Mi segundo ensayo se concentró en la resistencia y la rebelión de la gente durante un tiempo de imperialismo y lucha por el poder. Elegí las canciones y poemas porque era una historia de resistencia de la gente. Este año he aprendido mucho sobre la historia y la cultura de las Américas. Más importantemente creo que he mejorado enormemente mis habilidades de lectura. La lectura en español siempre ha sido una lucha por mí pero aprendí un nuevo camino hacia palabras de la avería que no entendí.

Andres Reynaldo believes that Milanes is the movement of the New Trova. Although Reynaldo does not really understand Milanes thoughts, but has a very distinct opinion on the dictatorship. Milanes provides the answers in his songs but is difficult because there is often two. I believe the poems are referring to Che Guevara because he is a symbol of power and leadership. He was and still is a symbol of rebellion for people. Che was a guerrilla fighter but also a writer. He does not necessarily need a gun because he has his words. The words of the poem say that life is not worth it if at the end of the day we cannot change. There is a lot of negativity in this world full of murder, crime, and not good people. There really is no reason to live if at the end of the day there is no good. Puerto Rico and Cuba are good for each other, they are far but walk hand in hand. They can work together and make things happen. The poetic voice of the poem is a protective friend or sibling like feeling. The theme of pecado original is love and secrecy. The original sin is for the two men to be together although they do not think it is a sin.

Patricio Manns estaba muy sorprendido que él Bob Dylan pálido Nobel. Este premio abrió muchas posibilidades para su carrera. La escritura musical se debería considerar la poesía porque son tanto obras de arte como palabras con el sentido. Era sorprendente para Patricio porque el comité de repente le concedió a Nobel. El sueño americano es la creencia que todos los ciudadanos deberían tener la misma oportunidad de hacerse alguien.

Ta llegando al baile es sobre la gente que viene juntos para bailar y cambiar del cobertizo de la sangre a la paz. Muestra un cambio en tiempos, la gente quiere ser más que la guerra. Viniendo juntos y bailando tienen más oportunidad y una mejor vida.

Violeta Parra fue un chileno cantautor. Muchas de sus canciones se centró en el amor y la muerte en vida. Me gustó la canción me gusta estudiantes me hizo pensar y el mensaje es muy claro. En la gente Americano, describe el acoso y atrapamiento impuesta por el gobierno y cómo se sienten las personas. Una solución sería detener y prevenir las guerras y escuchar a la gente. Me gustan los estudiantes describe un mensaje de los estudiantes que se niegan a permanecer en silencio. Los estudiantes son fuertes y motivados que no tienen miedo. La jardinera tiene una triste voz. Creo que el narrador está triste y quiere olvidarse de la persona. Hay mucha injusticia y tristeza en Chile porque las personas son reprimidas y miserable

Salvador Allende era el presidente chileno de 1970-1973. Era el primer Marxista para hacerse el presidente de un país latinoamericano a través de elecciones abiertas. Era un miembro del Partido Socialista. El golpe de estado en 1973 Augusto Pinochet asumió el poder un año después del golpe y formalmente asumiendo el poder al final de 1974.

La gente fue animada a apoyar y demostrar sus sentimientos. Sin embargo no al punto de muerte. Alleno "daba zapatos de niños pobres" y la gente alentadora para seguir apoyando a sus partidos. Habló claro contra su opposers y los trabajadores desfilaron por calles para mostrar su apoyo.

Explicó que el libro no debería haber sido escrito. Era un trabajo muy antiamericano y antisocialista. Fue escrito cuando había una dictadura represiva y esto muestra por qué hay un cambio de sentimientos mientras que el libro progresa.

Valenzuela says that he is disturbed when her surrealism is called fiction because he thinks his work is very realistic if not too realistic. He believes that there is a broader scope for his work and that some people just cannot see that. He does not believe in politics in his literature because it censors and demeans his work. Politics always in some scope puts someone or something in a defined box and that is exactly what Valenzuela doesn't want. Juan writes letters to a women who loves him in the censors and it is a strange story. I do not understand that part very well. Throughout the week he becomes more and more dedicated to his work and because of this he is executed. I think the story is certainly criticizing government censorship and what it can do to people. Censorship scares people and often restricts what they put down on paper. This type of government is very government charged and not hands on including the people. This authoritarianism destroys society and the type of lives people are living.

