written by Ricardo Palma
[I] pp. 134 – 142
There was an expression, so the narrator says, that ¡Esto vale tanto como el alacrán de fray Gómez! (135). How did this expression come about? From a miracle-working priest friar named Gómez…
I
He was born religious and worked in a hospital as a youth. But more importantly, he performs miracles and thought nothing about them. For example, a horseback rider fell to the ground, and everyone was already calling for the moribund holy oils to be put on him. Fray Gómez walks over, puts his cord in his mouth, and says three prayers. The man walks away as if nothing had happened. He was to be put on shoulders and paraded about, but he snuck away. As to the validity of the event, Yo ni lo niego ni lo afirmo. Puede que sí y puede que no (137).
In another instance, San Francisco Solano has no appetite. After a while, he says the only thing he would eat was un par de pejerreyes (138), half-jokingly. Fray Gómez has some up his sleeve, which he gives to San Francisco Solano. And it cured his broken appetite.
On his tombstone, it says, fue su vida un continuo milagro (138).
II
A traveling salesman approaches fray Gómez in his room. He says he is a good, hard worker, but lacks money for his business. He comes asking for a loan; with it, his business would prosper. The man’s faith believes that the friar can find him some money, even though the friar is not allowed to have any. The friar takes a scorpion, puts it into paper, and tells the man to sell it. When he does, it emerges with magnificent emeralds and rubies for its eyes. The man sells it for less than offered and gets the money he needs. His business prospers; he buys and returns the scorpion. The fray takes the scorpion and puts it on the window where it continues to walk, as it had before.
Friday, May 15, 2009
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Las medias rojas
written by Emilia Pardo Bazán
[I] 69 - 74
Summary:
It is a sad story of the reality of the Spanish life. It includes realismo (la representación objective de la sociedad y costumbres y la efecta de la historia y el ambiente en las personas) and libre albedrío (de hacer lo que quiere hacer).
It begins with the the rapaza Ildara who lives with her father, tío Claudio. She is a hard worker who works as a prostitute under Claudio, but she is saving up to go to the United States. She buys red stockings – a symbol of hope – and takes pride in the beauty of her face, her means of salvation. With her beauty, she can make money for herself; her face and beauty is her dream for America. Y tanto más defendía su belleza, hoy que se acercaba el momento de fundar en ella un sueño de porvenir (72). Unfortunately, Claudio, drunk, begins to beat her. He slugs her across the face and makes a tooth fall out. She becomes a tuerta. Her life and her hope dies, because los que allá, han de ir sanos, válidos, y las mujeres, con sus ojos alumbrando y sus dentadura completa ... (74)
-la crítica social y política
-la decadencia del orden establecido y el descontrol
-los cuentos del siglo XX
[I] 69 - 74
Summary:
It is a sad story of the reality of the Spanish life. It includes realismo (la representación objective de la sociedad y costumbres y la efecta de la historia y el ambiente en las personas) and libre albedrío (de hacer lo que quiere hacer).
It begins with the the rapaza Ildara who lives with her father, tío Claudio. She is a hard worker who works as a prostitute under Claudio, but she is saving up to go to the United States. She buys red stockings – a symbol of hope – and takes pride in the beauty of her face, her means of salvation. With her beauty, she can make money for herself; her face and beauty is her dream for America. Y tanto más defendía su belleza, hoy que se acercaba el momento de fundar en ella un sueño de porvenir (72). Unfortunately, Claudio, drunk, begins to beat her. He slugs her across the face and makes a tooth fall out. She becomes a tuerta. Her life and her hope dies, because los que allá, han de ir sanos, válidos, y las mujeres, con sus ojos alumbrando y sus dentadura completa ... (74)
Themes:
-desafío y perseverancia: la tenacidad individual ante los retos de la vida-la crítica social y política
-la decadencia del orden establecido y el descontrol
-los cuentos del siglo XX
La vida de Lazarillo de Tormes
written by anónimo
[II] 277-338
Summary:
Part One
Lazarillo de Tormes was born in the river Tormes, and his father had been accused of a crime and taken away (and died) when Lázaro was eight. His mother then began to see a new black man Zaide with whom she had a baby. The town soon finds out about the affair with Zaide; thus, he is whipped and kicked out. His mother is forced to work at a local inn, and sends her son off to a ciego.
