One Hundred Years of Solitude: An Essential Read for the Twenty-First Century

Chosen pages/passages from One Hundred Years of Solitude:

Chapter 12- page 255, Chapter 15, Chapter20 - pages 435-end

Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s novel One Hundred Years of Solitude is one of the most eloquent and beautifully-written novels I have ever read. When thinking of my list of “all-time favorite books,” I find One Hundred Years of Solitude, the newest addition to my list, to be the outcast. Each of my favorite novels have one very important commonality in that they each possess a quality or character that I can relate to on a much more personal level.

One Hundred Years of Solitude is quite different. I can identify with Jose Arcadio Segundo’s restlessness and sometimes indifference towards the corruption of the world, or Aureliano’s (II) thirst for knowledge. But, in terms of plot, the novel does not offer a great deal that I can relate to on a personal level. I cannot know the feeling of living in such a disjointed, secluded society, pressed by the issue to conform to western ideals. I also cannot relate to the workings of the inter-connected Buendia family and their troubles regarding advancements and corruption in the town of Macondo. To my surprise, in this disconnection between text and self, I find intrigue. One Hundred Years of Solitude, instead of being relatable, serves as a means to expand my awareness.

Capitalism and imperialism, as referenced in One Hundred Years of Solitude, is a direct correlation to the history of Western imperialism on Latin America. Garcia Marquez is not timid in pointing out the West’s flaws. He depicts the capitalist imperialism of the banana company as extremely destructive to the inhabitants of Macondo. Capitalism, which is supported by the country’s conservative government, brings oppression to the town of Macondo. This is not fiction, for Garcia Marquez, but an actual account of western colonialism’s impact on his native Columbia.

In Chapter fifteen of One Hundred Years of Solitude, the culmination of capitalism’s corruption becomes ever apparent. The banana plantation, introduced to Macondo to bring wealth and prosperity, declines and produces excessive destruction. Jose Arcadio Segundo organizes a strike against the plantation’s inhumane working conditions. The government steps in and places Macondo under military supervision. The government invites the workers of the plantation to gather at a meeting to discuss the problems. However, the meeting is a hoax, and the army surrounds the workers and opens fire with machine guns, inevitably planning to kill them all. Jose Arcadio Segundo feels “intoxicated by tension, by the miraculous depth of the silence, and furthermore convinced that nothing could move that crowd held tight in fascination with death, Jose Arcadio Segundo raised himself up over the heads in front of him and for the first time in his life he raised his voice” (Garcia Marquez 328). By some unforeseen fate, Jose Arcadio Segundo manages to survive and returns to Macondo to tell of the massacre.

This passage of the novel incorporates the power of wealthy capitalists in their quest to remain superior to the inhabitants of Macondo. They exploit their power through wealth, military, and governmental actions. Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak’s Critique of Postcolonial Reason touches on the corruption of capitalism and the unequal separation of power between the wealthy West and the poor East. She writes of the “subaltern”, also known as a person holding a subordinate position. Spivak expands on the notion of the subaltern by explaining that “the ‘subaltern’ always stands in an ambiguous relation to power-subordinate to it but never fully consenting to its rule, never adopting the dominant point of view or vocabulary as expressive of its own identity” (Spivak 2194).

Jose Arcadio Segundo, as well as the rest of the banana plantation’s workers, wholly represent Spivak’s subaltern. They hold a subordinate position to the military, yet, they do not conform to the ideals of the western plantation owners. The plantation workers rebel against their practices, instead choosing to wreck havoc and sabotage the plantation. But the workers’ efforts are useless as the higher-ups of the plantation recruit military and governmental force, proving their dominance over the helpless workers.

Spivak also considers the issue of separation in power and those held accountable for stopping the advance of capitalism. She writes, “When most of the power resides in the West, why should the least powerful of those be caught up in globalization be responsible for halting its advance?” (Spivak 2194). In Jose Arcadio Segundo’s rebellion, he and the other workers tried to stop capitalism’s advance in his own town. But they soon were proved the weaker of two sides, as military force is able to ruin all. Their rebellion went unnoticed, even on a small scale. How could someone like Jose Arcadio Segundo stop the advancement of capitalism when he has no way to reach the masses? Only the muscle of the west has the power to bring change in the capitalist system, but that idea is purely wishful thinking.

