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.