Like most of you, this book is leaving me very confused and unsure about what is going on with the story, or even if there really is a story at all. With that said, I find it interesting that a book that touches on many themes of immigration, labor exploitation of migrant workers, and societal institutions could be written in such a poetic manner. All of these topics can be explored in a very concrete style, but Tomas Rivera chooses to explain them as a mosaic of fragmented memories and seemingly unrelated and scattered stories. This could be a reflection of the ways in which the human mind actually stores and processes experience and memory. Like the majority of the books we have read in class, this book is not really meant to be taken for face value, or even literally, but rather as a means to create a general impression of the times on the reader. One thing to remember is that it is written largely from the mind of a child, and for that, is poses situations and experiences without following up on them, or providing cohesion and answers.
It is interesting for me to read the accounts of Latin American workers coming to the U.S. because I lived 18 years in California and was exposed to Latin migrants my whole life. To see and understand their experiences and impressions, hopes and desires, is very interesting because in so many ways I have seen how they are judged as the "other."I have been exposed to great bias and prejudice against these people by Americans, so actually seeing getting a glimpse into their perception and experiences has proved very interesting. It in a way fills in the blanks of the other side of the story from the very voices that for many reasons have been silenced.
Sunday, September 28, 2008
Sunday, September 21, 2008
Difficult but well worth it
So, like many of my fellow classmates, I found this reading really challenging. Part of this is on account of the fact that this was one of my first attempts to read real literature in Spanish longer than the few pages I read here and there in 301. With that said, from what I understood of the reading I was very impressed with Marti's writing style. His use of descriptive language and metaphor was truly noteworthy and I hope that one day I will be able to read literature of this caliber in Spanish and actually be able to gain a deeper understanding of the prose that it offers.
In El Puente De Brooklyn, Marti eloquently juxtaposes elements of nature with the man made world. In describing the Brooklyn Bridge, a bridge that is constructed of steel and iron by the hands of laborers, he continuously eludes to elements of nature, drawing the two together in an almost harmonies way. On page 426 he writes, "como anclaron en la tierra esos magicos calbes? Como surgieron de las aguas, con su manto de tenzas de acero, esas esbeltas torres?...Como se levantan en el aire, susurrando apenas cual fibra de canas ligeras esas fabricas que pesan 8,120 toneladas?" In order to express the magnitude of this unnatural man made creation he continuously brings us back to nature, creating what I found a very unique parallel.
Another element of Marti's style that I found interesting was the sense of wonderment that he expressed throughout his writing. He was able to take every day situations that would be taken for granted by most Americans, and present them in a phenomenal way. Many people are entranced by the construction of a bridge, however through Marti's complex articulations, we see that his feelings seem to penetrate deeper than this everyday sentiment of wonder. I think that a large part of this has to do with the fact that Marti is a recent immigrant to the United States and sees the world through a very different lens than most Americans. In many ways, the construction of such a phenomenal monument as the Brooklyn Bridge is the absolute symbol of Capitalism and thus acts as a reflection of the vastly conflicting values from his old home to his new one.
All in all, I was impressed by this reading but only wish I had the skills to better understand it.
In El Puente De Brooklyn, Marti eloquently juxtaposes elements of nature with the man made world. In describing the Brooklyn Bridge, a bridge that is constructed of steel and iron by the hands of laborers, he continuously eludes to elements of nature, drawing the two together in an almost harmonies way. On page 426 he writes, "como anclaron en la tierra esos magicos calbes? Como surgieron de las aguas, con su manto de tenzas de acero, esas esbeltas torres?...Como se levantan en el aire, susurrando apenas cual fibra de canas ligeras esas fabricas que pesan 8,120 toneladas?" In order to express the magnitude of this unnatural man made creation he continuously brings us back to nature, creating what I found a very unique parallel.
Another element of Marti's style that I found interesting was the sense of wonderment that he expressed throughout his writing. He was able to take every day situations that would be taken for granted by most Americans, and present them in a phenomenal way. Many people are entranced by the construction of a bridge, however through Marti's complex articulations, we see that his feelings seem to penetrate deeper than this everyday sentiment of wonder. I think that a large part of this has to do with the fact that Marti is a recent immigrant to the United States and sees the world through a very different lens than most Americans. In many ways, the construction of such a phenomenal monument as the Brooklyn Bridge is the absolute symbol of Capitalism and thus acts as a reflection of the vastly conflicting values from his old home to his new one.
All in all, I was impressed by this reading but only wish I had the skills to better understand it.
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Numero dos
My blog is a little late, but better late than never and yesterdays discussion helped me formulate my thoughts a bit more and make them less muddled. First of all, I would like to compliment the class on their very insightful readings of this book. I must admit, when I started reading it, I was a bit confused and frustrated because I think though I appreciated the book for its cultural and historical insights, I failed to see it in the satirical and ironic way that Ruiz de Burton integrates into her tone of writing. I think I was trying to take it more for face value without making connections to the layers of insight and critique that she integrates into her writing.
The notion of double meanings; what you see is not necessarily what you get, is an interesting concept. The Democrat Mr. Norval seems to be one of the few who actually tolerates diversity, though in some ways I question how deep his values actually are. The self proclaimed "pious", God fearing, and charitable Mrs. Norval openly discusses her intolerance and hatred of all things foreign. Lola who appears on the scene as Black and potentially Indian, thus on the surface lowering her ranks to the lowest status of society at the time is actually of "pure" Spanish decent, almost symbolically mirroring the black stones that are actually diamonds on the inside. The "good" characters of this novel, have in my opinion, substantially less depth than the characters who you are meant to hate. Nothing is quite what it seems and under the surface, assumptions are constantly challenged.
