Tuesday, March 30, 2010

100 Years of Solitude Chap 1-5, Question1

1) Jose Arcadio, the eldest son, I found to be an interesting character in the first five chapters. In my opinion, he represents “coming of age,” incest, and ignorance through this actions.

-Arcadio is completely infatuated by the provocative fortuneteller who is attracted to him because of his “parts.” I believe that Arcadio is around 14years old at this time (as chapter 1 indicates), thus he is in the midst of puberty and Pilar Ternera’s intimate touch is his first, he craves her affection and follows the scent of her armpits. All of these emotions and actions are common in boys as they come of age, and become aware of their testosterone driven instincts. His emotions are a mixture of fear/pleasure/guilt/desire, as young children feel when they become sexually aware; Arcadio is fighting his innate sexual desires towards Pilar. “But Jose Arcadio kept looking for her all night long, for the smell of smoke that she had under her armpits and that he got caught under his skin. He wanted to be with her all the time, he wanted her to be his mother, for them to never leave the granary, and for her to say ‘Lordy!’ to him,”(pages 25-26).

-The classic “Oedipal complex” and idea of sons desiring their mothers above all other women is also represented in these chapters. Incestual relations and consequent genetic malformations is the ultimate fear of Ursula, Jose’s mother, so it is ironic that he fantasizes over incestual acts. When he is having sex with Pilar in complete darkness, he imagines that it is his mother. “…And where he tried to remember her face and found before him the face of Ursula, confusedly aware that he was doing something that for a very long time he had wanted to do but that he had imagined could ever really be done, not knowing what he was doing…and the bewildered anxiety to flee and at the same time stay forever in that exasperated silence and fearful solitude,”(page 27).

-The coming of age is very evident, when Arcadio describes how Pilar has changed him, despite her laugh that frightens away the doves; “…the invisible power that taught him how to breathe from within and control his heartbeats, and that had permitted him to understand why men are afraid of death,”(page 28.) This reminds me of the knights in tales of chivalry, who idolize women as their driving force in life and all their battles.

-When Jose Arcadio falls in love with a gypsy and runs away with her after impregnating Pilar, it is indicative of his ignorance to his family obligation and duty as a father. This is also a reflection of his father’s neglection of his familial responsibilities, that Ursula struggles her whole life to compromise for. Jose Arcadio chases his lustful desires in women, while his father chases scientific experiments and magic in nature.

100 Years of Solitude Chap 1-5, Question 2

One theme that I found to be important in the first five chapters is: use of TIME / LACK OF TIME

The book begins with a flashback; “Many years later, as he faced the firing squad, Colonel Aureliano Buendia was to remember that distant afternoon when his father took him to discover ice…like prehistoric eggs,”(page 1).

There are also scenes from the present time (or what appears to be present time) that jump back and forth to flashbacks and flash forwards:

“Aureliano, the first human being to be born in Macondo, would be six years old in March. (Present) He was silent and withdrawn. He had wept in his mother’s womb and had been born with his eyes open. As they were cutting the umbilical cord, he moved his head side to side, taking in things in the room and examining faces with fearless curiosity (flashback)…at the age of three, went into the kitchen at the moment she was taking a pot of boiling soup from the stove and putting on the table. The child, perplexed, from the doorway said, “It’s going to spill.” The pot was firmly placed at the center of the table, but just as soon as he said this, it began to move towards the edge and fell and broke on the floor,”(flash forward from the flashback) (Pages 14-15).

This continues steadily throughout the five chapters, I think that it makes it difficult to keep track of what is actually occurring in the present time. However, I think that it forces readers to have a more panoramic view of the story of the family, and all the events that contribute to their legacy. In this way, we are able to take in the various events that are occurring, while understanding that the bloodline of the family in Macondo is what ties all of the events together. The timeline is so vast, beginning during a time when, “The world was so recent that many things lacked names, and in order to indicate them it was necessary to point,”(page 1). Therefore, the lack of chronologic time in the novel, enables the reader to disregard time as limiting factor to the story, instead to experience the novel and ignore the constraints of time that distract us from our daily life.

Thursday, March 25, 2010

Grimm's Fairytales Day 2, Theme 2: SUPERFICIALITY vs. GOODHEARTEDNESS

) I examined the contrast of SUPERFICIALITY vs. GOODHEARTEDNESS within the Golden Goose & Bearskin. Superficiality includes, external beauty, wealth, rank, & courage.

In the Golden Goose, Dummling is the protagonist who was looked down upon and slighted because he was the youngest and weakest son. However, Dummling’s pure heart made it so he “passed the tests” of the old man in the woods, and was able to obtain a beautiful princess as his wife.

Superficial brings punishment:

1. Dummling’s older, handsome brothers were unable to cut down a tree, and cut themselves because they would not share with the old man.

2. The innkeeper’s foolish and greedy daughters tried to pluck the goose's golden feathers, and were punished by becoming attached to the goose, unable to break free.

