Ok, so here's the final post. Not really sure what to say except that this was the first time i've ever even used a blog and remembering to keep updating was a challenge in itself. That being said, i guess it kinda helped with the group discussions that we did in class. Having the ability to mention what was discussed on the blogs and in the classroom did have a few rewards at least for me. I'm not really a fan of magical realism in any language and after mananaging to get through cien Anos de Soledad i found that i wasnt the only one who was having issues with it. The other novels were slightly easier to understand but that in no way means that i didnt have my problems because it takes so much more time to read anything in spanish than in english. But i guess we came full circle especially where the themes we discussed at the beginning are concerned. Family, modernization, love all were present in various degrees. I guess for me i saw it all come down to the last novel not only because we spent the most time on it but it just encapsulated everything so well. We saw the struggles of a family over generations battle modernization, incestuous relationships, personal demons and just about everything else that was present in the other novels. But what the other novels lacked in certain areas Cien Anos had it all in spades. Being able to spend an entire class on one paragraph was proof enough that there was plenty to talk about. But looking beyond all the anlayzing and the family trees and whatnot it was just the most enjoyable book, at least for me. The only issue was of course, keeping the names straight which i still cant do all the time but hopefully with the help of my trusty family tree i can manage alright.
So i guess the question is was this blog useful? Yea, it helped more than i thought it would.

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so i'm not too sure how i feel not that the book is fianlly over. after following the story of this family for so long to see it all come to an end in such a dramatic way seems almost fitting. The end of the Buendia family line ends with the feath of an infant, one who in my opinion, has escaped the curse of being born into that family. When i say curse i mean that it is almost with a sense of dispair that any of these family members has made it alive for so long. But they have all died, mostly tragically or in Ursula's case in holding on to dreams that would never come to fruit. And those that had no dreams died the same. Not only has the family died out but in doing so it has taken with it the rest of the town. What i think is that maybe modernization was not a goodd thing especially when concerning Macondo. Remember when it was just a small town and everyone was prospering? Well once new technology was introduced it brought not only modernization but it allowed new kinds of ideologies to be introduced and it expanded the scope from which incest, death and in some weird way, love were able to grow. Melquíades’ ancient prophecies, are important because they signify the ending of an era. In the same way that the first Jose Arcadio and Ursula were afraid that if they were to have a child it would end up with a pig's tail because of their incestuous relationship, the novel ends for that exact reason. When Aureliano reads the prophecies it even talks about him reading those prophecies. And then it ends with him being torn away by the swirling winds. So Macondo gets ripped away just like the family was ripped away from each other and any semblance of normalacy.

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So what i've gathered is that we are now exploring the diversification of the story. The introduction of new characters, and it is important to note that these new characters are foreigners, has brought a new scene to Macondo. The new railroad and revelation of dreams past has modernized the once isolate town. I still dont really understand the reason for the same names. Each tiem the name is passed on the bearer of the name seems to do stranger, and at least to me, creepier things. Like the whole sex with donkeys thing. I think it is just something Marquez threw in to keep the reader interested in the novel because i see no real reason for it.
What i have noticed is the decline in the Buendia family. Their legacy has become much more based on the shocking behavior of its family members then on the close-knit relationship that the story first started off with. When we discussed in class how Jose Arcadio Buendia and Ursula had settled Macondo and did it with the sense of raising a family there. Now that we have the introduction of modernization that sense of family relations seems to lessen to a large degree. The grandsons sleep with the same woman. The arrival of the banana plantation brings with it more chaos. Like the influx of prostitues. That is definetly not in keeping with the realy emphasis on the family dynamic. I guess that the point here is that modernization is not really a good thing if it leads to the destruction of the human moral code. Not that it has ever been very strong in this novel but what is left of it seems to be disintegrating rapidly with every passing page. Why then, does Marquez insist on writing this way? Maybe its a warning or maybe he can see the world for what it is, and in his view we are all susceptible to the influences around us and true willpower like that of Fernanda isnt real.

