¿Dónde jugarán los niños? and what animals will still be around?

This has been a great week in IHUM260! We had the best homework ever- watch a movie by a Latin American director and listen to music.  My two favorite things, movie and music!  On Monday I watched the film Rio, which I really enjoyed.  I definitely felt the “save the endangered species and be kind to the rainforest” underlying themes in the movie.  Then as I listened to the songs listed, the Maná’s song “Dónde jugarán los niños" I got that same sense of urgency to save mother earth before she’s destroyed.  Ok so yeah there are people that love these topics, but something that stuck out to me is the passion in their voices and lyrics.  Its as if you can feel the words; you can feel the sadness of our children not having a place to play and you feel a sense of despair thinking of Blue (in Rio)’s species dying off as other animals being illegally captured and taken out of their natural homes.  I’ve never been the “tree hugger” or “Go green” type of person, but I sure was for the hour and a half it took me to watch the movie and in the few minutes while I listen to this Maná song.  I have seen other material that deals with this same topic, but it never really “moved” me the way Rio and “¿Dónde jugarán los niños?” did.  Maybe its because Latin people seem to be way more passionate human beings than others… Ok, don’t freak out! I’m not saying that people of other ethnicities are heartless- obviously this isn’t the case!  I mean, in Latin America, the harm that are being done to endangered species and the environment is happening at the hands of other Latin Americans… but there’s just something different about the way Maná and the director of Rio portrayed their ideas and opinions (Maybe that's why I, a Salvadoran, got so worked up in this song and movie! haha Maybe..)  For example, Michael Jackson has a save the rainforests song and I don’t think its nearly as good as other things out there.

  But hey, that’s just me!  But these two things really did make me think about what I can do better to maybe help our mother earth that God gave us a little bit more.  But I’m just one person… can I really make a difference?  Perhaps… Maná and Carlos Saldanha have.  But I’m not a film director or in a popular band where millions hear my songs.  But something that I’ve learned so far in this class is that there’s always more than you may see on the surface.  So there might not seem like there’s a whole lot I can do, but I’ve gotta dig deeper to find solutions so that mis niños DO have someplace to play one day and will still know what an orangutan is!

La Gente Cambia

A change of heart

Ok folks, La Misma Luna was one of the best films I have ever seen.  It definitely reminded me of my mission (Texas, McAllen) which was right on the border of Mexico and hearing so many different stories of how people crossed the border.  As we already decided in class, immigration is just complicated, so I’m going to talk about something else that caught my attention about this film.   Are you ready? REDEMPTION.  Yes, our favorite topic in IHUM260 :) 

Let’s be honest, this movie is seething with redemption!  But I think it’s mostly portrayed in Enrique, the hombre that gets stuck with Carlitos after the INS raids the tomato farm.  From the minute Enrique meets Carlitos (in the van on the way to work) he doesn’t like him and is instantly annoyed.  But I think its really interesting that when Enrique tells Carlitos que la gente cambia, it’s almost as if he’s talking about himself; as time goes on you see Enrique’s attitude towards Carlitos change, and it seriously like his heart begins to soften towards him.  He definitely has a change of heart!  So he proved his theory with his own actions.  But I think this is even more evident when he creates a distraction for the police when they are trying to get Carlitos to go with them.  Earlier on in the movie he voices his concern about getting caught by the police and getting sent back to Mexico but then pretty much gives himself up to them.  If that’s not a sacrifice then I don’t know what is.  Of course it especially reminded me of the Mission, Bless Me Ultima.  I’m sure that from this point on, whenever I read a book, poem, or watch a movie, it would be much easier for me to pick this out.  In the Mission, especially, along with La Misma Luna, this change of heart and redemption seem to be very intertwined.  Obviously this is something that we find intriguing because it is a consistent theme in films and books.  Maybe it’s because we need to reminded that we all need to be redeemed and should be willing to grant that to others (just as the Bishop does in Les Miserables when Valjean steals his silver)?  I don’t really know, but I believe it added much more depth and a sense of understanding  to this movie which is about such a sensitive subject. 

Bless Me, Ultima= My new favorite book!

