The Final Blog

The Final Blog

SPAN 312....where to start? Jon said he wanted us to write whatever came into our minds so here goes...

Wikipedia and I will never be friends. While I do have more respect for articles that make it to “featured status”, I plan to never make more edits in the future (sorry Jon). As for the novels... I still am not convinced that I The Supreme is the most amazing book. However, I’ll try not to be so negative. I DID like The President, in fact I wouldn’t mind reading it again in the future. I liked The General in His Labyrinth. Facundo wasn’t so bad either.

While I’m terrible at coming up with adjectives that start with “c”, I enjoyed the discussions we had in class. I’m still not quite sure why we were never given 5 or 10 minutes to work in groups but were given 7, 9, or 11 minutes. I wish we could have learned more about each author because I feel that in 5 years the only thing I will remember from this course will be Miguel Angel Asturias. That being said, I feel like I have a better understanding of Latin American literature and hope to read more.

All in all, a pretty good class. I'm not a blogging pro and wikipedia still boggles my mind, but I guess some things will never change.

The Feast of the Goat Continued...

The Feast of the Goat (Part II)

In this novel Vargas Llosa depicts the times in which General Trujillo was the dictator of the Dominican Republic. This novel gives a detailed account of this dictator’s personality, his allies, enemies, and the many tortures to which he subjected his people during his regime.

Since The Feast of The Goat is a dictatorial novel, and this is not a genre that I am particularly confident with I have decided to comment on Urania Cabral instead. Everything revolves around her, therefore, having a great impact on this novel.

Why does Urania Cabral go back to the island she swore never to set foot again? In my opinion, Urania goes back to Santo Domingo, the island where she was born and raised, because there is something in her that is haunting her memories and doesn’t let her rest. She feels the need to face her father and her past; a past that has marked her for life. And in this way comes face to face with a reality that is as cruel as it is certain; the sad reality of her life. Perhaps feelings of emptiness combined with the grudge that Urania has held onto for so long are the reasons that bring her to take her holidays in the Dominican Republic to visit her father, a man that in his prime was the right hand of Trujillo and now finds himself on his death bed. When Urania goes back or returns to the Dominican Republic she finds the colours, smells, and memories rush back; memories that she had tried to burry so she could go on with life. Something made her come to her father’s house; who is now an old and sick man, looked after by a nurse and who seems to have returned to a childlike stage. From that moment on Urania is launched on a rollercoaster of emotions as she relives her past.

-->To conclude, The President is still my favourite novel from this semester

The Feast of the Goat

The Feast of the Goat (Part 1)

Just another example of literal and figurative language. While I would love for the book to be explicitly literal, it is definitely not about the feast of an actual goat! The novel is set when Trujillo was dictator of the Dominican Republic. Figuratively, the novel describes the personality of the dictator (Trujillo), his allies, his enemies and the tortures that he submitted the population to during his reign. The story seems to overlap with various focuses. I wasn’t quite sure which storyline to centre on, but as I continued reading it seemed that they are all interwoven. First, there is a focus on Urania Cabral, then on Trujillo (aka the “goat”). The book seems to resemble The General in His Labyrinth because Trujillo’s rule is coming to an end just as the General’s rule and power were coming to an end. This novel also reminds me of I The Supreme because Trujillo seems to be just as obsessive as the Supreme (e.g. his fanatic morning routine: row, brush teeth, shave, etc). I also referred to Wikipedia and find it very interesting that the title of this book is taken from the popular Dominican merengue Mataron al Chivo (They Killed the Goat). I’m still not quite positive what the significance of this is, but as the Wikipedia article explains it “has its roots in the assassination... [of] Trujillo”.

The General in His Labyrinth Continued...

The General in His Labyrinth (part II)

“Damn it...how will I ever get out of this labyrinth!” (p. 267). The answer: never. The General is never able to escape his “moral torment” and “physical calamities” (p. 248) while he is living. He seems to be an “unreachable phantom” (p. 218) throughout the entire book.

I actually enjoyed knowing the end (i.e. that the General dies) from the beginning because it truly interested me to continue reading to learn more of the life of this great man. I admired his faith and his undying dream to unify the continent combined with his never ending pride. However, I couldn’t help but find it odd that he covered a woman from head to foot in shaving cream and shaved her...even her eyebrows (p. 213).

