Dear Isabel Allende,
I'm in the middle of your book Daughter of Fortune at the moment. So far I've found the book very interesting and attention getting. However, I wonder how far from history you've taken your writing. Did you do research before writing about the previous century? There are multiple characters who have love affairs. Was this a common occurrence back then? I can't imagine this happening so loosely. Obviously, it is looked down upon and the affairs are hidden, but were they common? I also wonder about Tao Chi'en's childhood. Did you give a true description of Chinese culture and the mindset of the people? They seemed to be very unforgiving, harsh, practical people. But were they really this way?
Other than my questions about the accuracy of the story to the time period, I really enjoy reading this book. My favorite character so far is Eliza. Eliza is such a free spirit and knows herself so well. She does what she wants when she wants and I envy her for such freedom. Sometimes Eliza's free spirit is irritating. She's so consumed with her own wants, she forgets about others. When she leaves to find Joaquin she doesn't even pause to think about her "family" and how they will feel about her absence. Perhaps I'm missing the point though and her unwavering thoughts on one goal is what is so great. She is so determined to reach her goal, she will do anything. Even if this is the point you are trying to make, I still dislike her lack of courtesy and selfless thought. She also knows herself well because she knows how to control herself. I loved how you described her as being able to become invisible. As long as she acts silent and inconspicuous, no one notices her presence. If only people could really do such a thing!
Thank you for this great book! I really hope that the rest can live up to the beginning!
Sincerely,
Megan Fetterman
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Week 3- Cultural Commentary
Well, today's post is not about Chilean culture, but actually Chinese. Tao Chi'en is hiding Eliza so that she can stow away to America. He's originally from China. What I find so interesting about his childhood is the little value children carry. Today there is an overpopulation problem in China, but I didn't realize this started all the way back in 1800's.
The quote that most caught my attention:
"[...] it was not unusual to find newborn baby girls thrown like garbage into the street or floating in the canals, often chewed on by dogs or rats. No one wanted them, they were disposable. [...] 'Better a deformed son than a dozen girls as wise as Buddha,' was the popular saying (162-163)."
I had to read this paragraph twice to make sure I got it right the first time. I suppose it's a very rational way to look at families. Why have children that will contribute very little to the household. They don't bring in any money unless they're sold, but even then the child would have to be brought up until a certain age. Overpopulation and scarcity of money could easily drive someone to dispose of their girl child. I still can't believe that this actually happened!
Not only girls had to go through separation with their families. Tao Chi'en actually got sold to slave traders. He was a fourth son and therefore worth very little. Like a girl, a fourth child only makes another mouth to feed.
I hope that the world never resorts to such atrocities ever again. We are headed towards overpopulation with the growing population of recent decades, but I hope that we've found better ways to deal with such problems.
The quote that most caught my attention:
"[...] it was not unusual to find newborn baby girls thrown like garbage into the street or floating in the canals, often chewed on by dogs or rats. No one wanted them, they were disposable. [...] 'Better a deformed son than a dozen girls as wise as Buddha,' was the popular saying (162-163)."
I had to read this paragraph twice to make sure I got it right the first time. I suppose it's a very rational way to look at families. Why have children that will contribute very little to the household. They don't bring in any money unless they're sold, but even then the child would have to be brought up until a certain age. Overpopulation and scarcity of money could easily drive someone to dispose of their girl child. I still can't believe that this actually happened!
Not only girls had to go through separation with their families. Tao Chi'en actually got sold to slave traders. He was a fourth son and therefore worth very little. Like a girl, a fourth child only makes another mouth to feed.
I hope that the world never resorts to such atrocities ever again. We are headed towards overpopulation with the growing population of recent decades, but I hope that we've found better ways to deal with such problems.
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Week 2- Free Response
Eliza amazes me. She decides to travel to California looking for Joaquin. She leaves with only a suitcase full of a dress, love letters from Joaquin, jewels that were saved for her dowry, and some cash. Eliza abandons the family that took her in as a baby and she leaves Mama Fresia. I can't imagine leaving all that you know and are accustomed to just to find your love. I don't think Eliza realizes how much Mama Fresia and perhaps even the Sommers love her. She thinks first of her love for Joaquin before thinking about how much she will be missed and how important she is to others in Chile. Mind you, I don't believe Eliza is selfish, just blinded. She can't see beyond Joaquin. He becomes her life and when he leaves so does her reason to live.