I’ve only taken one other humanities class in my whole college career besides this one, and it was an intro in the humanities; in other words, kinda boring to me.  So when I I signed up for this class I was a little skeptical of what it would be like.  But my eyes have definitely opened to a whole new aspect of the humanities as we’ve gone through this course.  Out of all the books, stories, and poems that we’ve read, or the pictures we’ve looked at and the movies we’ve watched, reading the novel Bless Me, Ultima has definitely been my favorite!  In fact, I liked it so much that I’m not going to sell it back to the bookstore at the end of the semester. 

I was intrigued that this book really caused me to think about how each person has a different path they will walk in life, and how it is up to that person as to which path they will take; but that’s not to say the path one may choose can be influenced  by another person.  For instance, Tony’s mom has just ingrained it into Tony’s head that he was to be a priest, and in my own head, that is what Tony becomes (even though the novel doesn’t tell us exactly what does happen to him).  That made me think about my own life and where I am today.  Did I get here because of my own desires or mostly because of the direction others encouraged me to go in?  Was it a perfect mix of the two? I don’t know!  I guess in Professor Mack’s words, it’s just complicated!  Of course everyone’s personalities are different and there are probably some people who are more inclined to do what others tell them, and there are others who are very head strong, and maybe adventurous and won’t listen to anyone.  I wonder what kind of parent I will be . . . Will I be more like Tony’s mom and try and steer my children in the patch that I want for them?  How will I find the balance in letting them make their own decisions but trying to teach them the right way?  Again, it’s complicated and I guess I’ll figure it out as I go along!  If only I had someone like Ultima to give me all the answers :)

"I do not want you to waste your life in dreams..." (Bless me, Ultima, pg. 179)

Dreams.  They’re all over the place in Bless Me, Ultima.  Tony has a lot of dreams when he sleeps,  but I’m talking about a different definition of dreams that are present in the novel.  I’m talking about the type of dream that’s an aspiration, or goal, something you work towards achieving.  We all have those types of dreams, I know I do!  Its clear, from early on in the novel that Tony’s mother wants him to be a priest, this is HER dream for HIS life, and she never lets him forget it.

“I hope you will use your knowledge to carry out God’s will.  You are a very bright boy, you understand so much, you can be a great leader, a priest—I do not want you to waste your life in dreams, like your father.  You must make something of yourself, you must serve the people.  The people need good leaders, and the greatest leader is a priest.” 

Some parents are like this.  I’ve met them before.  It also reminded me of a movie that illustrates this really well.  It’s called “Center Stage” and is about young adults aspiring to be part of a well-known ballet company. (start watching at 2:30 and stop at 5:20 if you want)

Alright… what the heck is wrong with this poor girl’s mom?! Does she even care about her daughter and what SHE wants? She says she does but I don’t know… She's just living her dream through her daughter. Is that was Tony’s mother is like?  Of course she coudn't be a priest but maybe she really did want to be a leader, someone who could help others, at some point in her life.  Reading the novel, at times it seems like Tony really does want to become a priest, but then I second guess it because I swear since all she ever talks to him is about becoming a priest, that's just what he THINKS he wants.  How does she know that’s the best thing for him?  The other beef I have with Tony’s mom, is what’s so bad about having dreams?  She tells Tony that they’re a waste… but I beg to differ.  Obviously, there’s a balance to be found in all things and its true that our parents can be influential in helping us shape our dreams (I always dreamed of going to BYU because my mom and dad went there and i heard what a wonderful place it was... but they didn't shove that dream upon me at all).  But why do people, especially parents, sometimes say these things to hopeful, young kidlets? Are they trying to protect us from pain that may come when our dreams aren’t realized?  I understand that, but maybe that’s part of the learning process for us.  Its like what we’re taught as missionaries, you have to set goals that are reasonable… but who’s to say what’s reasonable and what’s not?  Maybe I’ll never know.  But for now, I would echo the words, "If you want something, go get it.  Period."  Just be sure its a dream they really do want to accomplish, not yours.

