The search for a boys personal legend...

The Alchemist is a novel that truly touches me. Some have argued to me that this author is not as profound as he is made out to be due to the simple nature of his writing. I dissagre. I think that is part of what makes him so great. His novels were all written in pourtugeese originally and then translated into around sixty different languages world wide. I think the simple nature of his writing helps him get his message out across the world. I believe that people can relate to him in ways they never thought possible because they are able to understand him from the beginning. His message in the Alchemist is to follow ones personal legend. In this a boy has a dream and decides to follow that dream as far as it will take him. Now the goal of the dream is to find treasure so he may become rich and do as he pleases, but what makes this his own personal legend is the journey that he takes along the way. This is a profound book because it teaches to follow your dream no matter what but that one must always keep their eyes open along the way. If not then they will not learn what they need to learn in order to succeed. To me this book has opened my eyes and made me search for my personal legend. I am not really sure what it is since I do not have anyone telling me what it is. But I have felt a calling to a few places in my life and it does seem that the whole universe has been conspiring to help me achieve those calls. The first was to Baylor, the next two are what I have not fully understood yet. I have always wanted to be a lawyer and I am on the right path to become one, but I will not be going to the schools that I feel most called to go to. So it seems that the universe has been helping me realize that I must do and learn a few things first before I can go to the school that I want to go to. I feel the call but am not sure what to do yet.... if you want to know what that call is you will have to ask at another time, for I am still not completely sure myself.

Buildung the House

Is the house on mango street a buildungsroman? I am not really sure. I think it is in the sense that we see her grow up and begin to deal with more adult things in life, for instance her relationships with boys, her father, sally, and her sister. All those relationships do seem to mature and develop along the lines of what a buildungsroman story would imply. But this was not a true story. Not in its validity but in the way the book was represented. It was in pieces. The story was not that linear and was simply a collections of memories. Because of that I do not think it should be considered a buildungsroman. I liked this story, don’t get me wrong. I just do not think it showed enough of her life and experiences in a set order that would illustrate her growth, that a buildungsroman needs to succeed. If the story had a plot, or at least two very similar situations in which something happens and Esperanza responds to the situations in two very different ways depending on her growth, then yes I would say that this was without a doubt a coming of age story of this little girl. But as it is the book focus just as much on Esperanza as it does for the rest of the characters, which in my opinion hinders its ability to be a true buildungsroman. Some may argue that it could be a buildungsroman for one of the other characters. This may be true but the only one I can possibly agree with that being true for would be sally, and even then we do not get to see why sally grew up the way she did and what were her major influences. We came to understand what was going on with her father but we did not get an insight into sally’s mind which is what we would have needed to truly understand her growth.

The mango is starting to mold

I really enjoy the style that she uses here, but sometimes it can be a bit distracting. Her poetry really moves me and allows me to feel more of her imagery than I would have thought possible. It adds to the flavor of the book as well as the flow of the read. However, when it comes to understanding her meaning, the poetry can sometimes get in the way. When I look at this book I cant help but try to sing along with it. I believe that she does this to give the work a more childish feel, in the way that it may seem like it was written by a young girl sitting on a swing in a play ground. This adds to the story without a doubt, and gives the readers a sense of authenticity that we would not be able to find any other way, but is it constantly necessary? I am not going to try to claim that I can understand what she went through as a little girl. Growing up in that area with so little money must have been real hard on her and I have been fortunate enough to not have to deal with that too much, however I do not think surviving that was her best feat in life. I believe her vision is her best feat. Her ability to change memories into song and her ability to touch her readers. But when it comes down to a story about how she grew up, I think she may have hidden her true desire of this book by using too much of what her best feat is. She is wonderful with poetry, but I think the poetry should stay with poetry, but that’s just my opinion...

A mango flavored house...