Another passage that I found somewhat amusing was when he describes Mexico City (p. 222). Obviously the city has changed since the General’s times and now, because when I go to visit my family I am never “amazed at the purity of the air” or “astounded by the clear waters of the numerous canals crossing the city” although, the “eternal drizzle” does depress me at times.

Until the end the General is stubborn, which supports my earlier statement of his never ending pride. Even when his health is failing he refuses to show how meek he has become and when he needs an arm to lean on “he did not allow anyone to offer him one” (p. 233).

He never escaped his labyrinth and was “lost in a dream...searching for something that doesn’t exist” (p. 221). Though he was never able to fully realize the “vast empire of his dreams” (p. 256), I am glad I had the privilege of reading this book to learn the history of a man, often referred to as a “saint” (p. 237).

The General in His Labyrinth

The General in His Labyrinth (Part I)

After having read I The Supreme, I was not quite sure what to expect from our further assigned readings. Immediately I was more eager to read this book as its physical size did not intimidate me.

The dictionary (www.dictionary.com) clearly defines “labyrinth” as “any confusingly intricate state of things or events; a bewildering complex”. The novel is riddled with an endlessly nostalgic tone, through which we, the reader, learn the “intricate” combination of “things” and “events” that make it difficult to find the exit... the ultimate exit being peace and continental unity. The General affirms this exit of peace when he states that his “first day of peace will be [his] last one in power” (p. 14).

The first statement to begin this novel proclaims that, “It seems that the devil controls the business of my life” which seems to correspond with the General’s “disillusionments of power” (p. 5). However, he is driven by power; power which confines him to his physical state, a “desire to rule” (p. 16) which is so strong that it preserves his “moribund appearance” (p. 16). Yet, despite his need for power he argues that “power by force was unworthy of his glory” (p. 23). It is evident he is a very powerful man as at one point in his life he was “invested with triple power as President of Bolivia and Colombia and Dictator of Perú” (p. 31). On page 47 the General “renounced power because of an emetic that should not have been prescribed, and [he’s] not prepared to renounce life as well.” However, his life is power; and without power he is condemned to wander his labyrinth until he regains a sense of normality by repossessing his power of influence over South America. That being said, I find it hard to visualize a man with “scrawny ribs and rachitic legs” (p. 75), who is “bony” and “pale” (p. 76), and weighs 88 pounds (p. 138), to be very intimidating and capable of uniting all of South America.

The labyrinth of his mind is what I believe does not allow the General to escape his demons where his “memories were more of a burden than the years” (p. 118). Carreño puts it into perspective for the General, that “not even the stars escape the ruin of life” (p. 128). In this manner, aren’t we all lost in our very own labyrinths of life, trying to solve a bewildering complex?

I The Supreme Continued...

Though this novel is evidently a rich narrative, it never truly captured my attention. I was never able to get over the fact that there is no use of quotation marks to make it clear who is speaking! I did however find it interesting that Roa Bastos uses so many different types of narration throughout the novel; such as recorded dialogues, private notebook entries, documents, episodes of a “perpetual circular”, etc. I was struck by the final complier’s note (p. 435) in which he makes reference to the "fatality of the written language". This notion lends itself to the idea that writing is associated with power. I interpreted this as meaning that writing is powerful because history can be erased by the stroke of a pen...or destroyed if it does not please the Supreme. Of the novels we have read so far, I feel that this novel is the clearest embodiment of writing as power, as the entire narrative is based around writing and its association with power. I suppose it makes sense that this text was “read first and written later” since most of the novel is a dialogue. I believe that it was quite bold to state that “instead of saying and writing something new, it [the novel] merely faithfully copies what has already been said and composed by others.” Dictators, such as the Supreme and the President, never truly create a new history, they simply manipulate what has occurred for their personal benefit, which is essentially something that has “already been said”. These dictators, “Terrorists by Divine Right”, live in constant fear, which is another example that writing is power because they must constantly be fearful and monitor the written word circulating in society. Though I was not a fan of the lack of clarification of speaker, I did enjoy this book more than Facundo, my only other complaint being how ridiculously long it was.

