...Y no se lo trago la tierra

It took me a while to get into the spirit of things in this book. I like how the story is portrayed in small vignettes yet still tells the tale on this one little boy throughout his life. We see how he is bullied in school just because of his race, exactly how Mexicans and those of other nationalities were and still are treated in the United States. Reading this, and being an immigrant myself, I realize the importance of how Canada treats all those who aren't natives of this country (not many are). It pains me to hear the thoughts of this little boy who wants so badly to make his family proud, and can't stand the though of telling them of his unfair failure in such an early stage in life. However, it also pains me to think that not once in his thoughts does he mention the possibility of this being unfair treatment due to his colour of skin. The boy is still oblivious to the racy thought in the heads of those surrounding him when he is in their presence. A part of me wants to shake him and halt his naivite early on, just so he can work that extra mile to overcome the difficulties that will no doubt plague him for the rest of his life. However, that other part of me also wants to blind him, to keep believing that coming to the states will give him and his family that surge of freedom, hapiness, and opportunity that is so highly talked of. The situation of this little boy and many other unrelated immigrants flooding the states as we speak (or rather as you read), hopeful for a better future, will likely not improve. Maybe relatively speaking their lives will be better off than those left behind, however mexicans are mostly viewed in the states as those to do the 'bitch work' of the americans, who only view them as minimum wage workers with no education. This may be true of some immigrants, but especially recently, many do have the education needed to suceed, but will sadly be overlooked due to their origins. Before I digress too much on immigrants and the states, let me bid adieu and see you in class.

Jose Marti

I have to say, this was a bit of a challenge. It was the first time I have attempted to read anything in spanish that was longer than a page and had only simple vocabulary. I don't mean to bash everything we read in this class (sorry John), but I have to say I wasn't very impressed. Maybe I just have high expectations: my generation is spoiled by having a constant inflow of entertainment from television, magazines, and video games. I agree that Marti's portrayal of how the Brooklyn bridge in New York was build and how it affected its people is very through and includes some great imagery, however, I believe the style was somewhat foreign (aside from being in spanish) as even in english I am not used to reading about every detail of how a bridge was built.
The aspect that saves this short story from being completely hopeless is the fact that it isn’t a dry description of only the bridge, but also of how it affected and included the people inhabiting New York and Brooklyn. “Arriba va, lentamente izada, la primera cuerda”. The ropes which slowly connected the two towers on each side of the river were something magnificent to the people. Not only did it connect the two sides, but also all kinds of different people: the Hewbrews, Irish, German, Hungarian, Blacks, Japanese, Russians and Chinese, striving to complete this project. This bridge, which today we see as a given, made it possible for these people to be connected across the waters and have hope in the progress of not only the city but their lives.
Marti also pays tribute to all the hard work that went into building the bridge: “Esto son llamados ahora a ser todos los hombres: soldados del Puente!”
This was pretty noble as we sometimes forget all the man power which goes behind many of the things we take for granted.

Who Would have thought it? #2

Alright, so I have to admit: this book is getting better. I'm still finding it hard to follow sometimes and find myself having to go back and read things over. However, I'm also finding myself wishing I was finishing this book while listening to other lectures in my classes :)
So today in class we were talking about whether this book could be constituted as a feminist novel. Truth to be told, the actions of many women in this story embarrass womankind everywhere. Pinning over men who are married seems to be a good one. Also, entering a relationship and acting like a lovesick puppy when you are ‘pretty sure’ your husband is dead. I am aware that this novel was set in the 1800 and that maybe women weren’t expected to be more than ‘ladies’; but anybody who only worries about out-dressing their sister needs a reality check. The only women who act in a decent manner are Lavinia (who never gives up when looking for Isaac), and poor Lola (who although is the source of the Norval’s so called happiness and riches, is never fully treated like a human being).
Another thing that has struck me while reading this: the evils in this world, no matter what shape and size they might come in, are prominent in life and especially in this tale. The Hackwells go as far as pretending somebody’s family member is dead in order to get money and status. I’ve yet to finish the last few pages in the book, and am curious to see if karma is in place here (hopefully) and if Lola finally finds happiness with her family and Julian.
I wonder what will happen to Lola’s money when she finds her father. Will she let the Norvals keep it all and live with her father or would she take it along with her?
Also, what is to happen when Mr. Norval finally returns from his travels?
A question for whoever might be reading this: How do you think the title relates to this story?

Who Would have thought it? #1

While it was hard to get into the spirit of this book in the beginning, it's definitely starting to get more interesting the more I read. The thing that struck me the most of all in the early pages was the ambivalent feelings I had towards the arrival of the little black girl. While the words coming out of the mouths of the Norval girls were appalling, they are no different from things we hear today in society. The only difference was how acceptable it was to bash others just because of the colour of their skin. Nowadays I believe such comments would receive a much harsher reaction from others.
Another thing that struck me was how unresponsive the family was to the arrival of Mr. Norval. Having been gone for 4 years, I would have thought his family would be a little more excited to see him. On the other hand, Mr. Norval was not much different. What kind of family values did this family have, and is this a reflection of the times represented in this tale?
As the story goes on, I'm curious to see what other sort of commotion is caused by the presence of the little girl, and how she is to be integrated not only with her new family but with all those that come across her in the book.
Living in Canada, which is such a multicultural country, I believe we have somewhat of a different approach to having people of so many cultures and origins living together. We are more accepting of immigrants, as many us us are just that. Once in a high school socials studies class we were told to raise our hands progressively to inform the class if we were first, second, third generation Canadians and so forth. Not one person had had their great grandparents born in Canada. Due to this, I'm inclined to think that if a little black girl came into our lives, we would act differently than the Norval family.

Introduction

Hi!
My name is Juliana S., I'm 19 and from Brazil.
I've never had a blog so this might be interesting ;)
I've been living here since I was 11, and this is my second year at UBC.
I plan on graduating with a psychology major and a spanish minor, and then taking a year off to travel before going to grad school.
In my spare time I enjoy long romantic walks on the beach (haha jk)
See you all in class!