The house on mango street means a lot to me. I have read this book a few times before and every time it keeps speaking to me. I wonder each time how much of this was stylized and how much of it was true. It gives an amazing insight into what growing up in a poor area was like with a lot of other kids living through the same thing as well. I was a bit confused as of why it was placed on the reading list for the class, unless it was simply to give an insight into a poor persons coming of age possibly. This novel is more focused toward the poetry lovers and literary lovers in my opinion. It focuses on life in general and not specifically the coming of age for this one young girl. In this novel we see many different characters grow up and develop and some not in the best ways. I think we may get a clearer picture of how sally grew up rather than the main character. Sally goes through her childhood, development into the woman who was attracting all the boys, the girl who was abused, and then the married woman who is still abused. She was forced to grow up fast and dealt with things no child should have to do, but we hardly get to see the development in Esperanza. Maybe that’s what makes this such a good book then. The fact that we can still watch her grow up through her memories of her past that mostly focuses on other people. But still that makes for a harder discussion in this class I think. This book is wonderful when read in a poetry class however.

Life of Pi the end...

Is the life of Pi a buildungsroman? I really do not think so. Well at least not as much as some of the other books we have read. It might be a bit different had the book continued on a bit longer after Pi landed and was rehabilitated into society, but from what we were able to see I really do not think it was enough to make a full decision from. Granted Pi did go through a lot, changed a lot, and grew a lot, but was it necessarily a buildungsroman? He changed because he had to do what ever it took to survive. He had to adapt to live with life on the boat, and that does not necessarily mean that he grew and came of age. He became a lot more self sufficient that is true but it was only because he had to. It does not mean that he learned how to be self sufficient in the world he grew up in or in the world that he was going to go live in, but ask him anything about how to live life on a boat, and how to tame a tiger, or share quarters with a tiger then he will be able to help. But that type of knowledge is not sufficient enough to justify a buildungsroman in the sense that we have been studying it. It was a great story, and we learned a lot about life and religion from Pi. It just seems a bit incomplete as a true buildungsroman for my tastes.

Life of PI ch 22

This chapter really makes me think of going after cacciato because it reminds me of the saying that there are no atheists in fox holes. Meaning that when ever a person who may not normally believe in God or at least practice their chosen religion will start to pray to God for protection and forgiveness during the times when they are afraid for their life. This chapter hits on that aspect and the possibility of seeing the light at the end of the tunnel however it also stammers in the more scientific belief, such as that there is a scientific explanation of the reason we see white light at the end of a tunnel right before we die; that is the white is our vision being blurred and distorted till all we can see is white and the tunnel is our pupils loosing focus and disconnecting thus causing a moving sensation that could explain the tunnel vision and moving towards the white. I am not sure if these scientific explanations have been proven or not, however it does make me think that if it can be proven then what would happen to those who believe it is a sign of heaven? If the answer is scientifically proven then wouldn't that give reason to not believe in the light being a sign of heaven and then wouldn't that weaken the argument for religion? I believe so, however I also believe that no matter what the arguments religion will always remain in their hearts as true. This concept also got me thinking about what we discussed last class, in my group that is. The concept of agnostics and if we knew any one who was an agnostic. We decided that the only people we knew who fit that description were the most intelligent people we knew. Those who valued reason above anything else. These people would argue firmly for the scientific explanation for the white light, and if they are the people we trust to be the most knowledgeable then why not value that opinion as well. Of course these are just speculations and none solid fact, I am just reflecting on the what if's.

The Life of PI

While reading the Life of Pi, I was struck by the author’s intro, and how he was brought to this story by the comment "I have a story that would make you believe in God." That really struck me and I began to look for God in what I had already read. I really could not find anything until the part about the zoo and how people in religions are like zoo animals. Are religions zoos for people? Do they usher us in, feed us, seem to take care of us, but really just hold us captive? The story goes on to discuss how most animals in a zoo do not feel that they are captives. It mentions a few cases where with the gates left open the animals still choose to go back to the zoo. The book contributes this to the fact that they liked it there, but I am more inclined to believe that by that point the animals really did not know anything else of life. An animal in the wild may not have anyone looking after it, but that has never stopped them before. They have survived a lot longer than we have without help, so what makes people think they need it. Granted when an animal gets hurt it may need the help of a practiced vet, but not before. Most animals in the wild are free to do what they wish, and are perfectly happy and successful doing just that. Some may argue that it is the lack of higher intelligence that makes them happy without religion or social help, but is it really? Do we really need to be bogged down by religions? Religions do make things more organized and uniform but isn't just the word and message all that is needed. The message should be spread to those that are willing and desire to hear it, but should it be forced? I believe in a personal relationship no matter what, what ever works for the individual person. Beyond that I am not opposed to what others choose, but for me I am like the animal that prefers the wild.