Jose Arcadio Segundo, upon surviving the massacre, returns to town to tell his tale, yet, he realizes, horrified, that all memory of the massacre has dissolved. The officers of Macondo explained to Jose Arcadio Segundo that, “You must have been dreaming…nothing has happened in Macondo, nothing has ever happened, and nothing ever will happen. This is a happy town” (Garcia Marquez 333). This passage explains much about the corruption that power can bring. Anything can be skewed to make the “subaltern” inhabitants of Macondo believe what the higher officials want. In this case, the massacre is not only distorted in the inhabitant’s minds, but erased from the town’s history entirely.

This separation of power and government control is all but too common in western society today. It is not an issue apparent only in less-developed nations. People’s opinions can and are swayed in western, developed nations as well. The government uses its power through the media and propaganda to control thought. Take for instance the 9/11 terrorist attacks. The United States government used this incident to instill fear in its citizens. The government also used the 9/11 attacks as justification for a war completely unrelated to those guilty of the tragedy. Yet, through continual, most likely skewed media coverage, relentless warnings of America’s instability and cautionary safety, the government was able to arguably “justify” their actions.

The British indie rock band, Bloc Party, have taken a stand against the political propaganda created by western governments. In their sophomore album titled A Weekend in the City, the track “Hunting for Witches” touches on the fear that government instills on their citizens as a means of control. Lead singer/guitarist, Kele Okereke writes, “the newscaster says the enemy’s among us as bombs explode on the 30 bus, kill your middle class indecision, now is not the time for liberal thought” (Bloc Party). Okereke’s lyrics are filled with irony. He makes reference to our culture’s indecision, or possibly, our apathetic nature in relation to social issues and politics in general. He also sarcastically criticizes the liberal standpoint, to drive home his point that governments want us to live in fear of imminent attacks.

Later in the track, Okereke sings, “90’s optimistic as a teen, now its terror, airplanes crash into towers…I watched TV it informed me, I was an ordinary man with ordinary desire, there must be accountability, disparate and misfortune, fear will keep us all in place” (Bloc Party). Okereke makes reference to the 9/11 attacks and the impact the media has on “informing” the public. A more accurate verb may be “misinform,” as Okereke stresses the importance of fear as a means of control in modern society. The media is used to distort the public opinion of any political uprising by those in power using fear to keep people in place.

These references are no different from the massacre in One Hundred Years of Solitude. The military, enlisted by the banana plantation, abused their power to evoke fear in the Macondo inhabitants. People living in fear are much easier to have control over than those living fearlessly. This is the idea that western governments hold to be true. Oppression is used to dominate and manage the “lesser” individuals.

As the banana plantation culminates into a huge art of destruction, the townspeople are affected. The plantation affects the town and exploits Macondo’s natural resources. This original corruption then leads to the massacre which is responsible for thousands of lives lost. Remedios the Beauty, however, is the only character that remains unchanged by the banana company’s vice. She appears unreal throughout the novel and after her disappearance, there is rarely mention of her, making her appear to be only a delusion. Garcia Marquez writes,

“Amaranta felt a mysterious trembling in the lace of her petticoats and she tried to grasp the sheet so that she would not fall down at the instant in which Remedios the Beauty began to rise…waving goodbye in the midst of the flapping sheets that rose up with her, abandoning with her the environment of beetles and dahlias and passing through the air with her as four o’clock in the afternoon came to an end, and they were lost forever with her in the upper atmosphere where not even the highest-flying birds of memory could reach her” (Garcia Marquez 255).

Because Remedios the Beauty is unaware, or perhaps just oblivious to capitalism, she represents purity, and with this purity comes beauty. Remedios the Beauty is the opposite of fraudulence and greed. By making her float to heaven, Garcia Marquez seems to be saying that she is inhuman and other-worldly in that she has the miraculous ability to completely shut out capitalism and continue living her life of purity and free of corruption. She is an unrealistic being. Greed, money, power are all aspects of human nature. Since the beginning of civilization, people have tried to resist these temptations, yet they always succumb to these evils.

