How things turn out aren't always the expected or respected way. In the end, Juliana falls in love with a pirate, Diego defeats Moncada in the former's home, and Isabel rescues Diego by becoming Zorro along with Bernardo. So... nothing turns out, and yet, all is well for the protaganists in Zorro. The thing that most surprised me is how fiercely love took hold of Juliana just when I thought she would be sure to surrender to a life alone, with Diego or with Moncada. I enjoyed seeing her change from a young girl obsessed with finding an ideal that didn't exist in her society to a young woman with an adopted child who fought for what she believed in. Therefore, I forgive Juliana for being less than I might have suspected. On the subject of Isabel, I've always known that there was something different about her, something more modern that the author conveys with little hesitance. Part of the reason I enjoy her character in Zorro is because she is a free spirit ( and a libertine of sorts...) who goes with whatever Diego says, but interjects her own opinion as well. I've come to respect Isabel, who is in love with our hero, but doesn't let that get ahold of her common sense. Love is sometimes more wonderful when it can't be conveyed, which is why Isabel keeps it under wraps. Zorro is a wonderful read, and I would most definitely reccomend it to anyone interested in an adventurous story.
Cultural Differences:
Part of the end of the story is worth mentioning. Isabel has followed Zorro faithfully throughout the story, and thus, when she reveals herself as having saved his life in the end of the story, he asks her where she got her mask, and not why a girl would save him as all the other characters would have done. I think it's an atrocity to stop someone from being part of a cause just because they are female. If any male can fight, any female can fight just as well, they have no business being kept out of things just because of prejudice. I appreciate Isabel's bending of the boundaries and breaking of the rules, otherwise, Diego might not have survived.
Monday, May 26, 2008
Thursday, May 15, 2008
Post 6
Cultural Difference:
The characters do things so simply different that they're hard to spot. For example, my characters ate rice and beans and thick broth for dinner one night. This is considered a delicacy with salt. Here, we neglect to realize how precious something like salt is. We eat rice and beans on a whim too, and it's available at every takeout place I've ever known. They also all eat together at dinner, get dressed up for it, wash their hands, and never watch T.V. (which didn't exist anyway, but you get my gist). I guess we've forgotten our manners, at the very least, among many other things that seem to have slipped our mind as Americans.
Random Post:
The book has begun to get really intense as it draws to a close. Juliana was assaulted by her suitor, Moncada, who tried to use force to get her to marry him. There was a period of flight by the characters, and then they get abducted by pirates, of all things. I think that this was all played out rather well by Allende, who did a marvelous job portraying emotions without going inside the character's heads. I thought it was a bit ironic that Juliana falls in love with the captain of the pirates, not Diego, not Moncada, not any of her other suitors. She is an odd one for sure. So, she stays on the ship that took her hostage, and also gets married and takes on the little boy that the pirate captain had with his previous wife. Allende does an amazing job of moving plot along, I wish my writing could be more like hers. She constantly amazes me with the things that she cooks up for her characters. I like Nuria, the so called grandmother/surrogate mother for Isabel and Juliana. She is the old lady that is constantly fussing, but is the sweetest creature on the face of the planet. There is a balance of power between her soothing ways, Isabel's adventurousness, and Juliana's beauty. They make a team. Which is why I was so surprised when they left Juliana on a pirate ship!
The characters do things so simply different that they're hard to spot. For example, my characters ate rice and beans and thick broth for dinner one night. This is considered a delicacy with salt. Here, we neglect to realize how precious something like salt is. We eat rice and beans on a whim too, and it's available at every takeout place I've ever known. They also all eat together at dinner, get dressed up for it, wash their hands, and never watch T.V. (which didn't exist anyway, but you get my gist). I guess we've forgotten our manners, at the very least, among many other things that seem to have slipped our mind as Americans.
Random Post:
The book has begun to get really intense as it draws to a close. Juliana was assaulted by her suitor, Moncada, who tried to use force to get her to marry him. There was a period of flight by the characters, and then they get abducted by pirates, of all things. I think that this was all played out rather well by Allende, who did a marvelous job portraying emotions without going inside the character's heads. I thought it was a bit ironic that Juliana falls in love with the captain of the pirates, not Diego, not Moncada, not any of her other suitors. She is an odd one for sure. So, she stays on the ship that took her hostage, and also gets married and takes on the little boy that the pirate captain had with his previous wife. Allende does an amazing job of moving plot along, I wish my writing could be more like hers. She constantly amazes me with the things that she cooks up for her characters. I like Nuria, the so called grandmother/surrogate mother for Isabel and Juliana. She is the old lady that is constantly fussing, but is the sweetest creature on the face of the planet. There is a balance of power between her soothing ways, Isabel's adventurousness, and Juliana's beauty. They make a team. Which is why I was so surprised when they left Juliana on a pirate ship!
Sunday, May 11, 2008
Blog 7
Cultural Post-
There is a definite pronunciation on honor in Diego's society that doesn't exist in America. The Spanish would rather die for their honor than live in shame. Juliana's father actually does die for his honor. In not leaving his home in a timely manner, the authorities find traces of his departure and track him to his summer home, then they arrest him and have him executed for fleeing from the law. So, in essence, by not taking enough into consideration about what could happen to his life, or the lives of his two daughters, Juliana and Isabel, he got himself killed. Another thing that I saw was the prison differences. In their culture, they wouldn't allow bail or visitation rights (except in the face of a sobbing, beautiful daughter in Juliana's case), which I believe is inhumane for a person who is about to die to not be able to set their affairs in order. In our culture, we at least allow a goodbye before sentencing one's family member to a death sentence. I found myself unable to understand the way that people think in their culture, which, I suppose, is why we're doing this assignment.
