About Me

Well there's really not a lot to say about me, I just stick to my own and dont really cause trouble. SIKE!!! Anyone who has even heard the name ~*GENESIS JELKES*~ knows that I'm the one everyone else watches and blames stuff on, and I'm the one they always run back to and I LOVE IT! I'm a fun girl who just wants to STAY a fun girl forever!! LoL On the plus side, I've been called every name in the book,no really...I have, so if you think you can top what I've heard GOOD LUCK :)

Monday, March 26, 2007

The Home Stretch Chapters 19-20

CHAPTER NINETEEN

Magical Realism: Pilar had the ability to know what was happening in places different from her own setting.

Character Development: Amaranta Ursula has fully developed into a woman in this chapter and has matured into a lady.

Plot Summary: This chapter begins and end with sex and lust. Amaranta Ursula returns to the town and Aureliano falls madly in love with her and begins to think about her all the time. Trying to get over her, he hangs out with his new acquaintances as well as his new hooker mate. Unfortunately none of his antics seem to do the job completely so he talks to Pilar. Pilar advises him to go back to Amaranta Ursula and try again and he does so unsuccessfully the first time but eventually gives in and they are now lovers.

Quotes

1. "So Aureliano was still a virgin when Amaranta Ursula returned to Macondo and gave him a sisterly embrace that left him breathless. "- This quote shows us that this was the beginning of the chapter and telling us how it was all going to happen.

2." Wherever she is right now, she is waiting for you." - This quote tells us that they are going to end up together.

Themes

Inter generational Reproduction- This theme is driven by Aureliano and his desperate need to be with Amaranta Ursula.

CHAPTER TWENTY

Magical Realism: The family's whole history was written down 100 years before it all happened, enough said.

Character Development: Before Amaranta ursula dies, Aureliano is unaware of the world surrounding him and once she dies, his eyes are opened.

Plot Summary

Pilar dies giving us the beginning of the chapter and her family in turn leave the village. Aureliano's acquaintances leave the town as well and Macondo becomes very desolate. Amaranta Ursula is now pregnant with Aureliano's child and gives her husband the news. The baby is born with a pig's tail and Amaranta dies due to excessive bleeding. Aureliano leaves the house one day and comes back to find his child dead. Grief-stricken, he begins to seclude himself and studies the scrolls. Hold on to your seats because when he finally finishes the scrolls he reads his family history and realizes that everything that happened, the tragedy, the incest, the suffering, to the whole Buendia crew was meant to be from chapter one.

Quotes

1."Friends are a bunch of bastards!"- This shows how distraught Aureliano is because of how his friends abandoned him randomly.

2. "At first he felt an outburst of joy, thinking that Amaranta Ursula had awakened from death..."- This quote shows how much Aureliano will miss his lady and how everyday functions are getting more difficult for him to do without her. This quote also tells us the affect she had on him.

Themes

Unfortunate Discovery- This is the theme of this chapter because of how a series of unfortunate events happened to Aureliano including the death of his child and the uncovering of the Buendia history.

Tuesday, March 20, 2007

Meaningful Passage

A meaningful passage that I remember the most is one where Jose the son begins to act like a dictator and treats the people of Macondo unjustly. Consequently, his mother Ursula beats him for what he did to the village. The part of the book was memorable to me because of the thought of a woman in essence being in charge of a whole village. It interested me because it reminded me of how matriarchal my family is. In a house filled with women of all ages, one would believe that my brother would slowly become the provider for the family as well as the protector. Contrary to popular belief, each of the women, my mother and my grandmother, held their own ground and pulled their own weight plus mine and my brother's. At times, he thought that he could be the leader of the household and when he acted irrationally my mother reprimanded him in ways similar to Ursula's. The funny thing about it all is that people of the male persuasion try to fit this stereotype of being aggressive, controlling and intimidating when in all actuality they may be more submissive than their female counterparts. My question is that since the book was written in the 1970s how was that part of the book taken by the readers of that time era. If rejected, what did people do to dissuade others from reading this kind of idea and if accepted was it a big deal. Why or not?

Monday, March 19, 2007

More Active Reading Chapters 11-18

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Magical Realism: Ursula predicts the destiny of her great great grandson which has happened times before in the book. Also all 17 Aurelianos get ashes on Ash Wednesday and they never come off.

Character Development: Fernanda del Carpio is introduced in the chapter. Rebeca is still living as a hermit.

Plot Summary

The chapter starts by introducing Fernanda and then Aureliano Segundo starts to like her. He looks throughout the town for her and when he finds her, they marry.She gets pregnant and gives birth to Renata Remedios also known as Meme and Jose Arcadio also known as baby Jose. Ursula believes that he will become pope. However they are total opposites and in order to keep his animals in top condition, he still has sex with Petra Cotes. Simultaneously Fernanda is trying to transform the buendia house into one of her liking. Aureliano Buendia gets an award on the anniversary of the war and all 17 of his kids come to see him. Since it was Ash Wednesday they got their ashes which never came off their heads. The Aurelianos decide to try and build an ice factory in memory of Jose the Father's dream. Segundo and one of the 17 Aurelianos build a railroad.

Quotes

1. "Petra Cotes, aware of her strength, showed no signs of worry. She had made a man out of him While he was still a child she had drawn him out of Melaquiades' room, his head full of fantastic ideas and lacking any contact with reality, she gave him a place in the world. " - This quote tells that Aureliano Segundo was somewhat like a servant to Petra because of what they did. It tells us that if a conflict were to arise between his new wife Fernanda and her that she would not be worried about it in the least.

2."I was saying" she would say, "that you're one of those people who mix up their ass and their ashes."- This quote is where Aramanta gets fed up with Fernanda and her quest to change the house.

