Portfolio: A01176802 @coolmadeforschool-blog - Tumblr Blog

The challenge

Carlos Castañeda A01176799

Ximena Arrache A0117602

Do you consider the challenge by Mario Vargas Llosa to be a celebration of masculine/macho culture? Or the opposite? Provide reasons from your opinion with references to the text.

We do not consider this text to be a celebration of masculinity rather than an exaggeration of what masculinity does, and the pressure that men receive to be and act a certain way in order to preserve their masculinity. An example that we would like to use from the text that clarifies this point is in the text (page 339) During the fight, When the gimp is asking Leonidas to make Justo give up, but instead what he responds is "shut up and fight". We discussed this particular bit of this text in class and the discussion turned around topics of masculinity being worth more than any other thing for a man, Leonidas wanting his son to fight and most probably die, rather than letting him leave but loosing his reputation. Masculinity has become more than a classification for genitals, even on society today. Masculinity is symbol that a men should keep up high for society. This symbol will able him to interact with the group and will separate him from the ones that are yet to demonstrate their masculinity or have given up on it.

A very old man with enormous wings.

Research magical realism and provide a definition (list the sources you use to arrive at this definition) painting in a meticulously realistic style of imaginary or fantastic scenes or images. (source: merriam webster dictionary)

List the elements of the story and its description which you would associate with magical realism: As my classmates discussed during the presentation, magical realism can be found with the old man with wings and his curative powers, and also with the woman that gets turned into a spider.

What are the different ideas that the people have about how to deal with the very old man? Some think that he is an angel, although that is never confirmed nor denied throughout the story, and others question the wings he had and were scared of him.

How is he treated in the end? (List all the ways) people use him to get better and feel younger, or healthier.

What does the church contribute to the story and the old man’s treatment? The church is present with characters such as the priest, and we can see the story has a heavy catholic background.

Is there any evidence in the text that he is in fact an angel, or any evidence that he is not? the priest in the story warns his fellow villagers that “the devil had the bad habit of making use of carnival tricks […]” making it seem as he is not an angel but a spawn of devil. we also know about the old medicine woman “who knew everything about life and death […]” and announced him as an angel, in the story there is no real definition of him as an angel or not.

How would you compare this story with Filiberto’s experience with Chac Mool? Both encounter a character that at the beggining seems to not have any abilities and seems harmless, and the outsiders do not understand, and throughout the story it becomes clear that this character is actually very powerful.

What do you take away from the story? What is there to be learnt? People will see in things what they want to see, even if thats a good or a bad thing, ideologies are all around us and the perspective we take on the people and things around us afect our sorroundings as well.

Partial Essay

Ximena Arrache

A01176802

Tecnologico de Monterrey

Emma Freeman

Partial essay

During this essay, I will be discussing two particular texts viewed in class, and although they seem to have nothing to do with each other, I think both give a bigger meaning to the writing and its subjectiveness can both express ideologies and assumptions that i find fascinating. The first text I will be discussing is Alberto Blanco’s “La raíz cuadrada del cielo” this book full of poems is also full of humor and possibilities for endless interpretations. The second text I will analize is Carlos Fuentes’ Chac-Mool, This second text is a lot less open for suggestion as it is a story that transparently relates to Latin American culture and colonialism, although it does not explicitly say so, it shows a clever twist on history and has a very colorful play on its characters.

“La

ciencia

me enseñó

Que

el sol no es

El centro del universo;

El sol

Me enseñó

que la ciencia tampoco.”

(Blanco, A. 2016 “La raíz cuadrada del cielo”)

This is the starting poem for Alberto Blanco’s La raíz cuadrada del cielo, and it's the perfect introduction, it's a simple text, if you read it, but its meaning has a further message. He refers to science throughout all of his poems in this book, but most of this “science” he speaks of, he also plays with and gives every word a different or even at times a double meaning. Science taught me that the sun is not the center of the universe; The sun taught me that science isn't either.

We all had science class growing up, which means at some point we learned that the sun is the center of our solar system, but we also know our solar system isn't the center of the whole universe but merely a simple small part of it. The sun and its impact and powerful energy, its significance to us as human beings, is also a metaphor for a life outside the study of science, life itself without giving it a bigger or strict meaning. During an interview with Kimberly A. in Las formas del instante, Entrevista con Alberto Blanco, The author or la raíz cuadrada del cielo said: “Aquí se trata de la raíz cuadrada del cielo. Evidentemente la raíz cuadrada del cielo es la tierra. Y todo esto tiene sentido del humor. Sí, todos estos poemas tienen mucho sentido del humor. Un sentido del buen humor que, en general, les urge a los científicos.” He clarifies that his humor is present during his writing of la raíz cuadrada del cielo, a humor that is urgent to scientists. Reading through la raíz cuadrada del cielo, I became fascinated by his way of writing about time, his poems reflect a loopwhole experience when it comes to time and space, the way he expresses this is by using analogies on time and how we perceive time and how its measured, for example, there is an infinite amount of fractions of a second in a second and there is an infinite amount of seconds in time, which means there is an equal amount of milliseconds and seconds, although one infinite is bigger than the other. This and many more enigmas are presented in his poems which creates an opportunity for speculation and subjectivity in his writing.

