Wow! As I sit down at my computer, like I do every Sunday night to write my blog, this evening I have a whole different thought process. It's hard to believe that this semester is coming to a close, and this is the last blog we will write! I definitely feel like I'm writing this entry with a much different compilation of thoughts in comparison to the beginning of the year. I feel like throughout the semester, I expanded my knowledge on Chicano and Latin American literature as a whole. We read extensively diverse literature, although all of our books seemed to be linked together by similar themes. We saw the difficulties that Chicano's and Latinos all over the world face, and the challenge with comes with assimilation into any society for someone of any race. I've decided to structure this blog by describing my favourite and least favourite books.
My favourite of all of our books for the semester, would coincidentally have to be that of my Wikipedia article: "How the Garcia Girls lost their Accents". Throughout the book I fell in love with Julia Alvarez's distinctive style and heartwarming stories. Not only did her stories convey a wide variety of emotions, but it was so pleasant to read and at the same time brought up some signifacnt themes. I almost feel like her book was full of life lessons, which we all can relate to in one way or another. I believe a few people on our class mentioned in their blogs that they could relate quite well to what she wrote.
My least favourite of all the books would probably have to be Woman Hollering Creek. Although I enjoyed it slightly, and a few of the stories made me laugh, I faced the challenge of truly not being able to connect with the book. I found it difficult to read and follow. Maybe this makes me lazy? I'm not sure. I can see women connecting with this book better than men perhaps. I definitely think there are tones of feminism in this book, which is perhaps why. I feel like although Cisneros had an interesting and intriguing writing style, I don't really understand what she was trying to say with her stories. I could be harsh in saying this, but I just didn't get this one.
Overall, I'm glad I read all of the books, and I don't think any of them were a waste of time whatsoever. I enjoyed the different ideas and perspectives people would bring to our class discussions. I think we all made eachother realize and see different sides of the various literature, and I quite liked out debates and talks. Having Carmen Rodriguez come in and discuss her book was also a definite plus! Very inspiring to see an author in the flesh, especially someone so genuine, real and to the point. I have to say, I'll miss this class! Perhaps not all the Wikipedia editing though...
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Sunday, November 16, 2008
And a body to remember with
I read this book over the period of this past week-end, and to my surprise after judging the book by it's cover, I consistently enjoyed the colourful stories written by Carmen Rodriguez. This book brings life to the stories, feelings and harships of immigrants forced into political exile and how it can affect so many people on so many levels all over the world. I feel Carmen Rodriguez truly pours her heart, no, more, everything she feels into the narratives which so greatly describe the different events encountered by the protagonists. You can sense and feel the deep passion that she has for the subject matter through reading these powerful and profound stories. I'm going to make the assumption that she is somehow related to all of the stories, knowing a descent amount about her backround. Clearly they are not all about her, but I think she has some sort of link to all of the characters in her real life.
This may sound silly, but I have a feeling I'm not the only one who may feel this way. Having grown up in Vancouver all my life, and obviously, like many of us, could recognize many places she describes in the stories. I almost felt like mental illustrations were provided for so many of the events. For example, I could picture one of the protagonists in a skyscraper downtown, or walking in Chinatown, or on Burrard St. I think the fact that I could do this captivated me that much more, as I added familiar sights and sounds from my own life experiences to the experience of reading her stories. This made for a much more detailed version of the book in a way, it also kept me motivated to read more as I was thinking "how will I be able to relate to this story?". Not that I'm in any way a political exile.
I really look forward to having Carmen Rodriguez come into class and speak to us about the book. There are so many symbols and themes which I have questions about! The book was riddled with suggestive symbols, and some were very evident. I think the title has important significance, as does the cover. (Funny how I judged it by its cover in the beginning) Anyway, overall I thought it was a very pleasant book to read, and it gives great insight into the awful things that happened during the regimes of the 1970's.
This may sound silly, but I have a feeling I'm not the only one who may feel this way. Having grown up in Vancouver all my life, and obviously, like many of us, could recognize many places she describes in the stories. I almost felt like mental illustrations were provided for so many of the events. For example, I could picture one of the protagonists in a skyscraper downtown, or walking in Chinatown, or on Burrard St. I think the fact that I could do this captivated me that much more, as I added familiar sights and sounds from my own life experiences to the experience of reading her stories. This made for a much more detailed version of the book in a way, it also kept me motivated to read more as I was thinking "how will I be able to relate to this story?". Not that I'm in any way a political exile.
I really look forward to having Carmen Rodriguez come into class and speak to us about the book. There are so many symbols and themes which I have questions about! The book was riddled with suggestive symbols, and some were very evident. I think the title has important significance, as does the cover. (Funny how I judged it by its cover in the beginning) Anyway, overall I thought it was a very pleasant book to read, and it gives great insight into the awful things that happened during the regimes of the 1970's.
Sunday, November 9, 2008
Garcia Girls Final Thoughts
As we go back in time farther with the second half of this compilation of stories, I feel like one thing sticks out at me. How different do we approach and criticize these stories having gotten to know these main characters starting as adults, and going back into their childhoods. I feel like having gotten to know these girls first as adults, and later as children made a huge difference in the impact the story had on me. I almost feel like we have more compassion for them because in reality, their lives simply got more and more complicated and problem-ridden as they grew older. Their lives as children in the Dominican Republic were quite peaceful and problem-free compared to the second half of their lives, as adults. I really think Julia Alvarez purposely structured the book this way to show the impact of their immigration and the outcome of their assimilation. Like we discussed in class, was the assimilation being portrayed as a positive or a negative theme?