". . . good is always stronger than evil." (Bless Me, Ultima, pg. 98)

   I'm loving the novel Bless Me, Ultima!  As I've read these pages, something that seems to keep coming back into plat time and time again is this idea of good vs. bad.  Tony seems to struggle with this in the novel, trying to come to conclusions as to what is good and proper, and what is not.  And as I read this book, honestly, I get confused, too!  The best conclusion I can come to so far about it, is that it's complicated.

   Why do I think it’s complicated?  Because sometimes in literature or movies, it’s hard for me to figure out who/ what is good and bad.  In the novel, one of the Luna brothers becomes ill and is near death because of a magical curse.  The family tries to find an answer of healing through a doctor and a priest, but it is to no avail.  Finally, against the desires of the priest, they call Ultima, a curandera, to fix the situation.  Just as the priest fears, they rely on magic instead of God.  In the moment, I could relate to the priest, thinking that having faith and trusting in God is sometimes all you can do.  But then, after understanding that Ultima isn’t an evil person, who uses her magic for good, I began to wonder if it was a bad idea for the family to trust Ultima after all.  When Lucas, The Luna brother is healed by Ultima’s procedures, obviously I’m thinking that it was totally justifiable!

         As I played with this idea in my head, I thought about the movie “The Prestige”.  The plot of this movie takes me to the same place. Throughout the whole film, I sat there thinking that Borden was the good guy and Angiers was the bad guy.  Clearly this had to be, because Angiers is a weird obsessed guy who kills himself a bunch of times, and that’s bad! But then, the “other” Borden murders the Angiers "clone" at the end.  Again, killing is usually a bad thing!  So did that turn my good guy into the bad one?  Were his actions justified, too? Absolutely. 

   So why am I so surprised with myself when I think this?  Because as Ultima states, good is always stronger than evil, and I believe that.  Do you? Perhaps, but to what extent?  Maybe I’m making it too complicated!  Either way, let's me honest, that's why writers like Anaya and Christopher Priest (the author of the novel, The Prestige) are geniuses; they make you second guess everything you've thought your whole life.

The Death

Happy Halloween! Actually, I don't particularly enjoy Halloween because I don't like scary things/ being scared. Well, too bad for me, because many of the materials I have viewed or read these past few weeks for my Humanities class have been a little eerie, suspensefeul and have a lot to do with scary things, like black magic and most of all, death.  Yikes :/

Why in the world does there seem to be so many of these themes present in Latin american culture and art?  When I read the Machado de Assis short story, The Fortune Teller  the sudden murder of Camillo was a little disturbing; In The Garden of Forking Paths (Jorge Luis Bourghes), the sinister plot to kill Dr. Albert was chilling (I was so jumpy that as I read the last paragraph, alone in my deathly silent apartment, I just about had a heart attack when someone knocked on the door!). While reading The Kingdom of This World, there was no way I COULDN'T feel creeped out and spooked with all the talk of voodoo, dark magic, and brutal deaths.  Any time "The Death" appeared in the film, "Black Orpheus", all of us in the room screamed or shouted, as if to try and warn Eurydice through the screen that she was about to go the way of the Dodo.  This lethal charater also reminded me of yet another piece of Latin American art by Diego Rivera that has the sense of death in it.

 "The Death" (from "Black Orpheus")

Dia de Muertos (Diego Rivera, 1924)

Interesting, no?  But the Latin American culture is not the only one that may have a bit of a fascination with death.  Mexico's Dia de los Muertos is comparable to our Halloween.  There are also plenty of books written, movies made, songs composed and paitings created that symbolize death or have that grim theme.  What would you make of this country music song?

Africa + Latin America = My life?

Music is, in my opinion, one of the most influential things in the world.  Music effects the way we think, talk, act, and obviously how we dance.  I LOVE music and always have, so naturally i love learning about it.  Before this class, i never knew that a lot of Latin American music is influenced by African roots. 