A recent Newsweek article titled “The Fall of America, Inc.” by Francis Fukuyama describes in depth how the recent stock market crash has forever changed America’s vision of capitalism. Fukuyama writes, “Ideas are one of our most important exports, and two fundamentally American ideas have dominated global thinking since the early 1980s. The first was a certain vision of capitalism-one that argued low taxes, light regulation and a pared-back government would be the engine for economic growth. The second big idea was America as a promoter of liberal democracy around the world, which was seen as the best path to a more prosperous and open international order” (Fukuyama).

Fukuyama goes on to explain that promoting democracy through diplomacy and aid has never been controversial. However, the problem arises when the word “democracy” is being used by the Bush administration to justify the Iraq war and suggest military intervention and regime change under the idealized view of a western government being implemented in Iraq. Fukuyama argues that America, “doesn’t have much credibility when we champion a “freedom agenda” (Fukuyama). This tarnished profile that American governmental officials have plagued our nation with has been undeniably detrimental. Fukuyama adds that, “in many parts of the world, American ideas, advice and even aid will be less welcome than they are now” (Fukuyama).

In Garcia Marquez’s One Hundred Years of Solitude, capitalism, in the form of the banana company, was welcomed with open arms. Things appeared to be running smoothly and the workers of the plantation were happy. As time went on, the company became more and more corrupt. As Fukuyama states, western ideas are becoming less romanticized and the effect of these distorted ideas can be seen in One Hundred Years of Solitude. In addition to Fukuyama’s comments on America’s diminishing capitalistic success, Spivak writes that cartels have “become one of the foundations of the whole of economic life. Capitalism has been transformed into imperialism” (Spivak 2208). I feel that the novel, as a whole, is a testament to Western economies and their overwhelming ability to taint and destroy developing nations. The novel is timeless and I can only expect it to become more relevant as time continues on.

The final chapter of Garcia Marquez’s One Hundred Years of Solitude focuses on Aureliano’s love for Amaranta Ursula. It is the only tangible thing the two of them can feel. Garcia Marquez writes of the two lovers, “they lost all their sense of reality, the notion of time, the rhythm of daily habits” (Garcia Marquez 435). Aureliano and Amaranta Ursula are able, through their love, to escape the corruption and the ruin that plagues Macondo. Like Remedios the Beauty, they are too pure for the corruption, or perhaps just living in oblivion. After

Following Amaranta Ursula’s death, Aureliano (II) discovers Melquiades’ prediction of Macondo and the Buendia family’s fate. Melquiade’s story is told with such incredible accuracy, that Aureliano knows it cannot be false. Aureliano realizes he is reading about the town’s destruction as he is experiencing it. The ending of the novel explains the inevitable cycle that life brings. Deeper still, this cyclical perception can be related to the inescapable destruction that capitalism and imperialism brings to postcolonial society. It is a bleak perspective, however, a precise one. Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s One Hundred Years of Solitude captures the reality of twentieth century advancement in technology and the distribution of political ideologies, as it affects nations worldwide. The novel is hauntingly beautiful.

Work Cited

Bloc Party. “Hunting for Witches.” A Weekend in the City. Vice. 2007.

Fukuyama, Francis. “The Fall of America, Inc.” Newsweek. 13 October 2008. 30 November

2008. < http://www.newsweek.com/id/162401>

Garcia Marquez, Gabriel. One Hundred Years of Solitude. Trans. Gregory Rabassa. New York,

NY: HarperCollins Publishers, Inc., 1992.

Spivak, Gayatri Chakravorty. “A Critique of Postcolonial Reason.” The Norton Anthology of

Theory and Criticism. 1^st edition. Ed. Leitch, Vincent B. New York: W.W. Norton &

Company, 2001. 2193-2208.