Although I understand Eliza's need to follow Joaquin and regain her life. I just can't imagine myself taking on such a risky mission. I would consider others while making my decision to go to California. I would think about how much my family would miss me and really how much I would miss them. Although Eliza can probably get on without Jeremy and John Sommers, she does have a special connection with both Rose and Mama Fresia. Sometimes Rose isn't the best mother figure, but she did raise Eliza from a baby. Eliza must love her for all of the effort Rose put into her. When Rose wasn't around, Mama Fresia brought up Eliza. They share an especially strong bond. Mama Fresia is her protector and confidante. When Eliza gets pregnant she tells only Mama Fresia and when she decides to go to California she only tells Mama Fresia. How can Eliza forget so many important people in her life to chase just one?
Maybe I just don't have anyone I feel so strongly about as Eliza cares for Joaquin so I can't relate. However, I don't know if such love even exists. It's often written about, but hardly ever does one hear about love in reality that compares to the love in books. I don't know. Perhaps I just haven't lived long enough to see true love, but I do hope that I am proved wrong and love like that of books is in our world.
Although I understand Eliza's need to follow Joaquin and regain her life. I just can't imagine myself taking on such a risky mission. I would consider others while making my decision to go to California. I would think about how much my family would miss me and really how much I would miss them. Although Eliza can probably get on without Jeremy and John Sommers, she does have a special connection with both Rose and Mama Fresia. Sometimes Rose isn't the best mother figure, but she did raise Eliza from a baby. Eliza must love her for all of the effort Rose put into her. When Rose wasn't around, Mama Fresia brought up Eliza. They share an especially strong bond. Mama Fresia is her protector and confidante. When Eliza gets pregnant she tells only Mama Fresia and when she decides to go to California she only tells Mama Fresia. How can Eliza forget so many important people in her life to chase just one?
Maybe I just don't have anyone I feel so strongly about as Eliza cares for Joaquin so I can't relate. However, I don't know if such love even exists. It's often written about, but hardly ever does one hear about love in reality that compares to the love in books. I don't know. Perhaps I just haven't lived long enough to see true love, but I do hope that I am proved wrong and love like that of books is in our world.
World Issues
I'm going to write about human trafficking and the modern slave trade.
Here are my sources:
"Trafficking in Persons Report" from the State Department accessed on SIRS
http://sks.sirs.com/cgi-bin/hst-article-display?id=SMN0307H-0-5301&artno=0000263327&key=&type=ART&shfilter=U&sound=no
"Sold into Slavery" from Christian Century accessed on SIRS
http://sks.sirs.com/cgi-bin/hst-article-display?id=SMN0307H-0-5301&artno=0000270593&type=ART&shfilter=U&key=&title=Sold%20into%20Slavery&res=Y&ren=Y&gov=Y&lnk=N&ic=Y
"The New Global Slave Trade" from Foreign Affairs accessed on SIRS
http://sks.sirs.com/cgi-bin/hst-article-display?id=SMN0307H-0-5301&artno=0000256516&type=ART&shfilter=U&key=&title=The%20New%20Global%20Slave%20Trade&res=Y&ren=Y&gov=Y&lnk=N&ic=Y
Here are my sources:
"Trafficking in Persons Report" from the State Department accessed on SIRS
http://sks.sirs.com/cgi-bin/hst-article-display?id=SMN0307H-0-5301&artno=0000263327&key=&type=ART&shfilter=U&sound=no
"Sold into Slavery" from Christian Century accessed on SIRS
http://sks.sirs.com/cgi-bin/hst-article-display?id=SMN0307H-0-5301&artno=0000270593&type=ART&shfilter=U&key=&title=Sold%20into%20Slavery&res=Y&ren=Y&gov=Y&lnk=N&ic=Y
"The New Global Slave Trade" from Foreign Affairs accessed on SIRS
http://sks.sirs.com/cgi-bin/hst-article-display?id=SMN0307H-0-5301&artno=0000256516&type=ART&shfilter=U&key=&title=The%20New%20Global%20Slave%20Trade&res=Y&ren=Y&gov=Y&lnk=N&ic=Y
Monday, April 21, 2008
Week 2- Cultural Commentary
The Chileans are also very different from our culture and that of the British because they are a very superstitious people. Miss Fresia, a Chilean woman, is the housekeeper for the Sommers family. The reader sees the culture of Chile compared to the British.
