Wednesday, May 25, 2011
11: The Awakening
When you respond to this chapter, DO NOT simply repeat the thoughts of others. Add something new to a previous comment. Comment or critique on a previous posting. BUT YOUR ULTIMATE goal is to add something new to the discussion. Also...don't forget to use as many direct quotes as possible!!!!
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6 comments:
This chapter was one of those that tie various pieces of the book together. The main one was Alba’s lover, Miguel. He says “I’ve been here before…” (329) referring to the big house on the corner. Even though he didn’t know when he was at the big house before he recognized it from his childhood. It’s at this point that I started to realize that Alba’s lover was the same Miguel that was Amanda’s little brother. It’s made obvious at the end of the chapter when Alba begs Jaime to look at Miguel’s sister because she is ill and Miguel takes them to Amanda.
This is also a very seductive chapter. A good portion of it is the flowering romance between Alba and Miguel. Not only that but there was also the beginning of what I presume will be a interesting relationship between Alba and Esteban García.
Thirdly, this chapter was a very political one. There is the student strike against the Conservatives, Jaime’s intro into politics, and Alba’s first taste of how hard the feud between government parties could be. The book says “She was not interested in politics…” when it talks about Alba. But then it says that “Out of love for Miguel, and not for any ideological conviction, Alba sat in at the university along with the students who had seized a building in support of a strike by workers” (320). Jaime later meets the Candidate. He was a major leader for the Socialist Party who was convinced that they would win. So overall this chapter was a short one but had a lot of details.
Hmm, so we continue to get reintroduced to characters we've met earlier, just a generation later, interesting, right??
I like your choice of the word SEDUCTIVE, as it describes both characters in the chapter and perhaps Allende's own writing.
Oh, the things we do for love!
I find it interesting that the Socialist Party had the same person run for presidency the whole time. "He was the same Socialist who had had his eye on the Presidency for the past eighteen years" (333). The logical thing to me would be to find a new candidate if the first one failed so many times.
Thomas
That is an excellent point Tom!!
My favorite part of this chapter is the very first paragraph where Alba completes her mural. I had an awee moment when she painted the heart on the wall. I wonder if Alba felt grown up at that point because she was in love?
Taylor Quella
In this chapter a little bit more of Esteban Garcia's character is revealed. Which is a rather disgusting and perverted one. Yet it doesn't come as too much of a surprise considering he is an offspring from Esteban's many 'hookups' if you will. Although a very subtle character to begin with he becomes one of the very last we read about in the story.
Alba has a flashback with this man who was now a police officer. "Suddenly, Garcia's hand was on her shoulder. The familiarity of the gesture disconcerted the girl,"(327). One of the things that bothers me most is reading or hearing of older men and women acting inappropriately to younger children. It's sickens me because children are taught to trust those older. And this was only the beginning to what was to come to poor Alba.
Mellisa Crisan
The whole lock in with Miguel and Alba just way out too weird for me. The whole time I was so worried for Alba, I was dying to know what was wrong with her! I was just curious how she got mixed in with professor Sebastian Gomez. It just randomly happened in a weird time in the book. I know the economy and the big house on the corner was declining, but why would that just randomly happened. I loved the book and was able to keep up until this part of the book. I thought it wasn’t necessary and hurt the book instead of helped it.
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