Beasts of No Nation - Uzodinma Iweala

Upon reading the first half of Beasts of No Nation I found myself appalled and disgusted by such violence and gore. It is a heartbreaking read, especially when reminded that this is reality, not fiction. One passage I found to be particularly raw reads as such: “You are not my mother, I am saying to the girl’s mother and then I am raising my knife high above my head. I am liking the sound of knife chopping KPWUDA KPWUDA on her head and how the blood is just splashing on my hand and my face and my feets. I am chopping and chopping and chopping until I am looking up and it is dark” (51). After reading this, I questioned the necessity of such a brutal description of the kill. However, I came to the conclusion that no other description would do. In order to raise awareness to the issue of child soldiers, it is impossible to make light of the situation.

I recently had a conversation with a very conservative friend of mine. She suggested on the issue of Darfur, for example, that Americans should not be providing aid there because we have fundamental issues on our own soil to deal with. I brought to her attention that in countries less advanced than the United States, where government is non-existent and wealth is limited, the innocent people have no way of gaining relief from their plight, whatever it may be. My friend was not swayed to change her mind and is unfortunately very naïve to the issues outside of the United States. Perhaps I should lend my friend this book once I finish…

Satrapi's Persepolis

Persepolis was my first graphic novel experience…and I found it to be wonderful. I finished the book in almost one sitting as I found it hard to put it down! I was delighted by Marjane Satrapi from the very beginning, and her inquisitiveness as a little girl reminded me of myself very much. At her young age, Marjane was able to look past the social classes that plagued her society, as well as the idea that men are subservient to women. To me, one of the most touching parts of the novel is when Mehri comes to live with Marjane and her family to work as a maid. Marjane writes love letters to the neighbor next door for Mehri who is illiterate. When the neighbor boy finds out that Mehri is but a maid, and not ranked “respectably” in social standing, he dismisses her. Marjane is distraught. She says, “When I went back to her room she was crying. We were not in the same social class but at least we were in the same bed” (37). This passage, however simple, is incredibly moving. Marjane, even as a young girl is wise beyond her years. The irony of this statement is that in her naivety she is actually more knowledgeable of the world than any adult or politician who abides by the regimes rules of class.

As much as I felt a sense of closeness and admiration for Marjane’s character, at times, I felt angered by her lack of concern and somewhat indifference towards her unjust society. Later in the novel in the chapter titled “The Makeup” Marjane fabricates a story, so as not to get herself arrested for wearing makeup. She accuses an innocent man of saying obscenities to her. While reading this, I was devastated. Although Marjane fully regretted the responsibility of getting an innocent man arrested, I feel that this scene proves just how easy it is for one to give in to the “trap” of a society such as Iran’s. Very saddening, yet effective.

simply beautiful.

The following passage from One Hundred Years of Solitude is strikingly beautiful. It reads: “…Fernanda felt a delicate wind of light pull the sheets out of her hands and open them wide. Amaranta felt a mysterious trembling in the lace on her petticoats and she tried to grasp the sheet so that she would not fall down at the instant in which Remedios the Beauty began to rise. Ursula, almost blind at the time, was the only person who was sufficiently calm to identify the nature that determined wind and she left the sheets to the mercy of the light as she watched Remedios the Beauty waving goodbye in the midst of the flapping sheets the rose up with her, abandoning with her the environment of beetles and dahlias and passing through air with her as four o’clock in the afternoon came to an ed, and they were lost forever with her in the upper atmosphere where not even the highest-flying birds of memory could reach her” (255).

Remedios the Beauty is the only character that remains unaffected by Macondo’s change with the introduction of capitalism and the Banana Company. Because she unaware, or perhaps just oblivious to capitalism, she represents purity, and with this purity comes beauty. Remedios the Beauty is the opposite of fraudulence and greed. By making her float to heaven, Garcia Marquez seems to be saying that she is inhuman and other-worldly in that she has the miraculous ability to completely shut out capitalism and continue living her life of purity and free of corruption. She is an unrealistic being. Greed, money, power are all aspects of human nature. Since the beginning of civilization, people have tried to resist these temptations, yet they always succumb to these evils.

