Mexico: A Traveler’s Literary Companion provides a portrait of Mexico as perceived by the finest literary writers. They depict their experiences, capturing the imagination of different places. Discuss the image of Mexico in the writings. Are the authors repeating each other by reinforcing images and ideas that are known in America? Or do they depict the complexity of a country from different vistas including sociological and geographical views? Explain your answer.
49 comments:
I believe that the author's works both reinforce their ideas about Mexico and at the same time, they depict the complexity of Mexico. With their stories they managed to show Mexico in a unique way. They showed it to be a single country that has, like any where else, its own regional differences in culture, religion, etc. Through their stories, these authors showed the diversity of Mexico's citizens throughout the times, classes, and age. It is through the (sometimes conflicting) meanings and souls of their stories, that these authors show the wonders of Mexico. Despite these differences, or maybe because of, these authors managed to capture the width and breadth of Mexico’s essence. This shows that Mexico is not a country that can be quantified or stuffed into a single classification. Mexico is a country of contradictions and similarities, mixed in with just a touch of the extraordinary. With their words and their ideas, these writers showed how Mexico is one big unified country that has a large amount of complexity, which comes from all of the different people living in the country. If anyone else has anything to say, I would love to hear what they have to say.
I agree with Logan when he said Mexico is not a country that can be stuffed into a single classification. Mexico is a very big country and every region has something they are known for. Mexico has so much culture and so many different people that it would be hard to put this great country in a single classification. I noticed that in every story the one author's depiction of Mexico was somewhat different from another author's depiction of the country. I do not believe that the authors are repeating each other because in every story Mexico seems like a different place. Since almost every story takes place in a different section of Mexico then they are depicting different geographical views. Since Mexico is a fairly large country, it would make no sense for all of the authors to depict the same of view of Mexico. I like the way that this book describes all parts of Mexico and does not just describe one part. I think depicting different places in Mexico is a great way do describe Mexico as a country. If you just stick to describing just one section then that is just one piece to the puzzle of Mexico. I really like the fact that each author had a different story to tell so you can get more than one person's point of view on a certain subject.
I would first like to start of by saying Mexico is a very good book, once you get past the first essay. I think that those who say they do not like the book will start to, because the first essay starts off very slow. I agree with Logan and Lauryn when they say that Mexico can not be classified with one description. Mexico is a huge country, and has a very diverse culture. Over the years, through diffusion, Mexicans have developed different ways of life. They have even grown accustom to the English language. I think that each author felt the need to express what about Mexico was important to them. I am almost certain that some people may have similar likes and dislikes, which may have caused the repetition of some aspects of the Mexican culture. However, if two authors did discuss the same topic their points of view were completely different. Once thing I really enjoy about this book so far is that it gives you many perspectives of Mexico. Compared to a book written by one author, this book broadens the horizon, and gives you many perspectives, in which to view Mexico. Though I have yet to finish this book, I would love to hear responses from my peers.
To start off I would like to say that the more I read this book, the more I enjoy it. This book is a great book to read and it holds my interest. If you were planning a trip to Mexico then this would be a great book to read. I agree with N'Dia when she said, "I think that each author felt the need to express what about Mexico was important to them." I agree with her because each author did express something different and it seemed like it was important to them. I believe that it was important to them because the author actually took the time to sit down and write about it. I agree and also disagree with Younese's response. I agree with him when he said that every human being in this world experience different things. Even though humans experience different things, humans also have the same experiences. Now, I would love to hear my peers' opinions on the book.
First of all I would like to thank Younese for explaining his answer. I believe that the basic point of blogging is to communicate with your peers on an intellectual level. Now, I would like to agree with N'Dia about the first story. The first story of the book did start of a little slow and it did not grab my attention. Like N'Dia said, once you get past the first story the book will be more interesting. I really like this book because there is so many different things you learn about Mexico. I think that learning about a different country is fantastic, especially if the information is from facts. By reading this book I really learned alot more about Mexico than I already did. This book is amazing reading material and it is very informative. I would really like to read more books like the book we are reading now. In my opinion, this book held my attention more than Castro's Curveball did.
This book was interesting. It wasn't just about one certain topic, like Castro's Curveball, and I liked the variety of stories. Some of them didn't make sense to me though. The story with the witch, pp. 191-206 "Tarantula".The authors all have the same basic characteristics about Mexico, such as the humidity, the vegetation, etc. but I think that each story depicted a different place because not everyone in the book was in the same place. Some of the places were depicted as comfortable and suburban while other places were seemed gritty and lower class. I think that some of the stories depicted some things that are known in America, but it's not in a racist way. To me it seems like that's just what they do, not a racial slur. I didn't see much of the complexity and struggle of Mexico in this book. I just saw some of the daily lifes of the people who live there.
I agree with Ada on a couple of the points that she made. The point she made about the authors not being in the same place was very true. At the beginning of the book in the table of contents, you are told where all of the stories came from. There were some stories from the US/Mexico Boarder, Baja California, and so on. I also agree with Ada when she pointed out that some places in Mexico were described as suburban areas and other areas were described as lower class areas. Not only do these descriptions fit Mexico, but they also described some parts of America. This book has taught me that Mexico and America have many similarities. I went to Mexico before and there were not many differences. The only differences I could point out is their water seemed cleaner than ours and it was hotter there. Ada also made a great point when she said that she did not see much complexity and struggle of Mexico, she just saw some of the daily lives of the people that live there.
