Love is the best ingredient of all

Like Water for Chocolate was a very beautifully written, emotional story by Laura Esquivel. I found many concepts to be very interesting. What I most enjoyed about the book is also a love of mine in life, food. Each Chapter began with a different recipe that would invoke memories for Tita.  For Tita whether it be wedding cake, tamales, or dinner rolls, the recipe is the first step to triggering memories. These recipes, once created, have colors, smells and tastes that are unique to that dish. It creates memories and feelings for Tita, quite literally. Tita’s emotions were reflected in the food she cooked. I found this to be an extremely interesting concept because most dishes are better when people put their emotions into them. Tita creates a meal filled with lust, quail in rose petal sauce, after Pedro gives her a rose. This is one of the many fantastic examples of magical realism with Tita’s dishes. Gertrudis is swept away by a solider and stricken by love after eating Tita’s meal of lust. This has fantastical elements to it showing Tita’s meals can instill her emotions into others through food. 

This reminded me of the Disney film, Ratatouille, when the main character, a rat named Remy, is experiencing food. He talks about how each flavor is totally unique, and combining one flavor with another something new is created. In these scenes, Remy visualizes what the food tastes like while symphonies of musical instruments and dazzling lights dance around him demonstrating how the food makes him feel. This is similar to Tita’s cooking. What ingredients you put into food and the passion behind it create a certain feel figuratively, and in Like Water for Chocolate, literally.  (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kfV8NUiUz60&feature=related full scene. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VXoJjgxMj9M&feature=related clearer version)

My mother always says her special ingredient is “love.” I found it funny, the entire time I was reading the novel I kept going back to that statement. When my mom makes a big fantastic feast while lighting candles in the kitchen and listening to her Celtic Woman CD, her meals taste so much better than when she comes home from a frustrating day at work to see a messy kitchen because no one has done the dishes from the night before!

Love was a theme I found throughout the novel and I must comment on the love story as I feel I am a bit of a romantic. I have heard people comparing the love of Tita and Pedro to that of Romeo and Juliet. I would say they are very different. While Tita and Pedro longed for each other, they did not have the obsessive lust Romeo and Juliet shared. Romeo and Juliet were willing to run away, even die, to be together. Tita and Pedro followed what they had to do and only had one major indiscretion. The only thing I found similar in the two couples passion was the fact it was forbidden and in the end they were together. This brings me to my next question; do I consider this a happy ending? Absolutely. I don’t know about what Hollywood thinks, but in the real world, in a situation like Tita’s, that’s as happy as it is going to get. I loved the ending although at some points I was hoping she would settle for a life with John. Tita got what her heart truly desired in the end, what more could you ask for?

Mama Elena was a very dreadful person. I was appalled by her “traditions” not letting Tita follow her heart. She was, however, a very demanding character who caught your attention. “Unquestionably,, when it came to dividing, dismantling, dismembering, desolating, detaching, dispossessing, destroying, or dominating, Mama Elena was a pro. After she died, no one came close to accomplishing the same feats….” (97)  She was a powerful character although a horrid one, and although Mama Elena was truly hated by Tita she was a fierce woman. Without Mama Elena, I do not believe Tita would have grown into such a strong, powerful character herself.


The book did not have a sad ending to me. I thought it was perfect. Pedro and Tita could be "together for the lost Eden.  Never again would they be apart." Tita deserved nothing more than a perfect ending for all she had gone though. Like Water for Chocolate was a beautiful novel, and inspires one to follow their heart, keep your head up, and know a happy ending is possible.



extra thought: Taste Visualization for Pixar's Ratatouille (Just thought it was neat!) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xizttM_Cbuc&NR=1

Zorro, "Just So"

I have never actually read a graphic novel. I took a glance at Watchmen at one point, but never really got into it. Zorro was absolutely amazing. I really enjoyed reading it. A lot of times with novels, I find it hard to follow. I definitely enjoy reading but with a lot of books I get very lost with long drawn out paragraphs. It's hard for me to pay attention to what's going on and find myself rereading pages over and over again. The doctor and my mother says it has to do with my ADD, but I think a lot of times my mind wanders because I'm focusing so hard on picturing what the story is saying and creating my own visions and creating my own story that I lose track of the words I'm actually reading. This, of course, is the beauty of literature, but often times I get frustrated. With Zorro the images were right in front of me so I didn't have to read long drawn out imagery or details. It was almost like watching a movie.

I have heard of Zorro before, of course, and have seen a couple of the films, but this story line was great. It gave Zorro a reason to be who he is. Zorro reminded me a bit of Robin Hood, a character I very much admire. To have gone through everything Diego De La Vega had gone through and still be a wonderful, giving person concerned about the wellness of others is my exact definition of a hero.

