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.
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.
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