April 2023 – Topics in Hispanic Literature

I’m really glad I took this course; it’s taught me so much and met the playful expectations I had when I learned that it was called hopscotch and drinks were involved. Unfortunately, I didn’t realize how difficult it would be to actually get a hold of most of the beverages but I did manage to watch the lectures and always sip along… even some of the relevant drinks a couple times, the beer, the milk, the hot chocolate, my substituted Marinda for a Fanta. Overall, this course has been different from every course I’ve taken in so many positive ways. From working backwards in choosing our grade and corresponding adventure to being able to just take a week off really put me in charge of my own learning and made me more accountable for my education. It’s also opened me up to content (readings, movies, music) I would unlikely have picked up on my own and actually really enjoyed some of them. Once I got past the first couple of readings and got into the routine, I actually looked forward to my reading days. I’ve also somehow come to see myself picking up a book and reading for pleasure now. I’d say the most important things I’ve learned are how to approach, enjoy and discuss new approaches to reality and storytelling.

The high stakes of the contract and need to take handwritten notes are where I have the dilemma as to whether they were positive or not. I know losing two whole letter grades really made me push myself to new limits to get the work done on time. However, I gotten off to a rough start, as the formatting of the course was different so I missed the first deadlines and a an additional one, waking up the next morning realizing my submission hadn’t gone through. These were both pretty major blows. In addition, finishing the semester without almost any notes on the discussions really doesn’t make me feel prepared to write an exam. If I could recommend any changes for a future delivery of the course so students are more likely to succeed, I would suggest, including specific due dates (day & month) in the contract in addition to the week number, allow typed notes and a transparent one or two strike system to the contract. Just to end it off, these things don’t take away from the course being one of the most fulfilling I’ve taken during my degree at UBC. Thank you to Professor Beasley-Murray, Daniel and my fellow classmates for making this such a positive experience.

This week’s reading, Papi by Indiana Rita was definitely the hardest reading for me this term. Perhaps it may have been too complicated or unfamiliar. I found that the non-linear narration made it very difficult for me to follow along with and made the story more confusing than I think it need to be. It was difficult to get a footing on the story, right off the bat the story started off in the present jumps to her childhood and teen years then back to the present day. In contrast to Nellie Campobello’s Catucho, which was also narrated from the point of view of a child, the main characters narration jumps between thoughts, flash backs and dream sequences while providing too many unnecessary details that end up drowning out and prolong the story. For this reason, I also kind of dreaded that it was from the perspective of a child rather than being able to appreciate it for adding dimension to the story.

To speak on the question Professor Beasley-Murray brings up during the lecture, it seems to me, the daughter looks at her father like he’s her hero, her protector, one who can do nothing wrong. She believes him to be like the image she’s formed in her imagination; superior to everyone else dad because he has all of these things and is celebrated by some people. She maintains her undying loyalty to her father that doesn’t really deserve it because of her struggling relationship with her mother and a need for something more. Her father seems to care about her as his child but isn’t very involved or consistent. Seeing as there was an instant her mother used her as a pawn to get a TV out of him, he may be keeping his distance as she can be used to manipulate him. I think this novel really highlights the importance of the father-daughter bond and the influence it can have on shaping a child’s sense of self and belonging. Throughout her search for him, finding him and learning about him, she begins to understand the world, her place in it and how the relationship around her have shaped her life.

Since I personally found the novel fairly confusing, as my question for discussion I’d like to ask; How did you interpret the story? What kind of message do you think Rita Indian was trying to get across in publishing this novel?

Month: April 2023

Conclusions

Rita Indiana, Papi