3. Parson calls girls foolish wenches for “chasing” Dummling, also becomes attached

4. Clerk becomes attached

5. Superficial King goes back on his word because he is not pleased with Dummling’s appearance and name as a son-in-law. This is because he is not pure hearted or loyal, but superficial. Selfishly gives Dummling three additional challenges, all of which he succeeds in, (and helps the poor old man in the process) and finally the King gives up and allows Dummling to marry his beautiful daughter.

Goodhearted are rewarded, Dummling receives:

1. Goose made out of gold

2. Beautiful princess wife

3. Inherits the kingdom after the king dies.

In Bearskin, the superficial v. loyal, goodhearted continues, as the courageous soldier returns from war with nowhere to go because his parents are dead, and his brothers were coldhearted. They told the soldier: “What could we do with you? We could make nothing of you; see to what you have brought yourself?”(Bearskin, page 337).

The courageous, goodhearted solider, resorts to the woods without food, shelter, or money since his selfish brothers were disloyal and refused to help him. (Who was at war risking his life to protect the lives of the nation, INCLUDING his brothers)

Soldier accepts the “evil one’s” offer, though it is a gamble with big risks, he is brave and has no other options besides death.

Fate of the Superficial:

1. Soldier gradually starts to look like a wild beast because he wears a bearskin, and is not allowed to wash or cut his hair and nails for seven years.

2. Soldier has endless money, which allows him to eat and pay liberally for a place to stay – people begin to REFUSE to serve him/help him because of his APPEARANCE.

3. Eventually, MONEY is insufficient for most people to help him because of his external ugliness.

4. Superficial daughters of the innkeeper mock the Soldier’s external appearance, make jokes, and are disgusted by him – refusing to marry him.

Fate of the Goodhearted:

1. Loyal soldier stays true to his word and obeys the “Evil one” for seven years, without losing his “compassionate heart.”

2. Soldier helps the innkeeper, who promises him one of his daughters as a wife in return – he is good hearted and rightfully thanks the Soldier for his help.

3. Youngest daughter of the innkeeper agrees to marry him, DESPITE his external ugliness, because the Soldier helped her father, and she is loyal to him.

IN THE END: The goodhearted Soldier & youngest daughter are rewarded because they are not superficial, and they are extremely loyal and compassionate people who fulfill their “DUTY” in society. The soldier survives the seven years and when the deal is up, he is shaved and groomed to look more handsome than before. The youngest daughter is loyal to her beastly husband for three years, and is overwhelmed with joy when he returns in his true, handsome soldier form.

Beauty and money are important driving forces in these fairytales, as well as in society. However, people who are cold hearted, greedy, and superficial will be unhappy. Whereas loyal, dutiful, goodhearted people who look past rough exteriors and remain true to their country and themselves, will be rewarded.

Grimm's Fairytales Day 2, Theme 1: THREAT OF THE UNKNOWN & DARK v. LIGHT

We have already discussed some of the recurring themes central to the storylines Grimm’s Fairytales, based on the reading due for today, I have accrued a list of what I found to be the most prevalent themes:

1. Central character faces insurmountable odds

2. Good prevails over evil

3. Beauty & rank are critical to the characters in the fairytales, most commonly; the protagonist is ugly/”defective” and has low rank.

4. Good-hearted, hardworking and selfless characters always prevail over the greedy, evil characters, which usually involves the protagonist transcending his “hierarchal rank” through his good deeds and hard work.

5. The forest is the primary setting for most of the tales, and is where the protagonists face their “challenges,” i.e.; thieves, evil witch, evil old man, wild animals, hunger, poverty, deprivation, rejection, etc.

6. Money as a driving force for the “evil-character,” vs. money as a tool used by “goodhearted” protagonists to overcome evildoers.

7. The “Dangers of the Unknown” – heavy political implications.

8. Inevitable inclusion of hierarchy based on; wealth, rank, trade, sex, appearance, skills, etc.

9. Happy endings always come for the hardworking, honest, pure-hearted protagonist – with luck or magic.

10. Darkness vs. light

1. Prior to Tuesday’s class discussion, I had no knowledge of the origin of Grimm’s Fairytales The fact that these tales were written in the early 19h century when Germany was not a unified nation, but merely a melting pot of approximately 40 states, many of which had been newly created by Napoleon, thus the primary unifying factor of this fragmented nation was the German language. I was also surprised that the Grimm Brothers were not the original authors of the tales; instead, the Fairytales were a compilation of oral folk-tales they had gathered from lower-ranking people of Germany. This knowledge impacted the way I read Grimm’s Fairytales, particularly as I read “Thumbling” and “The Travels of Thumbling.”

At first glance, the stories of tiny, but courageous Thumbling seem to focus on his boldness, cleverness, wit, and unbelievable survival skills despite all odds – but really, the political implications run deep and thick: Thematically, the dangers of the unknown (as a threat to German citizens)– lowly citizens must remain loyal to the all powerful Motherland (or else bad things will happen).

