Erick Cando Ms. Rodrigues Optional SLA reading August 11, 2016 The novel El Sonador is about a boy that finds beauty and wonder everywhere he goes. Neftali is the type of boy who is really shy and likes to spend most of his time alone reading, writing, and daydreaming. When he grows up, Neftali wants to help others that do not have the power of expressing themselves. His father mocks his dreams because he has already planned his son's future.
Guillermo González Camarena was a Mexican electrical engineer who was the inventor of a color-wheel type of color television, and who also introduced color television to Mexico,
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.
I really enjoyed all of the characters and this book tremendously. Both Lupe's and Juan's mother were very strong and God fearing women. They had a very strong bind between their children who were taught values and morals. This book made me want to know my ancestral routes and learn more about my culture. Since this book was a true story about Victor Villasenor's family, it made the stories even more real. I would recommend this book to everyone who loves to read.
By reminiscing on his upbringing from living in Lima, Peru, a third world country. Father would constantly recall his biographical anecdotes to share with the family. Some stories were beyond gruesome in detail. Going in depth to the painful memories that still lingers around like a scar, my father told us how our grandfather, his own father, was abusive for even the most minute things. For instance, when my father would wore outfits that did not meet my grandfather’s standards, or looked into his father’s eyes fearfully when he was being punished, and even when he did not walk my grandmother to and from the grocery store. The mistreatment had reached the end of father’s patience when he became a rebellious son, breaking curfews and refusing to return home at the end of the day. In Junot Díaz 's short story Fiesta, 1980, narrated by an son, Yunior, who describes the hardships he and his Dominican family shared as they drove to a party in the Bronx in New York City. At the age of twelve, Yunior loses his innocence as a result from the never-ending verbal, emotional, and physical abuse his father, Papi, had taunted him with. This lost innocence was caused by what he had said, did, and did
This novel is a story of a Chicano family. Sofi, her husband Domingo together with their four daughters – Esperanza, Fe, Caridad, and Loca live in the little town of Tome, New Mexico. The story focuses on the struggles of Sofi, the death of her daughters and the problems of their town. Sofi endures all the hardships and problems that come her way. Her marriage is deteriorating; her daughters are dying one by one. But, she endures it all and comes out stronger and more enlightened than ever. Sofi is a woman that never gives up no matter how poorly life treats her. The author- Ana Castillo mixes religion, super natural occurrences, sex, laughter and heartbreak in this novel. The novel is tragic, with no happy ending but at the same time funny and inspiring. It is full of the victory of the human spirit. The names of Sofi’s first three daughters denote the three major Christian ideals (Hope, Faith and Charity).
The story is set in the country of Opium, a narrow strip of land between Aztlán (now called[[Mexico]]), and the [[United States]]. Opium is ruled by Matteo Alacrán, also known as El Patrón, an incredibly powerful drug lord who is 146 years old. The country consists of several [[recreational drug use|drug]]-producing Farms, of which the Alacrán estate (which produces [[opium]] poppies) is the largest. El Patrón's work-force consists of "eejits", humans with computer chips implanted in their brains that render them unable to complete more than simple tasks. These "eejits" act, or cease to act, only when ordered to do so. Depending on the nature of the task, an eejit will continue performing this task until they die, unless told to stop
Miguel enjoys writing and literature but his father does not believe that is what Miguel as a male should be doing. As Gladding (2006) points
The relationships between mothers and daughters is a topic that authors often call upon to tell a story. It is an important part of every culture, which makes the topic relatable to any reader who picks the book up. Junot Diaz understood the universality of mother/daughter relationships and incorporated it in his novel The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao. Although the book is mainly about Oscar, an overweight Dominican boy from New Jersey and his quest for love, the book also spends a lot of time exploring the relationships between Oscar’s sister Lola and their mother Beli and Beli’s relationship with her mother figure La Inca. Junot Diaz does not write mother/daughter relationships in an honest way and focuses on the conflict in the relationships
Being a colored nerd is difficult, but being a Dominican immigrant colored nerd is virtually hopeless. Oscar lives in a world that reflects the history of his country. In Junot Diaz’s The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, the use of historical references is important to the book as a whole in order to understand the present day life of Oscar. Although the book is about Oscar, a majority of the novel tells the story of the de León family history and their life according to the fukú curse. For Oscar’s family, being an immigrant was difficult due to how history has affected the family. Living in the Dominican Republic during the time of a horrible dictatorship was not an easy life for Oscar’s mother Belicia. The way that she has been treated and her family has been treated is a reflection of how Oscar’s identity has been shaped. For Oscar, being a Dominican immigrant, lives a life struggle after struggle in order to prove to others how truly Dominican he is despite what others think. While people think he is the complete opposite of a masculine Dominican, Oscar tries to prove them wrong. His struggle to find love and be in a stable relationship also reflects the way his family’s romantic history with the constantly failed relationships. All the mishaps, events, and unavoidable conflicts in Oscar’s life are a direct representation of the history of his family’s past. The cultural, political, and family history explains the similarities between the past and present that ultimately leads Oscar to his inevitable fate.