In Big Caca’s Revenge, the narrator captures what it is like to go across the border. However, when their tables turn, there is an issue. When a Mexican lifeguard goes to America, his friend is rejected for not having their documents. When you don’t have authorization to be in Mexico, you are escorted back to your country. The story taught me that there is as much stress on illegal residents in Mexico as there are legal residents in the United States. Through the novel, I found similarity in all the stories. I learned from the book that many Americans who live in Mexico stop carrying their paperwork after years of being a resident in Mexico. It taught me how stubborn the border patrols are no matter which side of the border you are guarding.
I noticed that there are very similar stories but they have different perspectives. There is another story about crossing the border except the author discusses the highway to Mexico and not the border patrol. The author mentioned how people run wild once they get to Mexico and have parties all the time. There were stories that mentioned the close-knit family life in Mexico. Those stories involved weddings and funerals.
Each story is captured in nostalgia to the event that it is to be remembered. Some stories are written by a third person encounter or a secondary source such as Jesus Gardea. The story, Silent Words by Ines Arredondo, provides us with a biography of a man she knew in Mexico. She was capturing his life as well as his family and friends.
Lauryn, I am in total agreement with you about the purpose of blogging. That is, as you said, to intellectually communicate with our peers on different matters. However, I have to disagree with you and N'Dia about the pace of the book. Personally, I felt that the beginning and middle of the book were the most interesting parts. At first, I was reading the stories in the beginning and was very interested by them. However, a little more than halfway through the book, I found myself losing interest and the stories at the end did not restore it. I believe that C.M. Mayo put the more interesting stories in the beginning to garner interest and started to slack off at the end. Other than that, I have no other issue with the book. I think that most of the stories are very fascinating contrasts between the different aspects of Mexico. I also think that, like I and others have said, it’s because of these contrasts that the book and that which it embodies, in this case Mexico, is so interesting. Reading something that says only one thing is very boring, you need to spice things up. If any one else, would like to agree or disagree with me, that’s fine. Remember, like Lauryn said, the whole purpose of blogging is to communicate with your peers.
I agree with Younese when he said that “Each part of Mexico has a different tradition.” I believe what he said was true because each part of Mexico varies in population and that Mexico City is the most populated of all cities. I also agree with N’Dia when she said that “ Each author felt the need to express in Mexico what was important to them.” I agree with what she said because in each story there are different values that are captured in each story. I have come to understand that this book is used to allow a reader to experience what is different about Mexico that stands out from America or any other country. This book poses the question, “What will I experience when I cross the border into Mexico?” When you finish this book, you might think about the other reasons people like to visit Mexico.
You could also think about “What reasons a Mexican would want to visit America?” We know that our country is “the land of opportunities” to a Mexican who comes over the border. To a new immigrant, our country is a paradise. What we go to Mexico it is totally contrary of what they come to America to obtain. Many of those who are retired go to Mexico and live there so that they can afford to pay for housing. These retirees are some of the ones who may or may not have sufficient social security. They might go to Mexico to get away from the capitalist system that lies in America.
I really have become fond with this blog. It really gives me a chance to see what my peers think about certain topics. Maybe Mr.Igoudjil will start a more controversial topic, such as abortions rights or the war in Iraq. Logan I really appreciate that you took the time to read my posting. However, I do feel that many people have different taste in books. For me, as well as LauRyn, this book starts off very slow. For others, such as yourself, it may have been very interesting. Ada, I completely agree with you on your comparison of Mexico to Castro’s Curveball. I also agree with Younese, when he says, “Each part of Mexico has a different tradition.” This is another reason why I feel that the book was not written in a repeating format. As I previously stated, each author is an individual. Being so, they are all going to have their own personal opinions of Mexico, and life there.
The authors in the Mexico book was very different because she decided to use
Different point of views. By this I mean that she allowed many people to share
their stories and or feelings about Mexico although they may be different this was also very interesting because although Mexico still had its same
features, the authors managed to have different point of views on Mexico as a
country. This includes both the physical and geographical aspects of Mexico. Therefore, this goes to show that Mexico can not be put in one classification. By this I mean that you can not say that Mexico is only a place for poor people or that only one race belongs in Mexico. It is a very diverse country and it accepts all kind of people.
Also, the authors in the Mexico each had a different setting for there stories and therefore they described different parts of Mexico. Therefore I do agree with LauRyn when she stated that the authors did not repeat each others stories. They each had a different vibe to it and it gave you various feelings toward Mexico.
What I find most interesting about this book is how the stories are order. Mexico is a large place and each place has something a little different. The book separates Mexico into three sections: the border, Central Mexico, and the Yucatan. Each place has many different people that give us different views on Mexican culture. I do not think it would have been possible for the book to put the stories into one group. Though every story is from another author’s point of view and depiction of the country, I believe that every one of the stories compliment each other. Each story comes from a different part of Mexico, so the ideas of the authors do not collide together in literary argument.
Though I do like the fact that there are many stories because I never get bored with one story line, I do not like the fact that there are so many authors. Each author’s writing style is different, and I have to become accustom to it. But sometimes it takes me half of the story so I have to read it again. What helps me though this is the gradual pace at the beginning? I disagree with those who do not like the start because it allowed me to keep up with each new story. That, of course, could just be my reading style.
