Entre Nos Response-A Struggling Immigrant Family

Entre Nos is a heartwarming film that truly brings awareness to the struggles that face immigrants in the United States. The story takes place in Queens. When a mother of two children is abandoned by her husband, she does her best to provide for her children. They are left with nothing, and the mother, Mariana, struggles to find work. She had only been in the United States for a short time, and had to resort to living on the streets. Marian finally finds a way to make money, and the movie slowly, but surely begins providing glimpses of hope and encouragement.

                One of the most touching moments in the film, is when Mariana’s young son sees a school and looks at it through a fence. You are immediately confronted with the fact that Gabriel yearns for an education, and a normal life, but is faced with the impossibility of his desire. As a child, Gabriel has to take over for his family, and do his best to take care of them. He does not seem to be bitter, even through everything he has to bear.

                The characters did a fabulous job of pulling the audience in, and expressing their true feelings in any given scene. In the movie, Mariana was not able to speak very good English, which was probably the biggest obstacle. I wanted so badly to be able to translate for her! The film felt so real, and the characters seemed so helpless. It was truly an eye-opening film. Mariana does a fabulous job at acting out the scenes with her children. For their sake, she does her best to keep positive and keep them busy.

                The music throughout the film is very sorrowful and heartbreaking, just like the story. It provides an emotional tone for the audience, and a sense of pity for the family. The scenery is extremely dirty and empty. The movie is very suspenseful, and brings on emotions of anxiety, anger, and sadness. I would highly recommend this movie to anyone, especially someone who might be better off than most. I think that in the midst of life, we forget how many are less fortunate.

A Mexican Love Story-"Like Water for Chocolate Film Response

                The film titled “Like Water for Chocolate” is an extraordinary movie centered around love, food, and traditions. In the beginning of the story, in Mexico, the main character named TIta is born. Tita’s father dies of heart attack after he discovers that his second child, Gertrudis, is not his own. From the start, Tita spent most of her time in the kitchen with the cook, Nacha. When Tita falls in love with a man named Pedro, her mother forbids her to marry him. According to her family tradition, Tita’s mother, Elena, informs Tita that she will never marry. Instead, Tita is told she will be forced to care for her mother until her death. Elena, cruelly offers her other daughter, Rosaura, to Pedro instead of Tita. Pedro agrees to marry Rosaura in order to be closer to Tita. 

                Throughout the movie, Tita and Pedro go through many struggles and obstacles that keep them apart. The emotions and feelings that come along with their conflict are enhanced with the use of food and magical realism. For instance, when Tita is forced to prepare the wedding cake for Pedro and Rosaura’s wedding, she is so broken-hearted that she cries into the cake batter. The next day, when the guests eat the dessert, they all begin crying for their lost loves. This results in the entire party getting sick. Probably one of the most intense scenes of the movie happened when Tita cooked a delicious quail dinner that included the roses she had received from Pedro. After her family ate the meal, Gertrudis found herself excited sexually. This was Tita’s way of showing Pedro her passion for him.

                Overall, the movie included elegance, strict/proper behavior, and beauty. “Like Water for Chocolate” emphasized high emotions and captures a romantic, considerate audience. Anyone who has struggled with love could surely relate to this film. The magical realism played a large role in the film. Just enough was added to create an interesting story, but it was not too overboard. This film plays with the readers emotions, and allows the audience to develop strong feelings either for or against the characters in the story.  Another key element of the film is its dramatic, romantic music. The movie provides all aspects of a romantic, passionate environment. “Like Water for Chocolate” is an incredible Mexican love story.

Esquivel Response

Esquivel's novel "Like Water for Chocolate" is extremely different than any otehr novel I have ever read in other literature classes. Esquivel's writing kept me intrigued with the romance and passion she incorporated in her novel. I literally could not put the book down. I developed strong relationships with the characters in "Like Water for Chocolate", especially Tita.

Though it seems silly now, when I was younger, my parents forbid me to see a boy who I cared deeply for. Thought it was under different circumstances, I felt deeply hurt and wanted to run away so badly. In a way, I think this helped me connect with Tita on a personal leve. The hurt that I felt a few years ago that had bottled up inside of me came pouring out to the surface, and I completely related to Tita. How devistating it must have been to be forbidden to be with the man she so passionately loved. Moreover, how awful she must have felt seeing her sister marry her true love.

