Borges Reader Response

After, reading Borges stories I realized his readings are not so easy to understand, if comparing them to Cortazar’s readings and Marquez readings. With Borges readings I had to read them twice just to understand them, and I had to dig deeper. Borges readings are not direct they take more analyzing.

When I read “The Gardening of Forking Paths” I was confused and completely puzzled. After I got a better understanding I realize that the story was about time and about having different realities. In the story Albert believes there are many futures and say’s “Time forks perpetually toward innumerable futures. In one of them I am your enemy.” However, Albert states “The future already exists, but I am your friend.”  When I read this part of the story, it got me thinking about how there are many decisions someone can make, and either they can make the right decision or the wrong decision. Then, I thought about how God already knows the decisions someone will make, before they make them. I also, thought about how in the Bible it mentions God will come like a thief in the night and destroy all evil, then paradise will come. It made me think about how in the world I’m living in now there are some people who have enemies, but in paradise the people who are enemies will become friends.

I did enjoy “Emma Zuntz.” Reading this story made me realize I would fight for my family. I would be furious if anyone hurt them or tried to kill them. I have to say after reading this story I could feel Emma’s pain. I have lost people I cared about and it sucks.  

Reading “The Gospel According Mark” I have never experienced anything like in this story. I did enjoy the reading and I felt it was a good lesson to learn.

Overall, all of Borges readings were art because I was able to interpret them and come up with different themes for each of them.

"The Handsomest Drowned Man in the World” And “A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings” Reader Response

Garcia Marquez wrote two interesting and unique short stories. One was “A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings.”  The other was "The Handsomest Drowned Man in the World." In both of these stories Garcia was saying how people perceive things in the world, for example; in “A Very Old Man With Enormous Wings,” the neighbors thought Angels were suppose to be beautiful and young, but when they saw the Angel in the chicken coop the Priest didn’t believe he was an Angel because he was an old Angel. Had the Angel being young and beautiful it’s probably safe to say the Priest didn’t need proof.  Another example; is in the short story "The Handsomest Drowned Man in the World” the drowning man was tall, strong, built he was a hard worker, and handsome, so the women felt he was perfect. They felt that all men should be like him. The women felt that the men they were with were useless, mean and weak. In the back of the woman’s minds he is above and beyond any man on the face of earth. In both stories the townspeople see the Angel and the drowning man how they want to see them.

When I read "The Handsomest Drowned Man in the World” I thought about how in the real world woman go crazy over male celebrities. That was exactly what was happening in “The Handsomest Drowned Man in the World” the women were giving so much attention to the drowned man, they had 100% dismissed their husbands. I found it funny because although I have had crushes on celebrity men, I never once looked at them as these perfect human beings who can do no wrong.  In this story I felt Marquez was trying to say that people tend to get wrapped up too much in their minds they forget about reality.

I can relate to “A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings” because just like how the Angel had came into the neighborhood, and the towns people gave their attention to him a lot. I remember when my Mom adopted one of my sister’s friends a long time ago; I got excited and wanted to hang out with her a lot. I was excited because we had a new member part of our family. I just couldn’t help but give my attention to her a lot, like in this story. When someone or something new enters that person’s life they want to be around them all the time.

I did enjoy both readings because they show how people can for get about reality when they are wrapped up in their thoughts. To some people their thoughts are their reality. I also loved both readings because they help me come up with many questions. I love stories that allow me to go beyond the reading itself.   

Reader Response: Julio Cortazar

Magical Realism is a way of bringing fantasy and reality together. It blends the reality with the fantasy. In all three of Cortazar’s stories, The Continuity of Parks, Our Demeanor at Wakes and Axolotl he mixed the fiction with reality.

In The Continuity of Parks the reader becomes part of the book. The book is about how a man is reading a novel about a lover and a stalker but the reader ends up reading a novel about his own life. However, not only does the reader have a stalker but the people who read the text become stalkers themselves. This story was a mixture of fantasy and reality because the man reading a novel had a stalker but it was fantasy because the reader themselves become stalkers.