I think that the authors try to depict the complexity of Mexico. When you read the book, you notice that every story is different and the authors have different views on Mexico. The book is not about one person and their perception of the country but it is about all the different people that live there. You can be a Mexican but not necessarily born in Mexico for Mexico is a diverse country, no one is the same. People with different back rounds are being incorporated into the explanation of it. Mexico seen as almost the Hispanic version of the United States but there are people who will disagree with you because they believe differently. The authors are trying to show their views on Mexico without making it like others because they do not see things like everyone else. I agree with Logan when he says that Mexico is not classified into one group because it is not one group of particular people. You can live or visit in Mexico but it does not make you a Mexican just because your there. The country is seen as one when in fact its not, every region has its own views and the authors are showing that everyone is wrong, and Mexico is not just one culture. I enjoy the book because your not reading about one thing, every story is a different version of Mexico, every story has a different culture in a different setting with different ideas, so I do not understand how people say Mexicans are the all the same because their not.
Saida, I am I afraid I have to disagree with you on the meaning of “Big Caca’s Revenge”. I think it is not so much emphasizing border control and immigration as much as a story about getting your comeuppance. I don’t think the author was specifically was trying to shed light on conditions at the border, instead I think that they were trying to express the universal feeling of seeing some one get what’s coming to them. Other than that I think that your inflections are wonderfully accurate. I really have the same opinion with you about these stories. I think that it is the spirit of these stories along with the ideas that they represent that gives this book so much spirit. I really like how, for your examples, you choose weddings , funerals, biographies, etc. These are the stories that truly show Mexico for the unique place that it is. I would also like to thank Will for explaining his position on the book. I happen to disagree with him that the book separates Mexico into three parts. I believe that the stories written in the book can be applied and come from all of Mexico, not just where they might have been written. If Will would care to explain his point of view, I would like to read it.
I disagree with Reale when she said, “Mexico seen as almost the Hispanic version of the United States but there are people who will disagree with you because they believe differently.” It is that is not “true”, but every country has people who will disagree with you because they believe something different, though some might have not been allowed to show their beliefs. Mexico is a diverse place like America, but so are Italy, England, the Philippines, Japan, and many other countries. I also do not understand when she says, “You can live or visit in Mexico but it does not make you a Mexican just because your there.” I do not understand how you can be Mexican with what Reale is saying. No one is Mexican from the point of view I am taking about that comment. I am interpreting your blog-response to mean that one would only be Mexican if they have experienced every experience in Mexico, which is false.
I also want to point out that Reale said, “ I do not understand how people say Mexicans are the all the same because their not.” My grandfather hires Hispanics from all parts of Mexico for help with the cattle. I have talked to some of them and they all say they are Mexican. And they are not only from the bordering part of Mexico. They are from all over Mexico.
This book allows someone to compare and contrast America to Mexico. It also compares what was encountered in Mexico and what you thought of Mexico from your own perspective through the media. I believe it does this because this is a traveler’s book of essays of a country we can affiliate ourselves with because we share a borderline with this country. These stories give you a general idea of what goes on in México today. These Mexicans have many values but some vary across the country. Some people in Mexico value the idea of marriage and what is symbolizes. They also value religion and many Mexicans are Catholic, so they have strong views towards the Virgin Mary and Jesus as the Son of God.
The male teenagers however, enjoy something as weird as seeing a naked woman in the shower. I learned that anything could happen in Mexico for example the story Tarantula which Ada referred to was about a man who got stuck on the altar of a church and a tarantula killed him while he had his mouth opened. There are stories in the book that teach you about karma there was a story about a woman and her sister that did not like her cat so the cat killed her sister. There was a story about two twins who destroyed there friendship over a woman that was confused. They were in an eating contest and Diego, one of the twins killed his brother while he was eating for stealing his girl away from him.
I feel that all of my peers have brought up some interesting points about Mexico a Traveler’s Companion. However, I feel that Saida has brought up a good point. When she says, “This book allows someone to compare and contrast America and Mexico.” I think that this is an excellent point. I say this because, as I read through the book I did notice some similarities between Mexico and the United States of America. Mexico’s culture is very unique, but I think that some things were similar. It seems as if America’s have taken some things from the Mexican culture and Americanized them. It may have even been vice-versa, where as the Mexican’s took things from American culture and made them there own. Logan, I agree with you when you oppose Saida’s comment on “Big Caca’s Revenge”. I also feel that there was more behind that story than just Mexican border lines. I think that this story told the story of a person’s survival method in Mexico, in some shape or form.
I would have to disagree with Reale when she stated that mexico was the hispanic version of the United States. However I do strongly agree with her comment on how Mexico is a diverse country and no one is the same. The United States is also a very diverse coutry and hispanics do make up its population. Also, i agree strongly with india when she stated that the authors felt the need to exspress the part of mexico that was most important to them. As i stated eairlier in one of my comments, i believe that each author had a different point of view although the were in the same area.
I stronglty diagree with logan when he said that the beginning and ending of the book were the most intersting. I feel that this novel did begin at a very slow pace it was hard for me to have an intrese for the book. However, towards the late middle and end, I began to feel like i was actually in Mexico and I could picture some of the authors experiences. For me personally, this help to gain a bigger interse in this novel. If anyone else felt this way please tell me !
Like N’Dia said before, the book did start off very slow. It took me a while to actually get past the first story because it was kind of boring. However, I did like the book. Each chapter tells a good story. I’ve read that some students think that the way the book is split up into to stories was boring to them, but I think that made the book better. Every time I finished a story I felt accomplished and ready to read another story. I think that if some of the stories were actual books they might have kept me interested, but others would have been hard for me to read.