I The Supreme

I The Supreme

Though this is a “brilliant” book, as it claims on the front cover, I had a very hard time getting into it. Not only because the sheer size intimidated me, but because after reading about 5 pages...I still wasn’t sure who was talking! I find it extremely frustrating that most of the text is dialogue but does not use quotation marks to demonstrate who the speaker is. Every couple of pages the author throws in paradoxes: “even the truth appears to be a lie” (p. 5), “no story can be told” (p. 11), “there’s nothing that hasn’t already happened” (p. 13), “it’s awkward being alive and dead at the same time” (p. 14), “the dead man was coming back alive with us” (p. 21), etc, which are somewhat depressing and confusing. The quote “even the truth appears to be a lie” (p. 5) reminds me of The President because in many cases the truth did appear to be a lie. I also find it incredible that the Supreme Dictator is 84 years old (p. 12)! I find the descriptions at times to be puzzling, for example did Don Tiku really shrink that much that he was buried in a child’s coffin? I am also reminded of The President because it seems that written word can either be powerful or meek. It can cause people to burst into “wild sobs of lamentation” or it can be destroyed and forgotten as the Supreme does when he receives writing that is “badly made” (p. 22). I can only hope that Patino’s fate is not the same as Angel Face because he is so close to the Supreme. I predict that the psychological realism will be similar to that of The President, and can only hope that whoever is speaking becomes more clear.

The President

The President (Part II)

Oddly enough I’m quite sad to have finished this book because I really enjoyed it. I find it blatantly obvious why Asturias won the Nobel Prize for literature as this novel is dripping with excess detail. The novel always kept me on my toes because the stories were interconnected. After our class discussion I became much more aware of the figurative language and importance of word meaning. I must admit I felt a little disappointed by Angel Face’s character. I was convinced that he would lead the revolution. Unlike other characters in the novel, the Judge Advocate for instance who did not want to encourage people to hope, Angel Face showed compassion to others that I believed would encourage the people to hope and be freed them from their oppressive lives. Instead, he took on the role of loving husband to his wife.

Although there was foreshadowing of the plot revealed in class, I was hoping that somehow Angel Face would overcome his adversities. In chapter XXXI, I interpreted Angel Face to represent a Jesus figure and the President to represent Caesar. Jesus “bowed under the weight of the wooden cross, but it was to Caesar that men and women turned their admiring gaze.” (p. 217); hoping that Angel Face would rise again and bring hope to his people even though at the time the people were “admiring” the President out of fear. Basically, I wanted the people to realize that Caesar wasn’t their salvation. This interpretation had contradicted my earlier interpretation that Angel Face was the “devil” who had fallen from grace with God. In the latter case the President is like God because if one “[thinks] with the President’s mind therefore [they exist]” (p. 262). No one wanted to contradict the word or “mind” of “God” and admit that perhaps the “devil” wasn’t so bad. Towards the end of the book I returned to this metaphor of God and the devil because the “devil”, Angel Face, was eternally punished losing his body and health and later his sanity with the breaking of his heart. Not that I wanted a “devil” figure to prevail, but perhaps I felt that it would have been more inspirational if a fallen angel had regained favour with “God” ; this is most likely because a happy ending would have been more inspiring...

The President

The President

After reading Facundo, I wasn’t sure what to expect from this novel. That being said, I find this narrative much easier to follow!

I couldn’t help but think of Arthur Miller’s The Crucible while reading this book. The passage that initially triggered my memory was when General Canales cries “But I’m innocent! Why should I be afraid?” To which Angel Face replies “Whether you’re guilty or innocent is irrelevant...what matters is whether you’re in favour or not with the President...” (p. 63). The narrow-mindedness and disregard for the individuals being wrongfully accused characterized the government’s effort to eradicate perceived social ill. The unwillingness of those in power to believe individuals, such as General Canales, are innocent contributes to the hysteria gripping the society.

I was outraged reading chapter 18, especially page 128 when Don Juan calls Don José Antonio Canales to ensure he (José) won’t let Camila in. Don Juan and his wife are “trembling” in their shoes for fear that the “neighbourhood [would] be up in arms” if they would take their niece in. Asturias does such a good job conveying the hysteria gripping the characters which allows them to believe that those whom they have always considered upstanding people (e.g. General Canales) to be capable of committing unbelievable crimes (i.e. assassinating Parrales Sonriente).
I’m still not quite sure what to think of Miguel Angel Face, he is quite the paradox. Part of me feels that he is an evil man, an adviser to the president “wicked as Satan” (p. 37, 38, 96, 101...shall I go on?), solely empowering himself to occupy a higher rung in society. The other part of me, however, feels that he is a “beautiful” (p. 37, etc) person and shows compassion to Camila in her hour of need.