I feel the novel is a testament to Western economies and their overwhelming ability to taint and destroy developing nations. The novel is timeless and I can only expect it to become more relevant as time continues on.

Garcia Marquez and Radiohead

As an avid Radiohead fan, I have long known that they have a rare song titled “Banana Co.” which is said to be influenced by Garcia Marquez’s One Hundred Years of Solitude. While reading One Hundred Years- I finally came upon the section in which a Mr. Herbert (a capitalist) arrives in Macondo and discovers its abundance of bananas. Garcia Marquez writes, “with the suspicious attention of a diamond merchant he examined the banana meticulously, dissecting it with a special scalpel, weighing the pieces on a pharmacist’s scale, and calculating its breadth with a gunsmith’s calipers.” I find that Garcia Marquez chose his words wisely in comparing Mr. Herbert to a diamond merchant. Mr. Herbert saw the bananas as instant wealth. This reminds me much of Christopher Columbus’ arrival in the West Indies, in which he viewed the land and people as his own and planned to utilize these “possessions” for prosperity. Upon this discovery, Mr. Herbert develops a banana plantation and soon bring much attention and business to Macondo, but also despair and corruption.

The Radiohead lyrics go as such….

Oh, banana co.
We really love you and we need you
And oh, banana co.
We'd really love to believe you, but
Everything's underground
We gotta dig it up somehow
Yeah yeah

Oh, she said no go
She said she'd like to
She's seen you
But no, banana co.
She knows if you die then we all do
Everything's burning down
We gotta dig it up somehow
Yeah yeah

Everything's burning down
We gotta put it out somehow
Yeah yeah

Yorke begins the song by saying (about the banana plantation) that “we really love you and we need you,” as if Macondo wasn’t surviving just fine without the influx of capitalism. Later, Yorke captures the ruin of Macondo by saying, “everything’s burning down.” Throughout much of the novel I had a hard time pinpointing its deeper meaning. However, as I continue to read, things become more clear. I find Macondo’s plight to be that of the West: a money-hungry attitude based on wealth and prosperity which ultimately leads to greed.

One Hundred Years... - Ideas/Initial Thoughts

As I read on, One Hundred Years of Solitude only becomes more complex (and also confusing!). I notice the entire book has a dream-like quality. Not in the sense that magical realism is apparent and some particular scenes seem influenced by some kind of supernatural force, but overall, I find the entire book to feel as if someone is recounting a dream they experienced. Nothing seems concrete. Everything is jumbled. It is hard for me to pinpoint exactly what makes the novel evoke this dreamlike quality, but I think much of it is due to the non-linear plot. Also, the third person narrative reminds me that this is a story being told rather than an actual account.

I mentioned in my previous blog that there seems to be a desire for escape among almost all of the inhabitants of Macondo. Jose Arcadio quickly falls in love with the gypsy girl and on a whim decides to run off with her, only to return some years later. Colonel Aureliano Buendia leaves Macondo with the desire to fight victoriously for the Liberals and escapes the confines of Macondo. Upon his return, he is a changed man, most likely due to the horrors of war. Colonel Aureliano Buendia attempts to take his own life - an eternal escape from Macondo. Rebeca also seeks escape through solitude after Jose Arcadio’s (her husband’s) death.

This desire becomes more clear when I look at Macondo as a representation of Columbia’s society during this period of time. Garcia Marquez’s characters are developed beautifully, each representing a detachment from a definite cultural identity. I feel that the characters try to determine an authentic identity, yet never really actualize it.

Lastly, I’d like to mention a particular quote from today’s reading that struck me. Garcia Marquez writes: “Normality was precisely the most fearful part of that infinite war: nothing ever happened.” (181) This is a timeless, and also very relevant quote. When war becomes infinite, as in today’s society, and there is never a void of violence to allow for a time of peace, it becomes a normality. This desensitization process is horrific in itself.

