First Writing Assignment

This two-part essay is due on Tuesday, March 4th at the beginning of class. It should be typed, double spaced in MLA format (proper margins) with Times New Roman font and size 12 type.

Your essay should include a short introduction and conclusion, and thoroughly address the writing prompt.

Writing Prompt: With which character in One Hundred Years of Solitude do you connect with most strongly? Name and explain at least 3 things you like about the character. What do you think this character says about human nature, morality, family or life in general? Write a two-page (500-700 words) essay answering these questions.

Cast of Characters for One Hundred Years of Solitude

Although there was some heated debate in class today, you voted and here are your picks for the cast of One Hundred Years of Solitude:Jose Arcadio Buendia-Antonio Banderas

Ursula-Penelope Cruz

Colonel Aureliano-The Rock

Jose Arcadio-Oscar de la Hoya

Amaranta-Angelina Jolie

Rebeca-Selma Hayek

Pietro Crespi-Casey Affleck

Remedios-Selma Gomez

Pilar Terena-Eva Menedez

Help for One Hundred Years of Solitude

Do you remember the two websites I suggested that you visit if you find yourself struggling to comprehend the novel?

Here are the links:

Pink Monkey

Spark Notes

These are to be used as supplements only-not as a replacement for the novel.

Here are some more sample essay questions you can continue to consider when reading.

Suggested Essay Topics

1. In what ways can One Hundred Years of Solitude be seen as a fable about the history of human civilization?

2. How does García Márquez use symbolism in One Hundred Years of Solitude? To what extent does the novel function as a network of symbols, allegories, and parables; to what extent can it stand on its own as a narrative?

3. One Hundred Years of Solitude is a vastly ambitious book, attempting to bridge many dualisms and appeal to many audiences: it is both general and particular, both realistic and magical. Is the book successful in its attempts to encompass such a vast scope of experiences and voices? What are the narrative shortcomings of One Hundred Years of Solitude?

4. With which character in One Hundred Years of Solitude do you most identify? Why? Is there any character in the novel who is wholly admirable, anyone who is wholly evil?

5. What do you think is the novel’s understanding of human nature? Is it a fundamentally optimistic novel? To what extent does García Márquez believe that love is possible?

6. To what extent is the novel’s title, One Hundred Years of Solitude, an important commentary on the narrative in the book? What connections does the book make between knowledge and solitude? Is solitude an unavoidable condition of human nature?

7. To what extent do you think that One Hundred Years of Solitude is a novel particularly concerned with Latin American culture and politics? To what extent is it a novel designed to appeal broadly to all readers?

An Aching Brain is a Good Thing

I admit it has been a rocky start to this unit; however, I like to think of this time as a "growth period." Stepping outside your comfort zone is the first step to learning or experiencing something new and exciting. My reasoning for choosing such a dense novel is as follows: if you can extract meaning from a difficult book like One Hundred Years of Solitude and analyze the text, then it will easier with a less complicated novel.

The process of analyzing literature only gets easier with time and practice. You will reap the rewards of struggling through this. It will make you a better reader, a better writer and a better thinker.

I hope that you are proud of the work you have done this first week. I look forward to seeing what you have to say on Tuesday about Chapters 5-7.

Have a wonderful 4-day weekend!

Calvin and Hobbs: Shedding Light on Academia

See, you can make virtually anything academic if you put your mind to it! Maybe the key is to use really big words. We will be working on vocabulary from One Hundred Years of Solitude this week.

Happy Reading. See you Tuesday!

Ms. Harris

One Hundred Years of Solitude

Here are some "Discussion Questions" I would like you to consider as we enter into Mancondo. By no means do you need to answer all the questions, but these questions will help direct our conversation in class. Keeping these questions in mind will also assist you as you take notes and read at home.


Also, your final project for this unit will be to write an essay analyzing One Hundred Years of Solitude and some of these questions can easily be turned into paper topics. It is useful to write page numbers of significant quotes from the book that pertain to these questions; this will make it easier for you to find support from the text for your analysis.


I suggest that you print these questions off and keep them as a guide while reading.


1. What kinds of solitude occur in the novel (for example, solitude of pride, grief, power, love, or death), and with whom are they associated? What circumstances produce them? What similarities and differences are there among the various kinds of solitude?


2. What are the purposes and effects of the story's fantastic and magical elements? How does the fantastic operate in the characters' everyday lives and personalities? How is the magical interwoven with elements drawn from history, myth, and politics?


3. Why does Garcia Marquez make repeated use of the "Many years later" formula? In what ways does this establish a continuity among past, present, and future? What expectations does it provoke? How do linear time and cyclical time function in the novel?


4. To what extent is Macondo's founding, long isolation, and increasing links with the outside world an exodus from guilt and corruption to new life and innocence and, then, a reverse journey from innocence to decadence?


5. What varieties of love occur in the novel? Does any kind of love transcend or transform the ravages of everyday life, politics and warfare, history, and time itself?