One thing I did like about this book was that each author had a vivid way of explaining his or her story. I could imagine some of the settings in each story. I could picture the person and what each character was doing. When a book is like that it’s hard to put down.
As far as the authors go, I don’t think that each story was the same, but I didn’t think the stories changed between each part of Mexico. Each author had there own way of explaining where he or she came from. I think the only difference is that some stories had different settings. One story called “The Green Bottle” was based in a desert like area, while some stories seemed to be based in a regular climate.
Overall, I’m interested to see what everybody else thinks about the book.
As a Mexican American, I may have a biased view of what Americans and Mexicans think of each other. Obviously, and especially now, Americans have negative stereotypes of Mexicans. On the other hand, Mexicans, in my experience, have never been fond of Americans in general. Of course everyone decides for themselves, but generally speaking, there is an obvious cultural divide. I think Americans have some preset ideas about Mexicans, such as their laid-back and somewhat slow approach to life, an example of this is their afternoon siesta. The siesta is not a joke or an exaggeration. In the places where I have spent time if there is no literal siesta, there is a slow in activity, everyone stops and takes a break from a hectic and busy life. Some Americans have more negative views of Mexicans, due to politics. In the history of their relations, they have had problems, but neither is really upset at each other. In my opinion and experiences, Mexicans have a grudge toward some Americans because America as a country has taken their land, as well as other reasons. As I have stated before, each person, no matter what ethnicity, decides individually upon meeting one person what they think of them, and should not make generalizations about an entire culture. There are obvious differences between the Mexican and American cultures, including history, tradition, food, language, and even the mind-set. The authors in this book so far have painted a picture similar to the one I am familiar with. As I continue reading I hope to find more things I can relate to as well as things I am not familiar with.
My classmates presented important views about this book. In Mexico, by C. Mayo, the authors of the stories from this book, presented different viewpoints of Mexico which makes our opinions of this book vary from person to person. Just like the authors, we have different perspectives, yet one common goal to reflect upon the issues of this book. I learned a lot about what goes on in Mexico from this book.
I have also learned the values that are important or should be considered important in Mexico, whether it was about family values or morals. However, I have learned how Mexico differs from our country, including their traditions. There is one similarity between Mexico and the United States; they are both strict on border security. Well, at least the United States is supposed to be strict on immigrants but some immigrants slip through the cracks. I have noticed that not all families have values to live by because some of the people in this book didn’t. This is why I agree with Logan’s last comment on the pace of the book. I cherished how the book began and ended.
However, I was surprised of the genres of stories that the authors put in these collection of stories. There were stories that captured the lives of their family members while others talked about the things and people they hated. There were also some pleasant stories about love and happiness. I enjoyed reading the different topics of stories which ranged from love to hate. I enjoyed the different plots in these stories. From my perspective, this book covers everything you would learn about Mexico or would unfortunately discover for yourself on your journey to Mexico. You could find yourself learning more about the culture of Mexico throughout your expedition.
When reading some of the student’s responses, some thought that the book showed the differences between America and Mexico. In a way I agree, but then again I don’t agree. Most of the stories, to me, seemed as though they were based in earlier years. None of the stories struck me as present day stories, so of course they might have showed differences in their rules or culture. The first story “Big Caca’s Revenge” just showed how strict Mexico was about certain people crossing their border. That I can see why they think the book discusses different views on America and Mexico, but then another story titled “Malintzin of the Maquilas” didn’t talk about the differences between the two countries. That story was a regular story about life and how two young girls lived their life. Like Isabella said, many people view Mexico in different ways and they judge Mexicans when they aren’t any different from us Americas. They can do the same thing we do just as we can do the same thing they do. I don’t think this book was made so that the readers can judge Mexicans or Mexico, I think it was just another book for people to enjoy.
I think that the essay “Big Caca’s Revenge” showed one thing that I think Americans think about Mexico and the Mexican border. I think many people believe that it is very easy for an American to get through the border if they just know how to grease the right palms, and that once they get across, as long as they keep a low profile, no one really cares where they came from. People, even police officers, might know about them, but no one cares. I agree with Logan when he said that the story was not mainly about the situation at the border, but is instead about how people react to things that happen to them. The author only used the border as a catalyst, a spark to set something off that would develop into a bigger situation. Since Big Caca got sent back to Mexico when he was about to enjoy a good time with his girlfriend, he got angry and wanted to take his anger out on someone. Even though in the past he had ignored Americans who lived in Mexico, because the American border patrol had sent him back to Mexico, he started sending Americans back to Mexico. Because he did it in anger, and he had no good reason for taking it out on innocent people, the townspeople got back at him. I think this story is trying to teach a moral lesson, and is telling people not to unjustly take their anger out on innocent people.
I agree with rakiya when she aid that Mexicans can do the same things Americans do just as we can do the same things Mexicans can do. However, I do disagree and agree at the same time when she said that Mexicans aren’t any different from us Americans. I disagree with her because although we are all humans we have different backgrounds and we have different experiences. I fell that in this novel, it showed that Mexicans live in different environments and they view the world differently.
Also, I would like to say that I agree with younesse when he said that we Americans do have somewhat of an influence on many cultures including Mexico. Although I did not grow up in Mexico, I do feel that we as Americans have somewhat influenced Mexicans just as they have influenced us.
