I like the way Jessica talks about Florentino Ariza’s love is like a fire that will burn out if he did not do anything to it and that it would become a dark state of loneliness. It is true that Florentino Ariza’s dream and hope are based on Fermina Daza and that they are only imaginary because they are unreachable. However, I believe that the love and feeling Florentino Ariza has for Fermina Daza is so “magical, true, and romantic.” However, a frequent question often arises in me. If Florentino loves Fermina so much, why would he have relationships with other people? The following passage relates to this.
“No sooner did he leave his office at five in the afternoon than he began to hunt like a chicken hawk. At first he was content with what the night provided. He picked up serving girls in the parks, black women in the market, sophisticated young ladies from the interior on the beaches, gringas on the boats from New Orleans. He took them to the jetties where half the city also went after nightfall, he took them wherever he could and sometimes even where he could not, and not infrequently he had to gurry into a dark entryway and do what he could, however he could do it, behind the gate” (175).
I understand that he has been trying to recover himself from the wound he has due to his broken up with Fermina. He tries to forget her by having relationship constantly with other ladies. However, is this the right way to forget something?
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Love in the Time of Cholera: Dec 4, 2007
I do agree with Thespina about the atmosphere of the quote. It made me long for love too. The intriguing love between Florentino and Fermina is romantic. Although it is true that the routine lives brings boredom into their lives and causes them to break up in the end. However, the process is so romantic and so unbelievable. The way Florentino never gives up is the thing that causes emotion inside me. It is true that the title does not seem to match up with the events in the beginning of the book. However, as the story moves on, we can see signs of love moving in. It is more than a description of two people growing old together and who depend of each other. The twists in Marquez’s story are so interesting that it make me want to read on and on without stopping.
I love the part when Dr. Urbino falls and dies. I like it because he is finally able to express and show his feeling for Fermina. The imagery in the passage is so strong that the image stays in my mind for so long. I can feel tears pouring from my heart when I read this passage.
“She dropped the tasting spoon and tried her best to run despite the invincible weight of her age,, screaming like a madwoman without knowing yet what has happened under the mango leaves, and her heart jumped inside her ribs when she saw her man lying on his back I n the mud, dead to this life but still resisting death’s final blow for one last minute so that she would have time to come to him. He recognized her despite the uproar, through his tears of unrepeatable sorrow at dying without her, and he looked at her for the last and final time with eyes more luminous, more grief-stricken, more grateful than she had ever seen them in half a century of a shared life, and he managed to say to her with his last breath: ‘Only God knows how much I loved you’” (43-4).
Love in the Time of Cholera: Dec 2, 2007
After reading only one third of the book, I feel that I have fallen in love with it. I like the book in the way it is organized. First, it tells us about what is happening at the time. Then, it goes back to half-a-century ago when Fermina was in love with Florentino. Each session of the book is divided up into the histories of the different characters in the book. It is well organized and I am able to follow through the book with deep understanding of what is happening.
In all cases I liked the book, the only thing I dislike about the book is its overly graphic discussion about women.
Throughout the book, I find quotes that I really like. Here is one of the quotes:
“Panic-stricken, she told her Aunt Escolastica, who gave her advice with the courage and lucidity she had not had when she was twenty and was forced to decide her own fate. ‘Tell him yes,’ she said. ‘Even if you are dying of fear, even if you are sorry later, because whatever you do, you will be sorry all the rest of your life if you say no’” (71).
Aunt Escolastica has been in the same situation back when she was young. However, she did not have the courage to do what she wants and to be with who she likes. So now, she supports Fermina in accepting Florentino’s plead to be her husband so that she would not regret for the rest of her life, like she had. I really love Aunt Escolastica in the way that she is so selfless. She wants her niece to have what she didn’t have and to be happy just because she wasn’t. Also, I agree with her in the way that one should do whatever they want without moving back due to fear. She said that if Fermina agrees with Florentino, she might be happy. Even if everything turns out to be bad, she can still choose again. But if she disagrees, she would never know the result and may regret for the rest of her life.
In all cases I liked the book, the only thing I dislike about the book is its overly graphic discussion about women.
Throughout the book, I find quotes that I really like. Here is one of the quotes:
“Panic-stricken, she told her Aunt Escolastica, who gave her advice with the courage and lucidity she had not had when she was twenty and was forced to decide her own fate. ‘Tell him yes,’ she said. ‘Even if you are dying of fear, even if you are sorry later, because whatever you do, you will be sorry all the rest of your life if you say no’” (71).