In the other hand, Chac-Mool, written by Carlos Fuentes is a story that presents itself in many aspects that are very much alike real life history regarding colonialism. The story begins with a narrator, that in the story is or was friends with our main character which is Filbert. Filbert documents in a journal, read by the narrator, about his experiences with an ancient statue he calls the Chac-Mool, he later discovers the Chac-Mool has a life of his own and becomes interested yet a little bit scared of this instance, and although he cannot make himself capable of leaving the situation he stays and documents the whole thing. Chac-Mool starts out as an interesting entity, it is mentioned that he invested time storytelling fascinating Filbert. Later in the story the Chac-Mool becomes destructive and takes advantage of the space and resources around him, drinks wine, trashes rooms and for some reason claims an excessive amount of water. By the end of Filberts journal, he describes his plan to escape the Chac-Mool, a plan we know has failed and ended with Filberts life. Although there is more to the story, the main aspects of it are very clear to me, specially the aspects that relate to the real life events that this story foreshadows. The Chac-Mool represents Latin american culture and people while Filbert, is in representation of the real life colonization, but here is where the story takes a twist as its the Chac-Mool who “colonizes” Filbert, the steps for this colonization are the same, at the beginning the perpetrator starts out as nice and makes Filbert treat him as a god, in exchange for stories and knowledge the Chac-Mool offered, but then as history goes, the colonizer takes advantage of resources and land, which in this case was the house and the wine, and forces labor out of the resident.

While it is not explicitly declared that this comparison is on purpose, and as well as Alberto Blancos poetry, anyone could have subjectively understood a different story to the reading, the resemblance to real life and the message it portrays by changing the roles of its characters is very powerful.

Carlos Fuentes, Chac Mool

Who narrates the story/How is the story narrated?

The story is narrated both by Filbert and Filberts “friend” reading into his journal.

Who is Filiberto? What does he do? What class is he from? What might he represent?

Filbert is the narrator of a diary that documents his relationship with the Chac Mool, he works at an office and lives at his inherited house

What is a Chac Mool?

As stated in the story, Chac Mool is a Mayan god of rain, especially important in the arid Yucatan region.

How does what you find coincide and not coincide with the descriptions given in Fuentes’ story?

Fuentes does describe his relation to thunder and rain, the text also refers to his relation with tlaloc.

Who was the Le Plongeon referred to on pg 5?

Le Plongeon is referred to as the one who discovered Chac Mool, and put him in contact, physically, with men of other symbols.

How can we interpret Fuentes’ re-telling of Le Plongeon’s act?

Fuente interprets Le plongeons act as if he was just a mere passage in Chac Mools story and nothing further than than in helping him contact the men “of other symbols”.

What does the line “El sabe de la inminencia del hecho estético” mean?

It means he resents being treated as decoration, this part of the tex is what made me think, this is what it meant. “His spirit has lived in pitcher and storm, naturally; his stone is something else, and to have taken it from its hiding place is artificial and cruel. I think that Chac Mool will never forgive it.”

Describe the Chac mool. What is he like physically? What is his personality like?

He is described to be yellow, almost as a goldish color, with a big belly (that smelled bad) he is described to be tolerable at first but then he is described as a nightmare, wild and dangerous, destructive and selfish.

How do you interpret the description of the “indio amarillo” in the final paragraph? What does it mean?

I interpreted it as nothing more than a reassurance that it was the Chac Mool that he encountered as he was previously described as golden yellow.

Is this story an allegory? What allegorical readings might be possible?

This story might be an allegory in many ways, it could be represented as a “invasion” or “colonization” of the Chac Mool (Mexican Indians) and Filbert (The conquistators) but with the tables turned around, as in here, the one that comes and rules at first with “kindness” and then simply ruling for their own purpose is represented in Chac Mool.

Do you find any relationship between this story and Paz’ essays?

I think both authors write using Mexico's history, culture and legends and turn them into literary expressions of their own storytelling abilities, it is also known that both authors had an admiration and continuous communication between each other.