Going back to the original blog post by Mr. Igoudjil, the authors both repeat ideas that American's already have, but they also detail that view. For example, most people are aware what a populated city Mexico City is, but few are aware of what types of people actually live among the masses. Basic ideas are expressed, but ideas flourish in their writing, details and facts are brought to the readers’ attention, which bring new light, and perspective to many situations. This book made me think. Are Americans really that different from Mexico in our core? Do our values differ, and does the cultural and language barrier really bind us that much? I think that these questions should not be answered for an entire country or for any group of people at all. As I have stated already, race only goes so far as to determine a person. The person may have been molded or fit into a description of "Mexican", and there is nothing wrong with that, but does that mean they are not American as well? Only a person-to-person relationship can truly answer that question. Some stories do not include identity problems, such as “Lady of the Seas”. This story was not related to finding who you are as a person. Although part of the story took place in the United States, it was not a main part. The story that had a character with extreme identity problems was “One Way Street”. The main character, Phonsy, felt like he did not fit in wearing English Punk clothes and singing a new type of music not from Mexico that no one could even classify, let alone enjoy. Identity is a complicated factor that may or may not determine how you behave and are as a person.
I would first like to start by saying I enjoyed reading the book Mexico. I believe that it is a very interesting and fun book to read. I agree with Logan, Lauryn and N'dia, I also believe that Mexico can not be classified in just one way. Mexico is such a large country, with many different people that live in it, so therefore, as Lauryn somewhat said, every region is known for something signifacant. Mexico can not possibly be classified in one way, which explains why the authors all had different views and opinion about Mexico. I do not believe that the authors were repeating eachother's point of views or ideas. I say this because every story in the book was about something different, and seemed to have taken place in different parts of Mexico. From what I have read, I believe that each author had a different experience in Mexico.
Thank you, Saida, and I have to say that I also agree with your last comment. I agree that each of these authors wrote works covering a wide genre of subjects. I also have to agree with Younese’s point that these authors never once repeated each other, with either their stories or subjects. It’s very amazing, how, despite there being so many stories and subjects, the authors never once repeat each other. I think that it is a testament to the diversity of Mexico, because these authors have such a wide variety of subjects. Yet at the same time, I believe that it is also evidence of how unified Mexico is because these authors stories all end up reinforcing the idea of a indescribable place of wonder. Finally, Chris, I have to agree with your wonderful posting, which I think is an excellent analysis of the story as well as the situation on the border. No one really cares whether Americans go into Mexico illegally, but everyone raises a big fuss when it is a Mexican who attempts to cross over. I think that in “Big Caca’s Revenge”, Big Caca was simply trying to get revenge on Americans after they deported his girlfriend. It probably wouldn’t as bad if he had only deported one or two Americans that really broke the law. However, he went overboard and subsequently received his comeuppance. If anyone would like to say anything or correct me on any part of my posting, I would like to hear it. After all, the point of this blog is to engage in an academic conversation.
Starting off this paragraph, I would like to say that I enjoy writing my comments and opinions and reading my peers opinions on this website. From what I read, I feel that the author’s writings depicted the complexity of the country Mexico. I would have to agree with Logan when he stated that the authors showed diversity in Mexico’s citizens. Each story has a different depiction of Mexico because each author has his or her own personal experience. Because most of these stories are not taken place in the same part of Mexico, I feel that each story has a different view. As most of my peers has stated above me, Mexico is way too big of a city to be put into one classification. I think the book is a very good book because it gives so many views and depicts a lot of different things in the country of Mexico, such as tradition. I don’t feel as if the authors are repeating their ideas but I do feel as if some parts of Mexico differ from each other and then there are some parts of Mexico that are the same in some way or another. I agree with Saida when she talked about the border situation. I also agree with Tiara, Mexico is very diverse and by reading many author’s views it teaches and also gives me a great aspect on Mexico itself. Finishing this paragraph, I would like to say that I look forward to reading more and more of my peers looks and views of this book.
I believe that all people, no matter if they’re from the same place, are the same race, or come from the same culture, have a different outlook on life. No two people think alike. So if there is a collection of writings, all by people from the same country, even though they all share the same nationality, they will all show a different point of view on what they’re writing about. This is also affected by what part of the country people are from. Someone from a big city, such as Mexico City, will have a different point of view from somebody who lives on a small farm in the middle of the forest. There is also a huge diversity of culture, race, and nationalities among the people of Mexico. This greatly diversifies what different people from the same place think about things. For example, in the essay “The Silent Words,” the point of view is of a Chinese-Mexican who lives on a small farm and sells vegetables. The fact that he is in a rural area and that he comes from another country influences the way he reacts to certain situations. I believe that in this case he reacts a bit strongly, burning down his hut while smoking opium, just because his kids were demanding his land from him. I believe that if he had been a native Mexican, or come from a big city an then moved to the country, he would have reacted differently, perhaps not killing himself or giving his kids some of his land.
In both of my postings I have already stated the main idea of what I think of the similar and different Mexico stories: they all depict Mexico based on their personal experiences. People should not only trust these people with how Mexico is in reality. The stories may provide a good idea or guide of what they thought, but no one can tell what you think except yourself.
There is not much else for me to say, except what I have already mentioned, on the matter of whether or not the stories were repeated. The main concept of positive Mexican views all vary in size, plot, and characters but the ultimate theme is a shared appreciation or love for Mexico as a country. Even though it seems that two stories are vastly different, because of the messages they display and the characters they contain and you cannot tell the similarity, there is often an underlying likeness that is Mexico. Whether Mexico is used a backdrop for a family story, or as a setting that shows social and economical issues the beloved country is always there, and always will be.
