Feb
2
Pongos dream and beyond
Posted by: Brian | February 2, 2009 | Comments Off on Pongos dream and beyond
I really enjoyed the readings this week. I thought they differed so much from last weeks readings and I love the drastic change. The first set of readings was difficult for me to conceptualize at first. I had a hard time grasping what the author was trying to say but I think I was just thinking too much. I found that simply enjoying it instead of dissecting it was the best way to read it. I especially enjoyed actually reading a story that had been passed down and seeing the way people lived in a time and space that is so different from my own. I really enjoy mythology and love how Latin American popular culture is encompassed in these complex mythical stories. I’m really looking forward to our discussion on these readings as I would like to know more background and then read them again.
The second reading was more my style though. Of course I like it all but I really love underdog stories. I truly enjoy the idea of rising from one’s upbringing or "place" in life and challenging the social norm, or any norm really. I really like the character of the ‘little man’ and also the masters character as well. They were both good reminders of how difficult but necessary change is. All throughout his anecdote, or dream, the Master still held his same arrogant air. He was so confident about his position in life that he couldn’t even fathom the idea of someone else surpassing him in any way. This is true within most societies, there is always someone at the top who is difficult to get through to, on many issues.
Another theme throughout this story was the religious one. It seemed as though religion was what the master held so high, to what he himself answered to, so that the serf building it up so much was already ahead. The serf knew that by using religion as a focal point, he would have the master in a stronghold, there is nothing even he could say.
There are really so many underlying ‘good’ things about this story.