In Our Demeanor at Wakes reality is being created because the family cares about whoever was in the coffin, but when they cried they just wanted to show how hypocritical the neighbors were at the funeral. However, the women were going overboard with all of the crying to the point where they had to be pulled away. At the wake the neighbors are the ones who finished up the funeral instead of the family. The family in this story really wanted to show the neighbor’s how they were being hypocrites’ to the point where they believed their own sincerity. This story gives an example of how someone can attend a funeral of somebody they didn’t know and end up crying. Then it gets to the point where they believe they are being sincere.

In Axolotl, Julio Cortazar wanted to bring out emotions in his readers. The story was about how a man goes to the aquarium and finds the Axolotls. He becomes obsessed with them, and he feels that they relate to the humans. The Axolotls feel suffering. The thing about this story was that it was really emotional because the Axolotls couldn’t tell the humans how they are feeling or give a message to the humans. It was also tricky because the readers didn’t know if the human watching the Axolotls had become an Axolotl himself, or if the Axolotl was imagining the human all along.

All three of these texts brought out different emotions in me. The Continuity of Parks made me think and reading it felt like a mystery. When I read it I had no idea at first that I myself was a stalker as well, and I love the way Cortazar had made me feel like a part of the story. It was as if I was there myself. In Our Demeanor At Wakes I saw a different side of hypocrisy and I realize that by telling a  lie, or if I cry at a funeral of someone I didn’t know I am creating my own reality because in the back of my mind I believe my tears as well as my emotions. In Axolotl I felt bad for the Axolotl because they couldn’t communicate to the humans and they felt alone. There are times when I feel alone, or I feel like nobody cares about me. If I’m having a conversation with someone and they weren’t listening I feel like they don’t care what I have to say, or what I say doesn’t matter.  

All three of the text changed my view of the world. With the Continuity of Parks it makes me aware of my surroundings, and I also didn’t realize how serious stalking can be. The scary thing about it is if someone is being stalked they won’t even know it. Our Demeanor at Wakes also changed my view of the world because I have being to funerals of a family member. There were some people who would show up and I’m thinking “who are they” I never stopped to think if all those people who were crying were being sincere or not. Now if somebody is crying for whatever reason I can figure out if they mean it or not. The Axolotl also changed my view of the world because I have been to the Zoo and Aquarium before and I never stopped to think about how the animals feel or anything when they are in their tanks or areas.

All of Cortazar’s texts were a work of art because they mad the readers think, become a part of the reading like in The Continuity of Parks; they made the readers feel empathy like in Axolotl. Cortazar has gotten many emotions from his readers so that’s why I feel his stories are art. Also I feel his stories allow the readers to explore their minds.

I would read Cortazar’s work again because I love to read stories that keep me guessing and Cortazar’s stories have done that.  

Popol Vuh: the Dawn of Life Reader Response

I’ve read so many interesting things in Popol Vuh: the Dawn of Life for example; how the humans were created from mud and wood. In the Bible humans were created from bones and dust. It’s interesting to learn about Latin Americans beliefs for example; how the humans were killed by everything they harm. The Gods wanted to be remembered, and when the men didn’t remember them they were killed from the animals they eaten, the pots they heated up on the stove, from grains, stones and sticks. I think the way the Gods destroyed the humans because they wanted to be remembered was very wrong and harsh. They did make them out of wood so of course they weren’t going to have any souls or they couldn’t think. Their brains were made from wood as well. I feel that’s the reason why humans can think and are able to feel because God created us from dust as well as, bones. It’s hard to do that when you are created from wood and mud. Also God wanted us to be able to think for ourselves, but in Popol Vuh: the Dawn of Life it seems that the Gods wanted the humans to think a certain way. One thing I did love about Popol Vuh: the Dawn of Life was when the youths came to take over because Vacub-Caquix as well as, his two sons only cared about riches and power. I agree with this part because I am a very caring person myself, and I do not care about riches or anything of that sort. I know there are more important things than being rich or powerful. So, when I read about how the youths broke down Vacub-Caquix and his two sons egos it made me very happy. I feel there is no one more powerful than God himself, and I feel that money is a good thing for when it comes to having to pay bills or for a living but that is not all I care about. I care more about me and my family’s health. I also care about God and other people in the world. Not riches or being powerful. I leave the powerful thing up to God.

Overall I felt this was a good reading because it helped me learn more about Latin Americas beliefs and their culture. I am looking forward to learning more about Latin Americas culture.