When Miss Rose gets seriously sick with an upset stomach then a headache followed by temporary blindness. Mama Fresia attempts to help Rose recover by lighting black candles and fanning the smoke from burning sage everywhere. She then puts a dead lizard in a bottle of brandy. Rose has cloths dowsed in green tea put over her eyes. Although there is no evidence that this "witchery" actually cures Rose, she does recover within 48 hours.
Mama Fresia does many more superstitious things throughout the book. The most interesting medications Mama Fresia uses are those to cause Eliza to bleed away her child. Eliza has to drink chicken crap dissolved in black beer, soak in sulfur baths, and apply mustard compresses to her stomach. When this doesn't work, Mama Fresia speaks to a machi who tells her how to give Eliza an abortion. She has to recite and incantation and can only perform the ceremony on Friday night.
The Chileans also have religious superstitions. During the Cristo de Mayo I discussed in one of last weeks blogs, a Christ statue on a column is taken through the processions. His crown of thorns is around his neck because last time the crown was placed correctly on his head an earthquake began. Since then, the crown remained around the statue's neck.
When Miss Rose gets seriously sick with an upset stomach then a headache followed by temporary blindness. Mama Fresia attempts to help Rose recover by lighting black candles and fanning the smoke from burning sage everywhere. She then puts a dead lizard in a bottle of brandy. Rose has cloths dowsed in green tea put over her eyes. Although there is no evidence that this "witchery" actually cures Rose, she does recover within 48 hours.
Mama Fresia does many more superstitious things throughout the book. The most interesting medications Mama Fresia uses are those to cause Eliza to bleed away her child. Eliza has to drink chicken crap dissolved in black beer, soak in sulfur baths, and apply mustard compresses to her stomach. When this doesn't work, Mama Fresia speaks to a machi who tells her how to give Eliza an abortion. She has to recite and incantation and can only perform the ceremony on Friday night.
The Chileans also have religious superstitions. During the Cristo de Mayo I discussed in one of last weeks blogs, a Christ statue on a column is taken through the processions. His crown of thorns is around his neck because last time the crown was placed correctly on his head an earthquake began. Since then, the crown remained around the statue's neck.
Sunday, April 13, 2008
Week 1- Free Response
There is a lot of discussion about sexual promiscuity in this book. I believe many people believe such topics are new to our era, but things like that were going on a long time ago. I don't know how common it was though because this book is a work of fiction, but I'm sure some people participated in acts that were greatly disapproved of.
Miss Rose is an unmarried woman and plans to stay that way. She had an encounter with a married man who sang tenor in the opera, Karl Bretzner. She was just a teenager and admired Bretzner and attended all of his shows until he took notice of her and invited her to his private dressing room. Pretty quickly, some stuff happened and Rose was "tainted". She had to hide the matter and she moved with her brother to Chile.
One of Rose's brothers, John, also has sex although he isn't married. "[...] the girl could imagine him carousing with some of his flighty women friends, the ones who said hello in the street when Miss Rose wasn't with them." Prostitutes are mentioned hanging around the docks and that happens to be where John spends most of his time when he's visiting Chile.
Eliza also has a love affair when she's just a teenager. She meets Joaquin Andieta and they have secret meetings every Wednesday night when no will notice Eliza's absence. When he goes off to California to join the gold rush, she realizes that she is pregnant.
Again, this kind of promiscuity could just be in this book to make a good story, but I'm sure some people were like this in the mid-1800s.