There were so many great scenes throughout the novel it is definitely hard to pick out just one! My favorite scene was during the pirate attack. Once the pirates enter the De Le Vega home in chapter 2, Diego's mother puts on her "Daughter of the Wolf" face and was ready to fight for her home and protect her only son. The first image I love is the one of her standing by a fireplace, two swords in hand facing a mob of nearly ten pirates. But in the second image, a close up of her face, she is a fierce mama wolf with powerful eyes ready to attack. I LOVE this image of Regina. It shows such powerful emotion.

The scene I liked the least but I must note is the scene where Bernardo's mother was raped. This scene is on the page right after the Regina scene mentioned above. I have to note this scene because it was one of the first images that really gave me an emotional connection to these characters through the images. The scene shows Bernardo cowering under a bed keeping his word to his mother that he will not make a sound. The progression of tears forming and eventually pouring out of his eyes while his mother gives a great sacrifice to save him broke my heart.



"JUST SO."



I also very much enjoyed all of the close up images of Maestro, Miguel Escalante's face throughout Diego's fencing training. He would be twisting his mustache saying "Just so." I found that funny.

I loved all the fast action scenes as well! For example, near the end of the novel, Zorro has his much anticipated major fight scene with Gonzales! The words ran though my mind and the pictures seemed to move so fast I forgot I was reading a book!

This graphic novel was really amazing. I was very impressed. The story was captivating, the images were beautiful. I loved everything about it, I couldn't put it down. I'll definitely be reading many more graphic novels. Starting with Zorro Vol. 2. I'm buying it this weekend.

BORGES

You know what happens when you assume...

Jorge Luis Borges

Last week I read several pieces by Borges. I read "The Garden of Forking Paths," "The Gospel According to Mark," and "Emma Zunz." They were all wonderfully written stories, however, there was often times confusion and holes in his stories. He would assume the reader knew a lot more than they probably did. Similar to the past authors, Borges creates alternate realities for his characters.

The first story I read was "The Garden of Forking Paths."  It was a very long story. I feel the whole which path should you follow has been done so many times I just didn't enjoy this story. Also I found it kind of hard to follow and I think that had to do with how long it was.

"Emma Zunz" was another piece by Borges that I read. This story definitely kept me on my toes. In the story Emma kills the man who killed her father. She tells the police an entirely different story. People will see her as a helpless person who killed someone by protecting herself. She will go on living in different worlds. Many people lie. In fact, most people do. It is not the right thing to do because lying creates different realities. Depending on what degree of a liar you are, you could have so many realities you won't be able to keep track of them all. This story reminded me of a boy I knew in high school. He would lie all the time about the silliest things. When people would bring him up, every one always had different information about him. He lived so many different lives. I know Emma only lived with the lie about killing the man but the boy in my class was almost like a fiction character to me, know one really knew who he was.

In "The Gospel According to Mark," apparently the Gutres did not know who Espinosa was. Well, don't feel bad, I did not know either. In this story Borges assumes a lot. Like the reader knows what Espinosa stands for. Espinosa was 33 years old at the time of the story, the age Jesus was when he died on the cross. His first name was Baltasar, which was one of the wise men and Espinosa was the name of the man who scientifically proved Jesus to be real.

"The Gospel According to Mark" the Gutres decide to crucify Espinosa. I kind of thought this was weird. They believed by sacrificing Espinosa they would be able to stop the rain. The Gutres were ignorant. Borges used magical realism to create a reality for these people. The reality was that by sacrificing Espinosa they would gain what they want. This is not true. Espinosa had so many similarities with Jesus Borges, perhaps, suggests that this is his fate.
Borges was a great author. I enjoyed him more than I did Marquez. My favorite story of his was probably "Emma Zunz." I would love to read more work by him.

The Very Old Handsomest Drowned Man with Enormous Wings in the World

This week I read pieces by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. They were very similar. The first short story I read was "A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings". In this story a winged man appears near a family’s house. They put him in their chicken coop and basically make a profit off of him as if he were a carnival creature. There are suspicions that the man is an angel. In order to determine this however, Father Gonzaga must consult with the hierarchy of the church because they could not determine it themselves. Marquez criticizes the church in this way. Marquez says belief is clouded by what we think we should believe. Because the church determined the man not an angel, the villagers too agreed he was not. I believe there is strong possibility that the man was an angel. Because he didn’t speak Latin and he was tattered and torn he could not possibly be, according to the church. The divine is obscure and incomprehensible, therefore how can someone who is not divine determine what is or is not? You must have your own faith.

Similar too "A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings,” Marquez’s other short story, "The Handsomest Drowned Man in the World," a theme was faith, or belief. A dead body is rescued from the sea and the woman of a village fawn over it. They imagine how handsome he was, and how powerful he would have been. When it was time to bury the man, the women cried and were heartbroken. They treated him as a god. The fantasy of the most handsome man became this town’s reality. This is another example of magical realism. The had faith that this man was amazing.