She speaks about how there is more to a truth than a truth itself. This is a confusing concept because she continues to talk about how there is more truth in a story. She is attempting to expose the truth of humanity.

The protagonists in the story are strong influential women. She uses women as figures because she had many influential women in her own life that helped her become who she is. She believes firmly in feminism and it is shown in her story.

The Colonel wants her to sell her speech to him for his run of presidency. Although she sold him the story it was not exactly the words the Colonel wanted.

The Colonel is angry at the end of the story because he does not understand and want the words of feminism and love and integrity of women.

Cortázar escribe sus obras sin el final de ese capítulo específico y colocarlo en otro. Esto haría que sus lectores leer a través de todos los capítulos. También escribió acerca de las ideas comunes.

Fue casi diez cuando ocurrió el accidente. Iba en su moto cuando la mujerlo detuvo en la calle y comenzó.

El hombre soñaba que estaba en el hospital. Había una imagen de rayos x que mostraron las manos en su cráneo. Eran las manos de mujeres. El hombre también comenzó a oler aromas extraños durante este sueño.

El último sueño fue diferente porque a diferencia de los demás fue incapaz de moverse. Él finalmente fue atrapado y ya no era capaz de ejecutar.

La guerra de la flor fue una guerra ritual entre los aztecas y sus enemigos. Es relevante porque se trata de las guerras que el hombre soñaba.

Gabriel Márquez es importante para la literatura de latino americana porque a él introdujo un tipo de escritura visual que utiliza el arte y la magia para abrir los ojos de la sociedad. Tuvo influencia en los escritores después de él y cambió el modo en que las películas fueron hechas. 

Baltazar era una persona que sufrió y tuvo poco en la vida en la historia. Carecía de felicidad y no había mucho en el mundo para él. A veces los nombres tienen un significado más grande. Marquez puede él tratando de representar a una persona en un sentido bíblico.

Baltazar construyó la jaula porque esto es lo que hizo su vida entera. Construyó jaulas atractivas grandes para traerles a la gente. Cada jaula tenía mucho detalle incorporado en ello y tardó mucho en construir.

Baltazar y Ursula tuvieron diferentes opiniones sobre la jaula. Baltazar fue referido a la marca y el detalle de la jaula. Ursula quería la jaula para ser vendidos al precio más alto. Baltazar no tenía ningún interés en dinero o de los precios.

Baltazar dio la jaula a un niño. El padre del niño no quiso que la jaula pero lo llevó de todos modos. Creo que él dio la jaula al niño porque sólo quería deshacerse de la jaula. Él quería deshacerse de la jaula que era su vida y que lo tenía atrapado.

Pinochet was a Chilean dictator that ruled the country for many years. He overthrew the government in 1973 and was the ruler until 1998. Neruda passed away September 23rd, he was 69 years old. It was thought that he may have passed due to cancer but many were suspicious that he was killed by Pinochet's military. The poetic voice of the poem is confusing to understand. It is very clear that it is not in first person but there is a narrator type tone that tells the story about the Standard oil company and the United fruit company. The flies in the poem are describing the people of the United fruit company. The act as an example of the exploitation the people face in the company. According to the poetic voice, the Standard oil company used bad actions to get what they want. They killed, stole, and lied to get what they want.

Rulfo has been compared to many great authors in history. The earliest comparison is to James Joyce. James Joyce was a writer and narrator. He wrote many works about power, death, and violence. Joyce greatly influenced the writings of Rulfo. I think Rulfo is an older man. He has extremely negative and misogynistic feelings towards women. The family is mostly like poor and doesn't have much. There is only one cow for the family. In spanish, tacha means a blemish, flaw, defect, an imperfection. In the story, the important animal is a cow. The cow is so important because the cow is what will allow her to find a man and get married. Without the cow, no man will ever love the daughter. The cow is name la serpienta. At the end of the story, the cow dies and Tacha is crying and laying on the cow. The death of the cow means that no one will ever want to be with Tacha because she has nothing to offer the man. The father is frightful for Tacha because he thinks he will now become like the rest of the daughters who are prostitutes.

Borges is considered one of the best writers of the 20th century because he skewed from normal. He created a new type of writing composed of fiction and non-fiction truths from society. He was known as a genre blender which made his work new and interesting. He translated notorious American works into spanish. Borges is a known as an author and a translator. He stood out because he was not like any other writer and continued to translate other works. The governor is a maze. The house was created to cause confusion for anyone who entered. The king required that all architects build the house. It was a scandalous build because it was built for for the gods rather than for humans. He would escape because he has other routes he could take. The king is angry because he was not being treated like a king. Because of this the king destroyed Babylonia and captured the king. His house was actually the desert. They left the other king in the desert and he died due to starvation.