As a young man grows up in this world, there are important things he must be aware of. There are standards and expectations that are fixed into the brains of men in this culture from a young age. As boys and men in this country, it is expected of us to act and appear a certain way or we might face great humiliation. We are taught to be tough, manly and better than the rest of the guys. Michael Kimmel “bros before hoes: the guy code “explains the strict code that young boys have to live by, a code of masculinity, it’s a day by day check list on how to be a true man in the eyes of other men. Kimmel investigates the values; rites and expectations young boys have to live up to in today's society. In “Nilda” Junot Diaz The narrator speaks of his love for both his brother and his girlfriend. As the narrator reflects upon the loss of his brother, Rafa, he cannot suppress thoughts of Nilda. The two have become nearly the same, the narrator bearing the same feelings for each. After Rafa’s death, Nilda acts as a reminder of the loss, and a proxy for the love that the narrator feels. Junot Diaz story “Nilda” Complicates Michael Kimmel text “the guy Code”, because In “Nilda”, Rafa represents someone who follows the guy code unquestionably and the narrator represents someone whose relationship to the guy code is complicated, and we see both of these relationships to the “guy code” in their relationship. The Guy land which is made of three cultures: Entitlement, Silence and protection, are followed by Rafa but mostly disregarded by Yunior.
Paragraph 2 says, “Father knew many people in Santiago, and Neftali could not take the chance that Father would discover he was disobeying him. Besides that, he could not stop thinking about what Father had said - that he was an embarrassment to the family.” He suppressed his dream, trying to hide it from his Father, until one day, he started reading a poetry book. He read about a character named Paolo, and said the name aloud. It didn’t feel right to him, so he translated it into Spanish, getting Pablo. At that point, he made a decision. He would use the name Pablo Neruda as a pseudonym so that his Father wouldn’t know that it was actually Neftali. The next day, Neftali left his home, so that he could go somewhere where he could write freely. Paragraphs 8-11 say, “The following morning, he slowly packed his belongings into a metal trunk: clothes, books, pens, and, of course, something for which he would never be too old - his sheep. He carefully sorted his collections into storage boxes, taking one box with him and taking the other to Laurita’s for safe keeping. He stood in the doorway and handed her the box. “Do not let it go up in flames.” She smiled. “I will guard it with my life.” That night and throughout the next day, he rode third class in a car full of peasants. It smelled of damp wool from rain-soaked ponchos and wet feathers from unhappy chickens that had been tucked into
In the novel, Bless me, Ultima by Rudolfo Anaya, a boy goes through many more experiences than any child in the hot summer days in Santa Rosa, New Mexico. He witnesses the deaths of his close friends and family. This boy expresses his emotions and grief through his dreams, only to wake up with fear and confusion in his mind. Antonio’s life is filled with dreams that foreshadow future incidents, as well as influences Antonio’s beliefs of religion and ideas of innocence.
Young Yunior has a crush on his older brother, Rafa’s, girlfriend in Nilda,by Junot Diaz. Running from an alcoholic mother, Nilda often spends the night in the brothers’ shared bedroom, unbeknownst to their unsuspecting mother. Forced to keep the mother from becoming suspicious, Rafa and Nilda engage in sexual intercourse while the infatuated Yunior is pretending to sleep in the same room. The conflict occurs as Yunior tries to reconcile the innocent girl he became infatuated with to the new Nilda she becomes through her promiscuous sexual explorations. The conflict resolves itself as Yunior becomes aware that Nilda’s sexual explorations have led her down a self-destructive path which has changed her both physically and emotionally.
Through Nieve, Guerra shows that she becomes a hollow person who has lost faith in herself and the possibility of leaving her country. The only control Nieve has over herself is her feelings of disappointment. There is no hope; Nieve accepts her isolation. No matter how much she wants to be free, the unexpected obstacles in her life stop her from doing so. Some may argue that Nieve is not able to leave Cuba because she does not try hard enough or it is her own fault. Though, it is clearly demonstrated in the novel that Nieve has a deep desire to leave the island with all her friends, but is unable to because of the circumstances she is placed in. The court case puts Nieve under her father’s custody, in the hands of danger. She is not able to travel to Sweden with Fausto and her mother because her father will never allow it to happen when he has custody over her. Another obstacle that stands in her way would be the orphanage. After Nieve frees herself from her father’s clutches, she is turned away from her mother and put in a place where she knows no one. The last obstacle standing in Nieve’s way, allowing her to obtain her freedom, is when her father leaves Cuba, as it limits her opportunities. Guerra reveals the theme of experience connecting to identity and growth through Nieve’s development in the novel. Due to her experiences, Nieve relinquishes her innocence to the realist created by her disappointment and isolation. Challenges are truly what determine what type of person someone will become in the
At first, the plot seems to be easily kind of expected. Before watching movie, I thought the plot would be like about a boy who chased after his dream, never gives up his dream and even achieves what he wants after difficulties. While watching the movie in the theater, I realized how the plot has a twist in that. It is not a typical movie with expected plot. It is not about the idea of a young boy who always follow his own dream. It is about the family meaning throughout the movie. When Miguel was lost in the Land of the Dead, his death relatives try their best to bring Miguel back to his home. Or when Miguel learns the truth about his great-great grandad, his real great-great grandad was almost being forgotten because no one in the Living Land remembers him. Miguel went back home to try his best to help his great grandma Coco remember his dad again by singing her favorite song “Remember Me”. The importance of family is emphasized throughout the movie. Family are still family after all the difficulties. Instead of the easy story, the writer and director bring an unexpected plot in the movie, which had made Coco more enjoyable with a heartfelt message that everybody can see from