The two stories show two different ways of greeting a stranger, and two different ways to treat the “divine.” On one hand you have the man with wings who was abused for being divine. The family that found him used him to create a fortune. On the other hand there is the handsome man who was greeted with welcome and awe. When the family found a “divine” figure, they definitely took advantage of him. When the villagers found the handsome man and claimed him divine, they celebrated him by creating his entire existence.

These two stories may share similar themes however they are very different. They were a lot lighter than the short stories I have read so far, but equally as unique.

The Works of Julio Cortazar

I have a new fascination, magical realism. I did not really know what this was before I came to class and read Julio Cortazar's short stories. Its a complicated way of writing, but for me I felt it was somewhat easy to understand. In the first piece I read, "The Continuity of Parks," I reread the story a couple times, not because I did not understand what was happening, but because I loved it. The way the story flows is just amazing. I felt almost like I was being tricked. The transition of one story to the second was unnoticeable until you realize the guy reading the book actually became the victim in the story he was reading. I shared this story with several people! I was just so astonished by the twists and turns Cortazar planted so slyly into the text that I could not wait to read the next piece.


Similar Costume

 "Our Demeanor at Wakes" was actually much more difficult for me to understand. The text was clear to me. A family of hypocrisy hating people take over funerals and turn them into their own gathering by out doing other mourners. What I did not understand why was I was snickering at the things these people were doing, the over exaggerated crying or the dismissal of the family from their loved one's funeral. It wasn't until class that I realized it was okay to be laughing. When taking a deeper look at the text I found that the hilarious things these crazy people were doing was actually their reality. When you focus on something and put your whole heart into it, it becomes real. In the text the sister stood at the end of the coffin weeping, thinking of her saddest memories she started the cry harder. As her tears became real she started bawling her eyes out. During the class discussion an example came to mind. My friend's cousin, who was five at the time, loved the Harry Potter movies and books. He always put on his Harry Potter school uniform that he wore for Halloween the previous year. He really thought he could be a wizard. His mother woke him up on his first day of kindergarten. Of course, he wanted to wear his Harry Potter school uniform. She tried to explain to him that he was going to a big boy school and he would have a lot of fun and make new friends. Michael refused to leave the house, he wanted to go to Hogwarts! He truly believed that was where he belonged. After a long fuss, her aunt allowed him to wear the wizard school uniform and they referred to kindergarten as "Hogwarts." This fantasy land became this little boy's reality. In Cortazar's piece, the family convinced themselves their mourning was reality. Michael and Cortazar have this in common, they fake it til they make it!
 The third piece I read by Cortazar was "Axolotl." I loved this piece. I loved the confusion! Am I the narrator who loves the Axolotl or am I an Axolotl? The pronoun use was always alternating but fascinating! The first time I read "our body" I had to reread! I agree with Professor Benander in saying the writing was a dreamy flow. I know there are many ways to read this piece. After reading through a couple times keeping different angles in mind, I like to think I am the Narrator writing from the Axolotl's view, hoping someone would write a story of the suffering, lonely, still life of the Axolotl.
Cortazar was beautiful to read. I never knew what I was getting into, but I always knew it was going to be quite a ride!

Huv Lopop

I had mixed feelings about reading Popol Vuh: the Dawn of Life created by the Mayans. I attempted to read the first two chapters before class as I had registered late and missed a day. It didn’t go so well. The paragraphing felt choppy and as I couldn’t pronounce some of the words it was hard for me to understand what was going on, especially with the hustle and bustle of the class settling in. I was definitely less than interested in the writing. I have been raised in a Catholic household and was not enthusiastic about reading another creation story. The one I had learned in Religion classes was dull enough! I listened as the class went on and it wasn’t until Professor Benander read the text in Mayan, how it should be read, that it sparked an interest to me. I have always had a love for ancient culture but never had I had an experience quite like that. Something spoke to me from that text, from that language, that just gave me chills. I went home and reread and finished reading Popol Vuh. I found it quite fascinating. I had a much better understanding. The creation of the Mayans was a trail and error for the gods. They had made many mistakes in creating the human race, the animals who could not talk, the mud people who melted, and the wooden people who were perhaps the biggest disappointment of all. One thing I can not seem to get out of my mind is that this had, as class has referred to it, a “Christian” lens over the text. I found it funny that a Christian man focused so deeply on the fact that the gods were imperfect. They could not seem to create humans, while the one, almighty Christian God merely had to say let there be life, and there was life. This was funny to me because it felt like he was trying to point out how imperfect these gods were, like highlighting their flaws. I have been trying to discover what exactly I believe as far as religion goes my entire life, and I’ve got to say the Popol Vuh won me over a great deal more that the bible (something I shall never mention to my mother.)  The fact that creation was not simple for the gods was something that I liked. It made it relatable. No matter who you are, mortal or god, you have to work for what you want! Also, I enjoyed the destruction of Vucub-Caquix much more than Santan’s dismissal in the Christian creation story. Popol Vuh was descriptive and a beautiful creation tale. I’m not saying I’m converting anytime soon but its definitely something I will never forget.