Lázaro becomes the servant of the ciego. The ciego first tells Lázaro to draw close to the ear of a bull to hear the great din inside; the ciego hits him, causing Lázaro gores and pain, and says, “ha de saber más que el Diablo” (281). Lázaro then realizes, “Parecióme que en aquel instante desperate de la simpleza (innocence) en que, como niño, estaba dormido” (281).
The ciego prays for other people for a living and is poor and miserly. Lázaro does what he can to get food; for example, he cuts holes in, then sews back up, the ciego’s sack that has food. Later, Lázaro steals gulps of the ciego’s wine; the ciego hugs the jug. Lázaro the uses a straw to take sips of it; when the ciego gets suspicious, he makes a small hole in the jug to provide a fountain of wine for himself. The ciego feigns to notice it, but the next day slams the jug on his mouth. Lázaro bleeds and misses teeth; the ciego derives a perverted pleasure from it.
From thence forth, they treated each other poorly: the ciego pulled Lázaro’s hair, and Lázaro led the ciego down the worst paths. In another instance, the pair gets grapes. The ciego says that Lázaro takes one, then the ciego takes one, etc. until all are gone. When the ciego takes two, Lázaro quickly devours the rest. The ciego knows he has been tricked; Lázaro, if honest, would have told the ciego that he was taking two.
Later, Lázaro steals wine and sausage from the ciego, but tells him that someone else must have done it. Like a hound, the ciego smells the sausage in Lázaro’s mouth, but just in time, Lázaro throws up on the ciego. He is summarily beaten; the ciego later says, “que si un hombre en el mundo ha de ser bienaventurado (blessed) con vino, serás tú” (293).
In his final trick, Lázaro, leading the way past a puddle, makes the ciego jump with all his might into a pole. Lázaro then escapes.
Part Two
Lázaro then is paired with a clérigo who amazingly is more miserly than the ciego. The clérigo has a locked chest with food but gives Lázaro very little; meanwhile, the clérigo dines like a king. Lázaro starves so much that he cannot walk; he even prays for the death of others because funerals provide him copious food.
Lázaro, learning from the ciego, though tricks a tinkerer into giving him a key to the chest; he then takes a whole roll of bread for himself. After the clérigo notices, Lázaro makes mice nipping on the guarded bread, tricking the clérigo to give Lázaro the mouse-bitten parts. Such tricking persists until the clérigo boards up the chest; Lázaro then hammers holes in the chest, which look like a mouse’s doing. The clérigo then sets up mouse traps inside the chest; Lázaro eats the cheese and bread. The town concludes it must be a snake; the clérigo becomes paranoid about his disappearing food.
One night, though, the key hiding in Lázaro’s mouth creates a whistle (or to the clérigo, a serpent’s hiss). The clérigo smacks Lázaro, simultaneously injuring him and revealing the secret of the alleged snake. The clérigo then kicks Lázaro out, because he is such a devious miscreant.
Part Three
Lázaro is picked up by an escudero, a squire. He initially looks like a noble man, but he has no food. On the first day, Lázaro is still so hungry, but the escudero has already eaten. Lázaro, dying of hunger, finds a piece of bread in the house and shares it. Later, Lázaro is shown the escudero’s sword. He is given chores while the escudero walks around like a gentleman, looking for money and food. Lázaro himself begs for bread and tripe; the escudero eats with him. Together, they steal and beg for food to survive.
Unfortunately, all beggars are ordered to leave the city, or face the whip. They stop begging, and go hungry for days. The escudero then finds a real and tells Lázaro to use it; whenhe goes into the street, he sees a dead corpse and is scared it is headed for his house. The escudero then talks about the doffing of the hat, a ridiculous, satirized custom.
When a man and woman come to ask the escudero for the rent, he tells them to come back later. He flees. Lázaro is then taken as a prisoner before the neighbors convince the constable that he is innocent. He is let free.