I do agree with Younese and Logan when they said that all the stories are different, which is a good thing, but why is everyone so amazed about it? Just because a group of authors were not together when they wrote their stories does not mean that they do not have anything else to talk about besides the same topics. I’m not trying to make this into a big issue or put anyone down, but any other piece of literature like this would be the same way. It just seems to me as though people are surprised about the way a different race could write a brilliant book. Maybe I’m wrong, but that is just a different way of seeing things. Furthermore, like I said in one of my other blogs, we are all the same. One story titled “Day and Night” was a story similar to present time events that happen in America. A group of kids having fun, younger boys liking older girls, kids playing games in the dark, it is all the same things that we do now or the same things people did in earlier times. It’s just the way people live life. If anyone agrees or disagrees with me, I would like to hear their point of view.
I would like to say that i strongly agree with Chris's comment when he stated that all people, no matter if they’re from the same place, the same race, or come from the same culture, they all have a different outlook on life. I believe that well all have different point of view on certain situations. A perfect example of this is the book Mexico. Before reading this book i was always thought that Mexico wasn't that interesting. I felt that it was just the "Spanish" version of the United States. By this i mean that the only difference was the language and maybe the religious beliefs. I never really thought that there was such a difference it the life style.
Also because this is my last comment, i would like to say that i did not really enjoy this book, However I did enjoy reading my peer comments and views on the book. I found it interesting how the authors and various things to say about Mexico as a country, as i stated before, i feel that this book gave me various opinions about Mexico. Also i feel that this book influenced me to learn about different countries using various point of views. It will be very interesting when the author comes to visit and i am looking forward to the authors explantion on the book and what influenced it .
I agree with Rakiya, everyone does have his or her own opinion about things. However, I do not agree with her when she says that everyone is amazed that all of the stories are different. I am not sure what she meant by “everyone is so amazed”, but I think and please Rakiya correct me if I am wrong. But what I think she is saying is that everyone is so amazed that all of the stories are different, and I do not agree. I believe that everyone here understands that every mind is different and everyone has his or her own opinions about things, so not everybody is going to write about the same exact thing. Something will always be different or said in a different way. I think that everyone or most people were just simply stating the facts or opinions. They read the book and they were only stating what they noticed, which was all of the stories were different. However, I do not at all think that everyone was “amazed” by the fact that they were all different, well I was not anyway. However, not everyone is I so maybe Rakiya was right about some people. Maybe some were amazed, but I know that we all were not amazed. I do not think that she should have said “everyone”, because this is not the case for all everybody. I also disagree with her when she says that everyone is surprised that a different race could write such a brilliant book. In my opinion, I do not think that “Mexico” was such a brilliant book at all. It was a good book, but I do not believe that it was exactly brilliant. But that is just my opinion, and I do not know what everyone else think. But I think that we should all keep in mind that we all have our own minds, therefore, we also have our own opinion.
For this blog, I would like to try to answer Rakiya’s question about why everyone is so amazed. Rakiya, I think that everyone is so amazed about these different authors from different places in Mexico because it seems to be funny, in a way, that these authors that probably don’t know each other have almost the same views and in a way their views relate to each other. I am not saying that these authors repeated their points or views I am just simply stating that, in a way, their stories relate to each other. I would be quite impressed if I wrote my views about something I experienced and another person wrote their views about what they experienced and it turned out to be that we had a little in common. I cannot speak for my peers but I think it is amazing. Like Rakiya stated it would be nice if someone else wrote their point of view, just out of curiosity I would like to know how my peers feel about this topic. Now going to Isabella’s comment, she stated that everyone should not trust these people with how Mexico is in reality. Well to be honest, I was starting to do so. Being that I have never visited Mexico, as I read, I pictured how it would look and be based on their stories. As everyone said, Mexico is pretty big; I feel that this book does a pretty good job on showing how Mexico varies.
Living in America, I believed that any other country was far more exotic. When Mexico came to mind I thought about beauty, vacation, and that it was nothing like where I am from. It is only through reading this book, that I have realized every country has its own problems and obstacles to overcome. I find places that are not common to me so exotic because I do not know much about them and I fail to see everyday life through the natives eyes. In reading and learning about other countries and cultures you actually come to understand their real life situations. Mexico has some similar geographical and sociological views as America. The complexity of Mexico's sociological and geographical views are definitely depicted. Geographically, there are some rural(underdeveloped)areas in Mexico that need to be revitalized. In contrast, there are gorgeous parts that are very popular and more commonly known and talked about. Sociologically, there are different groups (sub-sets) of people in Mexico who differ in beliefs, morals, and values. I do not believe that the authors are just repeating one another by reinforcing images and ideas in Mexico that are known in America. I agree with Lorynn when she states that "Mexico is a very big country and that it would make no sense for all authors to have and depict the exact same views of Mexico," although it is common for people to share an opinion. The authors are putting emphasis on other peoples' views and opinions of the country. Mexico was portrayed as a country that is contrived of many subunits (different regions with diverse cultural backgrounds and varying situations and views). It can, in no way, be summed up or classified as one group or single unit because it is far too diverse, as many countries are.