On whether Poniatowska's text should be considered literature or not

I can see why, some might not consider it literature, as the authors have a very informal way or telling their stories. The reason why I said “some might not” is because I know, Literature is art, and art is subjective, If you feel something, if you understand it, if it tells a story, it could as well be considered literature. Other might not consider it literature because it has compilations of different points of view, even if they are short, or very opinionated, even so if they aren't for story telling or science fiction rather than just observations. I think anything thats written down and transmits a message can be considered literature if your mind is open to it.

El poder de la lectura, la pasion de leer, que implica el poder contar una historia? La conferencia muestra los distintos puntos de vista y caminos que cada una de las autoras/escrioras, ha vivido. // the power of reading, the passion it takes to read, what does it mean to have the power to tell a story? This conference explored different points of view and the different ways to get where these authors have been. Although i am not a literature student i have aleays had a passion for storytelling and readings, fantasy mostly. And i always thought if i didnt study i couldnt but that isnt always the case.

#platicalaraizdelcielo #emmafreeman

Cancion Amarga

Space- Lineation: This section asks que question, what is the figure of the poem of the page? Canción amarga has a line by line structure with spacing between paragraphs.

Grammar- Punctuation: Cancion amarga is heavily punctuated as it Utilizes exclamation points as pause signs and mood settlers throughout the poem. An example of this is at the beginning of the poem “¡Ay! ¡Juguemos,”

Diction- Syntax_ Figurative Language: In the poem we figure things out by the way things are written, for example when it says “juguemos al rey y la reina” the word Reina, signifies that the person writing the poem is a “she” as it is specified that “Hijo mio” is referring to her son.

Sound-Texture: Cancion amarga has alliterations, assonances and words that are written as sounds like “ay”

Mariachi - Juan Villoro

-Interview with Brenda-

What does she want with Julian?

Well, ive been thinking about that myself, throughout my life I have not been fond of mariachis, their music, the way they dress, look, sound, talk... it just doesnt go with me.. But then I go ahead and meet Julian, you know... Ive been debating this too, to think id fall for a mariachi after years of despising the general direction upon which they exist? nah Id rather disappearor crawl outta this earth ... although there is something about him that seems interesting to me, atractive even, and although im not looking to share with him the rest of my life “there is no day like the present” i like to say. Does it bother you that I dont want to talk much about Julian? Id rather talk about myself too you know im a completely separate person from him, but oh well, I guess this interview IS about him right? what can I do, thats just how great he can be.

Does she want a relationship with him?

Do i? Probably not to be honest, I like spending time with him. My personality is a little strong for him, I like to think of myself as a natural disaster, Im very passionate about what I do when I do it.. did I ever tell you about that time I spent all day chasing tarantulas all for a Job? its true I did that. Julian to me is a game of control between my hatred for mariachis, his reminding me so much of why I left Guadalajara to begin with, and my interest in him as a person, his attitude doesnt quite match your general Mariachi, if you know what I mean.

Why does she name the movie Guadalajara?

As you already know, Im from Guadalajara, and even though I originally left that place as an attempted escape from mariachis and their music, and what it meant to me. That memory and those experiences haunt me wherever I go, so id rather turn that around and make it mine... Im not sure im making myself clear... im not, am i? Let me try to explain.. so ive had superficial and personal experiences with mariachis, since I was a kid and living in guadalajara and even today... as you already know, and im trying to put into words what that conflict means to me, what the shame feels like but also kind of owning up to it? Its an artists job to be subjective to their art I guess.

Los hijos de la malinche

Part of the text you enjoyed and why:

I really liked the introduction, because it gave me a sense of pride and belonging. “This phrase is a true battle cry, charged with a peculiar electricity; it is a challenge and an affirmation, a shot fired against an imaginary enemy, and an explosion in the air.” (Paz. O p1)

But then I kept on reading as I understood little by little just how different a meaning it has when you understand why its so powerful to say “hijo de la chingada” Octavio Paz transforms this insult and gives it a deeper meaning... by being an hijo de la chingada you are the result of a violation, an aggression to your mother, the result of violence. “Chingar, then, is to do violence to another. The verb is masculine, active, cruel: it stings, wounds, gashes, stains. And it provokes a bitter, resentful satisfaction.” (Paz. O p4)

After reading and understanding the comparisons and history behind every insult, belief, and story attached to our history and culture you come to understand who the “no one” forgotten one really is and by that i mean “la chingada” or well.. “If the Chingada is a representation of the violated Mother, it is appropriate to associate her with the Conquest, which was also a violation, not only in the historical sense but also in the very flesh of Indian women. The symbol of this violation is Doña Malinche, the mistress of Cortés.” (Paz. O p6)