1. In “Thumbling,” the protagonist doesn’t waste any time feeling sorry for himself about his size, instead, Thumbling makes it very clear from the beginning that he is not, and never will be limited because of his size; Thumbling works hard to go above and beyond his capacity to prove to himself and those around him that his opportunities in life are unlimited, and appears to be foolish in doing so. Tumbling’s “courageous”(foolish) ventures & “amazing feats”(luck, deception):

*In the Daylight: 1. He is born prematurely because of his mother’s illness and survives, he is a “miracle & exceptional” at birth because of his durability.

*Light: 2. Drives his father’s cart by speaking into the horse’s ear for directions.

*Darkness/forest: 3. “Sacrifices himself” as he is sold to the strangers in the woods so that his father can earn money, promising he will escape and return. (Foolish risk).

*Darkness/forest: 4. Sits of the rim of stranger’s hat to survey the country; but this is not his natural place in society, and he cannot survey the country without the height of the stranger.

*Darkness: 5. Climbs into mouse hole at night to escape strangers – mocks & taunts them from inside the dark hole – seeks protection of empty snail shell. (Always requiring protection while on his own, in the dangerous wild.

*Darkness: 6. Volunteers to “help” thieves steal the parson’s gold and silver – but screams as loudly as possible once in the parson’s chamber to wake the house and scare the thieves away. (In the darkness of night, maid strikes a LIGHT to see what is happening).

*Darkness/swallowed up: 7. Sleeps on hay in barn – maid feeds the hay & Thumbling to the cow’s throat where “There are no windows in this room,” he said to himself, “and no sunshine, and I brought no light with me,”(Thumbling, page 134). Thumbling calls out in terror in this darkness.

*Darkness/swallowed up: 8. Escapes body of cow when it is killed, but is swallowed by a wolf who eats the part of the cow where Thumbling was trapped. Thumbling cannot escape wolf’s body, yells and shouts.

*Darkness/Light: 9. Tumbling’s parents hear him yelling, come and save him by killing the wolf. He is happy to be home and safe with food, clothes and comfort.

Thumbling cannot save himself from being swallowed up by the cow and wolf, he screams in terror because of the “darkness” he is in. There is a clear progression and contrast between light and dark in Thumbling. At home, with his mother and father, Thumbling is happy and safe in the daylight. But from the minute he encounters the first strangers in the forest, Thumbling remains trapped in darkness until his parents save him at the end.

Since Germany was in great disarray at the time these stories were published, it seems likely that these political implications were an attempt to deter German citizens from “venturing out into the dangerous unknown,” and preserving what little unity was left in the early 19th century. This was critical to the future of Germany, for if all her people began fleeting the fragmented country, German culture and heritage would undoubtedly have dissipated into history. Grimm’s Thumbling & The Travels of Thumbling serve as a warning for the German people to not desert their homeland during this tumultuous time in history; the rest of the world is “dark, evil, and dangerous,” and hungry to swallow up innocent German people – bad things WILL happen if you leave the safety of your homeland, Germany.

“How dangerous it is to walk in this field in the dark: one might soon break one’s head or legs;” and so saying he looked around, and by great good luck saw an empty snail-shell. “God be praised,” he exclaimed, “here I can sleep securely,”(Thumbling page 132).

***“Other things, however, was he to experience, for there is much tribulation and trouble going on in this world,”(Thumbling, page 134).


In The Travels of Thumbling, these ideas of darkness, light and loyalty to Germany continue and are further emphasized by Thumbling as he endures further, and much more terrible traps in the “unknown darkness while traveling the world.”

Thumbling in this tale is much more cocky and impulsive than before; he deceives and mocks many people, all of whom could easily kill him. On the second page, Thumbling laughs at the Mistress and criticizes her cooking, however, the mistress (despite being a WOMAN and inferior to Thumbling despite his size) catches him, and throws him out of the house.

I feel the size of Thumbling and the power that the lowliest wild beasts, peasant thieves and women have over him is a reflection of the how tiny and helpless Germans would be if they left their safe, light, and homeland.

Also in his travels, Thumbling is no longer of pure-intent; he willingly helps a band of thieves steal the King’s treasure, and even keeps a piece for himself. The watchman who spots Thumbling says: “What ugly spider is that crawling there? I will crush it,”(The Travels of Thumbling, page 157). This line sounds like it is straight out of Nazi Germany, and the reputation of German’s fierce culture that literally, crushes, demolishes, and exterminates all adversity. It is a chilling line!

After Thumbling steals the money, he does not run away, instead he mocks the King and watchmen, hiding under a dollar, laughing, and scurrying around at their feet. When Thumbling is done, the thieves want him to be their leader, but he declines.

Thumbling only takes one piece of the treasure because he cannot carry it – even though he did all the work, his size and rank prevent him from attaining wealth, ESPECIALLY when it involves stealing from the King.