Unlike Tita, the man I was kept from seeing was most definitely not my true love. In fact, it is obvious to me now that my parents did me a favor, forcing me to drop all communication with him. This is far from the truth in Tita's case. Her mother was an angry, bitter, selfish woman who kept Tita from being happy. In any case, the way I feel now doesn't change the broken heart I once had. Tita most surely must have felt betrayed, and frustrated.

One thing I found interesting in the story was the use of magical realism. I found myself accepting the impossible because I felt so entranced in the novel. For example, in the beginning of "Like Water for Chocolate", Tita is born on the family's kitchen table. The author writes that Tita was born with so many tears, that there was nearly a flood ing the house on the ranch. The tears evaporated by the next day, but the salt from the tears was saved for cooking. In addition, another example is when Tita's sister Rosaras is unable to feed her baby naturally. Tita takes matters into her own hands, and when the baby does not accept anything that Tita prepares for him, Tita gives the baby her own breast. Surprisingly, her body produces the milk for the baby. Obviously, in the real world, something like this would not be possible. However, because Esquivel presents this occurance amongst real life situations, I was able to accept it and move on.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading Esquivel's writing, and truly understood the information in the novel. She was very clear, and I loved the way the recipes were incorporated in the book. The magical realism used throughout the book gave an interesting, yet subtle twist to the story. I enjoyed the romance, and honestly, I didn't notice the absence of most male characters until after analyzing the story.

Allende Response

In Allende's novel "Zorro", I felt intrigued by the graphic writing. This type of graphic novel is so much fun to read because you literally get a visual of what the author is trying to portray, as well as an image of the way Allende wanted the characters to look. It is especially helpful in the beginning, when you are distinguishing who the different characters are in the book. The text is extremely different than anything I have ever read before. I found it a little confusing in some ways, however, because Allende goes back and forth between Zorro's childhood, and the actions of Zorro in the future.

One part of "Zorro" that I felt was hard to read were the incidences that happened with Diego and his friend Bernardo's mothers. I felt pity for the young boys who were forced to witness their mothers horrible deaths. I was also terrified for their mothers, who were extremely corageous in their own ways. It is hard to hear about circumstances like those, and they truly terrify me. I also became uneasy when I read about Bernardo's treatment due to the color of his skin. It makes me feel so sad to see that people can be so shallow to others, just because they are of a different race. For instance, when the boys arrived to Spain, Diego's caretaker explained, "But what am I to do with this Indian boy? We had enough of his kind before we left California!"

Not only was Diego's friend, Bernardo, criticized for his differences, but others were as well. There were also other incidences while the boys were growing up that disgusted me. It was upsetting to me that the boys witnessed the beating of a young woman who had done nothing. The men beating her were flogging her because her father had not paid his taxes. Not only is it disturbing that they had to witness the unfortunate events that took place, but the events were unjust, and horrible. These are just the men that Diego was looking to remove from power.

I respect Diego so much in the story for his heroic actions, and I love reading stories in which there is a hero to give the "bad guys" what they deserve. However, I felt myself urging Diego to tell his father that he was the man responsible for helping to better the their home. Instead, he lied to his father, and pretended to be uninterested in the problems accumilating in the place he grew up. In response, Diego's father was saddened, and said, "You will excuse me for the rest of the evening, Diego. I suddenly feel... Ill to my stomach!"

"Zorro" was exceptionally intoxicating, and I enjoyed the graphic nature of the novel. The story was very detailed, and allowed you to develop a relationship with the main characters at the beginning. Also, the text provided reasons for the readers to develop a strong dislike towards the characters that Zorro was trying to eliminate. I found this story even more appealing than those without pictures, because I got a true feel for what the author was trying to reveal.

Borges Response

Borges writing is very interesting. I had a little difficulty understanding every detail of his stories, but I found them a little upsetting. Personally, I like stories with happy endings, and Borges stories aren't exactly fairy tales. In the ending of "The Gospel According to Mark", the main character is put to death by the people he thinks are his friends. I was left with so many questions and felt completely sorrowful. It is hard for me to enjoy a story that involves such distressing events.

However, Borges was very creative and imaginative. While reading his story "Emma Zunz", I felt mesmerized by the text. My heart raced as I read closer to the end. Though I longed for a fairy tale ending, the story brought excitement to me. I enjoyed the excitement of not knowing what was coming next. Borges kept me intrigued and interested in all of his stories in that way. So though they weren't happy endings, I guess in the end I found that stories still can be fascinating even with sad endings.