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ok, so as i've coninued to read (now that its being done in spanish) the going is a lot slower and alot more difficult to understand. but what i did get from it was that Jose(the son) has gone back to the time from when the book started so there has been another time shift. But what i found really confusing is Marquez's use of repeated names. Like how Sohpia's twins are named Jose Arcadio segundo and Aureliano segundo. why does he do this? i dont know but its starting to get alittle irritating. Then there is the strange relationship between Aureliano Jose, Colonel Aureliano Buendia's son begins that strange relationship with his aunt. and although they dont actually have intercourse their relationship transencds the bounds of what is deemed morally acceptible. this creates anotehr facet of issues that only add to the complications int he story especially after we discussed the topic of incest in the family. Then when he returns to try and marry her he ends up getting killed a conservative soldier. And then his 17 kids get baptized with his name. For me the twists just keep coming and coming and it is getting harder to keep up with this pace. Then when the Colonel tries to kill himself he cant even do that except that everyone else who died didnt want to die. ironic no? So i guess its like a family imploding. There is chaos everywhere and no one really knows what to do or who to follow. The colonel is lost becuase he's seen what war has done and that it truly changes nothing. so what is left for anyone? i guess i just have to find out.

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Well this is my second attempt at reading this novel and thankfully all i can say is that this time i'm liking it a whole lot more. Like every novel that we've read so far it incorporates the basic themes of family, modernization and love. The gypsies are the representation of what the world has to offer to this little town that is so isolated from the rest of the planet. The relationships between the family memebers especially with Jose Arcadio and his two sons have been interesting because of how they developed. The oldest, Jose, should have been the one to have taken after his father but is actually the opposite. When he takes comfort in Pilar and gets her pregnant he cant even find the strength to be a man because he isnt. He's only a boy who is too confused and unfortunetly for him that confusion leads him to make even worse decisons like deciding to leave with the caravan of gypsys.
Then of course we have to take into consideration the theme of magical realism because no Marquez work would be complete without it. (Trust me, just read his short story "The Old Man with Wings" at least i think thats what its called) A lot of what happens in this novel obviously cant happen in real life like the magic carpet. But what i got from it was that the essence of the story relies on the reader's ability to think creatively. Jose, the father, is a man consumed by his obsession but you can't really blame him because he lives in a small town cut off from the rest of the world. When the gypsies bring all these new inventions and products of science it is no wonder that he's so fascinated by them. The sad part is that his family suffers. HE only realizes he has sons when Ursula refuses to leave Moncado and he spends all day with his sons teaching them everything he knows although most of it isnt true like jumping from one island to another. It gives a whole new meaning to the term island hoping. So i guess a lot is in store for the fellow generations and i'm kinda of looking forward to finding out what it is.

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I think that this course has really explored more of the integral points of a novel, most obvious, the theme of family. but within that one topic there lies other themes such as jealousy, gender relations, individuality and love. Each one of the novels and even the poems of Pablo Neruda have reflected upon different aspects that are most commonly found in any piece of hispanic literature. The poetry was much more direct and upfront of course because there is less space to show one's feelings. However, even in the novels like Mama Blanca and Cumanda there were trials that the protagonists had to endure just like the narrator of Neruda's poetry. Of course everytime one does an analysis it has to be taken with a grain of salt because every analysis will be different. In my own opinion there is a lot of detail in hispanic literature, most of it adds only to the confusion of the reader and the characters in the story as well. Why would an author choose to take this course? I really have no answer. But perhaps that detail is interspersed to make the characters more real. I think that these characters are much more human if they have visible flaws and it allows the reader to get angry and feel the pain they feel or share in their joys. But it does get frustrating especially when we know that love is a theme but it actually is the biggest silent character. So it is both a theme and a player that allows those who choose to be influenced by it to make at times irrational decisions that cause complications. Cumanda, Mama Blanca, Neruda's narrator and all the other characters allowed themselves to believe in love even if the outcome was not what they had hoped for. For me, that is the biggest theme in the stories we have read. Without it would these pieces of literature have continued to be read?

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When i first started reading this story i thought it was really funny. I'm not sure why but the dialogue was creative and actually made me feel like i was listening to someone speak (probably someone of Dominican or Puerto Rican descent because of the cut r's and s's but that's neither here nor there). Anyway, then as i continued reading i didn't really understand what was going on. Esperanza gets married to Bernabe even though her mother doesn’t want her to and then she disowns her while her daughter moves away. but first the mother didn’t want the daughter to get married because of some reason i didn't get. So my question is, if the mom was aware of her daughter's great attributes like her beauty and her good upbringing why was she so concerned that no man was good enough for her? I chalk it up to jealousy on the mom's part but maybe I just didn’t really understand that part.
And then when the daughter gets sick Eufrasia doesn’t want to visit her. So she only agrees to it when her patron tells her to. I think that even if she had disowned her daughter she was still her mother and that's not something you can just turn off like a light switch. But the ending, I thought at least, seemed a little more somber. Not that this story was a feminist one, but to rest the entirety of it on the hopes of a man returning seemed sort of sad. I liked the bantering in the relationship between the mother and daughter because, let’s face it, real life is like that. Mothers and daughters will always argue especially when it comes to relationships so this ending seemed a little dull to me.