“Thumbling was skipping about from daisy to daisy…”(The Travels of Thumbling, page 158). Feminine description; Thumbling is weak and foolish in his adventures & exploration of the world outside Germany.

Darkness, again, swallowed up by a cow. When Thumbling yelps for attention, the master asks, “Where are you?” “In the dark,” is Tumbling’s response. This darkness is because of his ignorance and foolish behavior. He is also made into a piece of sausage, wrapped in the intestine of a cow. He is forced to promise the fox all of his father’s hens in order to not be eaten alive; thus, he betrays his father for his own adventures and foolishness, he is not a loyal, dutiful son.

“Why, you simpleton, don’t you think your father would rather have his dear child than all the fowls in his farmyard!”(The Travels of Thumbling, page 160). Certainly, the future Nazi Germany would rather have their “dear Aryan children,” than a mix of fowl in their homeland.

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Grimm's Fairytales Day 1, Question 2 - Gender Roles

2. The gender roles in Grimm’s are not simplistic in nature. I decided to break down gender roles into two categories/hierarchies:
a. “Classic” Fairytale: Submissive, weak, damsel in distress is beautiful and in desperate need of a strong, handsome Prince to save her.
b. Subverted (More modern/radical) Fairytale: Strong female character upholds fundamental values and truth in society; comes to the rescue of male characters.
There is also the issue of the Dichotomy of the female character in fairytales:
c. Dichotomy of Female Persona: In most fairytales, the female character is generally one of two things; she is either a beautiful damsel in distress, or an evil witch/step mother.


(a) When I think of classic fairytale, being of the “Disney generation,” I think of Sleeping Beauty, Rapunzel, and Cinderella. In each of these stories, the female character is extremely beautiful, submissive and undoubtedly at the center of conflict in need of rescuing. These female characters are true to their time; women did not have a lot of power and were valued based on their beauty, homemaking skills, and ability to bear children. These stories also reflect a woman’s “need” for a man, which represents strength, wisdom, agility and wealth. This is an example of the typical hierarchy of “classic” fairytales: Men have more power than women, women need men to save them, and women are always submissive and beautiful.
In regards to what we read this week, The Princess Frog is a good example of this “classic fairytale.” Even though the Princess was resilient to follow through on her promises to the ugly frog, her father, The (wise, rich, male, handsome) King ordered her to do so. In submitting to the wills of the male frog and obeying her father, the Princess is “rewarded” with a handsome Prince who carries her away with him on his fine chariot with white horses. Despite the fact that the Princess did not have much say in the matter, everything is all well and good because “they live happily ever after.”

(b) I hadn’t really thought about gender role in Grimm’s Fairytales until this point, but all of these stories definitely do not align with “classical fairytale” gender roles. In The Twelve Brothers, we first see this subversion with the mother who is brave enough (through her tears) to tell her youngest son that the King plans to kill him and all his brothers if she bears a daughter. The mother tells her son to go into the woods with his eleven brothers and have one watch the castle from a tree; she will hang a white flag if a son is born, and red flag if a daughter is born. In doing this, she disobeys the will of her husband in order to save her children, which presents her as a stronger female figure than the classical fairytale female character.
Benjamin, the youngest son (“classically” the weakest son) defies his familial hierarchy and leads his brothers into the woods to save him and all of them. Years later, when the daughter of the King and Queen learns of her twelve brothers, she goes into the woods and vows to find them. “I am the King’s daughter, and am seeking my twelve brothers, and will go as far as heaven is blue until I find them,”(page 40). She is reunited happily with her brothers in the woods, and helped them live comfortably and united in the cottage in the woods.
Later, when the sister picks the twelve lilies to give to her brothers, they turn into crows and the old woman says there is only one way in the whole world to save them, she undertakes this seemingly impossible task to remain dumb without a word or laughter for seven years in order to save her brothers. She is tied up to a stake and flames lit beneath her dress to be burned to death because a wicked woman convinced her betrothed that she was a common beggar girl – but she still did not speak to save herself. “And now she was bound to the stake, and the fire began to lick her clothing with its red tongues; - and just at that time the last moment of the seven years expired,”(page 42). Her brothers then untied her from the stake so I suppose it “appears” as though the men “saved her,” but she was courageous and valued her family so much that she was willing to die for the lives of her brothers, and did not tremble even in the face of death.

© Finally, there is the issue of women being portrayed as either a wicked witch/step-mother, or as a beautiful damsel in distress. In Hansel and Grethel, the stepmother is wicked and unloving; willing to sacrifice her stepchildren for her own welfare. This story completely turns the moral/loving family structure on its head and paints the stepmother as evil and wicked – this is a common theme in fairytales and Disney movies, which have definitely contributed to stepmothers having a “bad wrap” in our society today. There is also the evil old witch who eats little children who come to her sugar-cottage in the woods. There was also the evil witch who turned the handsome prince into a frog in The Princess Frog, and the old woman who turned the Twelve Brothers into crows. These “wretched women” are a reflection of superstitions, but also of the lack of power that women had in society. The “evil witch” would never be an “evil wizard” in one of Grimm’s Fairytales – just as the woman is also portrayed as a beautiful damsel in distress. This beauty is so critical to the character that it practically defines her – all the beautiful princesses could be summed up in blond-haired blue-eyes, busty beauty that is need of a handsome prince. Either way, these two portrayals are weak characters – good and evil.



