Tuesday, April 29, 2008
The Alchemist as a Bildungsroman
The Alchemist is definitely a bildungsroman. It is a story about a young man going on a journey to find his personal legend. In an instant, Santiago gave up everything he knew and owned in order to begin his quest. Even though there were many challenges and obstacles that presented themselves along the way, Santiago never lost site of his goal. He encountered things that would prevent many from moving forward, but he persevered through it all to continue searching for his personal legend. On his way, he learned that he was never alone, and there was always someone to help him along. Meeting many who have refused their own personal legend, he also learned how miserable and unfulfilled his life would have been if he had stayed in the fields and continued being a shepherd. He also falls in love, and learns what true love is when she encourages him to leave her behind so he can continue his journey. In the end, Santiago ultimately learns that finding the treasure was not his personal legend. His personal legend was the journey that he took, the things that he experienced, and the people that he had met.
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Personal Legends
A major theme in The Alchemist is that of finding one’s personal legend. A personal legend is something that is pure and good. It is the realization of this personal legend that adds to the goodness of the world. Throughout the novel, Santiago is risking everything to go in search of his personal legend. He faces many challenges along the way, but is always drawn back to his original purpose. To me, a personal legend is like a vocation. In Examined Life I, we learned that your vocation should not only be something that you do for a living, but should be a calling from God. Even though there will be many distractions and obstacles that present themselves during your journey to finding this calling, once found, it can be the sweetest reward to know that this is what you are made to do. Since our personal legends may not be as easily recognizable as Santiago’s, we have to put more trust and faith in God to guide us in the right direction. Imagine how wonderful the world could be if everyone were to find their personal legend.
The House On Mango Street as a Bildungsroman
The House On Mango Street is definitely a bildungsroman. It tells of a young girl’s struggles while growing up in an underprivileged neighborhood. Trapped in a society that has no expectations or ambitions for its’ young women, Esperanza sees the negative repercussions in her female neighbors. In addition to facing these harsh realities, Esperanza is at a transitional point in her life where she is caught between playing jump rope and becoming a young woman. Knowing that she does not want to end up like those women, Esperanza is determined to do better with her life. In the end, she learns that even if she find a way out, she will have to come back to help those that were unable to. I believe that this realization is critical in her growth and development. In a sense, Esperanza is like the man who leaves the cave and ascends the mountains in Plato’s Allegory of the Cave. On the mountaintop, the man realizes that no good can come out of his newfound knowledge if he remains on the mountain. Therefore, like him, Esperanza must return to the cave to share the things that she has learned.
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Breaking The Cycle
For me, the challenges that Esperanza faces are a lot like Janie’s. Both characters are female minorities trapped in a culture that they were born into. For Esperanza, she is surrounded by poverty and low expectations. Visions of her fate are revealed to her through the female neighbors living on her street. Some are abused by their husbands, while others are left to raise their children alone. Wanting more for herself, Esperanza is determined to break the cycle. In Janie’s situation, her fate was determined for her by her grandmother. She marries her first husband because her grandmother wanted her to have a secure life. However, in this marriage, she was treated like a mule on her husband’s farm. Ironically, Janie’s second husband placed her on a pedestal to be shown off like one of his belongings. The suffocation that Janie felt in both of these male dominated relationships forces her to hide pieces of herself away. In the end, even though she was a rich widow, and Tea Cake was a poor and younger man, Janie chooses to reject all that was expected of her to be with him. In a sense, both Esperanza and Janie are fighting to escape the life that was given to them. Both are determined to break the mold.
Monday, April 14, 2008
Wanting More
In The House On Mango Street, Esperanza’s story is a story of wanting and yearning for something better. Living in such a small and broken down house in a poor and underprivileged community, Esperanza dreams of having a better life. She does not want to belong to or be apart of Mango Street. She describes the hardships and problems of the other inhabitants that live on Mango Street. In a sense, she wants to break away and distinguish herself from her surroundings. She wants more. She is capable of more. She is unwilling to accept such a lowly way of life, and yearns for a better future. I can connect with Esperanza because like her family, my family came to this country from Vietnam. From nothing, my parents have had to work so hard to raise my two younger sisters and I in a far away land in hopes of giving us a better future. Being the first in my family to go to college, I feel that what has gotten me to this point is my wanting and yearning for something better. I have no place to go but up. To me, failure is not an option. Additionally, like Esperanza, I will never forget where I came from or the people that have touched my life.