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It is hard for me to articulate what i really learned from this novel. Truthfully, i don't think i got much out of it except for perhaps the obvious gender relations. I thought there was a femenist undercurrent throughout the novel but then again it was written by a woman so i guess it comes with the territory. The concept is interesting though. Writing in a time before your own is difficult to do and then translating those problems over is equally difficult. And yes, i think that Teresa de la Parra did include her points. An absentee father and a story mostly fueled by women with certain intersections of male family members(which i still do not entirely understand) create a reflection of what life might have been in those times.
However, this could also be seen as a woman's rant of the injustices against women. I think the reason she did it was to prove the point that women's rights still had not progressed. And I suppose that if we delve even deeper then the relationships between the mother and the rest of the family there is a distance. Why else would the name change from Mama Blanca to Blanca Nieves? This is a fantasy name. And not just a fantasy name but the name for a children’s story. The daughters are held captive in the sugar mill and only have each other to play with but maybe that is better than the fate of Mama Blanca. Her husband is not a constant figure and her children can not give her the companionship she so needs. It is an isolated world for all involved. The father, the mother, the children. No one really seems to be completely loved and companionship could be a farce here but then again I’m not sure. It is all speculation so far on my part.

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There is much to be said about the interaction between Cumanda and Carlos but not just with the two main characters considering their actions have merely been consequences of their interactions with others. With the revelation of who Cumanda’s real father is and that she is in fact Carlos’ sister, little is left to the imagination of the reader without the premise of tragedy. But, perhaps, that is Mera’s point. Without suffering there would be no compassion and in the life of Cumanda she suffered for her love, one that she thought was pure and in reality was tainted by events that she had no control over. She was punished for something that was not her fault. She sacrificed herself to save Carlos, and in doing so alienated herself from the family she had only to come to the realization that she was living a lie.
The book does drag on a bit and there is a fair amount of detail that is at times tedious to get through. However, it is easy to see that the book is only a tragedy and while it does focus on that plain of meloncholy distress there is much more to understand about the central characters. Love, first of all is essential here. Regardless of the ending, it began with love not only between a man and woman but also between family members which was escalated by burgeoning egos, characteristic of the men, but also in the women which was not characteristic especially at this time in history. Overall, the novel serves as a reminder that love is a driving force but it is up to the character to do with it what they will.

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Cumanda es una novela muy detallada. Empieza con el primer capitulo que se trato solamente en detallar la naturaleza de ecuador. Desde las montanas hasta los rios y los tribus que viven entre los diferentes tipos de medio ambientes. El autor no deja a nada. Se concentra en la descripcion para que el lector podra entender la importancia de la naturaleza para los personajes en la novela.
Cumanda, la hija menor de la familia Tongana, se parece ser la hija ideal. Todos la aman y ella ama a todos. Todos se llevan bien y nadie necesita mas de lo que tienen. Aunque ella parece tener de todo, no esta feliz. El autor menciona que aunque Cumanda es muy bella no esta casada. Por eso cuando su actitud empieza a cambiar, se nota. Pero que puede hacer su familia? Ellos no dicen o hacen nada. En vaz, le dejan porque esta enamorada y el amor es una enfermedad que no tiene remedio. Esta consumida por su amor. Carlos de Orozco es el hombre dequien Cumanda esta enamorada. Ella lo llama "Blanco" y se refiere a ella misma como una india aunque ella tiene piel clara. Su padre odia a todas cosas eurpoeas incluyendo la gente y Carlos, con su piel clara, esta clasificado debajo de ese odio. Pero no es la culpa de Carlos ni de Cumanda tampoco. Los dos se aman pero son otra influencias extranjeras que quieren mantenerlos separados. En esta manera, se puede comparar la novela a la trajedia de William Shakeaspeare, "Romeo y Julieta". Los dos amantes estan destinados a sufrir por su amor y en la misma manera Cumanda y Carlos sufraran tambien.

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