The story of The Twelve Brothers really struck a cord with me because I have two younger brothers. My parents always reinforced the importance of being close with each other, not fighting, and loving each other no matter what. I am aware that the relationship I have with my seventeen and fourteen year old brothers are not typical, but I am extremely grateful for how close we are and how much I appreciate each of them for the young men they are. During this story, I found myself, as a modern young woman, identifying with the sister who said: “I will willingly die if I can, by that means release my twelve brothers,”(page 40). There are not many things that I would die for at nineteen years old, but I would risk my own life for lives of my brothers. I think that my ability to identify with this fairytale is proof of the timelessness and “universality” of these stories – selfless love for my brothers, my family, brings good things in life.

Grimm's Fairytales Day 1, Question 1

1. I grew up on Grimm’s Fairytales, there are several themes and reasons as to why these stories have been “internationalized:”
a. Children are the center of conflict in the fairytales
b. Each story has a moral
c. Life lessons that include: truth, deceit, faithfulness, duty, beauty, nature and family.
d. Imagination/fantasy as a key ingredient to stories

The Frog Prince and Hansel & Grethel are two tales I was familiar with prior to this assignment. When I was younger, my interpretation of the Frog Prince was “don’t judge a book by its cover.” When I read Hansel and Grethel, I remember that the story provoked fear of the woods and of strangers who appeared to be nice.

Even though these stories are for children, they are full of real-life situations and moral dilemmas:
1. Good vs. evil
2. Beauty vs. ugliness
3. External appearance vs. Internal reality
4. Truth vs. lie
5. Life vs. death

In The Princess Frog, the princess is described as beautiful, youthful, and materialistic. When the frog says he will go fetch her golden ball from the depths of the water she says “What will you have dear Frog” said she, “My dresses, my pearls and jewels, or the golden crown which I wear?”(Page 15) But the Frog did not want these materialistic things, instead, he wanted the Princess to love him and be his companion and playfellow. But the princess couldn’t imagine this and deceived the frog by blindly agreeing to his desires then going back on her promises. Instead of supporting her daughter in her decisions, the King said that she had to follow through on her duties and make the frog her companion. Then, after the princess began fulfilling her duties, the ugly frog turned into a handsome prince. His trusty servant Henry had put bands around his heart so that it would not break from sorrow when the Prince had been turned into a frog; these bands broke and Henry was happy and free when his master was transformed back into a Prince because of the Princess’ companionship.

Basically, these ideas of “love conquers all” and “don’t judge a book by its cover” ring true most strongly. Even though the Prince was disguised as an ugly frog because of an Evil Witch, the “wise King” urged his daughter to become its companion and stay true to her promises, since the frog had stayed true to his. This is a good life lesson, one of the 10 Commandments; we should treat others and others as we wish to be treated. Also the idea that everything is not always as it appears to be; the ugly frog was actually a handsome, rich prince. These ideals are important for young children to learn; morals and life lessons to live by – in fairytale form which is very appealing.

Grimm's Fairytales Day 1, Question 1

1. I grew up on Grimm’s Fairytales, there are several themes and reasons as to why these stories have been “internationalized:”
a. Children are the center of conflict in the fairytales
b. Each story has a moral
c. Life lessons that include: truth, deceit, faithfulness, duty, beauty, nature and family.
d. Imagination/fantasy as a key ingredient to stories

The Frog Prince and Hansel & Grethel are two tales I was familiar with prior to this assignment. When I was younger, my interpretation of the Frog Prince was “don’t judge a book by its cover.” When I read Hansel and Grethel, I remember that the story provoked fear of the woods and of strangers who appeared to be nice.

Even though these stories are for children, they are full of real-life situations and moral dilemmas:
1. Good vs. evil
2. Beauty vs. ugliness
3. External appearance vs. Internal reality
4. Truth vs. lie
5. Life vs. death

In The Princess Frog, the princess is described as beautiful, youthful, and materialistic. When the frog says he will go fetch her golden ball from the depths of the water she says “What will you have dear Frog” said she, “My dresses, my pearls and jewels, or the golden crown which I wear?”(Page 15) But the Frog did not want these materialistic things, instead, he wanted the Princess to love him and be his companion and playfellow. But the princess couldn’t imagine this and deceived the frog by blindly agreeing to his desires then going back on her promises. Instead of supporting her daughter in her decisions, the King said that she had to follow through on her duties and make the frog her companion. Then, after the princess began fulfilling her duties, the ugly frog turned into a handsome prince. His trusty servant Henry had put bands around his heart so that it would not break from sorrow when the Prince had been turned into a frog; these bands broke and Henry was happy and free when his master was transformed back into a Prince because of the Princess’ companionship.

