Monday, February 19, 2007

First Half Musings

This course is certainly proving to be interesting for me in a couple of ways. One has been reading literature from different times, in a different language and different cultures and the other is having an opportunity to 'hear' other people. I guess that is why I have enjoyed the blogs. In our busy lives, it is not often that you are able to sit down with different individuals and find out how they 'see' or interpret things.

What I have appreciated about the literature has been the constant reminder that there is more to our world than what is around us. There are relationships of every kind in every place in the world and the common thread that we all share is the ability to have relationships. Relationships are varied. Some are with families, some are with lovers, some are within communities and some are with an individual’s own thoughts and emotions.

For me, I have responded to the theme of relationships and dynamics that result from the interaction. Each character has revealed something of their perceptions, their hopes, their disappointments and how they see their world. One of the gifts of literature is that there are no masks. That is to say, we can take the time to see beyond what is written and understand. We as individuals can wear a mask when we personally interact with others but in literature that mask comes off and we can see within each character.

Cumanda once again reminded me that we all share common needs and desires and feel the same pain or joy. Las Memorias de Mama Blanca took me back to some funny moments in my own life when I was a child. Piedra Callada and Las Hortensias were like one of those twisted movies that sometimes I like to watch.

Overall, I have found the readings interesting. For me personally, my own growth in reading and comprehending Spanish (sometimes without using a dictionary at all) has been a joy and very rewarding.

Sunday, February 11, 2007

Piedra Callada

Piedra Callada es un cuento muy diferente pero al mismo tiempo muy interesante. El cuento de Las Memorias de Mamá Blanca nos presentó uno aspecto de una familia. Una familia que tuvo la interacción con cada miembro de la familia en alguna manera. Pero en Pierda Callada vemos una interacción muy diferente. Un relacion hostil. Encuentro interesante que aunque hay muchas personas en este cuento, ingeniosamente la autor enfoca nuestra atención sobre la madre Eufrasia y el hombre Bernabé. Estos personajes llegan a ser más de gente en un cuento. Ellos llegan a ser la gente real. Brunet escribe en más detalle la apariencia de Eufrasia y Bernabé. Eufrasia era una ¨vieja alta, huesuda, con al perfil corvina¨. Para mí veo una mujer con un temperamento severo y casi sin una capacidad por amor. ¿Y porqué no? Le dio a Esperanza una paliza para quitarle la idea de casarse Bernabé.

Bernabé era un hombre que tiene ¨los hombros horizontales y unos enormes pies cuyas puntas se volteaban hacia fuera, colgantes los brazos y todo él anudado de fuertes músculos¨. Me recuerdo de un simio. ¿Y porqué no? Contestó con un gruñido ininteligible.

Es fácil entonces formarse una opinión usando las características físicas de una persona. Eso es decir, creemos que sabemos lo que ellos piensan y como harán los decisiones porque hacemos los decisiones basado en la apariencia exterior. ¿Verdad?

La madre dio a Esperanza una paliza y le dijo a Esperanza cuando se casó a Bernabé que Esperanza no tendría una madre. Éstos son crueles palabras. Pero ¿qué era su motivación? ¿Tuvo miedo de ser sola? ¿Tal vez estaba celosa de la feliz de Esperanza porque ella tuvo ninguno? Hay muchas preguntas que podríamos preguntar.

Cuando entendemos los deseos, motivaciones e influencias de gente, es más fácil mirar más allá de la apariencia exterior. Eso es algo yo me recuerda diario.

Sunday, February 4, 2007

Las Memorias de Mama Blanca


I just finished reading Las Memorias de Mama Blanca. I'll be honest and say that it was a difficult read for me. It was very challenging to not look up every second word and instead try to get a sense of the passages I was reading. Thank goodness, there were some parts that not only did I find easy to read but also actually made me smile.

In reading this book, I was reminded of a 1950 movie called "Cheaper by the Dozen" based on the 1948 novel by Frank Bunker Gilbreth Jr. As a teen I remember seeing the movie and thinking what an adventure to live in a family of 12 with all the fun and challenges they experienced (I have only one sister and it seemed magical to have many siblings). As I look back now what appealed to me was the ability to see or peek inside someone else's world. Maybe I'm some kind of voyeur???

I am interested in how people function together in their lives facing challenges, growing up, becoming self-aware. One of the best places to see this in action is within a family. I guess that is what both interested and frustrated me while reading Las Memorias. I connected with and understood some of the interaction but knew there was so much more to interpret but as I wrote above, I would have never finished the book if I had looked up every second word.

I loved the humour in the book. On page 81 for example, when the sisters were playing outside they were disturbing their father who was working in his office. He told them to be quiet and play elsewhere. I remember my father, when he was preparing his sermon for church, would also tell my sister and me the same thing. On page 83, de la Parra writes how the father wanted a boy but instead had six girls.

Imagine having people in your life like Primo Juancho who really had nothing to say but seemed to have everything to say. The character of Vincente Cochocho was certainly interesting to say the least. Isn’t it just like life. You are attracted to someone but your mother tells you they are not good for you and then somehow that person becomes even more appealing. On page 144, de la Parra points out that very same thing with the relationship between the girls and Vincente. Moreover, what farmer wouldn’t want Daniel to be taking care of his cows?

For me, Teresa de la Parra allows us to peek into someone else’s life. We see childhood, the dynamics between siblings, and the relationships between people within a household. More importantly, it is a moving picture of a family with different personalities. Individually they learn what life is, about growing up and discovering that change is inevitable.