6. What is the progression of visitors and newcomers to Macondo, beginning with the gypsies? How does each new individual and group affect the Buendias, the town, and the story?


7. What is the importance of the various inventions, gadgets, and technological wonders introduced into Macondo over the years? Is the sequence in which they are introduced significant?


8. What is Melquiades's role and that of his innovations, explorations, and parchments? What is the significance of the "fact" that Melquiades "really had been through death, but he had returned because he could not bear the solitude"? Who else returns, and why?


9. When and how do politics enter the life of Macondo? With what short-term and long-term consequences? Do the social-political aspects of life in Macondo over the years parallel actual events and trends?


10. What types of women (from Ursula and Pilar to Meme and Amaranta Ursula) and what types of men (from Jose Arcadio to Aureliano Babilonia) are distinguishable? What characteristics do the men share? What characteristics do the women share?


11. What dreams, prophecies, and premonitions occur in the novel? With which specific characters and events are they associated, and what is their purpose?


12. When, how, and in what guises does death enter Macondo? With what consequences?


13. On the first page we are told that "The world was so recent that many things lacked names." What is the importance of names and of naming (of people, things, and events) in the novel?


14. How do geography and topography--mountains, swamps, river, sea, etc.--affect Macondo's history, its citizens' lives, and the novel's progression?


15. What aspects of the Buendia family dynamics are specific to Macondo? Which are reflective of family life everywhere and at any time? How do they relate to your experience and understanding of family life?


16. How does Garcia Marquez handle the issue and incidence of incest and its association with violence beginning with Jose Arcadio and Ursula's marriage and the shooting of Prudencio Aguilar? Is the sixth-generation incest of Aureliano Babilonia and Amaranta Ursula inevitable?

Gates Event Canceled Due to Illness

Students:

I hope this message finds you before Sunday. I have just been notified that the Dr. Gates will be unable to speak tomorrow at the library because he is ill.

I will see you on Monday . . . enjoy One Hundred Years of Solitude.

Henry Louis "Skip" Gates Jr. in Town

Henry Louis Gates - The New NegroWhen African American intellectuals announced the birth of the "New Negro" around the turn of the 20th century, they were attempting to change the way blacks were depicted and perceived in America. The black writers featured in this volume, including W.E.B. Du Bois, Paul Laurence Dunbar, Alain Locke, Carl Van Vechten, Zora Neale Hurston and Richard Wright, tried to revolutionize how whites viewed blacks-and how blacks viewed themselves. Editor Henry Louis Gates, Jr., is the Alphonse Fletcher University Professor and director of the W.E.B. Du Bois Institute at Harvard University.

Event Info: St. Louis Public Library

Central Branch1301 Olive
St. Louis, Missouri 63103

Sunday, February 10, 2008 2:00PM

If you attend this event, you will receive the benefit of seeing an academic scholar speak and extra credit for this class. I will certainly be present for this discussion. Oh, and by the way: it's free!

Like Water for Chocolate

We have been talking about the film Like Water for Chocolate this week. Overall, the class seems to be enjoying the film and the students are starting to think more about the film as a piece of literature that can be read. (This is partially because the film is adapted from the Esquivel novel.)

So far we have been examining the relationships of the women in the film (Dona Elena, Rosaura, Gertrudis and Tita) and the role men have played in their lives. Tradition has also played a huge role in the lives of these women because the central tension in the film is between a dominant mother and a dutiful, repressed daughter.

Elements of Magical Realism are infused into this captivating story, causing us to question the realities of the world. Gertrudis very poignantly states: "The truth is there is no truth." The key to understanding "reality" in a story filled with Magical Realism is realizing that many realities exist--it is within our power to choose which truth to believe. The character of Gertrudis encapsulates this idea.

One more thought before tomorrow: think again about why Tita would suggest that Rosaura only daughter be named Esperanza (from the Spanish verb esperar--meaning to hope, to wait). Think about Esperanza's fate and what that means to Tita. This will lead you to further understand the film.

Remember, this unit is centered on reading between the lines of a text and understanding the many layers that exist within one text. Part of what we see is blatantly placed there by the author, other ideas are more subtle. Our job as readers is to bring with us our own individual experiences as we read; this includes books and stories we have previously read.

This level of analysis will change your world! Remember: there is meaning everywhere.

Ms. Harris

Greetings!

Hello 5th Hour AP English students!

I have created this space for postings, links, comments and assignments for our unit on Magical Realism. I will be checking this space regularly, so feel free to comment or ask questions, but remember that this is a public forum and others have access to viewing this blog.

I am looking forward to watching Like Water for Chocolate in class this week; however, be sure to hand in your signed permission note from a parent/guardian.

Late this week, we will be reading the short story, "The Garden of Forking Paths," by Jorge Luis Borges. You can find the full text of the story here.

Please print off a copy and have the story read no later than Wednesday, and be prepared to discuss and ask questions.

See you Monday!

Ms. Harris