Stephanie, I strongly agree with the point you just brought up. Last summer I went to Italy and Switzerland. As an American citizen everything seemed amazing to me. However, I realized that there were a lot of similarities with America. For example, there were things such as McDonalds, vendors, and street performers. There were even some Starbucks located in the airports in Italy and England. As Stephanie brought up, every country has its own problems and other issues. I feel that in Mexico: A Traveler’s Literary Companion the authors felt a need to stress certain problems in Mexico’s community. When the author who composed this book selected stories to go into it, she had to be very careful. Shanae, I also agree with you, when you bring up the humor of different author having the same points of views. I feel that this is also a very good point to bring up. I say this because, every story seemed to connect in some way. In conclusion I would like to state one last time that the “repetition” used in this book was personally used. The author used it as a device to help people realize the important pieces of Mexico’s office.
I know this has been stated before, but this book starts off very slow. When I opened up this book and started reading a couple of pages I thought to myself, I am going to be in trouble if this book is as boring as I think it is. Well I was wrong; as I got further into the book I realized I sort of misjudge it. This book is actually helpful, in a way. It gave me aspects of Mexico and since more than one author was featured in the book and multiple places it was even more clear for me to get different aspects of Mexico as a whole. Before reading the first essay “Big Caca’s Revenge,” I never thought it was easy, but I thought it would be easier for an American to get in to Mexico. But after reading it, I realized Americans have to go through the exact same thing. I’m not saying that to offend any one in any way, and I hope no one takes it offensive or personal. Logan also made a good point on this topic, he commented and said that no one makes a big fuss when Americans illegally reside in Mexico, but for sure, when Mexicans reside in America illegally it is such a big problem. So thank you Logan for helping me clear up my point about “Big Caca’s Revenge”. I’m learning a lot from this website and also the books that have been selected for us to read.
I believe that this book really deserves its classification as travel literature, because it does a great job of really taking you into the eyes of the common people, and you see the country through their eyes. That is the best way to get a good look at the state of a country. If you travel to a country and stay in the upper class, with all the aristocrats, they will tell you that everything’s all peachy with their country, because they’re living in the lap of luxury. But if you live for a while with the common people, live in their homes, sleep in their beds, and work in their jobs, then you will see what the country is really like. Take an odyssey across the country, and live with commoners, and then you can be a more accurate judge of what it is like to be a citizen of that country. However, as I said, it is necessary, in the case of a large country like Mexico, to go all across the country, not just stay in one area. This is because in different regions, conditions might be different. In the suburbs, you can find millionaires who live in huge mansions with servants to wait on them hand and foot. In the city, you can find beggars, thieves, gangs, people living in tiny houses, and people who have four different jobs just to support their family. And in the country, you can find simple folk with simple lives that only consist of working on their farm all week and then going fishing on Sunday. I believe that this book does a good job of portraying the differences of people’s lives in different parts of mexico.
What I most definitely like about this book is that it shows a map with all the cities featured in the book. I find that very helpful because it gives an insight on how distant the cities are from each other. What I did was read then compared some of the stories by looking at how far the cities are from each other. Now what I am so curious about is what gave the author the idea to put these stories together because that was a great idea. So I will be delighted to ask plenty of questions when the author comes to visit. Moving on, as I was reading Dominique’s blog, I understand where she is coming from. Though these books are interesting and helpful to know, they are not exactly brilliant. What I mean by that is it is not the most exciting book. Before, I wrote about me basing my opinions on Mexico by these stories. Well as I thought about it, if this book/stories are not recent then Mexico could have changed completely! To be honest, I think that C.M. Mayo wrote this book to stress that Mexico is not the best of them all or just to change a person’s mind about how good Mexico is, to simply say Mexico has problems also. I really enjoyed reading and learning from this book. To think about it, I find this book more interesting than “Castro’s Curveball” because it talked about more than one thing.
First I would like to comment on the discussion of similarities to America. America and these countries are really not that similar. These places such as McDonalds and Starbucks are not there for the culture of that country, there are for the Americans who visit there. I been to England and went to summer-school in Switzerland. The real culture comes from the places in Mexico: a Traveler’s Literary Companion. I do agree with Stephanie and N’ Dia when they said these places are amazing. I think that these stories portray Mexico from the view points of Mexicans, from what I know from my Grandfather’s ranch and my cousins. I also change what I said before about how all of the stories are different. I love the undertone Shanae brought up about the similarities between the authors. When Stephanie brought up the “exotic” countries, it made me reflect on the experiences I have had. I believe anyone who goes to a different country thinks it has exotic qualities. An example of this is my German friend, Florian. He found this country so amazing that he could not believe it. I think it has something to do with one fact: it is different.
I would have to agree with both Saida and N’Dia when they say that “Mexico” gives authors a chance to compare and contrast the country. The book gives us, the readers, different points of views on Mexico. All of the authors, as I said before, seem to have come from different parts of Mexico. They all seem to have had different experiences while they were in Mexico. Which explains why the stories were so different. I believe that they all come from different parts of Mexico because all of the stories seemed to be written not only about different things, but also they are written in different styles. The languages in the stories were different. By the language I mean the way the characters in the stories spoke. When Saida says the authors compared and contrast Mexico, she was correct. I agree with her because that is basically what the different stories were doing, telling stories of Mexico. Some were different, and some were the same. The authors all had their own way of explaining Mexico to their readers.
The authors are not repeating what each other said. The authors are simply just sharing their own point of view. They depict the complexity of a country from different vistas including sociological and geographical views by not only sharing their own opinion about the way they think about things, but they actually have experience of what they are trying to share with everybody that is reading or interested in the book. An author, such as Daryl R. Hague, the director of the Spanish translation program at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah, and Mark Schafer, a literary translator, visual artist, an anti-racism activist that is currently living in Cambridge, Massachusetts, have their own special ability and specialty in translating the language. Some authors just depict books and call it a day, but others keep going until they get to the point where they can depict anything, such as poems, and do it fluently. That is how most of these authors earned a special degree for translating the language. This is why I think the authors of this Book, Mexico, share their own views and aspects, geographically and sociological.
