One of the most important themes throughout `Campos de Castilla' is the relationship between the poet and the external reality. In `La Tierra de Alvargonzález', this is also an important theme, yet this poem differs from the collection, not only in its length, but also its content. There are many different levels of interpretation of this poem: first of all as a simple murder story, secondly as historical degeneration - represented within a family by parricide, and lastly as Cainism. `La Tierra de Alvargonzález' existed in two forms: prose and verse. The prose form was the original form, but it is the verse form which is more well-known out of them. There are some fundamental differences between the two forms. Most notably is the absence of the second narrator - the peasant, in the verse form, which creates a multitude of effects upon the interpretation of the poem. As a result, the narrator of the poem is more involved in the action he is retelling, and there is a greater accumulation of tension, more ambiguity and supernatural aspects. Another difference between the prose and verse versions is the murder of Miguel, the youngest brother. In the prose version, he is also murdered, yet in the poem, Miguel survives which puts more emphasis upon the theme of guilt and retribution. The unseen forces of sin, guilt and retribution are conveyed with an ambiguity made effective through poetic rhythm and imagery which conveys that nature and human lives run parallel, which is emphsised by the landscape's role as a reminder of the brothers' guilt in the final stages of the poem.
`La Tierra de Alvargonzález' is similar to the old ballads in its content of crime and violence. Machado leaves much of the background o...
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...onceivably regain both its material and psychological health. Real place names are used, although it becomes clear that the `tierras' symbolise Castile as a whole. They are `en el corazón de España', a phrase referring as much to a literal geographical as to a metaphorical, emotional or psychological centrality. By recounting the origin, growth, and removal of a curse on Alvargonzález's lands, Machado is talking about a malaise affecting the whole of Castile.
In conclusion, `La Tierra de Alvargonzález' highlights many recurrent themes which can be seen throughout the collection of `Campos de Castilla', such as the interaction of the landscape, not only with the narrator, but also the characters within the story which is told in this poem. This poem can also be compared to the `romances viejos' in its constant references to the Old Testament.
Alfredo Corchado — is the author of the book named " Midnight in Mexico:A Reporter's Journey through a Country's Descent into Darkness”. We are, probably, all interested in finding out the facts, news, and gossips about Mexico. This country was always associated with something mysterious. For me personally, the title of the book seemed to be very gripping, I was interested in revealing the secrets of life in Mexico, thus I decided to read this book. I was really curious, what can Alfredo Corchado tell me about the life in this country, the country, where the constant massacre is the picture, people used to see. In his book, the author tells the reader about the real situations, which took place in Mexico, reveals the secrets of the people’s lives and tells the story from the “inside”. He describes the way he lives his life, and does his work. The " Midnight in Mexico: A Reporter's Journey through a Country's Descent into Darkness” is a memoir. Author tries to transform his own experience into the story line. Corchado shows the reader the darkest episodes of Mexican society, while relying on his own experience.
As a young child, Rodriguez finds comfort and safety in his noisy home full of Spanish sounds. Spanish, is his family's' intimate language that comforts Rodriguez by surrounding him in a web built by the family love and security which is conveyed using the Spanish language. "I recognize you as someone close, like no one outside. You belong with us, in the family, Ricardo.? When the nuns came to the Rodriquez?s house one Saturday morning, the nuns informed the parents that it would be best if they spoke English. Torn with a new since of confusion, his home is turned upside down. His sacred family language, now banished from the home, transforms his web into isolation from his parents. "There was a new silence in the home.? Rodriguez is resentful that it is quiet at the dinner table, or that he can't communicate with his parents about his day as clearly as before. He is heartbroken when he overhears his mother and father speaking Spanish together but suddenly stop when they see Rodriguez. Thi...
Valle’s most significant contribution to the Spanish theatre is his invention of the literary style of esperpento, which is best represented in one of his most famous plays, Luces de Bohemia. Valle created esperpento with the aim of representing the harsh realities of Spanish twentieth century society through the concave lens of grotesque deformation, so that he could present the lives of the Spaniards in the light of mockery and absurdity. During his writing of Luces de Bohemia, the Spanish society has been brought to a halt, along with the lack of political progress and social improvement, therefore this concerning political situation has influenced and steered Valle towards his literary evolution, the exaggerated grotesque, which he though was the only suitable way to represent the shocking reality and problems of Spain. In this way, he could alarm the people to terminate their complacent acceptance of this reality and he could also produce a distancing effect which renders the reader immune to the play’s purpose, thus making the artistic experience more tolerable. His experience in the killing fields was what made him t...
Junot Diaz’s “Otravida, Otravez” depicts a perspective of life where one’s present and future always reflects their past in some way. Diaz’s representation of symbolic figures, convey how a person’s past can be carried into the future. Diaz’s use of symbolic figures includes the dirty sheets washed by Yasmin, the letters sent by Virta to Ramon, and the young girl who begins working with Yasmin at the hospital. These symbolic figures and situations remind the readers that the past will always play a major role in one’s present. Additionally, Diaz’s word choice, where Spanish words appear in many different parts of the reading, suggests that indirectly, one’s past habits are not easily broken.
“The Cask of Amontillado” is a dark piece, much like other works of Edgar Allan Poe, and features the classic unreliable narrator, identified by himself only as Montresor. This sinister central character is a cold ruthless killer that is particularly fearsome because he views murder as a necessity and kills without remorse. Montresor is a character who personifies wickedness. Poe uses this character and his morally wrong thoughts and actions to help the reader identify with aspects of the extreme personage, allowing them to examine the less savory aspects of their own. The character of Montresor detailing the glorious murder he committed is a means of communicating to the reader that vengeance and pride are moral motivators that lead to treacherous deeds and dark thoughts.