But music is not the only thing that was effected by Africa in Latin America, its just a tiny part of an entire culture that stems from another rich "Big C" Culture!  When I thought of all the different African elements in Latin America, I obviously couldn't think of everything because I haven't studied the history of either of these two places very extensively.  But i DID think about myself!  For most of my life, people have always thought I'm African American; that was usually the first guess they had in trying to figure out my ethnicity.  Hispanic or Latina usually wasn't even brought up.  Interesting, no?  I always thought these people were crazy, because i'm from El Salvador! But after learning a little more about how Africa has impacted Latin America, its all starting to make sense! haha :)  Since I was adopted and have no contact with my birth mother, I have literally NO idea what's runing through my veins.  Maybe down the line somewhere in my biological family tree there are some African roots, just like there are in Latin American music.  I wouldn't be surprised! But whatever crazy combination makes up my blood type, of course there's a love of music, dancing, and singing! 

Can you hear that little samba base line in this song?

Indigenism and Maria Candelaria

When you first read the word "indigenism", did you know what it meant? I sure didn't!  After reading in Dawn Ades's Art in Latin America, I learned that "indigenismo" is described as the official attitude of praising and fostering native values. 

Although indigenism doesn't exactly "speak to me", Latin America went through a time where it spoke to many people; one of those individuals was Emilio Fernandez, the director of the film, "Maria Candelaria", and Diego Rivera, a famous Mexican artist and muralist.  One of the main themes in this movie was indigenism; the painter in the film and his interest in Maria Candelaria along with the lifestyle of the indians in this film reflected that all throughout the film.  After understanding a little but more about the term indigenism I could see it much easier in the film.  In the scene where Maria Candelaria is carrying her flores to sell at the market, my mind flashed to the famous painting "Flower Seller with Lillies" by Diego Rivera (1943).

This was painted around the same time that Maria Cendelaria was made (1945) and the way Maria Candelaria carries the basket of flowers on her back is exactly what Diego Rivera shows here.

Why was there such a fascination with these indigenous people?  Was it the cultural differences and practices they had?  I suppose its comparable with my interest in movies and TV shows that depict scenes from hundreds of years ago (some of my favorites include Jane Austen movies, Ever After, the television series 'Merlin', etc.).  I love seeing how they lived, what they dressed like, the way they spoke and how they interacted in society. It seems like a foreign experience.  Does viewing these indigenous pieces of artwork and watching these movies have the same effect for Mexicans and others who are interested in that time period?

"It happened a long time ago, and ought to be forgotten by now." (Juan Rulfo, Tell Them Not to Kill Me!)

"Guadalupe Terreros was my father.  When i grew up and looked for him they told me he was dead . . . As time goes by you seem to forget this.  You try to forget it.  What you can't forget is finding out that the one who did it is still alive, feeding his rotten with the illusion of eternal life.  I couldn't forgive that man even though I don't know him; but the fact that I know where he is makes me want to finish him off.  I can't forgive his still living.  He should never have been born." 

REVENGE.  No forgiveness here.  It comes seeping through these words of son who lost his father.  Instantly, as I read this, my mind wandered off to this famous line from "The Princess Bride"...

Alright, let's all be honest here, we LOVE Inigo Montoya and are thrilled for him when he finally does kill the six- fingered man!  But as I stopped and thought about this concept of vengeance I found myself asking if that was right. God says, "Vengeance is mine; I will repay." (Romans 12:19) But at the same time, I realized that I didn't feel very sorry for Juvencio when his face was shot to pieces.  :/  I didn't feel like he needed to be forgiven for what he did, and didn't deserve mercy, that this justice was fair.  But then I felt incredibly guilty, like I was the most un-Christlike human being on the planet.  I thought back on this video that I saw in seminary several years ago, because it deals with forgiveness and serving justice.

"I, the Lord, will forgive whom I will forgive, but of you it is required to give all men."  (D&C 64:10) Juvencio and Inigo Montoya may be fictional characters, but they represent the struggle that resides within all of us to forgive and forget.  Why is this so diffcult?