Part Seven
Lastly, Lázaro works for a alguacil, a constable. He has a royal post and deals wine. He is well fed, living near the alguacil, and lives a good life. He marries a servant of an archbishop, and when rumors fly around about her prior sexual encounters, Lázaro quickly shuts them down. He loves his wife, and he is happy.
Themes:
-desafío y perseverancia: la tenacidad individual ante los retos de la vida
-el engaño y el desengaño, la honra y la deshonra
-la crítica social y política
-la decadencia del orden establecido y el descontrol
-lecciones de la vida y el repudio del error
-la prosa peninsular desde el Medioevo hasta el siglo XX
Translation:
http://www.4olin.com/index2.html
[II] 277-338
Summary:
Part One
Lazarillo de Tormes was born in the river Tormes, and his father had been accused of a crime and taken away (and died) when Lázaro was eight. His mother then began to see a new black man Zaide with whom she had a baby. The town soon finds out about the affair with Zaide; thus, he is whipped and kicked out. His mother is forced to work at a local inn, and sends her son off to a ciego.
Lázaro becomes the servant of the ciego. The ciego first tells Lázaro to draw close to the ear of a bull to hear the great din inside; the ciego hits him, causing Lázaro gores and pain, and says, “ha de saber más que el Diablo” (281). Lázaro then realizes, “Parecióme que en aquel instante desperate de la simpleza (innocence) en que, como niño, estaba dormido” (281).
The ciego prays for other people for a living and is poor and miserly. Lázaro does what he can to get food; for example, he cuts holes in, then sews back up, the ciego’s sack that has food. Later, Lázaro steals gulps of the ciego’s wine; the ciego hugs the jug. Lázaro the uses a straw to take sips of it; when the ciego gets suspicious, he makes a small hole in the jug to provide a fountain of wine for himself. The ciego feigns to notice it, but the next day slams the jug on his mouth. Lázaro bleeds and misses teeth; the ciego derives a perverted pleasure from it.
From thence forth, they treated each other poorly: the ciego pulled Lázaro’s hair, and Lázaro led the ciego down the worst paths. In another instance, the pair gets grapes. The ciego says that Lázaro takes one, then the ciego takes one, etc. until all are gone. When the ciego takes two, Lázaro quickly devours the rest. The ciego knows he has been tricked; Lázaro, if honest, would have told the ciego that he was taking two.
Later, Lázaro steals wine and sausage from the ciego, but tells him that someone else must have done it. Like a hound, the ciego smells the sausage in Lázaro’s mouth, but just in time, Lázaro throws up on the ciego. He is summarily beaten; the ciego later says, “que si un hombre en el mundo ha de ser bienaventurado (blessed) con vino, serás tú” (293).
In his final trick, Lázaro, leading the way past a puddle, makes the ciego jump with all his might into a pole. Lázaro then escapes.
Part Two
Lázaro then is paired with a clérigo who amazingly is more miserly than the ciego. The clérigo has a locked chest with food but gives Lázaro very little; meanwhile, the clérigo dines like a king. Lázaro starves so much that he cannot walk; he even prays for the death of others because funerals provide him copious food.
Lázaro, learning from the ciego, though tricks a tinkerer into giving him a key to the chest; he then takes a whole roll of bread for himself. After the clérigo notices, Lázaro makes mice nipping on the guarded bread, tricking the clérigo to give Lázaro the mouse-bitten parts. Such tricking persists until the clérigo boards up the chest; Lázaro then hammers holes in the chest, which look like a mouse’s doing. The clérigo then sets up mouse traps inside the chest; Lázaro eats the cheese and bread. The town concludes it must be a snake; the clérigo becomes paranoid about his disappearing food.
One night, though, the key hiding in Lázaro’s mouth creates a whistle (or to the clérigo, a serpent’s hiss). The clérigo smacks Lázaro, simultaneously injuring him and revealing the secret of the alleged snake. The clérigo then kicks Lázaro out, because he is such a devious miscreant.
Part Three
Lázaro is picked up by an escudero, a squire. He initially looks like a noble man, but he has no food. On the first day, Lázaro is still so hungry, but the escudero has already eaten. Lázaro, dying of hunger, finds a piece of bread in the house and shares it. Later, Lázaro is shown the escudero’s sword. He is given chores while the escudero walks around like a gentleman, looking for money and food. Lázaro himself begs for bread and tripe; the escudero eats with him. Together, they steal and beg for food to survive.