Nicolas Guillen was inspired by many things to write his works. I believe his inspirations included the very prominent Cuban culture, music such as folk and of African descent, and one of his favorite writers Langston Hughes. Together these influences made Nicolas become successful poet. Nicolas was traditionally a poet. However he fought in the Spanish-American War as a loyalist. To me it is quite strange that he opposed his own views and willingly fought for the government. The grandparents in the poem are both in hysterics. They are unable to stop screaming and crying while also singing. They are both there because of their grandson. Their skin color however is different. The I and the you represent a part of him that he cannot let go, it may possibly be the soldier that is still within him. Maybe due to a trauma he is unable to let go but at the same time he does not like who he is. There is certainly personification in the second poem because of him talking about the part he cannot let go. There is also gradation in the poem. He states, "They dream, they cry, they sing, they cry, they sing, they sing.

The themes of this poem include youth and adolescence. It also touches on the sexuality of Mistral because it was believed that she may have been gay. This made her extremely controversial. Knowing someone's sexuality is not important me but I do think it is important depending on the time period. Because in certain time periods homosexuals were disregarded and if Mistral were an open homosexual and still composed her work it shows a lot of strength. I think it also shows many of the reasons she possibly made and why. Sexuality should not determine who you are or what is your image is to other people, but I do believe it plays a part in how you feel as a person. More of a sense of pride. Her poems make is hard to understand but his sexuality may help to explain it. Ultimately only Mistral knows. Meciendo hits on the themes of adolescence, peace, and purpose. The poem follows a 9-5 syllable count for the entire poem.

The Mexican Revolution was an armed struggle that took place in Mexico between the years of 1910 and 1920. The constant struggle took place during a 30 year dictatorship run by Porfirio Diaz. The Mexican Revolution ultimately ended the dictatorship and began a constitutional republic. The revolution united the working class in Mexico because they were tired of the dictatorship. It gave them power and strength to come together and start a revolution. Many famous literature works and art pieces came about during this time. Novels de la tierra is a realistic work that interprets and explains the surrounding life of a region. It explains the fight and struggle between nature and society. Indigenous art and literature represents the inhumane treatment and destruction of their civilizations. It calls upon the exploitation of the native culture and society. A problem for them would certainly be socioeconomic issues causing them to further struggle. Avant-guard proposes an irrational, out of the box thinking about life and art. There was also a drop in focus of logic and rhythm. Post-vanguard existentialism, the life of the inner world and any interruptions and abnormalities in life.

Alfonsina Storni was a women poet, author, and playwright in Argentina. Unlike many other poets and literary artists, she was very different. She refused to conform to the modern and popular styles of Argentina at the time. Instead she wrote about the feminism and the pain of misogyny that she and many other women experienced. Many women experienced this however they never dared to express their outrage and pain through their writings. In Hombre Pequenito, the canary represents the women in civilization and socialization. The cage represents the metaphorical box that men use to trap women. Because of this there are many things that women cannot do. We have become very trapped and complacent in relationships and in this society because no one wants to speak out or rather support women on this. In Peso Ancestral, I believe the you is most likely a man as well as the I. But there may be some variations in the age. I had some trouble understanding the exact meanings in this poem. This poem represents the emotion a man can feel but that he must always hide it. Society has brought men up to never cry or express their feelings whereas women are free and expected to be emotional. Men are expected to stay strong and represent the strength of a society.

Dario's poem is still important today because his works inspire the youth and represents a feeling of pride and unity. The swan is a white bird that represents a majestic and iconic symbol in popular culture. A swan is also an extremely elegant and beautiful bird that people look up to. Dario writes the new poetry under the new wings of the swan because it represents something bigger to people in culture. The swan protects the poetry and makes it important and real. Poetry and swans also represent beauty. The poem Roosevelt speaks about a past president of the United States, Theodore Roosevelt. He was extremely important to Latin America because during his presidency he was in charge of involving Latin America. This made it possible for the United States to intervene in any Latin American problems. This was opposed by many even though the US was admired because they had so much power.