"The Point of Despair" (Father Versus Mother, Joaquim Maria Machado de Assis, 91)

   What is despair?  According to diccionary.com, despair is the loss of hope, hopelessness.  In the Story of Father Versus Mother, by machado de Assis, I would link the word despair with desperation.  Candido Neves, the main character in this short story, experiences both of those things.  While in poverty with no source of income, a baby boy is born to his wife (Clara) and him.  Their Aunt Monica, with whom they live, gives them two choices; take their new born child to the “turn box” (an orphan hospital) or keep him in their home where he would die of starvation.  Of Candinho’s situation, the author states,

   “In such crises he never reached the point of desperation.  He counted on a loan.  He did not know how he would get it or from whom, but he counted on it . . . he spent several hours to no purpose and went back home.  The situation was acute.” (Father Verus Mother, 94)

   Although the author says contrary, I think Candinho really does despair and become desperate to keep his son.  In fact, he is willing to kill the life of another child (though unborn) in order to save his own.  When parents are in such difficult situations, sometimes there is no telling what they will do, especially when it comes to their children.  Exhibit A:  The movie “John Q.”

   In this movie, Denzel says, “It’s my job to protect him.”  For Candhino, after a stroke of good luck, he felt it was his job to turn in the slave girl and kill her child to “protect” his son; but was he really protecting himself?

                                                                      
   This story is set in  Brazil; giving babies up to orphanages, as Aunt Monica suggests these parents do, is not uncommon in Central and South America. Exhibit B:  
     <--- I was born in El Salvador.  My birth mother, Emma Guzman, already had several children, no husband to support her family, and no job for income when she became pregnant.  Her father told her that she had to give the baby up, and so she did.  What she didn't know is that she was carrying twins.  Was my biological Grandfather trying to save himself from more poverty?  Was he speaking realistically or selfishly?  Perhaps I will never know, but it doesn’t bother me because now I am here in the US, with my twin brother, part of a family and living a life I never could or would have had down there in that 3^rd world country.  A possible act of desperation on my birth family’s part turned out to be the biggest blessing for me and my twin.  But is it always like that for everyone else?

The Valley of Mexico

    The Valley of Mexico, by José María Velasco (1875) is a painting that says so much.  As was discussed in class, there seems to be something different about his painting compared to that of his teacher, Landesio.  Perhaps it IS because he actually from Mexico.  To me, his colors are deeper, richer, and the attention to detail is unmatched in Landesio's version of the exact landscape.  It makes me connect to home; to the dry air, tall mountains, the smell of my clothes after coming out of the laundry, the yellow walls of my bedroom, and the colors of fall outside the window.

   Home is a deep word.  It is a different place, smell, and feel for everyone.  Depending on if someone loves his home or not, they could argue that it is the most wonderful place in the world.  Perhaps, as was mentioned in class, visiting someone else's home offeres the excitement of experiencing something new; but at some point, it seems as if everyone eventually longs for home, like the two little mice in the children's book, Town Mouse Country Mouse.  In the version that I read (by Jan Brett) as a kid growing up, the town mouse and the country mouse switch places for a day or so to see what life is like in the other mouse's shoes.  At first they both love what they experience, and have a great time.  But then they each experience things that are unfamiliar and a bit frightening to them in their new surroundings, and each desires to return to the comforts of their own homes; the homes that they are familiar with and love. 

   Maybe Velasco wasn't deeply attached to his home, maybe he was;  If he were alive today and able to explain his thought process behind this piece, I wonder what his reasoning for painting it would be.  To me his style of painting shows me the beauty of what was once a land of solitude, peace, nature and serenity. 


   'Carrickfergus' is a song about a town in Northern Ireland.  When I hear it, it makes ME want to return there, and its not even my home! But can you relate to this feeling of loving where you're from?  Maybe Velasco could . . .I know I can, perhaps Irish can with this classic tune, and I bet Iracema could, as well!

"Are you Laughing at me?" (Rodrigo Mendoza, The Mission)

 The word "redemption" implies a heavy meaning.  The definition, according to diccionary.com says that is is :deliverance, resucue, an atonement for guilt.  Redemption can come physically, emotionally, and spiritually.  In the 1986 film, "The Mission", this is a common thread all throughout the script and is displayed in several charaters.

   Rodrigo Mendoza is one of the characters that i feel most effectively demonstrates this.  One of the first lenghty scenes we see him in is when he kills his brother.  Its is obvious that he has a temper, as shown in this clip . . .