Demetria Martínez’s Mother Tongue is divided into five sections and an epilogue. The first three parts of the text present Mary/ María’s, the narrator, recollection of the time when she was nineteen and met José Luis, a refuge from El Salvador, for the first time. The forth and fifth parts, chronologically, go back to her tragic experience when she was seven years old and then her trip to El Salvador with her son, the fruit of her romance with José Luis, twenty years after she met José Luis. And finally the epilogue consists a letter from José Luis to Mary/ María after her trip to El Salvador. The essay traces the development of Mother Tongue’s principal protagonists, María/ Mary. With a close reading of the text, I argue how the forth chapter, namely the domestic abuse scene, functions as a pivotal point in the Mother Tongue as it helps her to define herself.
In the story "The Cask of Amontillado", Edgar Allen Poe tells the story of Montresor and Fortunato. This story has a much lighter mood to it, but from the beginning there is some tension between Fortunato and Montresor. The story its self has a
... allusions shown in the novel give a greater understand of Roman Catholicism and the story of Jesus. As the days go by and we live our lives we start to forget the old stories that once brought our world together. With the reading one can develop the true story behind the murder of Santiago and how his story is just like that of Jesus Christ. The reader gets the knowledge of one of the oldest stories with the help of this novel. The power of the Roman Catholic Church is a powerful effect on the world around this novel and the world today and through the novel we see the effect of the seven deadly sins that are apart of the society that we don’t see with the naked eye. Also the reader should get a deeper understanding of how the seven sins are related to people and everyday live of humans. If we don’t learn from the stories of the past we are doomed to repeat it.
Throughout his novel, Don Quixote, Miguel Cervantes effectively uses the transformation of reality to critique and reflect societal and literary norms. In three distinct scenes, Don Quixote or his partner, Sancho, transform reality. Often they are met with other’s discontent. It is through the innkeeper scene, the windmill scene, the Benedictine friar scene, and Quixote’s deathbed scene that Cervantes contemplates revolutionary philosophies and literary techniques. The theme of reality transformation does not even stop there. Sometimes the transformations of reality scenes act as mimetic devices. Ultimately, Miguel Cervantes’ use of transformative scenes acts as a creative backdrop for deeper observations and critiques on seventeenth-century Spanish society.
Soto’s “Black Hair” is a perfect example of a poem that is effective through close analysis of certain concrete images which hold the key to the foundation of the poem and its underlying themes. In this poem, the universal themes of family and culture are hidden under the figure of Hector Moreno, the image of the narrator’s hair, as well as the extended baseball metaphor about culture. Although the title may seem ordinary at first glance, the challenge that the poem presents through its connection of concrete images and themes is very intriguing, and the themes are made clear through the effective use of certain poetic elements.
Marquez’s story is written in a fairy tale format with strong magic realism elements throughout. This style combines real, normal details of day to day life with fantasy and blurs the reader’s division of reality and magic. This method of writing emphasizes the attempt of man to apply logic and knowledge to all matters. Marquez is so skilled in this technique that we come to view the fact o...
In “The Fortune Teller,” the author, Joaquim Maria Machado de Assis, uses symbolism to prove to one that an affair is not worth a person’s life. He uses the letter to symbolize hate between Villela and Camillo regarding the affair. This very ambiguous letter has terrified Camillo and put an end to his life. The letter enhances the theme of the short story by showing the anger and hate that Villela now had for Camillo. This hate is a focal point in the short story that leads to ending the affair along with Camillo and Rita’s life. Ultimately, the affair caused a large amount of tension between the three. However, the author was successful in grabbing the reader’s attention with the letter as the turning point of the short story.
Edgar Allen Poe’s tale of murder and revenge, “The Cask of Amontillado”, offers a unique perspective into the mind of a deranged murderer. The effectiveness of the story is largely due to its first person point of view, which allows the reader a deeper involvement into the thoughts and motivations of the protagonist, Montresor. The first person narration results in an unbalanced viewpoint on the central conflict of the story, man versus man, because the reader knows very little about the thoughts of the antagonist, Fortunato. The setting of “The Cask of Amontillado”, in the dark catacombs of Montresor’s wine cellar, contributes to the story’s theme that some people will go to great lengths to fanatically defend their honor.
...contrastes. A pesar de que presentan una diferencia de casi sesenta años respecto de sus fechas de publicación, los temas centrales que abordan son prácticamente los mismos: la representación de la pobreza y marginación de los sectores urbanos capitalinos, las luchas por la preservación de las comunidades del Caño, la división de clases y espacios, el anhelo por tener una mejor calidad de vida, la resistencia al sistema capitalista, entre otros. El poema de Julia de Burgos muestra un espacio olvidado por la Historia y la literatura, con el propósito de indagar sobre el mundo social y realizar una crítica a los sistemas que lo oprimen. Más aún, se adentra a una problemática que hoy todavía existe, por tanto, su poema mantiene la misma vigencia y pertinencia que tenía cuando fue escrito. Y aquí radica la importancia, no solo de dicho poema, sino de su obra en general.
Life in Mexico was, before the Revolution, defined by the figure of the patron that held all of power in a certain area. Juan Preciado, who was born in an urban city outside of Comala, “came to Comala because [he] had been told that [his] father, a man named Pedro Paramo lived there” (1). He initially was unaware of the general dislike that his father was subjected to in that area of Mexico. Pedro was regarded as “[l]iving bile” (1) by the people that still inhabited Comala, a classification that Juan did not expect. This reveals that it was not known by those outside of the patron’s dominion of the cruel abuse that they levied upon their people. Pedro Paramo held...