Things Fall Apart

Reading this book reminded me of one thing... the relationship between my 15 year old brother and my father. This weekend could not of fit in better with the reading of this book. My brother and my father constantly fought about what my brother was, or rather wasn't doing wrong all weekend.

In the story Okonkwo, a wealthy warrior has a problem with his "lazy" son, Nwoye. All I could think about while reading this was the constant arguments my father and my brother have. Unlike the story however, my brother did start out being very active. Playing hockey and skateboarding, but a year ago he stopped all of his activites for a less productive one, playing the drums in our basement with some of his friends. In the story, Nwoye starts off being lazy and Okonkwo beats him into becoming more manly. Also unlike the story my dad does not beat my brother. Just thought I should add that.

I always like it when a book can tie in with your real life. It gives me a better understanding of where some of the characters are coming from. I think all the books this semseter have tied in with my life in some aspect. Some more so than others. Every narrative except Gregorio Cortez, unfortunately I have never traveled around Mexico while being hunted down by hundreds of men.

Invisible Man

I just finished up the book and it was really crazy. The narrator spent a good part of this life trying to become something and make a difference and when he actually does it is all taken away from him in the end.
The narrator, the main character, is a young, black male living in the south. He receives a scholarship to an all black college and spends his time there carting around one of the founders of the college. He makes a mistake and it banished to the city to make something of himself. Many, many things happen to him there, but clearly the book is about racists and how they effect his life.
I really felt bad for him many times throughout the book especially when he went to many places trying to find a job and was rejected by many. The ones that did accept him treated him terribly. For example the job he had at the paint factory, so many racial comments were made towards him. The inability his bosses had to teach him and his messing up on the job was nothing more to them than his race getting in the way. Because he is black he can not do a job correctly.
When he is finally accepted for his color is when he joins the "Brotherhood." Even by the end of the book he finds out they want him for a token black man and in this case he is not black enough. The "Brotherhood" ends up being a scam and he ends up where he started.
I could not help but actually feel sorry for the narrator the whole way through the book. The book to me was like watching a train wreck happen over and over again. I would of felt more at ease if he ended the story at a good job and actually lived up to his potential. The book ended so openly. I feel that the narrator was such a part of the readers interest that it is not fair to just let him end somewhere, in this case a man hole.

Ideolology

"...ideological to the extent that they are not onlyl misleading but finally false..."

In the chapter "Ideology" in the first paragraph the author states that people with ideological views were thought to of had their head in the coulds, I applied this to "The House of the Spirits" in the following way...

In the story everyone seems to have another meaning behind everything they do and no one is observent enough to see that. Esteban Trueba is the biggest example of this. He runs around cheating on his wife at Tres Marias while he is suppose to be doing work. As well as raping almost every girl he sees. Clara's, his wife, ideological views keep her oblivious in the whole book. It is not until chapter six when all of Esteban's escapades come out and then does he feel the wrath of his mistakes.
Jean de Satigny also has ideology with Blanca and how he assumes that the child is his and he does no further investigation. Really, ideology to me just seems like a lie. People that are ideologists do not dig deep into things and just accept any situation as it comes.

Question

What do you focus on when you are writing a poem. What do you think about?

Antigone

Antigone is a story about family. Antigone is a strong charcter in the story, almost heroine like. She goes against the king's rule and burries her brother after he is killed in the war. The king finds out about the burial and condems her to death. Many people find out about her sentence and become angry with the king.

Hamon, the king's son, goes to him and expresses his distress with Antigone's sentence. The king only listens to him because Hamon is his son, but nothing much comes from it. They end up getting into a fight, but you can tell the king still feels for him because he is the only one that the king listened to about the whole ordeal.

The war is a huge part just because that is what starts Antigone's journey. Because of the war which the king has caused, many men are dying and no one is happy about that either. The king is confronted by Tiresias. The king finally understands everyone's pain when his own son is killed.

As far as incorporating topics "The Theory Toolbox" I feel that this is a very straight forward story that really can not be interpreted as anything else. I feel that the author has authority just because the story is so thought out and filled with emotions. Because the author was able to get me to feel for the people in the story I think they should be given authority.

The author of "Antigone" clearly makes this a story about family. The tryant king is finally overcome by the ones he loves. Antigone goes above and beyond her sisterly duties because of the love she has for her brother.

Gregorio Cortez

Gregorio Cortez was the legend of a man who, in self defense, killed a sheriff. He makes his way to the border and in the process deals with many different situations. People are quite amazed by Cortez, but not one corrido that is told is the same as the last.

In Mexico, stories were told in corridos, song. They were not written down, but passed along by word of mouth. Gregorio Cortez is a famous corrido. The four readings I read on Cortez dealt with different corridos and how they changed. In some of them the places changed, making the event happen in different cities. The people would change, who actually persued Cortez. In some corridos it was Americans, in others it was rangers. Also the end of the corrido changed. In some, Cortez surrenders and in others he is captured.

In my opinion, because these corridos do not have anything in common besides the man's name it leads me to think that the whole legend is made up. People would change the corrido as to what they believed happened, or to what they most related to. If every corrido was the same then I would believe it weather it happened or not. The fact that the basic story of Cortez did happen, but the corridos are all different has no more impact on me than if it never happened at all.

On the other hand, because the basic story is real, but the corridos change it causes me to be curious about what actually did happen to Cortez. I almost want to hera more corridos so I can see which story is told more often. Perhaps to get a better idea of the true events.

"Blood Wedding"

Lorca's "Blood Wedding" was set in a Spanish town during the 1930's. The play starts off with a groom and his mother discussing his upcoming wedding, but the focus on the story ends up being the bride and her former lover.

Leonardo, the bride's former lover decides that he wants his first love back (the bride)even though she is to be wed soon. The two run off after the wedding in search of peace and a place where they can be together forever and not have to worry about the ones they left behind. It almost reminds you of another Romeo and Juliet remake.

I really feel that Lorca did a good job in writing this play. It was really easy to give a face and wardrobe to each name. Every character seemed to have a purpose, even the moon. Even though a lot of people were introduced throughout the play it was very easy to follow them and give them life.

Sticking with the theme of my other bloggs I do not really take Lorca as an author because it was just one short play, also the fact that it was a play, it does not make me as interested about the author as a narrative would. This being said Lorca did make me want to read more and after more readings my mind may change.