   I am aware that this video is in Spanish, but it highlights what to me is acritical point.  When Rodrigo walks past the group of men and one chuckles in his direction, Rodrigo accusingly asks, "se rio?" meaning, did you laugh at me?  What seems to get him really mad is that someone was laughing at him.  This behavior is evidenced again when Father Gabriel goes to Rodrigo's jail cell offering his help.  At one point, Rodrigo springs off of his chair and again asks angrily if Father Gabriel laughed at him. 

   I didn't think too much about Rodrigo's apparant demise for laughter until he climbed the falls with his huge load and comes to the point where he realizes that he feels forgiven.

   I too, could feel like Rodrigo was had finally graped that forgiveness and internal peace he was seeking through serving this penance of carring the armor up the falls.  When did i feel it?  When the Guarani started laughing at Rodrigo.  Not only did he just let it go, but it almost appears that he himself, starts laughing along with him.  In that moment, i realized that Rodrigo was feeling some Godly sorry and could sincerely knew he had received forgiveness for his actions.  He had finally met all the necessary requirements to obtain that kind of happiness.

   In this same clip, I was reminded of Jesus Christ, and how he is always there to pick us up in these moments, just as Father Gabriel was there for Rodrigo.  Why is redemption so important?  Why do we even bother with it?  Could it be for the feelings of relief, joy and peace that come as they did to Rodrigo?  I'm sure the feelings are different for everyone but that they can also relate.  Just as this idea of redemtion is an underlying theme in the movie, so it is and will be for the rest of our lives.  Whether we are religious or not, we will all come to apoint where we seek forgiveness from God, a loved one we have hurt, or maybe most of all from ourselves. 

"We are crushed to the ground; we lie in ruins." (Victors and Vanquished, Stuart Schwartz, 213)

   Tenochtitlan.  Once the biggest city in the Pre-Columbian New World.  Its Aztec citizens thrived; they possessed not only necessities but luxuries.  In my own words, they were on top of their game!  Then, on a fateful November 8, 1519, Hernan Cortes arrived to the great city and would eventually destroy it. 

Many massacres and battle led up to this great event.  Once the city was sieged, it was all over for the Aztecs and this great city.  There are writings on what occured there so long ago, including poetry.

Flowers and Songs of Sorrow

(Victors and Vanquished, Stuart Schwartz, 213)

We know it is true
That we must perish
For we are mortal men
You, the Giver of Life,
You have ordained it
We wander here
and there in our desolate poverty
We are mortal men
We have seen bloodshed and pain
Where once we saw beauty and valor
We are crushed to the ground
We lie in ruins
In Mexico and Tlatelolco
Where once we saw beauty and valor
Have you grown weary of your servants
Are you angry with your servants
Oh Giver of Life

Sorrow, hopelessness, grief, melancholy, death, sadness, woe, pain, distress.

All these things come seeping through the text in this poem.  When the Spanish conquistadors came marching in, i wonder if they thought it could possibly end well.  With all the battles looking a lot like this:

mexicolore.co.uk

I don't see how they could.

   The way these bodies lie on the ground is just as the poem states, "crushed".  I don't think it is any coincidence that the author of the poem would use such a specific word to capture the scene of the aftermath of the conquest so well.  Not only were things physically crushed (monuments, flowers, corpses, etc.), but I'm sure the spirits of any survivors were as well.  To crush is to pulverize and grind down into nothing; after being defeated, how could anyone feel anything but "nothing"?

   Although the poem seems to allude to the fact that the Aztecs knew they must perish, this was a tragic event.  Sometimes, the fall of an object can be a good thing: The Fall of the Berlin Wall, the fall of an evil regime or a powerful dictator. 

The Berlin Wall (floridapundit.com)

   The fall of the walls and buildings of Tenochtitlan did not quite yield the same results as that of the great wall in Germany.  There was no celebrating on the Aztec side.  There were only cheers and excitement from the Spanish.  The collapse of this great Aztec empire reminds me of a song we all used to sing as children while holding hands and going around in a circle...