I would also like to comment of Chris’s blog. For the sake of argument, why does this book have to be in travel literature? Chris stated, “It (he novel) does a great job of really taking you into the eyes of the common people, and you see the country through their eyes. That is the best way to get a good look at the state of a country.” I agree with this. The definition of travel literature from dictionary.com is “literature which records the people, events, sights and feelings of an author who is touring a foreign place for the pleasure of travel.” I believe it has to be in travel literature because it does not work in non fiction. The definition of non-fiction from dictionary.com is, “books, magazines etc giving facts, information etc, it is not stories, novels, plays, poetry.” Mexico contains stories, and not given facets.
I also agree with Chris when he stated how the novel had to consist of stories from everywhere. I think that is what made this book travel literature. For Mexico to be travel literature, one needs to encompass the whole country. Since Mexico is vast, the variety needed to be vast as well.
I understand what Dominique is saying when she stated that not everyone was amazed. I think I came off wrong with what I said. I meant it as though some people were saying that the book had many different stories as if they were shocked about the fact that different authors wrote it and did not write the same thing or have the same ideas. As she said before, all the authors do have different minds, so of course they are going to have different opinions on things. Not that they thought the book was amazing or exciting. As I said before, I did not mean to come off strong it was just an opinion that I recognized while reading some of the student’s blogs. The statement about the book being brilliant was an exaggeration. I mean it was not an awful book; it was quite interesting, but not brilliant. Sorry if I didn’t explain things clear enough.
I strongly agree with what Chris said. Different races and cultures do see each other in different ways, so we do not really know what it takes to be in their shoes. Since most of us are from America, if we were to go to another country for a vacation we would not get to experience the life the people live. We stay in nice hotels where we get treated better than usual. Sometimes I do think about how I would feel if I moved to another country and was in their shoes. Then again when I’m on vacation I think about how I would feel if I were treated better than usual everyday. Like Chris said it just depends on what part of the country you’re in. Things can get better or worse based on where you’re located.
I agree with what Chris stated earlier. You can come from the same region but have different views on things. People are raised differently from another, so to say that everyone thinks the same is lying. If the authors wanted the views to be the same then why not just write one story with the same depiction of Mexico. They clearly do not agree with one another and they want to make it stated so. All the authors express themselves thorough their stories, they depict their views on Mexico, and how they see it and they do not. I think the stories represent the different parts of Mexico; it talks of the different social statuses, the poor and the rich along with their experiences. I may have been just me but I found that every story depicted more of the hard troubles people went thorough but just told through different perspectives. The book is not looking to have the same view; otherwise, it would be like different books on the same topic repeatedly. I think if the authors wanted the stories to be together they would be together; otherwise they are just there to compare your views and shows the differences between them.
Like a majority of my peers, I agree with Chris. I know that if i was in Big Caca's position, I would have been upset about the interruption of my relaxing evening with my loved one also. I also agree with Reale when she said that not everyone has the same view. Some of the stories did sound a bit similar to me, but that's just because it's written in the same way, and the characters are kind of silent. You don't hear them talk but the narrator claims they said something.
I stated before that I don't belive that the authors were racially slurring the Mexico we saw in the book, but I feel that the way the people were all supersticious and wary about witches and ghosts and such was a bit of a stereotype because not every Hispanic person is like that. It's like the stereotype that a certain race, I forget which, sees Jesus or the Virgin Mary in their food/beverages.
I understand what Rakiya was saying now and I agree, while reading some of my peers blogs, I had the same observation. Everyone are most people seemed as though they thought that every author had to have the same idea, because they were writing about the same country. I understand what Rakiya is saying now, she made thing clear. I agree with her when she said that the book is not exactly brilliant. I agree that it was a very interesting and somewhat fun book to read. But in my opinion it is not brilliant.
I agree with most of my peers, you can come from the same place and have your own opinions on things. No matter where someone is from, they are always going to have their own opinions on things. They will always have their own ideas and experiences. Everyone or most people in America has their own opinions and points of views on things, so what is the difference about the people in Mexico? They are people too correct? So they are going to write different, they will always have their own opinions, their own ideas and way of doing things. Every mind is different and because every mind is different it makes every individual different as well. Every body has their own experiences in life, which is also what makes one person different from the next one. The experiences that people have in life affects the way they think. It affects how people write, walk, talk. I believe that your experiences in life affects your attitude towards life itself.
I agree with what Rakiya said, people see people differently; they automatically see flaws and not attributes because that is just they way they are. People are raised in different houses, different religions, and different views, so of course they are not going to assume every good thing they hear about people are good. Everyone is raised to believe differently, personally, even if I have certain views that differ from another person I am not going to argue with him or her over it. People are different, it is that simple, no one is the same or perfect all the time, everyone is different that makes us who we are. If everyone wasn't different than what's the point of delegating or voicing our opinions if their all the same. No one is the same, you may look the same but you don't feel the same, act the same, or think alike, that is what the authors is trying to say. Mexico and many other countries are very diverse and no one believes the same things as others do, they are all different in some ways, and their views on their country is one of them. I believe that the authors wanted things to be different, especially the views, you can make a good story but what the point of it if it has no subject to read about.
Post a Comment