One Hundred Years of Solitude - Garcia Marquez

Garcia Marquez's novel One Hundred Years of Solitude has long been on my list of books to read. I don't really know what to expect from the author or his novel, however, I do hope the experience is enjoyable and carries a message that resonates long after I complete the novel. Though not very far into the novel, I already find each character to be unique and solely wrapped up in their own world. It seems that there is an overwhelming sadness the can be seen throughout the characters and in the seemingly bleak world they live in. This sadness can be found in Aureliano and his choice to remain chaste in order to "hide the shame of his uselessness" (58). It can be found in Ursula and her trapped, almost claustrophobic feeling in Macondo, in which she claims "We'll never get anywhere...we're going to rot our lives away here without receiving the benefits of science" (13). Lastly, Jose Arcadio, who escapes with the gypsies in search of a zest for life, carries a sadness with him as well. I question why this could be? Life in Macondo seems simple, yet I get the feeling that it is also incredibly troublesome and bleak. The characters search for ways of distraction from the realities of their world. Magical realism blurs the dimensions of real and non-real in the novel. Young Aureliano predicts that the pot of steaming soup, though firmly placed in the center of the table is going to spill. It soon begins its migration to the edge and falls crashing to the floor. The explanation: a kind of natural phenomenon. Magical realism is used by the characters as a way of escape, a challenge to what can actually happen, and what can happen with the power of imagination.

An Unaware Transformation in the Comprehension of Texts

Before the start of this semester, I had already taken several literature classes. Each professor expects something different of their students. Many professors focus on the surface details of a text – the who, what, when, where and how’s. This is the lackluster material that one can gather from merely glancing at a text including the plot, the setting, the characters, and the climax. Not very interesting, much less thought-provoking. It is information that is easily and plainly accessible upon reading any text. However, the real fun in literature is being able to read a novel and make it your own by interpreting it as you wish. It is in this way that I have grown much more comfortable with deconstructing literature and developing my thoughts more fully.

Only six weeks into the semester, I have already seen a change in the development of my ideas. In one of my first blogs of the semester titled “Haroun and the Sea of Stories – Rushdie” I teetered on the edge of the Text-Other Texts category. I wrote first about my opinion of Haroun’s character from a very static perspective without delving too much into his significance. I also wrote of Rushdie’s past growing up in post-colonial India and how his life experiences shaped the author he became. This would most likely be reminiscent of the Text-Other Texts category, in that I utilized to information at hand to provide a kind of explanation for why this specific novel was written and what it may symbolize. Later in the blog, I wrote briefly about the political situation in post-colonial India and made the assumption that Haroun is symbolic of Rushdie as a boy and that Haroun’s experiences paralleled Rushdie’s. At the time this blog was written, I believe I was at the Text-Other Texts stage of reading development, yet moving towards the Text-World stage. Overall, the blog was not as insightful or impressive as it could or should have been.

In my post about Murakami’s work titled “A Wild Sheep Chase (part deux)” I wrote of Boku’s nature and his representation today as a kind of “generational touchstone.” I related Boku’s attitude and air to be a direct replica of the young, ineffective generation that plagues our society. With this blog, I confirm that I am to make the connection between a fictional work of literature to a real, tangible issue that is crucial in today’s society. This shows that I have begun the transformation in taking a piece of fictional literature and making a connection to its relevance in the real world. I feel that this blog, is again, an illustration of the Text-Other Texts category of reading development.

The following week I posted a blog titled, “Orientalism – Said” in which I wrote about the idea of Orientalism as it appears in other aspects of our culture and literature. I specifically expanded on Coleridge’s poem Kubla Khan including a passage as explicit evidence of Orientalism. I deconstructed the stanza of Coleridge’s poem in order to prove why it demonstrates the theory of Orientalism. After discussing the negative impact of Orientalism, I talked about the “political biases and [the] horrifying opinion many Americans harbor that the East is subordinate to the West.” In doing so, I demonstrate the ability to relate a literary term (Orientalism) to the issue of politics. I explicate the effect of colonialism and Orientalism on our foreign policy tactics in the current world of politics. This blog characterizes a transition for me in which I develop my ideas more fully and move in limbo between the Text-Other Texts and Text-World category of reading comprehension and development.