Thursday, April 10, 2008
The Life of Pi as a Bildungsroman
The Life of Pi is a bildungsroman because of the growth and development that takes place in Pi during his experience at sea. Right from the very beginning, Pi is illustrated as a young boy who embraces the Muslim, Christian, and Hindu religion because of his love for God. Despite the religious leaders’ disapproval and his parents’ discouragement, Pi continues to be a devote follower in all three religions. Nothing really happened to him up till then that would make him doubt God. However, his faith was never truly tested until after he lost his family and was stranded at sea for 227 days. For the first time in his life, there was a brief moment where he doubted and questioned God. This is a defining moment in Pi’s life because from this doubt Pi can either stop believing in God or continue to have faith in Him in spite of the unanswered questions. Surprisingly, Pi chooses God. From that moment on, no matter how bad things got, he never questioned or doubted God again. Instead of destroying his faith, Pi’s brief moment of doubt only made him stronger. In the end, it was his faith that kept him alive.
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
The Importance of Tolerance
Pi’s encounter with “the three wisemen” on the esplanade reveals the everlasting conflict that exists between the different religions today. In class, we discussed how Pi feels that he can connect even with the atheists. The tolerance that Pi possesses for all the different religious beliefs is something to be admired. Even though there are differences, he is able to find the common thread that connects them together. In his defense after being verbally attacked by the three religious leaders, Pi simply says that he just wants to love God. It’s ironic how with all the wisdom that these men possess, it took a teenage boy to show them what it really means to believe in God. These men are leaders in their faith and are exemplars to the followers of the faith. Therefore, if they hold such negative views on other religions, it is not surprising that the believers will do the same. This is where we are going wrong. We claim that we love God and follow in His path, but the anger, misunderstanding, and hate that we have for believers of a faith different from our own reveals that we are not practicing what we preach.
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
You Gotta Have Faith
In the face of such unimaginable adversity, Pi’s loyalty to his faith is truly inspirational. Unlike many who readily declare their devotion and love for God during good times, but falter and doubt when some thing goes wrong, Pi never questioned God. His exceptional faith and love for God was revealed even before the shipwreck. In spite of the religious leaders’ protest and his family’s discouragement, Pi continued to practice Hinduism, Catholicism, and Islam. During his time at sea, Pi never questioned or blamed his misfortune on God. He never felt sorry for himself, but accepted things as they came. If anything, he turned to God when a new challenge arises. He even goes so far as to thank God when he accomplishes something. Pi’s unconditional faith and love for God is something to be admired by all who believe in a superior being. To love and believe in someone wholeheartedly the way Pi loves God is truly inspirational. His miraculous survival shows how faith is capable of overcoming even the most unimaginable calamities. He survived because his faith in God survived.
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
Going After Cacciato as a Bildungsroman
O’Brien’s Going After Cacciato is a bildungsroman because, Paul Berlin, a young American soldier who did not have a clue as to why he was fighting in the Vietnam War comes to a mental resolution as to his personal reasons for being there. Berlin entered the war because he was doing poorly in school and was drafted. Throughout the novel, he is illustrated as a soldier who mechanically and indifferently deals with the things that were happening around him to keep himself from breaking down and going insane. The only thing keeping him going is the thought of possibilities. In keeping the chase of Cacciato going in his head, he shows his yearning for an escape from the war. However, in the final scene when he has the choice of disappearing and moving on with his life or performing his duty and catching Cacciato, he chooses to keep going. Paul Berlin comes to the realization that he is fighting in the Vietnam War because he loves his family, friends, and country. He feels that it is his duty to protect all that is important to him. In the end, he has a personal purpose for being the hell that he is in.
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