Unfortunately, all beggars are ordered to leave the city, or face the whip. They stop begging, and go hungry for days. The escudero then finds a real and tells Lázaro to use it; whenhe goes into the street, he sees a dead corpse and is scared it is headed for his house. The escudero then talks about the doffing of the hat, a ridiculous, satirized custom.
When a man and woman come to ask the escudero for the rent, he tells them to come back later. He flees. Lázaro is then taken as a prisoner before the neighbors convince the constable that he is innocent. He is let free.
Part Seven
Lastly, Lázaro works for a alguacil, a constable. He has a royal post and deals wine. He is well fed, living near the alguacil, and lives a good life. He marries a servant of an archbishop, and when rumors fly around about her prior sexual encounters, Lázaro quickly shuts them down. He loves his wife, and he is happy.
Themes:
-desafío y perseverancia: la tenacidad individual ante los retos de la vida
-el engaño y el desengaño, la honra y la deshonra
-la crítica social y política
-la decadencia del orden establecido y el descontrol
-lecciones de la vida y el repudio del error
-la prosa peninsular desde el Medioevo hasta el siglo XX
Translation:
http://www.4olin.com/index2.html
Poetry
Analyze the theme of a poem, using poetic devices, etc.
Poetic devices:
hiperbole: exaggeration
personificación: giving inanimate object human qualities
Types of poems:
Other terms:
Poetic devices:
hiperbole: exaggeration
personificación: giving inanimate object human qualities
símil: comparison with like or as
antithesis: having two words with opposite meanings close to each other
sinestesia: the mixing of different senses (to hear colors, etc.)
ánafora: repetition at the beginning various verses
estribillo: a refrain, repeated between stanzas
aliteración: repetition of a sound in a line
hipérbaton: intentional mixing of the syntax (order) of a sentence
metáfora: comparison without like or as
metonimia: when something is called something that is related to it; reference by close relation
sinécdoque: when something is called something that makes it up; part for the whole
alegoría: symbolic narrative
símbolo: when something represents something else
Syllables:
arte mayor: more than 8 syllables; has a heavier tone
arte menor: less than 8 syllables
llanos: counted number of syllables is the same as poetic syllables
agudos: stress on last syllable; +1 to poetic syllables
esdrújula: stress on antipenultimate syllable; -1 to poetic syllables
Rhyme:
asonante: when the ending vowels of two lines are the same
consonante: when the ending vowels and consonants of two lines are the same
libre: no rhyme scheme
Types of poems:
romance: origins from the pueblos; written by Christians who adopted a Muslim point of view; can be recited or sung very easily (not written down); written to entertain
soneto: made up of 3 cuartetos and 2 tercetos; usually, el autor planta la idea en los primeros cuartetos and has a conclusion in the tercetos; Italian sonnet has abba abba cde cde rhyme scheme; English sonnet has abba cddc efg efg rhyme scheme; 16 syllables, 14 lines; "perfection"
soneto: made up of 3 cuartetos and 2 tercetos; usually, el autor planta la idea en los primeros cuartetos and has a conclusion in the tercetos; Italian sonnet has abba abba cde cde rhyme scheme; English sonnet has abba cddc efg efg rhyme scheme; 16 syllables, 14 lines; "perfection"
redondillo: short lines possibly with rhyming; characterized by the sing-songy tone
Other terms:
pares: even (as in lines)
impares: odd (as in lines)
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
San Manuel Bueno, mártir
written by Miguel de Unamuno y Jugo
[II] 438 - 487
Told by Ángela Carballino. Raised in a religious household and town, a firm believer in the Catholic religion. She lives in a village Valverde de Lucerna, situated between a beautiful lake and a solitary mountain.
Her brother Lazaro wants her to be educated in a big city, away from the crude town so she is sent outside of the village to a larger city. Everyone here knows about Don Manuel. His presence draws her back to her village where she becomes a personal assistant of sort for him. He is all about caring for his people, and they cling to him, and his magnificent voice, as an anchor, especially Blasillo, a mentally disabled man who hangs on his every word, representing the blind faith of the town. Don Manuel greatly disliked being idle, alone with his own thoughts.
