Month: January 2017

Arguedas, José María.       The Pongo’s Dream

This folktale can be seen as a depiction of José María Arguedas’ perceptions on masters and their serfs in Peru.  Arguedas depicts masters with cruel and merciless attitudes; and serfs, specifically the pongo–the lowest of the low , as the humble, devout and altruistic. This story seems to tell a story of karma, or a ‘what goes around comes around’ idea, revealing that justice will come to those deserving and glory will be returned to the good. Arguedas’ writing style was succinct allowing the piece to deliver it’s message clearly

Asturias, Miguel Angel.

I deeply enjoyed Asturias’ writing style in throughout all this stories; it was vibrant and dense; allowing readers to be fully immersed within the essence of what is being told as well as the images. Asturias’ themes seem to explore the dialectical realms of commitment (both physical and spiritual), nature and man/woman.

The Legend of the Singing Tablets: Each sentence was so beautifully poetic and filled with thick layers of imagery. ~~ “… the swelling moon which suddenly would no longer be contained either in their mouths, or their eyes”~~ I am still unsure of the full meaning of the story I would have to read it again more attentively, however I feel it has to do with the ephemeral moments of glory and success and the cycle of that moment disappearing too.

cycles of love–commitment– hardship–success–love–and back again and again!~

The Legend of the Crystal Mask: This story had a more ominous and lingering tone than the first one. Additionally, this story evoked the senses much more and immersed the reader through this technique and less imagery (compared to the last). As a creator/artist as well, the concept of creations taking on their own life intrigued me and begs me to ask more questions to the meaning of it all!

The Legend of the Silent Bell was intriguing as it showed the explicit differences and perceptions of european and native peoples. Meaning was muffled within symbolism for me but hopefully that will be cleared up soon in class.

I also enjoyed The Legend of the Dancing Butchers. This story was a beautiful exploration of death and layers in many possible morals.

 

Late post due to catching the wretched flu floating around!  :

This piece the beginning sections of this reading struck a cord in me because of my personal experiences travelling throughout Peru and also my time spent with indigenous peoples from Sungai Utik Indonesia.

Having lived on the other side of the world my knowledge on the influence of colonisation within Latin American indigenous communities, and popular culture for that matter, was very basic.  So, learning the depths at which adaptation and merging of cultures occurred was fascinating to me.  The acknowledgment that the convergence of cultures did result in a new form  of culture (although in unjust circumstances) gives me slight reassurance when grappling  with the hardships indigenous peoples go through in the face of modernity.  It gives me reassurance as culture continues to persevere in times of pressure.  “The search for purely Indian expression is romantic and anti-historical” was an interesting point as it calls people to the present reality and gives space for contemporary indigenous life to evolve and continue through whatever influence. Additionally, this loosens the ties of modernity colliding with tradition and allows all dimensions history to be acknowledged.  This piece emphasised the avoiding superimposition by analysing and understanding the convergence of many cultures in Latin America as opposed to a romanticised history.

Jorge Luis Borges

Borges writes in the format of a conversation. Through the format, broken grammar and vulgar language we are able to get an intimate feel for who this character is and where he is from (even though I had to remind myself this kid was not from the US due to his slang). The piece was confusing in the sense that I did not know the context very well and was slowly uncovering who the character’s were and what they were doing. Having little  knowledge on Peronism and the military acts against Jewish people, this piece was shocking. I am glad that this excerpt was my one of my first encounters with text about this history, as it depicts the depths of the men’s experience within the horrific actions. This excerpt shows how the young men passively struggle with the desire to leave and their newfound obsession with violence. The men both hate and admire their superiors; both want to escape but it seems to have become a game and where else would accept the violence they have become accustomed to? The internal dilemmas of the youth forced into service are clear in the nonchalant, chaotic but thorough way in which the character tells his story to the mysterious Nelly.

Evita Perón

This extract was articulate and passionate  however it was also contradictory and somewhat self centered. I truly admire Evita for her commitment to the people and to change. She represented the voices that were never felt or heard in a system that failed in standing for the people. She opened the eyes to many that felt powerless in the face of oligarchy and preached the immense power of the people and manipulation of the wealthy/government. Although I do agree with many points and aspects that Evita brought to light, I am also sceptical due to her endless love for Perón and her contradictions. I question how much she believed in due to his perceptions of the world. Additionally, this excerpt seems to promote Perón and keep the people on his side even in Evita’s death.

Kyra Fay– I grew up on the islands of Indonesia but my mother is Filipina and my father is from the US. Being a third culture kid (TCK) has allowed me to view the world through the many lenses of “cultures” including the culture created within TCKs .  This has lead to my innate curiosity with culture and human relationship to it.

I am one in the sea of many undeclared arts students; but I am leaning towards Visual Anthropology with a minor in Visual Arts. I enjoy photography, music, art, travelling, and existential angst.

I took a gap year last year where in I worked and then travelled to 4 countries in Latin America! My personal experiences in travelling have brought me to the LAST 201 class in UBC to understand Latin  American culture further.

Con mucho gusto.