Rant
I think Juliana is weaker in spirit than her sister Isabel. However, I want to debate this. Juliana did sacrifice her married life if her to be fiance could save her father. However, she did crumble like a little girl when A group of bandits were attacking she and her family. Though it wasn't proper for a lady of that age to do a spinning kick flip, she could have at least done a little more than scream and cry. Isabel actually got some action, getting in a punch. Good for her. I'm starting to like Isabel more and more throughout the book, just for her character. I appreciate the fact that she's cunning, and intelligent. I think this book proves that beauty isn't everything. Juliana and Isabel become Diego's at the end of the chapter when their father is sentenced to death, and this is advantagous to Diego, in his attempt to woo Juliana. I want to see how this situation turns out, even if I know that Juliana and Diego don't turn out.
There is a definite pronunciation on honor in Diego's society that doesn't exist in America. The Spanish would rather die for their honor than live in shame. Juliana's father actually does die for his honor. In not leaving his home in a timely manner, the authorities find traces of his departure and track him to his summer home, then they arrest him and have him executed for fleeing from the law. So, in essence, by not taking enough into consideration about what could happen to his life, or the lives of his two daughters, Juliana and Isabel, he got himself killed. Another thing that I saw was the prison differences. In their culture, they wouldn't allow bail or visitation rights (except in the face of a sobbing, beautiful daughter in Juliana's case), which I believe is inhumane for a person who is about to die to not be able to set their affairs in order. In our culture, we at least allow a goodbye before sentencing one's family member to a death sentence. I found myself unable to understand the way that people think in their culture, which, I suppose, is why we're doing this assignment.
Rant
I think Juliana is weaker in spirit than her sister Isabel. However, I want to debate this. Juliana did sacrifice her married life if her to be fiance could save her father. However, she did crumble like a little girl when A group of bandits were attacking she and her family. Though it wasn't proper for a lady of that age to do a spinning kick flip, she could have at least done a little more than scream and cry. Isabel actually got some action, getting in a punch. Good for her. I'm starting to like Isabel more and more throughout the book, just for her character. I appreciate the fact that she's cunning, and intelligent. I think this book proves that beauty isn't everything. Juliana and Isabel become Diego's at the end of the chapter when their father is sentenced to death, and this is advantagous to Diego, in his attempt to woo Juliana. I want to see how this situation turns out, even if I know that Juliana and Diego don't turn out.
Saturday, May 3, 2008
Cultural Post:
I cannot imagine breaking into someone's house, as Diego does on a regular basis now in the novel. Sure, we have burglary, and kidnapping, but to break in and steal a bottle of wine to sedate a party of 19 or so guardsmen, that seems a little extreme. Also, another difference is the executions. We do have the death penalty, but we don't kill someone for being a traitor to the government, or for being poor. In the novel, Juliana and Isabel (her sister)'s father is about to be killed for being allied with the French. Anyway, the methods of social lack of grace seem so radical in Spain and France rather than here. There is the time difference as well, which I know plays into affect when considering social nicities and the like, but just the abruptness of it all is stunning to me.
Ramble:
If I were somehow yanked back in time, I wonder what my life would be like? I know that I would be part of the bourgoise, and would have to put up with petticoats and miniature umbrellas and the like. However, I would be meek, and always following the rules because no one would have pushed me to be strong and independent. I know that as much as I want to say that I would be the one who let the ribbons out of my hair rebelliously on windy days, I would make sure that I had a bonnet on instead, or something of the like and be the epitomy of.... lady. I shudder to think that my parents would have arranged a marriage for me, and that I would be unhappily smiling and going into it because he was 'noble, and had money and was hansome'. God, what a horrible life. I'm so glad that I was born in this century and am able to say that. I am free and I can do things that other girls could never do, write for example, which I'm off to do after I post this, fall in love, which I will decide about on my own, and basically be seen and heard like any person. I'm so glad that I was born in this time, in this country. I'm so glad I'm free.
I cannot imagine breaking into someone's house, as Diego does on a regular basis now in the novel. Sure, we have burglary, and kidnapping, but to break in and steal a bottle of wine to sedate a party of 19 or so guardsmen, that seems a little extreme. Also, another difference is the executions. We do have the death penalty, but we don't kill someone for being a traitor to the government, or for being poor. In the novel, Juliana and Isabel (her sister)'s father is about to be killed for being allied with the French. Anyway, the methods of social lack of grace seem so radical in Spain and France rather than here. There is the time difference as well, which I know plays into affect when considering social nicities and the like, but just the abruptness of it all is stunning to me.
Ramble:
If I were somehow yanked back in time, I wonder what my life would be like? I know that I would be part of the bourgoise, and would have to put up with petticoats and miniature umbrellas and the like. However, I would be meek, and always following the rules because no one would have pushed me to be strong and independent. I know that as much as I want to say that I would be the one who let the ribbons out of my hair rebelliously on windy days, I would make sure that I had a bonnet on instead, or something of the like and be the epitomy of.... lady. I shudder to think that my parents would have arranged a marriage for me, and that I would be unhappily smiling and going into it because he was 'noble, and had money and was hansome'. God, what a horrible life. I'm so glad that I was born in this century and am able to say that. I am free and I can do things that other girls could never do, write for example, which I'm off to do after I post this, fall in love, which I will decide about on my own, and basically be seen and heard like any person. I'm so glad that I was born in this time, in this country. I'm so glad I'm free.
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