Aunt Escolastica has been in the same situation back when she was young. However, she did not have the courage to do what she wants and to be with who she likes. So now, she supports Fermina in accepting Florentino’s plead to be her husband so that she would not regret for the rest of her life, like she had. I really love Aunt Escolastica in the way that she is so selfless. She wants her niece to have what she didn’t have and to be happy just because she wasn’t. Also, I agree with her in the way that one should do whatever they want without moving back due to fear. She said that if Fermina agrees with Florentino, she might be happy. Even if everything turns out to be bad, she can still choose again. But if she disagrees, she would never know the result and may regret for the rest of her life.
Love in the Time of Cholera: Dec 2, 2007
I strongly agree with Jessica’s idea about segregated love. Families who are poor would most likely wish to become wealthy and to suffer less. They hope to do this by marrying their daughters off to wealthy men. They do not wish to suffer anymore so they look towards a rich future-son-in-law. They believe that the key to happiness is being wealthy. They do not take the time to understand the desires their daughters.
I like Jessica’s idea when she said that the parrot has been a symbol throughout the book. I also believe that the parrot has a special meaning throughout the book. After all, the parrot indirectly leads to Dr. Urbino’s death. The parrot’s disobedience and knowledge symbolizes a typical human being. Everyone has his or her own specific knowledge and that he or she is disobedient at some specific time. The parrot, in a way, shows us the flaws in human beings. Also, parrot is not the only animal that can be found in the house; there is also a purple.
I like Jessica’s idea when she said that the parrot has been a symbol throughout the book. I also believe that the parrot has a special meaning throughout the book. After all, the parrot indirectly leads to Dr. Urbino’s death. The parrot’s disobedience and knowledge symbolizes a typical human being. Everyone has his or her own specific knowledge and that he or she is disobedient at some specific time. The parrot, in a way, shows us the flaws in human beings. Also, parrot is not the only animal that can be found in the house; there is also a purple.
Love in the Time of Cholera: Dec 1, 2007
Lorenzo has always been a caring man throughout the book. There are how much I loved you’” (43). Dr. Urbino has saved his last breath so that he can say this to Fermina. Their relationship has been horrible throughout their half-a-century shared life. However, in the end, he finds the courage to show his love towards Fermina. I just thought that this line is beautifully written and so I want to share it with you guys. It is very true that god is the one who knows everything, because what a person said may not always be true and that he or she might be lying.
Fermina responds to this by praying to God “to give him at least a moment so that he would not go without knowing how much times when he over-reacted to the situation, but his love and hope for his daughter never fail. Lorenzo did not immediately confront Florentino after finding out about his love with Fermina. He only went to confront Florentino because Fermina had refused to eat and to talk to him. This shows his care and love for his daughter. He care about his daughter so much that he did not care about losing his dignity when he went to talk to Florentino. The passage that Jessica found is one that I love also. In the passage, it is said that Lorenzo had been doing the same thing Fermina is doing today. However, he does not allow his daughter to do the same thing. I believe that he thinks that it had been a mistake for him and his wife, and so he does not want Fermina to commit the same mistake and to regret later on. If the relationship between Fermina’s parent is a mistake, this gives the reason to why Fermina mother has not been mentioned in the book frequently. To me, Lorenzo loves his daughter and he cares about her. I do not know if this is due to his love towared his wife and that Fermina resembles her or it is due to his want in becoming rich through his beautiful daughter.
There is a line that appears early in the book and that I loved a lot. Dr. Urbino said it before he fell off the tree and die. He said ‘“Only god knows she had loved him despite all their doubts, and she felt an irresistible longing to begin life with him over again so that they could say what they had left unsaid and do everything right that they had done badly in the past” (47). This sudden realization leads me into thinking about the flaws of human beings. Is it true that people only realize their mistakes and that they only see the truth when they are facing deaths? I have been wondering about this throughout my reading career.