Lázaro returns from the
Don Manuel is tormented by the possibility, and indeed as he sees it the probability, that there is no life after death, and lives in constant conflict with himself and with the prospect of suicide. The philosophy he follows, to which Lázaro has been converted, is that the non-existence of an afterlife must be hidden to others at all costs so that they may live a happy life. Lázaro argues that Don Manuel is a saint not because of his unwavering belief in Christianity, an organization Lázaro continues to see as outdated, but because he sacrifices his life for the happiness of others (there are continual allusions to Don Manuel's Jesus-like qualities).
Don Manuel’s physical health gradually worsens; on the day of his death he admits that God exists, but because he has seen God's face he cannot be admitted to the promise land (allusion to Moses). He wants Angela to continue praying for all people, and to keep her faith, which she is able to do even though her spiritual advisor can not. Then he is taken to the church where he gives one final sermon, begging that the people continue to live a peaceful and happy life, and continue on with their faith. Then they begin to pray, and as the reach the point in the Creed that talks about resurrection and life after death, Don Manuel passes, with Blasillo at his side.
Lázaro dies soon after, following his teacher. Only Ángela is left, and even she is not sure if she retains faith in Christianity. She writes a testament of the events that occurred in the town then hides them. The preceding chapters we discover are that testament. She alone knew the truth behind Don Manuel, and she feels the need to capture it in some way, but she is unsure what to do with this truth.
Unamuno then becomes the narrator. Angela had given him her story and he chose to publish it. He feels actions speak louder than words and the truth wouldn’t change anyone’s mind.
Symbolism:
Mountain = townspeople, everything is exposed, accept the idea of an afterlife which is shown when the snow sticks to the mountain
Themes:
-existentialism
-idea of reality versus dreams
-el engaño y el desengaño, la honra y la deshonra
-la fe y la razón, la justicia divina y la vida
-la prosa peninsular desde el Medioevo hasta el siglo XX
Translation:
http://teachers.ausd.net/classlink/getfile.ausd?fileid=56285
[erin b.]
Thursday, April 16, 2009
El hijo
written by Horacio Quiroga
[I] 16-27
Summary:
On the day the father finally feels at ease letting his son go out into the woods alone, the son goes with his gun to hunt at 9 AM. He promises to return at noon. The father meanwhile continues to wander about the house; he is at ease, but not completely, as his son is his whole entire life.
He then has illusions that his son has died, but these are quickly dismissed. At around 10 AM, the father hears a shot in the forest, and thinks (hopefully) that his son has killed something. Noon arrives, then 12:30 PM …
The father leaves to look for his son. He yells out for his son, continually losing hope. He meets up with his son and talks with him …
But his son is just an illusion – the son died from a hunter’s trap. Sonríe de alucinada felicidad ... Pues ese padre va solo […] su hijo bien amado yace al sol, muerto desde las diez de la mañana (23).
The story reflects the dark, tragic life Quiroga lived. He, a pessimist, believed that we do not have control when we are fighting nature.
Themes:
-la decadencia del orden establecido y el descontrol
-la tenue línea entre lo real y lo ilusorio
-los cuentos del siglo XX
[I] 16-27
Summary:
On the day the father finally feels at ease letting his son go out into the woods alone, the son goes with his gun to hunt at 9 AM. He promises to return at noon. The father meanwhile continues to wander about the house; he is at ease, but not completely, as his son is his whole entire life.
He then has illusions that his son has died, but these are quickly dismissed. At around 10 AM, the father hears a shot in the forest, and thinks (hopefully) that his son has killed something. Noon arrives, then 12:30 PM …
The father leaves to look for his son. He yells out for his son, continually losing hope. He meets up with his son and talks with him …
But his son is just an illusion – the son died from a hunter’s trap. Sonríe de alucinada felicidad ... Pues ese padre va solo […] su hijo bien amado yace al sol, muerto desde las diez de la mañana (23).
The story reflects the dark, tragic life Quiroga lived. He, a pessimist, believed that we do not have control when we are fighting nature.