Going back to my point about hysteria, this novel reminds me of Rosas in Facundo because he uses violence and fear as a form of ruling a people. It seems that this president leaves his people in a state of constant fear, not sure of their fate because “It’s a lottery...the only law on this earth... [it] can send you to prison, have you shot, make you a deputy, a diplomat, President of the Republic, a general or a minister!” (p. 102). The metaphor that life is a lottery describes the typical state of the country where confessions are extracted and truth is obscured.

Facundo Continued...

The conversation held in class, in which we discussed that underneath the frock coat of every Argentine is a gaucho, resonated in my mind as I read the remainder of the book. The passage describing how “...the spirit of the Pampas is there in every heart, since if you lift up a bit the lapels of the tailcoat in which the Argentine disguises himself, you will always find a gaucho, more or less civilized, but always a gaucho.” (p. 167); defined the essence of Facundo me. The passage I believe compliments this sentiment is “When evil exists, it is because it is in things, and only there should one search for it...” (p. 145), proving that disguising oneself as “civilized” is futile because inherent in the individual is his innate barbarism. I had a hard time accepting the statement that Facundo “wasn’t cruel, wasn’t bloodthirsty...” (p. 175) because the graphic accounts throughout the rest of the novel would not support this statement (e.g. when Facundo bathes Severa Villafañe in her own blood and splits her head open!). The recurring color red sent chills down my spine as every time I came across it I envisioned terror and blood. I found myself stumbling over names and often forgetting the exact significance of the characters being presented. I was somewhat shocked in chapter 10, when Facundo showed a glimmer of humanity. I felt somewhat confused when Facundo showed mercy to the poor shopkeeper, showing a glimmer of hope that even a “Tiger” like him was capable of kindness. I say I was confused, because this random act did not coincide with the image I have of a man who cuts off his lover’s ears. Despite the excess blood, terror, and death in the book, the closing pages inspired hope. I was very appreciative that Sarmiento concluded his book in this fashion. His statements beginning “Because he has...” (fill in the blank with something terrible that was done) and concluding with what the new government will have to do, left me with a sense of hope that everything was going to be ok. This forward movement that learned and cultured people can overcome barbarism was an inspirational way to end the book.

Facundo chapter 1-5

Facundo (Chapter 1-5)

I was not completely sure what to expect from this novel. Based on our discussion in class, I knew that the reading would have something to do with “murder, madness, and mayhem”; I did not, however, realize how graphic some of the descriptions would be. As I am not a geography major, the first chapter was greatly appreciated to understand the natural features of the Argentine Republic. I felt that the chapters flowed in a manner which was easy to follow; from describing the landscape to describing the people inhabiting the landscape, etc. The chapters unfolded in a fascinating and controversial manner by establishing a sense of “civilized” city versus “barbaric” countryside. As mentioned in the translator’s introduction, Facundo represents the “violence and evil fostered by Rosa’s tyranny” (p. 18), which became painfully obvious in chapter V. In describing the life and character of Juan Facundo Quiroga, Sarmiento demonstrates the power of written word. With the might of his pen, Sarmiento conveys how merciless and callous Facundo was; without the use of diagrams, simply allowing the reader to rely on the power of his or her mind. From the reading I also learned about the life and ways of the gaucho. Sarmiento portrays the character of the gaucho; his ideas, customs, and characters, in a powerful description as “nomadic inhabitants of the Pampas” (p. 5) who rejected authority and city life. I expected the gauchos to be described as wholly barbaric, but they were shown to be great horsemen and autonomous individuals. Having the vivid imagination which I possess, I found it difficult to read certain passages in which Facundo kills for the sake of killing. It is obvious the author is hiding behind the mask of Facundo in his attempt to describe Don Juan Manuel Rosas. While many allusions were made regarding Don Rosas it was the depiction of him as a rancher who “made his residence into a kind of asylum for killers, without ever consenting to its use by thieves” (p. 75) which sent chills down my spine. This reference to Rosas set the stage for descriptions of the ruthless Facundo. From reading the first five chapters I believe this book will be a great insight into Latin American ideas, customs, and traditions which shape their history; in particular the history of Argentina.