Feelings on Borges

I will admit that starting out I did not care for Borges at all. His first story that we had to read  "The Garden of Forking Paths" both did not interest me. It was very hard to follow. In "The Garden of Forking Paths" I really like the meaning from it as well with the whole which path should you follow, but I thought it went on for too long. The story could have been summarized in a short paragraph instead of pages.


Now with that being said there are two of his stories that I did end up liking. "Emma Zunz" and "The Gospel According to Mark". The one about Emma Zunz was very interesting. It felt like a thriller to me the whole time. I was kept on my toes wondering what was going to happen next. I really understand after discussing this in class just how important that last sentence was about the two different worlds. It made me like the story even more. Here Emma told his whole story about how her father died and so she went and found the killer and killed him herself. Then she goes and tells the police a completely different story. And for the rest of her life people will think of her (ones who know the made up story) as a helpless person who killed someone by protecting herself. While the whole time she is going along in a different universe living the truth. It's very interesting to think what certain people know about you and perceive you to be like. No telling how many different realities you are living in.

"The Gospel According to Mark" was also one that was very worth reading. A few parts of it were difficult to understand, like the young girl coming into his bedroom late at night. But the overall story in general I enjoyed. It related a lot to the bible. Especially when they were talking the flood and everything. The ending was a real shocker that I should have guessed coming. All throughout the story the man teaches them the world of God. It really relates to him being "Jesus", especially the ending when they pull out the boards in the shape of a cross.

My View on Márquez

Márquez wrote two very interesting short stories. The first entitled "A Very Old Man With Enormous Wings" I think many people could relate too. I felt horrible for the angel because everyone kept treating him so badly. He was the one who didn't fit in and wasn't taken care of. I feel like this relates to a lot of people. They are the odd one out and everyone just ignores them. They don't pay any attention at all that he is even an angel. They treat him like he is worth nothing. I don't think this is right. The people who he lives with build this great big house and then make him live out in the back. People are like this today. They are willing to build big houses for themselves but not do anything for anyone else. The story really got me frustrated and made me feel so bad for the angel. Then he gets sick and there is no one to even take care of him. I don't think anyone should have to go through something like that alone.

 

In the second story "The Handsomest Drowned Man in the World" I thought was very funny. It reminded me of the movie "Weekend at Bernie's". They take something as sad as someone dying and change it into a comedy. The whole story is built up with the people of the village taking the mans body and gossiping about it all over town. They become so involved with the body they begin to imagine his life. Then they just throw it off a cliff. What a way to end a story. They spent so much time working on him and then just dispose of him like its nothing. I really thought that it was a good way to describe how some people are today. They build something up in their mind so great that they start to believe that's the truth. The whole town started believing the stories about Esteban. I thought it was rather comical and interesting how they spoke about him.

Both stories are very similar. Both could clearly never happen for starters. They are too fictional. Both goes into detail about a man who is treated great and then despised by the people in their city. It hooks you in and makes you feel bad for both of the men. It just goes to show you how people really can act.

The wake,the park & Axolotls

The story we had to read about the family who takes over the whole funeral I could really relate too. I felt like I was part of the family. There have been times before when my family has gone and taken over something. Not to the extreme that this family took over but still something significant. I know what it is like to have something that you want to do and have be taken from you. Society is a lot like this today in many aspects. People always act like this and want to take over and become in charge, even when it is not their right to do so. It's how a lot of society is being brought up. They are control freaks. Not only that they are taking something that is important and defacing the value of how important it is. This story really represented the realism.

In The Continuity of Parks it was so hard to follow at first. But once I reread it I really understood where the author was going at. I got almost so wrapped up in the story that I thought I was the one in the chair for a brief moment. Cortazar does a great job at changing the entire story up. To do something this great and have it done correctly takes a lot of skill. I enjoyed reading this story. It really goes to show you how magical realism can trick your mind. Stories like this need to be written more often.

In the last book we read, Axolotis, it really showed magical realism. Cortazar takes you into a place and uses the fish as an example to show you people change. He does this in great detail up until the last paragraph where the narrator becomes one. It was so interesting to show how the guy related to them. The way he described everything really makes you seem that you are in the story and it's not just talking about the fish like creatures.

Popol Vuh: The Dawn of Life

The Popol Vuh was a very interesting story to read. It is the Mayan version of the Bible. It talked about how the God’s wanted to make people who would worship them and obey their preaching’s, which goes completely different from the Christian Bible that says Adam and Eve were made to bring other humans into this world. It’s not the actual way that I think the God’s (actually I only believe there is one God) made people but it was an interesting take. Growing up in a Christian household I have always believed that there is one God and the he did his best work the first time. He didn’t need to create different prototypes and keep attempting to get the humans right. They either weren’t smart enough didn’t have a soul or couldn’t function properly like the God’s wanted them too. It was very creative but yet different in the way that they made them out of wood and mud and other materials. It was a very good story to read for this fact, showed great imagination. I don’t really agree with the fact that they wanted humans just so they had someone to worship them. They sound very self centered around themselves. That shouldn’t be the purpose for creating life. But with that being said it does make sense. Different parts of the Popol Vuh did follow along with parts of the Bible and sounded the same. It gives me a different perspective on how things could be. It’s good to not be so one sided on things. I enjoy reading about other cultures and religions and find it very interesting.