute ideals and a very strong mind. I think, as a political hero, Martí is a fine role model for anyone who desires mass change- he fought both physically and intellectually, using the international battlefield of North American diplomacy in addition to waging war (and losing his life) in Dos Ríos, Cuba. 

Ruiz de Burton Response

  I have, since my last post, managed to acquire Ruiz de Burton's 'Who Would Have Thought It?' from the bookstore. I power read, and finished it this weekend. Overall, I would say I was pleasantly surprised with the novel. I had a bit of a different experience as we had discussed the novel before I'd had a chance to read much of it. This did, however, give me a chance to read it more critically, and ask myself the questions that we had addressed in class. 

  Is this novel a feminist text? I have resolved to say no, taken in the present context, and yes, taken with its contemporaries. I compared it with Austen's 'Emma', which was written in 1815, 58 years earlier than Ruiz de Burton's text. I saw several similarities between these novels, as I would say both present smart, engaging heroines who achieve their success through marriage. As well, both Lola and Emma are taken care of by older, paternal figures throughout their lives, and exhibit little true independence. These factors taken in the present context would communicate a clearly non-feminist viewpoint, however one cannot pretend that the status of women is the same now as it was in the mid-late 19th century. Overall, I believe that the very existence of the novel, published anonymously or not, constitutes an advancement for women of the time, and especially women of minorities. 

1st Book Response, or Why The Bookstore Sucks

Hola clase,

  So I have been procrastinating on buying by books because 

a) they cost lots of money, and

b) the line for the bookstore has been looking more like a Communist Russia breadline than a queue for a cash register

Early morning I finally decided to suck it up and wait in the line, then spend the day reading to be prepared for our class discussion. Unfortunately, like with bread in the USSR, the bookstore had run out copies. Thus, I will have very little to discuss in class today, or indeed on this blog post.

Hola attempt #2

Hi everybody, 

  My name (obviously) is Leanna Orr, and I'm a 2nd year English major from Calgary. I live off campus, in an apartment in Kits and ride my bicycle to school every day, as long as it isn't raining. Over the summer, I spent some time in Costa Rica (where the locals loved my accent) and in Spain (where the locals laughed at it). Both were wonderful. After travels, I lived at home in Calgary and worked as a bartender, which was wonderful and suited my night-owl lifestyle perfectly.

Se veo mañana,

Leanna

Hola!