Basically, these ideas of “love conquers all” and “don’t judge a book by its cover” ring true most strongly. Even though the Prince was disguised as an ugly frog because of an Evil Witch, the “wise King” urged his daughter to become its companion and stay true to her promises, since the frog had stayed true to his. This is a good life lesson, one of the 10 Commandments; we should treat others and others as we wish to be treated. Also the idea that everything is not always as it appears to be; the ugly frog was actually a handsome, rich prince. These ideals are important for young children to learn; morals and life lessons to live by – in fairytale form which is very appealing.

Tuesday, March 9, 2010

Don Quixote Chap 36-45 (Part 3)

3) Quote 2 – Chap. 37 & 38 Quixote esteems Knight Errantry above Scholars over Dinner

(a) “This is a goal that is certainly noble and generous and praiseworthy, but less so than the goal that arms have before them, which is peace, the greatest good to which men can aspire in this life,”(Don Quixote, chapter 37, page 354).

-Quixote earns the eager attention of everyone at the table with his arguments for peace, supported by the divine “letters” of the Bible – as God asks us to fight for peace. But as he shifts to talking about chivalry, his audience deems him as crazy with a “good brain.” It also interesting that he makes such a strong argument for peace when he spends so much of his time fighting with everyone he encounters – he later states that peace is the goal of ALL war, the ultimate treasure.

(b) “So although the soldier’s hardships are greater, his reward is much smaller.’ ‘…Grappled together the soldier has no more room for his charge than the two-foot wide timber at the prow; and despite this, and seeing before him many ministers of death threatening him as there are guns being aimed not a lance’s length from him, and knowing that one slip of his feet will send him down to visit the depth’ of Neptune’s dominions, he still, with an undaunted heart, and sustained by the honor that inspires him, makes himself a target for all those harquebuses and tries to storm his way across such a narrow bridge into the enemy vessel. And what is even more astonishing is that as soon as one soldier falls, never to rise until doomsday, another take this place; and, if this one also falls into the sea that waits him like one more enemy, another and another replace him without a moment’s pause between their deaths: the finest example of courage and daring to be found in all the extremities of war,”(Don Quixote, chapter 38, pages 357-358).

-Quixote compares and contrasts the importance and also the sacrifices made by scholars who write letters and knights who fight for peace. He argues that knighthood is not solely based on physical action and fighting, but that it also takes brain-power and logical reasoning to discern which battles are worth fighting to obtain the greatest good.

-Quixote is careful not to criticize letters written in the Bible, instead he esteems these as the most noble and valuable letters ever written, which articulate the ultimate goal that he and all knights fight for: peace.

-He also notes that “arms & letters” have a symbiotic relationship; letters/laws are needed in knighthood because there are laws in war, just as arms are needed to protect these letters/laws through defending each nation and government that carries out the letters of scholars.

-I was taken aback by Quixote’s arguments about the costs & rewards of being a soldier vs. that of a scholar. Things that cost the most are the things we value the most – this still rings true today and is relative to both material goods, but also the freedom of our country and lives of Americans that we fight so hard to defend today. He also talks about death, which is the COST for a soldier fighting for peace. The risk of one’s own life is the biggest and most costly sacrifice that once can give; we are no longer in existence without our own life. Quixote also describes the honor and courage that is upheld by soldiers, who in the face of death stand their ground because of their deeply rooted values. Also that for every soldier that falls to death, there will be another waiting to take his place.

-I don’t think that Quixote was talking like a crazy man at all – I think that his audience only looked at the surface of his speech, and assumed that Quixote was diminishing the value of an education and exalting knighthood (as he so often does). However, his illustration of what the TRUTH of honor, virtue and sacrifice are as individuals perform their functions in society and “fight for peace,” in their own way – some risk their lives, others take a less drastic approach. Luscinda demonstrated the characteristics of a soldier when she said she was willing to give her own life for her own virtue and truth - if she could not live her life truthfully and faithfully with Cardenio, she would rather die.

-Finally, I found it interesting that Quixote (the crazy fool) and Dorotea (a mere woman of inferior rank) are the characters bringing the TRUTH to light in these chapters. Dorotea and Quixote represent radical views of roles of women in society, and the role of the soldier in society – but they use valid arguments to defend knights and truth of honor and duty in society. Cervantes’ turns his back to what society deems as “reality” and uses the fiction of Quixote and inferiority of women to show everyone else what is the TRUTH & the SEEDS OF ENLIGHTENMENT. Making EVERYONE ELSE who esteems ABOVE Cervantes’ truth bearers (Quixote & Dorotea).

-Cervantes flips fiction, reality, societal truth & virtuous truth on its head.

Don Quixote Chap 36-45 (Part 2)

2) Quote 1 – Chapter 36, Luscinda, Dorotea, Cardenio & Don Fernando meet.

