Rudolfo Anaya's Use of Magic
Rudolfo Anaya uses the universal theme of magic in order to help you understand Ultima's deep, spiritual personality, and to let you in on her Curandera ways. Magic has been used in many different ways and in many different cultures, and has led many people to believe it to either prevent things from happening or to make things happen. We see magic and mystisim throughout the day but do we ever stop to think maybe it's all the real thing?
There is much to say about magic. It's ways it can heal people, trick people or even scare people. Take Tenorios' three daughters for instance they were known as the ones to use magic to scare people and set the most awful spells on them like they had on Uncle Lucas. Those magic ways would be used by what we'd call witches.* (Witches; ones who seem to be angry all of the time and who get thrills out of using their magical powers in bad ways other than putting good uses to them.)
Then there was Mystisim where Ultima came and put her powers to good use, always. She was a strong old woman who practiced the ways of Mystisim , other wise known as Curandera. (Curandera; one who cures with herbs and magic.) She had an owl that was known to be her soul, spirit and her bond to the time and harmony of the universe. It was given to her when she was younger, learning the Curandera ways such as Tony did with her. Picking her herbs ever so carefully, making sure they're of the right strength and color. Showing Tony what was best and what wasn't so when the three witches placed their spell on Uncle Lucas Ultima was the one to cure him with young Tony by her side watching over her like a hawk to learn the perfect ways. He also learned a little trick Ultima used with V...
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... and understand both his mother and fathers views but also be who HE IS and is growing to be.
It's a universal theme because having to understand OTHER things and still believe what YOU personally believe is something everyone learns to do. Having Italian, Mexican and American culture in your back ground has you learning of all three cultures so you UNDERSTAND them but you can choose to believe anything you want. Tony has gained a wide perspective of knowledge. Being able to work the special magic and cure people with his knowledge and understand how they think and respect it. It is what Curandera ways are all about. I believe all people should have knowledge of other cultures because there are many different things to be learned and they could help you out in some way or other in your future. So keep an open heart and an open mind and you'll be cured for life.
In the novel Bless Me, Ultima by Rudolfo Anaya, one of the main characters, Ultima is accused many times of being a witch. Ultima is a curandera who uses herbs and medicines to cure people. She goes to live with Antonio Marez, a young boy who lives in the llano with his parents and two sisters due to the fact that she cannot live by herself and had nowhere to stay. Although many people think she is a witch, her use of herbs, medicines, and scapulars show that she is merely just a curandera. With her use of chants and having her spirit in her owl, many are led to believe that she is really a witch.
He makes his ideas and actions very clear about what he wants. I feel as if I am connecting with him is some ways. These ways may be through the restrictions his parents give him or being
After reading the book, Bless Me Ultima, I realized the integral importance of religion and need for religion and answers to life’s questions. At first, while reading this book, I thought it was just about relationships and the meaning in them but as the plot progressed I realized the book, is more than that, it questions the structures that decide the rules, morals and values that society is composed of. There were three types of religion that I identified in the book that young Anthony chose to pursue. The first was the paganistic rituals of Ultima. Ultima came into the life of Tony at a very young age and had great influence n the child. Ultima saved the life of Lucas through Tony’s strength. Physical pain was brought unto Anthony because of Ultima's ritual, showing actual validity of the rituals themselves, that they were had tangibility. She brought torment on the Tenorio’s family (he was the antagonist in the book-the bad guy) saving Lucas though using ritualistic dolls and chants. This showed her magic was not only good but bad as well. Ultima guided Anthony through all of the mental and social torment during his early years of grade school. So in away Ultima was a guide for Tony through his early years to make sense of all of the storms in his early life, but also was an instrument of religion to base his life on. But in the end of the book Ultima ultimately dies and the strength he once found in her is destroyed. She is ...
in the end magic is magic, and one does not explain it so easily. That is why it is magic.”
In Bless Me Ultima, Tony embarks on a rocky journey to discover who he is and what he believes. Tony must make the transition from a naïve six year old boy to a mature man. His experiences continually call his basic beliefs into question, and chip away at his innocence. For example, when he witnesses the brutal death of Lupito, he starts to question many ideas; sin, good and evil, punishment, and his faith. He begins to see the world of man as violent and sometimes ruthless, not the friendly, loving world where he had previously resided. He even becomes concerned about his own father's salvation because of Gabrielle's involvement in Lupito's death and begins to see his father as less than perfect. Death continues to haunt him when Narciso, a good man, is killed defending Ultima, while Tenorio, an apparently evil man, is spared. These outcomes are not what he believes should have occurred and yet again, a piece of his innocence is stripped away as he sees life is not always fair. He is beginning to realize that he must define his own beliefs.
Witchcraft is the most illogical and despised practices involving the supernatural power. “It implies the ability to injure others. A witch usually acquires his power through an inherent physical factor or through the power of another witch. Witch possess a special organ called mangu, located somewhere behind the sternum or attached to the liver.”[11] Woman/man may become a witch through the influence of another witch or contact with another witch. Witches do not intend to do harm; they are as much the victims of witchcraft as those upon whom they practice it. They have innate power and often don’t know what they are doing. The belief in witchcraft helps people explain the causes of illness, death and misfortune experienced by a person or a group when no other explanations can be found. Most of the time when witches create injury and calamity, they were punished by death, sometimes by exile. They also were forced into admission of guilt by torture, fear, or the hope for lighter punishment. “Most witches work by night, are capable of covering long distances very rapidly, tem...
In Western culture magic has been traditionally viewed negatively. The word often conjures up images of witches, spells, cults, and dark rituals. As Malidoma displays, in Dagara culture, along with most traditional African culture, magic is viewed positively and is at the core of religion.
The use of witchcraft was very common during the Jacobean times because people believed in it and it was seen as a profanity. Therefore this would create tension and anxiety among the audience.
make a constant effort to be their child’s strongest advocate. Parents need to be well
Rudolfo Anaya is an successful author , he was known for his award winning books such as “Bless Me Ultima” and “Zia summer’’He also has other published books, short stories, children books, and even poetry. Rudolfo had many talents , he was just a hard worker who wanted nothing in his life , but success.
In Rodolfo Anaya's novel, Bless Me, Ultima the author uses different settings in order to develop Antonio's sense of good and evil.
Characters: Ultima- An old Curandera who comes to spend her last days with Antonio and his family. She is Tony’s mentor and helps him to find the right path for his life.
Witchcraft is a term which sprouts many different meanings. As stated above, it is attributed to witches. But what is a witch? Probably an evil haggish-like women who has signed a pact with the devil if we think of it in the English sense. So witchcraft must be evil doings; putting curses on people to make their life miserable, using wicked spells to transform humans to frogs etc. But does this hold true to everyone's idea of what witchcraft is.People's believes on the subject of witchcraft might differ between different cultures.
Witchcraft is the use of these forces for negative ends, to extort evil, and magic asks for positive ends. Witchcraft has been found to exist in all corners of the globe at some point. It is no coincidence that during the Enlightenment, witch hunts in Europe and North America became common. The aim was to rid society of these people regarded as unreasonable and dangerous. By contrast self-proclaimed witches still have a function in some societies today, mainly in the developing world. Magic however is often a word used to describe certai...
We have seen magic as a form of entertainment, from making someone disappear, to sawing a girl in half. But all great illusions have an explanation. “Magic, as we have seen, is about power- a seemingly magical power used and expressed by a skilled actor to create the illusion of miraculous happenings’. But the most mysterious part of magic is how these miraculous happenings are performed. The real power of magic lies within the native effects themselves (Blackstone, 117).