My most recent blog, titled “Roy – The God of Small Things” furthers my conversion into a more sophisticated reader. I related the text to a more political standpoint facing the areas of the world. I wrote about the destruction of a culture, specifically due to the spread of the English language. By teaching English in newly westernized Eastern European nations, I would be contributing to the destructive forces of homogeny in language. It is scary to think that I may directly contribute to this. In this blog entry, I prove my ability to make the connection from words on a page, to find the deeper meaning in how it affects my personal real life experiences. I feel like this blog, above all others, illustrates a beginning to my transformation in becoming Text-World interpreter of texts.

I find that my transformation into become more comfortable with the Text-World stage of reading development has been unconscious. Therefore, it is difficult to pinpoint just how to go about furthering my intellectual pursuits. The main thing I find to be helpful is actually having a blog in general. By writing my thoughts down, they become more concrete and less abstract. I can return to the blog for future reference in developing ideas. When I first began this paper, I didn’t feel I had progressed very much. Yet, after reviewing my blogs, the transformation is ever apparent. I can see a marked difference in the maturity of my ideas.

Since having a written blog of my thoughts is quite helpful, I plan to make a conscious effort in keeping a sort of journal for my own sake about everyday occurrences, news articles, pop-culture references, etc., that pertain to novels I read in this particular class and others. I find that keeping a journal filled with newspaper clippings or significant lines from a poem or book that I read would encourage me to make the connection between classroom activities to the world around me. I often discover myself reading a newspaper article and thinking of a certain work of literature I have read before. In this way, the Text-World category flip-flops creating an entirely new category: World-Text! For example, I recently read an article in The Shepherd Express regarding the upcoming election and the opposing parties varying views on foreign policy. The article talked extensively about the United States Army implementing a better school system for the Iraqi’s. I immediately thought of Roy’s novel The God of Small Things and the influence of the British in colonizing India. It is essentially colonization that is occurring now in Iraq. It is interesting that no longer do I only relate fiction to real life, but real life to fiction.

Roy - The God of Small Things

The English language is used as a means of control and as an indicator of America's supposed "superiority" over other countries. It is interesting that this movement only continues to grow. The fall of Communism in recent years has made the demand to spread and the desire to learn the English language even greater. After I graduate next May I plan to take a trip to Europe, and I am highly considering utilizing the opportunity to teach the English language in newly "westernized" Eastern European nations as a means to fund my travels. I have been corresponding with one such organization in particular based in Budapest, Hungary which seeks college graduates to teach English in Hungarian schools. No teaching experience is required due to such a high demand and need for teachers. All I would need is to pass a TEFL course here in the states, and I'm "certified". Thinking more about this, it's quite scary that I, along with other students, would be changing a culture and way of life. At the same time, I think the experience would be a change for me as well, in that I would be greatly influenced by my host country’s culture. I would hope that the positive impacts would way out the negative. However, Roy’s novel makes me focus more on the negative impact that the English language has had on many cultures of the world. Rahel and Estha were both resistant to learning the conventions of the English language. What some may view as opportunity, Roy views as a detriment to her culture.

Orientalism - Said

I find that Orientalism is apparent in other aspects of pop-culture and the arts, not just film. When reading Said's selection, I instantly thought of literature that upholds this biased view. Several semester's ago I had to read Coleridge's poem Kubla Khan. Kubla Khan makes many stereotypical references regarding the Orient. For instance, Coleridge writes:

"But oh ! that deep romantic chasm which slanted
Down the green hill athwart a cedarn cover !
A savage place ! as holy and enchanted
As e'er beneath a waning moon was haunted
By woman wailing for her demon-lover !"