According to Rodo, Latin American's can and will admire Americans because it is a natural occurrence however they must not imitate the United States because it will make them superior to Latin America. He says that the Latin American's should not copy America's culture or politics amongst other things because the adaptation to American ways will not be good for Latin America. I do not believe Rodo is against the United States because he says the US sets a good example for other countries. He just fears what may happen to Latin American countries and culture is they try to copy and convert to American ways.

I think Rodo makes a good point about imitation. While globalization is nearly inevitable for most of the world I do believe it is extremely important to a country's culture and values to stay somewhat individual. Whether political leaders will admit it or not, each country leans on one another for advancements and solutions. I believe Rodo has the right idea for Latin America. It is important to develop successfully but to also stick to your roots.

Jose Marti is the national poet that established Cuban nationalism. Jose Marti is still important today because he attempted to unify the people of Cuba and started a period of love and acceptance with optimism. In this work, Marti is talking about pride of his people in Cuba. He claims that Cuba is our America because Cubans have more pride than any American does. He continues to explain that Cubans should have more pride and should never stop supporting their country and culture. Marti claims that the problem with Universities in America is that there is no University of America. He believes we lack an overall culture because we are a country of many mixed cultures. We lack a universal culture to unite us. Marti also believes that the young people in America are uneducated and are far too uneducated to run a political system or govern. Young people in America understand that there is not a strong culture in America. He believes we as a government copy other countries. Marti also stated that there should not be hatred amongst races in America because we are all people and all the same. This article was difficult to read and I do not think everything Marti said is true.

A unitarian is someone who believes in personal freedom and freedom of thought and religion. They typically do not follow the majority and refuse to participate in any other beliefs then their own. A federalist is someone who supports a specific system of government and its doctrines. Rosas was the governor of Buenos Aires and a federalist that carried on a dictatorship. The unitarians demanded a centralized government while the federalists supported the systematic distribution of taxes throughout the provinces. The church willingly supported the federalists during this time. The Slaughterhouse was written during the 1830's during a time that Buenos Aires struggled. At this time the church had been able to impose power over the people. Echeverria describes the story as outspoken and fearless since the unitarians willingly rebelled against the federalists. The slaughterhouse was the place to slaughter there unitarians. The bull in the story was used as a metaphor to describe the unitarians acts during this time. The unitarian is tied down to the table in a form of a cross and was bled.

Latin America from 1820-1920 was a time of struggle, despair, and a fight for independence. Although most countries did gain their independence by 1825, Cuba and Puerto Rico continued to fight and struggle for their independence until around 1900. Due to the outcomes of the Spanish-American War, Cuba was given its independence and Puerto Rico was awarded to America.

Romanticism can be described as an art form that consists of nature, love, emotions, and color. It is a large mix of styles that embody the emotion of life. It is a plush art, sometimes there is no truth or meaning however it represents an emotion or just the inherent good of the world. Realism focuses on the truth and reality of every day on earth. It is a very honest and stern style. Naturalism is a scientific art and in literature focuses on a character and every aspect it experiences in the story. Realism represents the truth however lack a scientific aspect in its work. Hispanic American modernism focuses on the art and beauty of language. There is a large focus on each word and its fluency and depth. It is all about the art of the language.

The poem Redondillas was written by Sor Juana. The poetic voice addresses the men who often blame women for reasons the men caused themselves. The first three stanzas of the poem explain that men are to blame and should be accused because they ask women to do things then shame them for doing it wrong or poorly. Thais was a greek women who served and pleased men endlessly. Lucrecia was a very beautiful women with matrimonial fidelity. The poem describing men wanting a romance with a women like Thais and a marriage with a women like Lucrecia. In Sor Juana's poem I believe one culprit for cruel means that no matter how much right a women does and no matter how much she obeys a man will always find a way to make her wrong or find something that does not please them. I think the message in this poem today is still partly true. I believe there are certainly still times that women are subjected to behaviors such as these from a man. But I also believe that not every man treats a women like this. This change has to come from society as a whole and understand that we should treat everyone with the same respect and equality.

Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz was a Mexican nun who is considered to have written the first feminist manifesto. A self-taught scholar and poet, she was born an illegitimate child of a poor family. She began her education by reading any books she could get her hands on, mostly her grandfathers. She demanded knowledge and desired to learn constantly. Because during this time it was not acceptable for women to have an education, she thought of different ways to still pursue an education. She thought of disguising herself as a boy and attending University however her mother did not approve. She did study under a scholarly priest and became known as a child prodigy. Sor Juana’s works received many criticisms and she eventually devoted herself to a life of religion and sacrifice.  Sor Filotea was the pseudonym of the bishop. He criticized Sor Juana for her works and for devoting more time to intellectual studies that are more suited for men than women. Sor Juana’s letters explain her desire to study and learn and how she has had this desire since she was a young girl.

