Junot Diaz

• "On Becoming American"

• "Becoming a Writer"

• Interview about the novel from Bookslut

Upcoming Schedule

Here are the readings and writing assignments for the next week. For those not in class, there is no class meeting on Thursday, May 27. Take the class time to catch up on reading and do the response, listed below. Bring your writing assignment and reading of Junot Diaz's novel next Tuesday:

• No class on Thursday → finish Death in the Andes, and type one-page, focused response to the question set: “How do you reconcile Lituma’s anti-hero protagonist in the novel? What is one defining moment in the second half of the novel that represents his character, and perhaps Vargas Llosa’s view of the Andean region?” Use one to two concise quotes to support, and focus on interpreting his character and the novel’s meaning. Bring to class Tuesday, June 1.

• Read up page 165 of Junot Diaz’s The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao. We will discuss at least the first three parts, and hopefully get into this fourth section on Tuesday. Annotate/take notes on the role the history of the island plays in shaping characters, and on some of the ways the characters inhabit and mimic two identities simultaneously – both American and Latin American.

The Pishtaco Myth and Its Impact

Here is the beginning of an essay that discusses the origins and social implications of pishtacos.


Here is an article from Nov. 21, 2009, that provides an example of the myth perpetuated, and its impact, in reality.


What are some of the roles myths play in the plot and theme, and in answer why these three characters died?

More discussion questions:

1. Who is Casimiro Huarcaya, the albino? What do we learn about him and his disappearance?

2. Who is Medardo Llantac, and how does his position and storyline help the reader have a clearer position about who is in control in the mountains? What are some specific passages that indicate who holds the power in this region?

3. Isolate some of the language spoken by or used in reference of the guerilla militia, Sendero Luminosa. What are some core political values/points, and where do you see this in the text.

4. What is the significance of the “stoning” scene (p. 64, -71) on the rest of the story? Who is involved, who is to blame, and who pays?

5. What is the significance of starting off Chapter 4 with Lituma asking about the progress of the highway? What does this opening scene add to our understanding of the social implications of the deaths and disappearances?

6. In Chapter 4 we have Senora d’Harcourt, another character who claims to love Peru and respect its history. What about her character and what she might represent allows her inevitable death more than just overkill by Llosa? What are some facts about her that add more to political situation going on in the nation?

Short Answer | In-Class Writing:

Take into account what we have discussed up until this point, including today – what are some of the universal truths of life represented within Llosa’s novel? Clarify two to three universal truths of life, and then explain how they are represented in the novel through specific characters, through plot, through situation, symbolism and/or theme?

____________

Homework:

Read up until at least Chapter 8. You will take Reading Quiz #2 at the beginning of class on Tuesday, 5/25. This quiz will be a few Short Answer questions based on the day's assigned reading (Chapters 5-8 of Death in the Andes). This quiz ask questions to assess basic comprehension of the plot, characters, and theme.

for Thursday, 5/13

1. Make sure to hand in your Midterm in class at 4pm today, Tuesday, 5/11.

2. Homework for Thursday:

Read articles in after preface section,"A Historical Introduction to Latin American Poetry" and "An Introduction to Mestizo Poetics," in our anthology, the Oxford Book of Latin American Poetry. Also read poems pages 1-10 and page 15-6.

“Reflections on the Origin: transculturation and tragedy in Pedro Páramo” by Patrick Dove

• “new novel” --> style allows for a Mexican and Latin American writers to move away from Euro. Tradition--> away from the universal structure, which silences the minority…
• What does it mean to be modern and Mexican? (Octavio Paz)

“The Mexican Exception and the “Other Campaign”” by Gareth Williams

• “ It is the story of a tragic abandonment of rural life to a sovereign power emboldened by its ongoing and incomplete conversion from the universal principles of Catholic feudalism to the secular principles of bourgeois accumulation and individualism in modern Mexico” (131).

1) If we are to view Pedro Páramo as a text exploring roles in a modern Mexican society, find three distinguishable roles of characters in this novel. Identify the character, explain their role and the political representation of that role, and then provide an appropriate quote from source that supports their political/social standing in the society.

2) How do we see Rulfo’s larger thematic statement by his “fracturing” the narrative? Find an example in which two separate sections back-to-back demonstrate a clear purpose, and explain that purpose!

3) What is the significance in having the characters be dead? What are some of your analytical reasons, and where in the text can we support these reasons?