Anyway, my favourite story in second half would have to be "Snow". I know I know, easy for me to say because it was so short and such a crowd pleaser. I really feel like it shows an interesting side to Yolanda's character. I found myself saying "classic Yolanda" when I read it, which proves that she plays an important role as a main character throughout the novel and that Julia Alvarez did a fairly good job of helping us connect with her on a personal level. I feel like she put this story in the novel not only to highlight the inoccence of the young immigrant girl, but also because it shows an important aspect of Yolanda's personality. Later in the novel, it's brought up again when Yolanda at a young age dreams of seeing New York, which her grandmother calls some sort of indoor/outdoor concrete paradise. I think the story is there to show the vast depths of Yolanda's imagination and also the fact that her mind is always racing and her thoughts always full of curiosity and the future.
Overall, I liked the first half of the book better than the second half, although overall I thought the entire book was pretty good. I wouldn't say I thought it was amazing, but I might read it again just because I think I would see things differently, and notice things I didn't notice the first time around. I'm also curious about it's sequal "Yo", I hear it got pretty good reviews.
Anyway, my favourite story in second half would have to be "Snow". I know I know, easy for me to say because it was so short and such a crowd pleaser. I really feel like it shows an interesting side to Yolanda's character. I found myself saying "classic Yolanda" when I read it, which proves that she plays an important role as a main character throughout the novel and that Julia Alvarez did a fairly good job of helping us connect with her on a personal level. I feel like she put this story in the novel not only to highlight the inoccence of the young immigrant girl, but also because it shows an important aspect of Yolanda's personality. Later in the novel, it's brought up again when Yolanda at a young age dreams of seeing New York, which her grandmother calls some sort of indoor/outdoor concrete paradise. I think the story is there to show the vast depths of Yolanda's imagination and also the fact that her mind is always racing and her thoughts always full of curiosity and the future.
Overall, I liked the first half of the book better than the second half, although overall I thought the entire book was pretty good. I wouldn't say I thought it was amazing, but I might read it again just because I think I would see things differently, and notice things I didn't notice the first time around. I'm also curious about it's sequal "Yo", I hear it got pretty good reviews.
Sunday, November 2, 2008
Those Garcia Girls...
How the Garcia Girls Lost their Accents is by far my favourite novel so far, and somehow I think I won't be the only one in saying that. As the story is narrated backwards, the first half of the novel shows us the life of a Dominican family in the New York after fleeing the Trujillo revolution. I actually enjoyed the first stories the most out of the entire novel, as I feel they gave us the best opportunity to get to know and connect with the characters on a deeper level. Since the stories are narrated in a backward chronological order, the first I believe are the most impactful.
In the first story, "Antojos" we see Julia Alvarez's alter ego, Yolanda return to her birthplace on "the Island" and revisit her heritage. Although when I read this story for the first time, I really didn't know what direction the book was going in. I do feel like it gives us a great intro to the writing style of Julia Alvarez, as she certainly portrays a strong personal connection towards it. It shows us how her Spanish has deteriorated over her years spent in the United States, and really shows how she "lost her accent". This story is an example of the personal connection one feels towards their country of birth no matter how their live after that was shaped, or where it was lived. Although Yolanda was raised in the United States, and truly became a somewhat typical American girl, she still feels a strong connection to the Dominican Republic and her roots which are still on the Island.
The other story which I enjoyed the most was the Rudy Elmherst story. It was super juicy and fun to read, in comparison with some of the others. I found all of the stories in the book enjoyable, but this one had something different. I think Alvarez put it in to show the integration of the girls into American society and how they adjusted to life in boarding school and the challenges, peer pressures and temptations that face any teenage girl. Their time spent there seems to be where they did a majority of their "growing up" and thus distancing themselves from their Hispanic roots. It was their chance to rebel from their parents, they could break the rules safely thanks to the freedom they didn't have at home. Overall an amusing and entertaining story to read.
In the first story, "Antojos" we see Julia Alvarez's alter ego, Yolanda return to her birthplace on "the Island" and revisit her heritage. Although when I read this story for the first time, I really didn't know what direction the book was going in. I do feel like it gives us a great intro to the writing style of Julia Alvarez, as she certainly portrays a strong personal connection towards it. It shows us how her Spanish has deteriorated over her years spent in the United States, and really shows how she "lost her accent". This story is an example of the personal connection one feels towards their country of birth no matter how their live after that was shaped, or where it was lived. Although Yolanda was raised in the United States, and truly became a somewhat typical American girl, she still feels a strong connection to the Dominican Republic and her roots which are still on the Island.
The other story which I enjoyed the most was the Rudy Elmherst story. It was super juicy and fun to read, in comparison with some of the others. I found all of the stories in the book enjoyable, but this one had something different. I think Alvarez put it in to show the integration of the girls into American society and how they adjusted to life in boarding school and the challenges, peer pressures and temptations that face any teenage girl. Their time spent there seems to be where they did a majority of their "growing up" and thus distancing themselves from their Hispanic roots. It was their chance to rebel from their parents, they could break the rules safely thanks to the freedom they didn't have at home. Overall an amusing and entertaining story to read.
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