Themes:
-la decadencia del orden establecido y el descontrol
-la tenue línea entre lo real y lo ilusorio
-los cuentos del siglo XX
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Vuelva Ud. mañana
written by Mariano José de Larra
[II] 421 – 437
Summary:
In short, this story is a critique on the Spanish society of the time. It is losing its superpower status and is in a conflict between progressivism and traditionalism. Anyways, the story begins with a statement of theme: [la pereza] cerrerá las puertas del cielo a más de un critiano (422).
A stranger visits the narrator, a Spanish writer. The critique begins when the visitor says he believed all Spanish were gentlemen – something disproven by the horde of robbers he met. The visitor, Monsieur San-delai, then states his purpose: he is traveling to Madrid to prove his family identification, to claim his inheritance, to invest in Spain, and to visit Madrid. He proposes a reasonable schedule that is 15 days long. The narrator just laughs at the visitor’s naivety of Spanish life.
They go to the genealogist, and are met by their first (of many) “Vuelva Ud. mañana”s. The genealogist always has something to do: he has to take a break, he is about to leave, he as to go to the bullfight. Sin embargo, nunca encontraba momento oportuno para trabajar (427). This slowness is the way of life; everybody takes their time. The shoe maker, the ironer, the sombrero maker all need more time off.
When they bring the Monsieur’s documents to an office worker (which took a couple of days to even see him), the worker is too lazy to look for the documents. Instead, he says they were sent to another office. They travel around, only to discover that the documents were with the first office worker. The Monsieur becomes angry; the narrator just says la pereza es la verdadera intriga […] es más fácil negar las cosas que enterase de ellas (431). When the Monsiuer tries to invest money, he is declined because of Spanish arrogance: foreigners cannot invest. Out of frustration and advice from the narrator, the Monsieur departs.
The narrator then says that he is no exception! It took him many days and way too much effort, but he finally finished it, because he decided not to be so lazy. Da gracias a que llegó por fin este mañana, que no es del todo malo; pero ¡Ay de aquel mañana que no ha de llegar jamás! (436)
Translation:
Themes:
-la crítica social y política
-la prosa peninsular desde el Medioevo hasta el siglo XX
[II] 421 – 437
Summary:
In short, this story is a critique on the Spanish society of the time. It is losing its superpower status and is in a conflict between progressivism and traditionalism. Anyways, the story begins with a statement of theme: [la pereza] cerrerá las puertas del cielo a más de un critiano (422).
A stranger visits the narrator, a Spanish writer. The critique begins when the visitor says he believed all Spanish were gentlemen – something disproven by the horde of robbers he met. The visitor, Monsieur San-delai, then states his purpose: he is traveling to Madrid to prove his family identification, to claim his inheritance, to invest in Spain, and to visit Madrid. He proposes a reasonable schedule that is 15 days long. The narrator just laughs at the visitor’s naivety of Spanish life.
They go to the genealogist, and are met by their first (of many) “Vuelva Ud. mañana”s. The genealogist always has something to do: he has to take a break, he is about to leave, he as to go to the bullfight. Sin embargo, nunca encontraba momento oportuno para trabajar (427). This slowness is the way of life; everybody takes their time. The shoe maker, the ironer, the sombrero maker all need more time off.
When they bring the Monsieur’s documents to an office worker (which took a couple of days to even see him), the worker is too lazy to look for the documents. Instead, he says they were sent to another office. They travel around, only to discover that the documents were with the first office worker. The Monsieur becomes angry; the narrator just says la pereza es la verdadera intriga […] es más fácil negar las cosas que enterase de ellas (431). When the Monsiuer tries to invest money, he is declined because of Spanish arrogance: foreigners cannot invest. Out of frustration and advice from the narrator, the Monsieur departs.
The narrator then says that he is no exception! It took him many days and way too much effort, but he finally finished it, because he decided not to be so lazy. Da gracias a que llegó por fin este mañana, que no es del todo malo; pero ¡Ay de aquel mañana que no ha de llegar jamás! (436)
Translation:
Themes:
-la crítica social y política
-la prosa peninsular desde el Medioevo hasta el siglo XX
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