#A01176802

Female Archetypes in Rosario Castellanos' "Cooking Lesson"

The woman she wants to be: “a woman who lives by herself in an apartment in New York, Paris or London. her occasional affairs entertain her but do not change her. She is not sentimental, after a breakup scene she lights a cigarette”

The woman her husband can posses : “i moaned, from the tearing and the pleasure, the classic moan, Myths, Myths.” / “id like to whisper my name in your ear to remind you of who it is that you are possessing”

The woman she thinks she has to be: “i transform myself into a society matron, who gives luncheons and dinners for my husbands friends, attending meetings, subscribing to the opera season, watches her wight, renwes her wardrobe”

The woman she is attempting to be: “oh experienced housewife, inspiration for mothers here and gone, voice of tradition”

#women #housewife #castellanos

Open Veins of Latin America

"Lust for Gold"

How do the Spanish conquerers describe Latin America and its inhabitants?

To quote the text seen in class "America was the best kingdom of the devil, its redemption imposible or doubtful" (p.13) and "Columbus still believed he was in the China Sea when he was off the coast of Venezuela. This did not prevent him from reporting that an endless land which was earthly paradise extended from there." (p. 14)Spanish conquerers saw latin America as an opportunity for them rather than an actual civilization, they did not believe its inhabitants to be completely human as they inferred that they did not have a soul.

Ximena Arrache A01176802 Carlos Castañeda A01176799

#conquerers latinamerica

Hall Foucault Power, Knowledge and Discourse.

What is the relationship of discourse to power?

In simple words, foucault described the relationship of discourse and the words we use and the context that we use them in as a sign of “power” in a way he expresses that Knowledge in a sense is power.

What new conception of power does Foucault give us?

He argued that not only is knowledge always a form of power but that power is implicated in the questions of whether and in what circumstances knowledge is to be applied or not.

Why does Foucault’s work impact the traditional conception of the subject?

To quote the author of the reading, in an attempt of better explaining his impact on the traditional conception of the subject: Foucault “focused on the relationship of knowledge and power, and how power operated within what he called an apparatus and its technologies”(Hall. S, 1997)

#hallfoucault questions readingsforschool

Portfolio Starts Here.

What are some advantages and disadvantages of English as a business language?

Tecnologico de Monterrey

LACU

Sandra Paola López Salazar (A01176649)

Emma Freeman

24-11-17

What are some advantages and disadvantages of English as a business language?

“The fastest-spreading language in human history, English is spoken at a useful level by some 1.75 billion people worldwide—that’s one in every four of us.” (Global Business Speaks English, Tsedal Neeley). Over the years, the English language has taken power over the world, year by year the number of speakers has increased significantly, making this language one of the most worldwide speaking language (as a second language) (The world’s languages, in 7 maps and charts, Rick Noack and Lazaro Gamio). With this being said, there are more strong advantages than disadvantages using the English as a business language.

“Multinational companies are mandating English as the common corporate language—Airbus, Daimler-Chrysler, Fast Retailing, Nokia, Renault, Samsung, SAP, Technicolor, and Microsoft in Beijing, to name a few” (Global Business Speaks English, Tsedal Neeley). Many companies are adopting English as their official business language. Harvard Business Review’s article, Global Business Speaks English, explains many companies are starting to use English as their official language of business. The article states that adapting English as a corporative strategy is a must and sooner than later, every company will have to do the same if they want to compete over other companies to make business with other countries companies. Speaking the same language in business is essential for companies to communicate worldwide without language barriers, and English is their best shot. St. George International estimates that at the moment there are approximately 1.5 billion

people that speaks English, “In 2015, out of the total 195 countries in the world, 67 nations have English as the primary language of 'official status'. Plus there are also 27 countries where English is spoken as a secondary 'official' language.” (How Many People In The World Speak English? St. George International). However, there are also disadvantages. Harvard Business Review’s article, Global Business Speaks English also states that employers might resist the change from their mother tongue to English. It also states that employers might feel their pronunciation is not well, so they may redraw and not speak the language. “The expansion of English to non-native speakers does not include culture” (The Disadvantages of Using the English Language in the Global Business World, Galia Ellinsky), it can be understand by this citation that there might be cultural barriers between the two companies in debate, “because they acquired it only as a communication tool and not as part of their culture or history”. A cultural barrier could be seen as a big disadvantage in terms of business, and can lead to bigger problems.