Fermina responds to this by praying to God “to give him at least a moment so that he would not go without knowing how much times when he over-reacted to the situation, but his love and hope for his daughter never fail. Lorenzo did not immediately confront Florentino after finding out about his love with Fermina. He only went to confront Florentino because Fermina had refused to eat and to talk to him. This shows his care and love for his daughter. He care about his daughter so much that he did not care about losing his dignity when he went to talk to Florentino. The passage that Jessica found is one that I love also. In the passage, it is said that Lorenzo had been doing the same thing Fermina is doing today. However, he does not allow his daughter to do the same thing. I believe that he thinks that it had been a mistake for him and his wife, and so he does not want Fermina to commit the same mistake and to regret later on. If the relationship between Fermina’s parent is a mistake, this gives the reason to why Fermina mother has not been mentioned in the book frequently. To me, Lorenzo loves his daughter and he cares about her. I do not know if this is due to his love towared his wife and that Fermina resembles her or it is due to his want in becoming rich through his beautiful daughter.
There is a line that appears early in the book and that I loved a lot. Dr. Urbino said it before he fell off the tree and die. He said ‘“Only god knows she had loved him despite all their doubts, and she felt an irresistible longing to begin life with him over again so that they could say what they had left unsaid and do everything right that they had done badly in the past” (47). This sudden realization leads me into thinking about the flaws of human beings. Is it true that people only realize their mistakes and that they only see the truth when they are facing deaths? I have been wondering about this throughout my reading career.
Plum Plum Pickers: All the Same
In “The Plum Plum Pickers,” Raymond Barrio concludes that humans are built to “experience a certain sense of honor and pride” (2). He believes that a person’s propriety and wealth should not stop him or her from feeling honorable and proud; all human beings have the chance to feel this way. Barrio is able to create this idea through his variation in characters and sentence structure, symbols, and repetition. One word paragraphs are used to emphasize short periods of time. Symbols are used throughout the story; they vary from the names of different characters to the setting of the story. Repetition is used frequently in order to show the importance of his idea and the cycle of humans’ daily lives. Barrio uses many literary techniques in order to form his idea.
Manuel is a poor fruit picker who works in “an endless maze of apricot trees” (1). This “endless maze” (1) symbolizes “the jails of hell” (1); it is a place where there is no escape and where he is “trapped” (1). The setting creates the allusion that Manuel is a lowly-regarded “animal” (1) being trapped inside a cage. To Manuel, “lunch [and] midafternoon” (1) are the only times during which he can rest and that they are short periods of time. Barrio used one word paragraph to show the short periods of time lunch and midafternoon have taken up in Manuel’s daily life. Manuel “endlessly [piles up] bucket upon box upon crate upon stack upon rack upon mound upon mountain”; he works everyday, doing the same thing over and over again. Manuel is symbolic of “an automator” (1) because of his non-resting and repeated work. Manuel’s name is symbolic of a poor worker who works without stopping; Manuel sounds like the word manual.
The higher authorities are wealthy, but selfish; they “didn’t give a shit how that migratory scum lived” (2). They believe that “it was no concern of theirs. Their wives said it was no concern of theirs [and] their aldermen said it was no concern of theirs” (2). Barrio emphasizes the authorities’ lack of care for the workers through his use of repetition. Roberto Morales cheats his workers’ hard-earn money by saying that “there was a miscalculation” (2); he is not only selfish, but inhumane. Roberto Morales’ name is significant because it is symbolic of a “robber” (1) who is “moral less”. The “anglo growers and güero executives” (1) feel proud because they believe that they “cheated no one” (2) and that they are “honest” (1). Morales tries to look as if he is “firm, fair, and square” (1) all the time. Although these authorities committed faulty acts, they still want to experience the sense of honor and pride.
Humans show “defiance” (2) to something oppressive and that they disagree with. Similarly, Manuel earns “respect from his fellow slaves” (2) when he shows defiance toward Morales, who unreasonably take their money. He does this by tipping over his bucket of cots; he proves to his fellow slaves that they should be able to feel honorable and proud too. Barrio believes that “men counted for something” (2). They are built for something “more important and less trifling than the mere gathering of prunes and apricots, hour upon hour, decade upon decade” (2). Again, Barrio used repetition to show the non-stopping work of poor men. Barrio shows through his story that not only the wealthy people are able to feel proud, but also, those who are poor and who work continuously. He purposely composes a character, like Manuel, in order to show his reader the idea that even the lowest class man can feel proud. Through the use of repetition, symbols, and sentence structure, Barrio is able to portray his idea about men.