Relating all of this back to our discussion in class, I am still undecided about whether or not this is a "feminist novel". I see both sides of the discussion. On one hand, if it were a feminist novel perhaps Ruiz de Burton would make more of an effort to portray women in a more positive light. She would try to not just keep women in the same subservient roles of being incapable of intelligent thought and helpless, but rather capable of challenging these assumptions and binding gendered categories. However, on the other hand, in keeping this book in a historical context and thinking of her underlying satirical tone, she almost presents these characters as an avenue of exemplifying the inequalities that existed in society of the time. Like the other aspects of the book, I have come to understand that you can not take this for face value. She is almost presenting these characters to the readers and leaving it up to them to draw their own conclusions of womens position in society during this time.
As a writer she seems to consistently present issues without drawing conclusions, letting the reader do that for themselves. An interesting question that I do not have the answer for would be does a feminist book need to present women as bold, brave, and heroic, or is it simply enough to expose them in the reality of how they were seen at the time?
The notion of double meanings; what you see is not necessarily what you get, is an interesting concept. The Democrat Mr. Norval seems to be one of the few who actually tolerates diversity, though in some ways I question how deep his values actually are. The self proclaimed "pious", God fearing, and charitable Mrs. Norval openly discusses her intolerance and hatred of all things foreign. Lola who appears on the scene as Black and potentially Indian, thus on the surface lowering her ranks to the lowest status of society at the time is actually of "pure" Spanish decent, almost symbolically mirroring the black stones that are actually diamonds on the inside. The "good" characters of this novel, have in my opinion, substantially less depth than the characters who you are meant to hate. Nothing is quite what it seems and under the surface, assumptions are constantly challenged.
Relating all of this back to our discussion in class, I am still undecided about whether or not this is a "feminist novel". I see both sides of the discussion. On one hand, if it were a feminist novel perhaps Ruiz de Burton would make more of an effort to portray women in a more positive light. She would try to not just keep women in the same subservient roles of being incapable of intelligent thought and helpless, but rather capable of challenging these assumptions and binding gendered categories. However, on the other hand, in keeping this book in a historical context and thinking of her underlying satirical tone, she almost presents these characters as an avenue of exemplifying the inequalities that existed in society of the time. Like the other aspects of the book, I have come to understand that you can not take this for face value. She is almost presenting these characters to the readers and leaving it up to them to draw their own conclusions of womens position in society during this time.
As a writer she seems to consistently present issues without drawing conclusions, letting the reader do that for themselves. An interesting question that I do not have the answer for would be does a feminist book need to present women as bold, brave, and heroic, or is it simply enough to expose them in the reality of how they were seen at the time?
Sunday, September 7, 2008
Who Would Have Thought It? #1
Fiction acts as a mirror or reflection of society, and reading it helps us understand commonly held notions, and ideals of the times. While this book is indeed a bit tedious and frustrating at times, Who Would Have Though It does help us get a clear illustration of history and societal values of the time.
Through reading this book, we come to understand stigmas of race, nationality, and religion that existed in the times that it was written. Interestingly, while these stigmas have evolved and changed over time, they still exist it different forms today. While the issues are today presented in different terms, having grown up in California, it is very obvious that great prejudice of Latin Americans are still quite prevalent.
In class we discussed the idea of Mexicans not crossing the border but the border crossing them. I think the idea of fluidity of geography between the New World, the Old World, and national boundaries within these regions is a theme that is well illustrated within this novel.
All in all, because this book is a tedious read, I think it is important to try and keep in a historical context.
Through reading this book, we come to understand stigmas of race, nationality, and religion that existed in the times that it was written. Interestingly, while these stigmas have evolved and changed over time, they still exist it different forms today. While the issues are today presented in different terms, having grown up in California, it is very obvious that great prejudice of Latin Americans are still quite prevalent.
In class we discussed the idea of Mexicans not crossing the border but the border crossing them. I think the idea of fluidity of geography between the New World, the Old World, and national boundaries within these regions is a theme that is well illustrated within this novel.
All in all, because this book is a tedious read, I think it is important to try and keep in a historical context.
Friday, September 5, 2008
Introduction
Hello all,
My name is Emily and I am a 3rd year international student originating from the San Francisco Bay Area. I am studying Anthropology and Sociology but am very interested in Spanish and Latin American Studies as well. For this reason, I am considering changing my major to Interdisciplinary Studies to be able to incorporate all three areas into my upper division studies. I spent the last month of Summer traveling from Mexico City to the Yucatan via bus and spent a week in Belize. While the transition back into reality is hard, I am excited for this class and what it has to offer.
Emily
My name is Emily and I am a 3rd year international student originating from the San Francisco Bay Area. I am studying Anthropology and Sociology but am very interested in Spanish and Latin American Studies as well. For this reason, I am considering changing my major to Interdisciplinary Studies to be able to incorporate all three areas into my upper division studies. I spent the last month of Summer traveling from Mexico City to the Yucatan via bus and spent a week in Belize. While the transition back into reality is hard, I am excited for this class and what it has to offer.
Emily
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