I think that one of the reasons I dislike the stories with sad endings is because I relate the sad events to things that have happened in my own life. In "Emma Zunz", Emma takes someones life due to rage. In my own life, I have watched some of the lives of people I love taken away because of anger, stupidity, or carelessness. For example, a friend of mine was hit by a drunk driver and killed. My friend was an amazing person, and did not deserve to have her life taken away. I hate reading stories that bring up past events and emotions in my own life, bringing up old skeletons.

Borges's short story "The Gospel According to Mark", sparked a special interest in me. Borges wrote, "Leafing through the volume, his fingers opened it at the beginning of the Gospel according to St. Mark." This was a neat way for me to relate to the story, because I was able to connect it with my religion. I understood the story well because of its relation to the Bible. Borges wrote with a creative mind, and surprisingly, I found his stories interesting and entertaining.

Marquez Response

  Reading Marquez's story, "A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings", I felt that the situation was extremely bizarre. Finding an old man in your backyard seemed impossible to me. However, I was intrigued by the story, and became interested in the tale. I think that both of the stories that we read by Marquez had hidden meanings. He put a lot of work in capturing the true behavior of our imperfect beings. In "A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings", I felt so much sorrow for the poor old man that was kept in the chicken coop. He had done nothing to deserve such horrible treatment from the people in the town. In fact, after creating miracles, and creating a better life for the family that found him, they still could not see the positive impact the old man with wings had on them. When he left, the family felt relieved, and that really bothered me. They never said thank you, or treated him with much kindness. They treated him as an outsider, even though their beliefs told them to treat everyone equally. However, I really could relate to the message that Marquez was sending through his story. Marquez designed the story to show how hypocritical we are as human beings. In my own life, I can really understand this type of act. I grew up in a church that taught me to love everyone equally, but at the same time, they would "shun" people for making mistakes. The church really hurt me with their hypocritical ways, and I left because of it.
  In the story, "The Handsomest Drowned Man in the World", Marquez has a similar message. When the dead man appears in the town, the entire town begins to see him with jealous eyes. Though they have no idea what kind of life he lives, or where he lives it, they see him as being perfect. They do this because they are so obsessed with beauty and possessions. The people in the story are so much like people today; always wanting more. We are never satisfied with what we already have, and it is never enough. In my own life, I see my father acting a lot in this way. He has a wonderful, loving family, however, he is never satisfied. Even though he has a great job, a nice home, and so much more than a lot of people, it is never enough for him. It is a sad way to live, and can only hurt the people in your own life. My favorite quote from the story says, "But only when they finished cleaning him off did they become aware of the kind of man he was and it left them breathless". This quote from the story really shows the ignorance of the women in the story. The man gave them hope for a "better life". Though I felt both of Marquez's stories were bizarre, I truly appreciate the messages in them.

The Continuitiy of Parks Response

  Like the character in "The Continuity of Parks", written by Julio Cortazar, once I begin reading a book, it is hard for me to put it down. As I'm reading, I get lost in the text, and imagine myself inside of the story. When Cortazar begins establishing magical realism in his short story, I had a very hard time accepting it. I am such a "realist" that it was extremely hard for me to go along with the two worlds coming together. After getting past the twist, and imagining that the man was really reading about his own murder, I felt sadness and sorrow for the man in the green velvet chair. He did nothing to deserve his fate, and I felt myself wanting to jump in and save him. For me, the most emotional line of Cortazar's short story was, "The door of the salon and then the knife in his hand, the light from the great windows, the high back of an armchair covered in green velvet, the head of the man in the chair reading a novel." This is the very last sentence of the story. I was shocked at the direction the story took, and became angry at the adulterous couple. They were the ones who should have been punished, and as far as I knew, the main character never did anything wrong!
  Cortazar did a fabulous job at making me feel a connection to the main character before presenting the magical realism. If he hadn't, I may not have had such strong opinion against the adulterous couple. I felt that this piece really impacted me because I felt that I had a pretty good understanding of the story, until the ending. At times, I was a little confused, and this story really challenged me to concentrate. I think I might enjoy reading something like this again, however, I would much rather the twist be positive! I would definitely recommend a story like this to someone who feels that everything they read seems the same. Someone, like myself, who gets bored with stories that are so predictable would really enjoy this story.