1st Speaker- Luscinda: “You must allow me to go and cling to that wall on which I am the ivy, and lean on that support from which you have never been able to separate me with all your insistence, your threats, your promises and your gifts.’ ‘And you know very well, from a thousand costly experiences, that only death would be strong enough to erase him from my memory,” (Don Quixote, chapter 36, page 340).

2nd Speaker – Dorotea: “…the women’s blood is not what counts in illustrious pedigrees; what’s more, true nobility consists in virtue, and if you forfeit that by denying me my just rights, I shall be left with better claims to nobility than you,” (Don Quixote, chapter 36, page 342).

3rd Speaker – Don Fernando: “You’ve won, lovely Dorotea, you’ve won: nobody could have the heart to deny such an assemblage of truths,”(Don Quixote, chapter 36, page 342).

4th Speaker – Cardenio: “If merciful heaven is minded to grant you some repose at last, my steadfast, faithful, and beautiful lady, I believe that nowhere can you rest more safely than in these arms that hold you now and held you once before, when fortune was pleased to let me call you mine,”(Don Quixote, chapter 35, page 343).

“…He had no alternative but to keep the promise he’d made her; and that in this way he would be doing his duty to God and what was right in the eyes of all men of good sense, who well know that it’s one of the prerogatives of beauty, even in women of low birth, so long as her beauty is united with virtue, to be capable to being raised to any height without disparagement to the man who thus raises it to equality with himself,”(Don Quixote, chapter 36, page 344).

Chapter 36 is significant in Don Quixote; I was struck by the role-reversal and circle of Fortune that is represented in these quotes. First is the fact that Luscinda and Dorotea, the women, are the first to speak within the scene. I found this important to the underlying themes of women’s role in society and potential for equality that Cervantes writes about (and Quixote carries out, treating all women as equals) as women’s opinions and beliefs are most commonly suppressed and silence, but here Luscinda and Dorotea show Cardenio, but more importantly Don Fernando – the light of truth.

Dorotea, who I did not perceive as one of the stronger female characters, is the primary messenger who makes a distinction between the image of beauty and the truth of honor and virtue. Fernando is described as giving in to the truth – which is illustrated to him by a woman of inferior blood.

Additionally, Cervantes pushes the radical notion of women having a say in who they love and are married to as the will of Fernando is not satisfied when Dorotea shows him that it is wrong for him to force Luscinda to love him when she is in love with her husband, Cardenio. I also thought the recurring ideas of “the will of heaven,” and death as the ULTIMATE penalties/vehicles to truth and justice. Luscinda says that only death will separate her from her love and devotion to Cardenio. The will of heaven is referred to by Cardenio who is in love with Luscinda, also by Dorotea who refers to heaven as a witness for their marriage. This creates an interesting paradox of divine devotion and death as they relate to the four characters that converge in chapter 36.

Finally, one of Dorotea’s final lines is extremely potent and sums up the purpose of her speech: “…you will be showing the generosity of your illustrious and noble breast, and all the world will be able to see that reason has more power over you than passion,”(Don Quixote, chapter 36, page 343).

“Passion destroys reason,” – a quotation from Joseph Campbell, author of The Power of Myth. This proved to be true for the weaker characters such as Grisóstomo, who died because of his passion based on lust and external beauty – not at all rooted in reason. Dorotea is throwing herself onto Don Fernando, probably more for the sake of the true love between Cardenio and Luscinda, than her own sake. She brings to light the “honor & duty” that Fernando has as her husband – and she encourages him to act with LOGIC, and not passion, that he should fulfill his duties and honor Luscinda as his wife – he must let his passion for Luscinda go as he will never be satisfied with his unrequited love.

Don Quixote Chap 36-45 (Part 1)

1) Lela Zoraida/Maria Character Analysis:

Zoraida’s story and past actions set her apart from the other women in Don Quixote – as she flips the stereotypical role of women on its head.
a. Zoraida falls in love with the captive who she has never met – solely based on seeing him. This is the way that all of the foolish, lustful men of the novel (Grisóstomo, Fernando, etc.) fall in love with women – solely based on their beauty, and not at all concerned with their virtues or beliefs.
b. Zoraida delivers a bundle of money and a letter to the captive through the prison window to help him escape. This money was from her own father who she had run away from – and the letter stated that she had converted to Christianity and wanted to become his wife in Spain. The fact that Zoraida is not only helping a man escape prison to marry her, (thus satisfying her OWN desires, instead of the desires of the MAN) but Zoraida is going against her own family and father.
a. The stories of Dorotea and Luscinda, the women had to dress like men to escape their homes and run away to solitude. Marcela even dressed “drably” as a shepherdess in the woods, all the while disguising their beauty, which was detrimental to their lives and honor. Zoraida has a thin veil over her face, which is dropped to reveal her amazing beauty – more beautiful than Luscinda and Dorotea.
b. This idea of a ‘veiled/disguised’ identity continues when Zoraida objects fervently that her name is: Maria! Maria! Which is the name she wishes to be baptized by.
c. Zoraida represents a more modern woman, though she is a radical character in the novel based on the time period. Zoraida conducts herself based on her own personal honor and dignity – despite the fact that her sex is perceived as “inferior to men” and despite the honor of her father or family, she is more independent as a figure. (Or at least much more independent than any of the other female characters who remain indebted to their lover or family). Her individuality is emphasized because of her various backgrounds: Moorish, “Spanish,” Arabic, Muslim, and Christian – she has shaped her individual identity from her own heritage and also the choices she made for herself, such as moving to Spain and becoming a Christian.
d. The notion that a woman is capable of choosing her own path in life and shaping her own identity is utterly radical. She is a strong, individual character who pursues her own desires, but at the same time she never speaks. This muteness is a reflection of the reality of her status as a woman during Cervantes’ time: although she has achieved so much through her actions, she is mute and cannot understand the Spanish being spoken around her. In a way, just as Zoraida cannot understand the Spanish being spoken by Dorotea, Luscinda – Dorotea and Luscinda cannot understand the Arabic being spoken to her. This could represent the idea that these women cannot comprehend the lifestyle and beliefs that they live by, as Zoraida’s life is so different from the other ladies.
e. I think that Cervantes presents us with Zoraida as a representation of the radical, practically “fictitious” notion that a woman has equal power and choice as a man. That a woman can choose to love based on sight just as the men do, and that she has the power to disregard her own heritage and family to pursue her own desires. Extremely radical ideas for the time.

Thursday, March 4, 2010

Don Quixote Chap 28-35

1) “They’d have gone a couple of miles when they caught sight of Don Quixote amidst a maze of rocks, wearing his clothes now but not his armor,”(Don Quixote, chapter 29, page 264).

“The damsel in distress strove and struggled to kiss his hands, but Don Quixote, always a gallant and courteous knight, would by no means consent to this; on the contrary he brought her to her feet and embraced her with great courtesy and gallantry, and he ordered Sancho to check Rocinante’s girths and to arm him without a moment’s delay. Sancho took the armor down from the tree on which it was hanging like some trophy…in an instant slipped the armor onto his master,” (Don Quixote, chapter 29, page 266).

I think the idea of armor and its relativity to knighthood – what it represents is important here. When Quixote is feeling sorry for himself and cursing his fate because of Dulcinea, he is naked and not wearing his armor – he is not acting like a Knight, but more like Grisóstomo/a blind lover grieving his dissatisfaction and loneliness. However, when Quixote is approached by Dorotea, despite the reality that she is not really who she claims to be – Quixote immediately springs to action and aligns himself with his chivalrous duties as a knight. When this transition is made on page 266, Quixote also physically puts his armor back on, which is a reflection of his “knighthood & honor” being restored in the way he acts.

Later, in chapter 31, Quixote says, “the law of chivalry obliges me to put my promise before my pleasure,”(Don Quixote, chapter 31, page 283-284). This quote is also a reflection of the manner in which Quixote conducts himself, while wearing his armor. Although his actions may seem erratic and irrational, he is always pulling for the greater good and to aid those in peril or suffering – he believed everyone deserves an equal opportunity to be freed from whatever chains are holding them as oppressed or unhappy – and this trait, is admirable whether people think Quixote is crazy or not. He upholds a higher sense of what is right and wrong, the ideal that all men are equal, and all deserve freedom and equality. Freedom – is what Quixote values most, and freedom is how Quixote justifies his seemingly bizarre actions.


2) “And after I have cut if off and restored you to the peaceful possession of your realm, it shall be left to your own will to dispose of your person according to your pleasure; because so long as my memory is pervaded, my will enslaved, my understanding enthralled, by that … I say no more…, it is impossible for me to even contemplate marriage, even if it were to the Phoenix itself!” (Don Quixote, chapter 30, page 275)

”If it were not for the might that she (Dulcinea) infuses into my arm I should not have the strength to kill a flea?”(Don Quixote, chapter 30, page 276).

Here, Quixote does not commit to marry this alleged Queen, despite all the riches he would be able to acquire from such an arrangement. Sancho is immediately infuriated because he knows if he marries this Queen (who really isn’t a Queen) he will earn his promised prize of being an Emperor. But by standing by his beloved Dulcinea who drives him to accomplish all the great things he does – Quixote shows his loyalty to his own beliefs that he knows to be truths and the chivalrous values that he holds in his heart.

Sancho also suggests that Quixote marry the “queen” and then go back to Dulcinea as a mistress. Quixote rejects this idea too – and it is ironic because if he did that, he would be acting as Don Fernando – and be untrue to his own wishes and to God. So Quixote swears his allegiance to Dulcinea, who propels his will and strength to do deeds for the greater good and freedom of others - he does not act like Grisóstomo or Ferdinand who were propelled to evil things because of their blind love for the women they chased and dishonored.