The most interesting part of the blog to me was reading about the prejudice and bias there was against women concerning education. I found it interesting that even as such a young girl Sor Juana was subject to this. I think it is pretty fascinating how smart and adaptive Sor Juana was as a child.

1.     Spanish American literature is divided into the colonial period and the enlightenment period. During this time was also the period of independence movements in society.

2.     Conceptism is was a literary movement in which the works were defined by rapid rhythm, directness, simple vocabulary, metaphors, and work play. This was popular during the Baroque period developed by Spanish mystics. Culturism is a philosophic approach that emphasizes the central importance in human existence and affairs.

3.     Poetry prospered over prose during colonial times because novels and other fiction were banned. Because the people were unable to own or read these literary works the popularity of poetry rose and more people began writing and reading poetry.

4.     Enlightened despotism was a form of government in the 18^th century in which an absolute monarch pursued and dominated legal, social, and educational reforms all lead by the enlightened. Rather then literature be written with and about exaggerations and stories literature then turned to complex thoughts, reasoning, and science.

5.     The independence wars influenced Hispanic American literature by pushing many leaders to write and lead through literature works. These writers were and are still popular, such as Simon Bolivar.

Post #4

Bartolome De Casas was one of the world’s first human rights activists.  It was interesting to learn that Casas himself was once a land and slave owner in the new world. However, upon witnessing the atrocities and murder of the Spanish he realized that slavery was wrong. It amazes me that during a time when slavery was so normal, he realized the wrong and returned to Spain and begged for it to end. Slavery was how many business tycoons of that time stayed profitable and which is the reason why most slave and landowners refused to turn away from it. Casas only downfall to his original motive was to convince the Spanish to use African slaves rather than the indigenous. While reading the article I learned that slavery was not based off of race in the beginning. Because most, to all slaves were prisoners of war and race did not necessarily matter. Bartolome De Casas is still to this day one of the most important and influential activists. He represented the indigenous culture, African culture, and any other slaves worked endlessly to end slavery. His change of mind was one of the first jump starts to end slavery which is extremely important through the next hundreds of years as the world continually fought against slavery and for what is right.

Post #3

I had a little bit of difficulty interpreting Popol Vuh, however I believe I picked up most of the points. I believe it explains the creation and beginning of the first civilization. The ancient Mayan people said there was only heaven, no people. The reading explains that earth was formed but there were no humans, only animals. The animals did not listen to the gods because they could not speak, so therefore that plan of creation did not work. It took the creators multiple tries to create human kind. After four tries they finally created the first man on earth. In comparison to the bible, God created the first man on earth by dust. He also created animals so no man would be alone. And then finally women were created by the rib of men. I do not understand this concept of bible very well but I am hoping through class discussion or through life I will eventually. The two books explain creation very differently in my eyes. The message is generally perceived the same but still two different stories.

Post #2

We do not know much about the literature of Latin American cultures before the Spanish arrived. I think this is due to a few reasons. Mostly I believe that most literature and art was destroyed during the times the Spanish conquered. Latin America also had many different cultures and languages. Which made it difficult to communicate and create literature. Literature was transcribed in different ways such as art, weavings maybe even song and dance. I believe this is how they typically passed down values, culture, and told stories.

Foster in interlude-one story explains the concept that every article, novel, story, any literature work is all the same. It is all repetition, rewritten in different language and tone but yet still all the same story. I in a way agree with this. I do think a lot of literature does drag you into this kind of state where you think, what if this was me? How does this story compare to my life? What would I do differently or what would I do the same? I know from reading countless novels and short stories that every single time I turn a page I do indeed apply that chapter, theme, and even character to my life and my experiences. Foster talks about archetypes in which there is always this aha moment where we understand or make a connection while reading any literature. However while I believe this to be true, I also believe that authors also attempt to convey different messages and stories to the readers, however our brains also send us back to, “well how does this affect me.”  He even references that there is typically always a hero to each story. There is always a character that stands out; this person typically makes the story. I also agree with Foster on this.