Miss Rose is an unmarried woman and plans to stay that way. She had an encounter with a married man who sang tenor in the opera, Karl Bretzner. She was just a teenager and admired Bretzner and attended all of his shows until he took notice of her and invited her to his private dressing room. Pretty quickly, some stuff happened and Rose was "tainted". She had to hide the matter and she moved with her brother to Chile.
One of Rose's brothers, John, also has sex although he isn't married. "[...] the girl could imagine him carousing with some of his flighty women friends, the ones who said hello in the street when Miss Rose wasn't with them." Prostitutes are mentioned hanging around the docks and that happens to be where John spends most of his time when he's visiting Chile.
Eliza also has a love affair when she's just a teenager. She meets Joaquin Andieta and they have secret meetings every Wednesday night when no will notice Eliza's absence. When he goes off to California to join the gold rush, she realizes that she is pregnant.
Again, this kind of promiscuity could just be in this book to make a good story, but I'm sure some people were like this in the mid-1800s.
Week 1- Cultural Commentary
Chile is full of English people living off of the sea industry. There are very large cultural differences between the Chilean people and the English. "They [the English] formed a small nation within the country, with their own customs, cults, newspapers, clubs, schools, and hospitals [...] (p 15)."
The religious beliefs of the two groups differ. Jacob Todd is involved in a bet where he has to go to Chile and sell a bunch of Bibles before the year ends. No one believes he will be able to sell them in the Catholic country. When he arrives in Chile, indeed he has a hard time getting his Protestant ideas around. However, his British friends support his idea to try to convert some indigenous tribes. The British also like to hear his sermons he preaches. As it turns out, Todd doesn't try very hard to sell his Bibles, but the one time he does try, no one buys.
The Chileans are very Catholic people. They hold Catholic festivities during Holy week and on religious holidays. Because that year there were incredible devastating floods, a lot of people show up to the processions. "[...] but on this occasion they had become massive rallies imploring heaven to bring an end to the storms (p 32)." The festival is described as eccentric and really quite crazy. There are people praying, singing, fasting, punishing themselves, etc.
This is obviously a little big off base from how we celebrate our religion. I assume Britain is a bit more moderate in its religion as we are. The British in Chile were probably appalled at the spectacle. Eliza Sommers goes with Mama Fresia to the Cristo de Mayo even though here patroness forbid it. Her patroness, Miss Rose, is very English and doesn't want Eliza exposed to the Catholic rituals. There is no mention of any English at the festivities besides Eliza.
The religious beliefs of the two groups differ. Jacob Todd is involved in a bet where he has to go to Chile and sell a bunch of Bibles before the year ends. No one believes he will be able to sell them in the Catholic country. When he arrives in Chile, indeed he has a hard time getting his Protestant ideas around. However, his British friends support his idea to try to convert some indigenous tribes. The British also like to hear his sermons he preaches. As it turns out, Todd doesn't try very hard to sell his Bibles, but the one time he does try, no one buys.
The Chileans are very Catholic people. They hold Catholic festivities during Holy week and on religious holidays. Because that year there were incredible devastating floods, a lot of people show up to the processions. "[...] but on this occasion they had become massive rallies imploring heaven to bring an end to the storms (p 32)." The festival is described as eccentric and really quite crazy. There are people praying, singing, fasting, punishing themselves, etc.
This is obviously a little big off base from how we celebrate our religion. I assume Britain is a bit more moderate in its religion as we are. The British in Chile were probably appalled at the spectacle. Eliza Sommers goes with Mama Fresia to the Cristo de Mayo even though here patroness forbid it. Her patroness, Miss Rose, is very English and doesn't want Eliza exposed to the Catholic rituals. There is no mention of any English at the festivities besides Eliza.
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
Fourth Quarter Outside Reading
For fourth quarter I'm going to read Daughter of Fortune by Isabel Allende. It's about a young Chilean girl who travels to San Fransisco during the Gold Rush. My mom recommended this book, so I believe it will be good. I like how it isn't just about the culture of Chile, but it will also be the reaction of the Chilean culture to American culture. Often it's difficult to read books by foreign authors because it's hard to relate to such different experiences. But, in Daughter of Fortune, the culture difference will be more manageable because the story is set in a familiar setting.
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