Ring-a-round a rosie,
A pocket full of posies,
Ashes! Ashes!

We all fall

DOWN.

Machismo

"I am your father."

When you hear that phrase, what does it mean to you?  I don't know about you, but when i first read that, this is what I thought of . . .

http://youtu.be/h6sj89xgnl4

To Octavio Paz, that statement "has no paternal flavor and is not said in order to protect or to guide another, but rather to impose one's superiority, that is, to humiliate." (The Labyrinth of Solitude, 81) 

(gremlindog.com)

After watching that clip of Luke's reaction to finding out that he is the son of Darth Vader, I would have to say that there is DEFINITELY some humiliation shown on his face!

 

Paz states that "Power" ist he one word that can sum up what is is/ means to be macho.  "It is force without the discipline of any notion of order: arbitrary power, the will without reins and without set course. . . macho -- power -- almost always reveals itself as a capacity for wounding, humiliatiing, annihilating." (The Labyrinth of Solitude, 81-82)

I had heard a little bit about machismo in Spanish classes that i had taken in school, but never really understood it until i served a mission among many Mexicans and Latin Americans.  One Sunday while in the Principios del Evangelio class, a lesson about family was presented.  The teacher reviewed the Proclamation to the family and as a class, we discussed the role of husbands, wives, and children in the family.  That day, there was a couple there who was taking the lessons from the elders.  The husband was very stand off-ish and didn't say much.  His wife participated and was loving the idea of husband and wife working together in the home.  After she made a comment about this, her husband raised his hand; the teacher called on him and he said in his wife's direction,

"YO MANDO."

Basically he said to his wife that HE was the one who wore the pants in the relationship,called all the shots and had control in the house and their marriage. An extremely awkward silence filled the room and this man's wife immediately looked down at the floor as her face turned bright red.  Again, there was that humiliation.

It is with this same sense of machismo that I'm sure Cortes conquered these great civilizations.  He surely annhiliated everything about them.  I know that sometime Mexicans and Latin Americans get a bad rap for this sense of "machismo" that seems to exist in the culture, but its honestly in all cultures.  I think it is extremely interesting that this still exists today, seeming to have been passes down from generation to generation.  Maybe its not quite as intense, but we still see it in today's society.

(xtimeline.com)

"Man is the only being who knows he is alone..." (Octavio Paz, The Labyrinth of Solitude, 195)

   Hello Blogging world... and fellow Ihum 260 students!  In case you were wondering, this is indeed my first ever blog. . . and I'm not quite sure what i am doing!  I have only taken one other humanties class proir to this one, and at the present moment i'm not the greatest at analyzing pictures, litarature, etc., so this will be an adventure for me!  Buckle up, folks!


Octavio Paz (found on: henrycorbinproject.blogspot.com)

    As i started reading chapter 9, The Dilaectic of Solitude, i was immediately intrigued by the above phrase in the title of this blog; the full text is aas follows, "Man is the only being who knows he is alone, and the only one who seeks out another."  I thought this was very interesting because it went along with Professor Mack's comment about what humanities is; that in his opinion, it has a little to do with the attachment theory.  The definition of solitute, according to dictionary.com, is, "remoteness from habitations, as of a place; absence of human activity."  In this chapter, Paz writes all about love, from amyn different angles.  The oidea that he writes, along with the look on his face in the picture, makes me wonder if he had any of his own personal struggles with love and solitude.  Later in the chapter he proposes that, ". . . solitude is not only a time of solitude but also of great romances, heroism, and sacrafice." (203)  I am not familiar with the history of Mexico, Mexican culture, or beliefs.  I don't know the ins and outs of Latin American life;  but having had the opportunity to speak to many Mexicans and Latinos living in the United States, some have expressed their lonliness, or state of solitude, here in a country with a different language, norm, and way of life. 
     It is interesting how a piece of writing, a photograph, or a few bars of music, can make you feel certain types of emotions; On page 207, Paz mentions emptiness; as i finished reading this chapter, i wasn't 100% sure i understood everything Paz was saying, but i did feel a little empty myself . . .