This passage touches on the "romantic" notion of the East, as well as its supposed "savage" nature. Coleridge is saying that despite the beautiful landscape of Kubla Kahn's vast empire, the land is untamed, wild and dangerous. Coleridge depicts the East as a place of mystery and enchantment, much like Spielberg depicted India in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. Said writes that "Orientalism reveals more about the West and its fantasies than it does about the actual people, culture, and history of the East" and it is moreover a "valuable sign of European-Atlantic power over the Orient than it is a veridic discourse about the Orient." Due to the fact that Coleridge's text dates back several hundred years, it is obvious that Orientalism has been an issue for some time. However, now, more than ever, has its influence become apparent due to political biases and the horrifying opinion many Americans harbor that the East is subordinate to the West.

A Wild Sheep Chase - Murakami (part deux)

I got to thinking today about Boku's detached nature, and his seemingly purposeless life. The reader doesn't have any sort of insight as to why Boku is this way; no background of his childhood, major life experiences, etc. He just is. Yet, the entire premise of the sheep seems to carry some sort of spiritual meaning to those who "believe", so to speak. Boku becomes wrapped up in the whole ordeal which resembles a kind of cult. He seems unfazed by the entire notion of coincidence (ie. the Dolphin Hotel, his girlfriend's predictions) and he lacks the ability, or perhaps, the desire, to find a deeper meaning to the sheep incident. Generally, I find that someone who leads a very meaningless life would find coincidence, or somewhat magical events, to raise questions as to why or how this could be. However, Boku remains unmoved. It is frustrating to see someone who is entirely cold to the world. I thought that Murakami's purpose in making Boku so removed may be to represent a kind of generational touchstone. Though the novel was written some twenty years ago, it seems relevant to today's society, in which the younger generation carries a detached air about them regarding the state of the world. I find many similarities in Boku's character that are reflected in many of my peers today.

A Wild Sheep Chase - Murakami

Thus far, I have thoroughly enjoyed Murakami's novel. His writing is modern, witty, and politically conscious. At first, I found myself irritated that the characters lacked names. Somehow, because of this, they seemed to lack "definition." However, as I read on, I determined that the nameless characters add to the mystery/adventure of the story. I can also admit, that at this point in the novel, I am completely confused. This isn't a bad thing. It's more that I'm unprepared for what's to come. So far, Murakami's novel is anything but predictable. Murakami, for me, at least, writes in such a way that allows the reader to convey vivid visualizations. I have a good idea in my mind of the setting of the various locations Boku visits, and the way the characters appear and carry themselves. This differs from Rushdie, in that his novel did not trigger as many visual ideas in my mind. I feel Murakami's book is far more developed. I would love to see this novel made into a movie!

Haroun and the Sea of Stories - Rushdie

This was my first experience reading Rushdie's work. I found Haroun, as a character, to be delightful. I think Rushdie was able to portray a character with youthful innocence, yet, a grown perspective on life. I feel that the importance of fantasy and fiction lies, not only its ability to provide escape, but also in its ability to relate to reality. For instance, Rushdie used his real-life experiences growing up in post-colonial India, to create a fantasy novel. At first glance, the novel appears light and child-like. But, to delve deeper, Haroun is torn between two opposites: fiction and reality. He grasps, by the novel's end, that both the real and make-believe can co-exist together. This can be paralleled to Rushdie's own life, in regards to religion and politics. He can write fiction (with a message) as a means of escape from the turmoil/conflict of certain Eastern religions. Yet, he must face the reality that there is no relief for religious conflict in the near future.

Bollywood Film - Bride and Prejudice

August 28, 2008

The Bollywood Film Bride and Prejudice, directed by Gurinder Chadha, was not my first encounter with Indian/Bollywood film. Awhile back, I watched a shorter Bollywood film at UWM, though I cannot recall the name! Both films had similarities. The most obvious similarities are the (cheesy) musical aspect and the over-dramatized events/actions. Both films show western influence. This western influence on Indian culture, both good and bad, was very apparent. I found the negative influence to be disheartening. It is interesting, that a culture such as ours, known for corruption, greed, etc. is, at times, glorified. Yet, Bride and Prejudice rejected the western ways through Lalita's character, by showing that she could be modern and cultured, while still maintaining her Indian heritage.
Though Bride and Prejudice was light-hearted, some deeper meaning could be found throughout the film through Lalita's ability to mesh old and new, and modern time with tradition.