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.
I totally agree with ur descriptions of Arguedas. The cycles seem to be symbolic of the cycles seen in south american indigenous cultures, same with the moon/sun
I liked “The Pongo’s Dream” too; it was a fairly straightforward and easy read, and I thought the ending was quite humorous and like you said, preached that ‘what goes around, indeed comes back around’.
I found ‘The Legend of the Crystal Mask’ much easier to follow too, as it didn’t jump from one imagery to another, like ‘Legend of the Singing Tablets’. I found the theme really interesting, considering even today, most of our science-fiction movies deal with the same basic concept: man’s own creations leading to its ultimate death (Avengers, Terminator, The Matrix, Ex Machina, the list goes on). I also found ‘Legend of the Silent Bell’ intriguing, especially the theme about religious fanaticism, struggles between indigenous and Spanish identity and the betrayal of Christians.