In conclusion, more and more people are speaking English worldwide, this language is estimated to continue growing and gaining power with time, and there is no sign for it to end. Even though there are some clear disadvantages by using this language as a principal business language in a company, the results of using English as a business language is a must and good strategy in this globalized world. I can say that there are more good outcomes when using the English language as a business language, than disadvantages.

Bibliography

Neeley, T. (2014, July 31). Global Business Speaks English. Retrieved November 20, 2017, from https://hbr.org/2012/05/global-business-speaks-english

Clark, D. (2015, April 09). English - The Language of Global Business? Retrieved November 20, 2017, from https://www.forbes.com/sites/dorieclark/2012/10/26/english-the-language-of-global-business/

Ellinsky, G. (2016, May 23). The Disadvantages of Using the English Language in the Global Business World. Retrieved November 21, 2017, from http://www.relocationsrc.com/rsrcen-media-story-207329

Noack, R., & Gamio, L. (2015, April 23). The world’s languages, in 7 maps and charts. Retrieved November 22, 2017, from https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2015/04/23/the-worlds-languages-in-7-maps-and-charts/?utm_term=.2046b7a5260d

St George International Ltd. (n.d.). Retrieved November 22, 2017, from http://www.stgeorges.co.uk/blog/learn-english/how-many-people-in-the-world-speak-english

How Much Spanish and English Have Influenced Themselves?

Ricardo Mendoza

How much Spanish and English have influenced themselves?

For most years, Spanish and English cultures have had their differences by the idea that both of them have been uniting, or at least having a codependent relationship. Most people think of Spanish as an intruder in countries like the United Sates and so on, but what is most insightful about learning of the roll of Spanish in places like this, is that it presents you a view of history that might make people see both languages and cultures differently. My intent is to establish an idea of how much Spanish has given to English, and how relevant has been this “intruder” in the origins of English culture.

Throughout recent times Spanish and English hadn’t liked each other due to several differences in culture, and also by different problems like migration from places like Mexico to the United States. As you go into the US, you can see how Spanish has been very relevant in the country’s growth. In some places you must have a very big understanding of the so-called “Spanglish”, which is when someone talks in English and used certain phrases in Spanish, and vice versa. Spanglish can be seen as an idiolect (creation of a dialect from two different languages) to adapt to a place that is not the one you have known your whole life. This has brought certain debates about how Spanish is developing in the US, and how detrimental or positive it is. “Spanglish may also be considered a Spanish-English interlanguage as it represents the linguistic border between Mexico and the United States.” 1(Ardila 2005:66). Spanglish is more than just a dialect, it is a way to understand the “union” of two countries. This might be seen as if Spanish culture is trying to overlap English as a whole, but that is not the case. Distinctively, Spanish has been present in the United States far long than from recent times. It has given much things to English that it is not a detrimental thing to have Spanish-speaking people and culture in the US, rather, it is something positive for the growth of English as a whole.

Spanish has given English much attributes as well as English has done the same for Spanish, but this is not something recent. “From the Columbus time to the 19th century, Spanish was the official language of most of the actual South and West of the US.”2 This lets us see that Spanish has not come up on the English culture recently, rather, it has been helping it develop, and vice versa. The relationship between them is a codependent one, since both of them exchange certain type of words between them, certain expressions, and as well as detailed ways of pronunciation of lexis. Each of these traits can be seen when you listen closely to the way in which certain words are employed in English, like “guerilla”. This is a Spanish word for “guerrilla”(ge-rri-ya), which has been adapted to English with almost the same definition. There are much more words that have been adapted from one language to another, and lets us understand that each of them has had such an impact on each other that they were capable to modify their vocabulary, and in a sense “complete it”. There are times when an English expression might make more sense in a Spanish context, and as well as a Spanish word might make more sense in an English context.

English has been adapting to the way in which Spanish comes within its reach. It has taken several words from the Spanish vocabulary, therefore making a much more detailed vocabulary. Even though Spanish has been seen in the US as something detrimental, “ the US is considered to have the fourth largest Spanish population in the world, after Mexico, Colombia and Spain.”3If Spanish is so detrimental, then why it is growing so much in the US? There is no doubt that Spanish has been having such a big influence on English, but as well English has had such a big influence on Spanish, since both of them complete themselves to create a better and much more complete way to express yourself.

English – A Bridge Language http://www.diacronia.ro/ro/indexing/details/A2888/pdf

Evolution and Influence of the Spanish Language in US English http://researchomnia.blogspot.mx/2014/07/evolution-and-influence-of-spanish.html

Evolution and Influence of the Spanish Language in US English. http://researchomnia.blogspot.mx/2014/07/evolution-and-influence-of-spanish.html

Trending Blogs

Recently Viewed Blogs

Portfolio: A01176802