Manuel is a poor fruit picker who works in “an endless maze of apricot trees” (1). This “endless maze” (1) symbolizes “the jails of hell” (1); it is a place where there is no escape and where he is “trapped” (1). The setting creates the allusion that Manuel is a lowly-regarded “animal” (1) being trapped inside a cage. To Manuel, “lunch [and] midafternoon” (1) are the only times during which he can rest and that they are short periods of time. Barrio used one word paragraph to show the short periods of time lunch and midafternoon have taken up in Manuel’s daily life. Manuel “endlessly [piles up] bucket upon box upon crate upon stack upon rack upon mound upon mountain”; he works everyday, doing the same thing over and over again. Manuel is symbolic of “an automator” (1) because of his non-resting and repeated work. Manuel’s name is symbolic of a poor worker who works without stopping; Manuel sounds like the word manual.
The higher authorities are wealthy, but selfish; they “didn’t give a shit how that migratory scum lived” (2). They believe that “it was no concern of theirs. Their wives said it was no concern of theirs [and] their aldermen said it was no concern of theirs” (2). Barrio emphasizes the authorities’ lack of care for the workers through his use of repetition. Roberto Morales cheats his workers’ hard-earn money by saying that “there was a miscalculation” (2); he is not only selfish, but inhumane. Roberto Morales’ name is significant because it is symbolic of a “robber” (1) who is “moral less”. The “anglo growers and güero executives” (1) feel proud because they believe that they “cheated no one” (2) and that they are “honest” (1). Morales tries to look as if he is “firm, fair, and square” (1) all the time. Although these authorities committed faulty acts, they still want to experience the sense of honor and pride.
Humans show “defiance” (2) to something oppressive and that they disagree with. Similarly, Manuel earns “respect from his fellow slaves” (2) when he shows defiance toward Morales, who unreasonably take their money. He does this by tipping over his bucket of cots; he proves to his fellow slaves that they should be able to feel honorable and proud too. Barrio believes that “men counted for something” (2). They are built for something “more important and less trifling than the mere gathering of prunes and apricots, hour upon hour, decade upon decade” (2). Again, Barrio used repetition to show the non-stopping work of poor men. Barrio shows through his story that not only the wealthy people are able to feel proud, but also, those who are poor and who work continuously. He purposely composes a character, like Manuel, in order to show his reader the idea that even the lowest class man can feel proud. Through the use of repetition, symbols, and sentence structure, Barrio is able to portray his idea about men.
Scoring the Parable of the Blind
Kevin's thesis statement is "William Carlos William uses blindness to portray the failures that society will create through the blind dependence on one another." I think that this is a wonderful thesis statement. He further backs up his thesis statement with evidence from the text. He explains and analyzes his evidence. He tells the reader that Williams creates his meaning through symbols and irony. His conclusion supports his thesis. (A)
Christina's thesis statement at the end of her introduction tells us about Williams' purpose. Her thesis is "In 'The Parable of the Blind,' Williams uses imagery and diction to reveal the flaws of human nature and the importance of faith." She further explains this in her body paragraphs through evidence from the text. However, there are some places in her explication where it is left off "hanging in the air." For example, in the introduction, she wrote, "His careful choices of detail in each poem focus on the main ideas of each of the paintings. He hints that the viewers should focus on these details as well." She did not finish this thought, but instead, just continue on with her topic. I think that she needs to explain more in parts of her explication and not just leave it hanging. She made a mistake in her explication by saying that the poem is the "eighth" poem in Williams' collection, but it was actually the ninth. I love how she explain the meaning of the basin. Her integrating of evidence is great. Overall, she did great. (B)
Christina's thesis statement at the end of her introduction tells us about Williams' purpose. Her thesis is "In 'The Parable of the Blind,' Williams uses imagery and diction to reveal the flaws of human nature and the importance of faith." She further explains this in her body paragraphs through evidence from the text. However, there are some places in her explication where it is left off "hanging in the air." For example, in the introduction, she wrote, "His careful choices of detail in each poem focus on the main ideas of each of the paintings. He hints that the viewers should focus on these details as well." She did not finish this thought, but instead, just continue on with her topic. I think that she needs to explain more in parts of her explication and not just leave it hanging. She made a mistake in her explication by saying that the poem is the "eighth" poem in Williams' collection, but it was actually the ninth. I love how she explain the meaning of the basin. Her integrating of evidence is great. Overall, she did great. (B)
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