Themes

Hostility- Fernanda hates Petra Cotes because her husband would rather live with her and Colonel Aureliano resent the honor award that he was going to get because he didn't want to be made a fool of.




CHAPTER TWELVE

Magical Realism: Remedios ascended to heaven in this chapter and what makes it magical is that she was still alive when she ascended.

Character development: Macondo even though not a person, has developed a large amount because of the new railroad. Also Aureliano has become a supporter of war once again.

Plot Summary

Macondo is getting bigger and better by the second in this chapter and it now has movie theaters, hookers and imports. However everyone is not ecstatic about the new changes. Remedios the Beauty is unaware of what is happening around her and goes to heaven and never comes back. The plantation owners set up a police system are punishing and attacking people for the smallest things. Aureliano decides to declare another war since he has 17 boys to fight for him. However 16 of them die by getting shot in the head where their ashes from Ash Wednesday would not rub off. Aureliano wants to start another war and asks Gerineldo to help but he refuses.

Quotes

1. "I just wanted to see you"- This is a quote from a stranger who wants to watch Remedios the Beauty take a shower even though the tiles are breaking and he could fall and die. This shows how a woman can affect how someone thinks and how they act.

2. "One of these days I'm going to arm my boys so we can get rid of these shitty gringos!"- This quote is Aureliano's way of getting ready for war.

Themes

Rapid Change- This theme is evident through the city of Macondo as well as the characters in the book, Aureliano changes once again with his opinion on war.


CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Magical Realism: Ursula is remembering people's daily routines, and Colonel Aureliano uses the bathroom on his father's ghost.

Character Development: Ursula is getting older, Aramanta is preparing for death, Fernanda is still trying to change the way the household operates and Colonel Aureliano Buendia is so depressed by the previous war that he dies.

Plot Summary

Ursula is slowly but surely dying but is still trying to get Jose Arcadio the baby to be a pope. However when he and his sister Meme go away to school Ursula is upset that the house is so empty. Fernanda takes this as an opportunity to force her lifestyle upon the buendia family. Aureliano Segundo disagrees with this and leaves the house to stay with his little side girl Petra Cotes and competes in eating contests where he almost dies. He comes back every time his kids come back just so that they would have the security of knowing that they do actually have a father in their lives. Jose Arcadio Segundo comes to talk to Colonel Aureliano but he continues his life of solitude and his hobby of making gold fish slowly comes to a stop. He soon dies afterwards.

Quotes

1. "He won't ever come into this house again as long as he carries the rash of the foreigners." - This quote shows us that Fernanda is not affected by her husband's decision to leave the house.

2. " It's your fault you're not sitting where your suppose to".-This quote shows that Ursula is getting older and is going blind because she knows where people usually sit and now they are not.

Themes

Seclusion- Ursula becomes upset because she realizes the house is uncomfortably empty and Aureliano is making it more and more clear that he want to be alone and is ready to die.


CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Magical Realism: Amaranta sees herself dying, which is not normal in the least bit and she offers to hold letters from people send to the dead which is not normal at all. Also yellow butterflies follow Meme's boyfriend Mauricio Babilonia.

Character Development: Meme now acts just like her father and gets interested in men and Ursula stay in solitude now because of the death of her only daughter Amaranta.

Plot Summary

This chapter starts off with the birth of Fernanda and Aureliano's third child Amaranta, Ursula. Amaranta now ignores the outside world and focuses on the past and all of the memories that she has about her life. She tells the town that she is going to die at dusk because she saw it in a daydream that she had and now told people that she would take cards and letters to the afterlife. Amaranta Buendia dies and her mother Ursula now stays in her bed. Baby Amaranta comes to visit her frequently and they grow a strong bond. Meme and Aureliano Segundo are now together and the two find more and more in common with each other such as their hatred for Fernanda. Meme starts to hang out with American people and hooks up with a plantation worker named Mauricico Babilonia that stays with yellow butterflies following him constantly. They go out to a movie and Fernanda catches them kissing and locks Meme in the house. This doesn't stop Mauricio though, he sneaks back into the house to have sex with Meme but when he gets caught, the guard shoots him and paralyzes him for life.

Quotes

1. "The first thing I'll do when I get there is to ask for him and give him your message." - This quote enforces the fact that Amaranta really believes that she will come in contact with someone in the afterlife.

2. "This child is as much of a barbarian as her father!"- This quote is from Frenanda and shows that even though they are still married and still having children, that they don't really like each other as much as they thought they would that one day at the carnival.

Themes

Bad Luck- The unfortunate death of Amaranta is just bad luck in regards to her mother as well as the shootings at the Buendia house and getting Mauricio paralyzed for life.


CHAPTER FIFTEEN

Magical Realism: The whole town forgetting what happened when the government shot up the whole plantation is nothing but magical because such violence should be learned in Macondonian history classes. Also the heavy rain erasing all traits of it is magical realism as well because granted rain can wash away some proof but yet there should still be guns lying around somewhere where the people can see the destruction.

Character Development: Jose Arcadio Segundo changes from a leader to yet another person who hides in order to stray from their problems.

Plot Summary

In chapter 15, Meme is forced to live in the city her mother was born in and become a nun there. Her baby, named Aureliano is sent back to the Buendia house and placed in a room because Fernanda is ashamed of her daughter's actions. Jose Arcadio Segundo on the other hand is defending his plantation workers because they are getting treated unfairly. Thinking they were going to have a meeting to resolve the problem, they went to the government, but it was all a trap and the workers all get killed, except for Jose who escapes from the train all the dead bodies were on. He comes back to macondo where no one knows about the murders and hides in his old house. Eventually he gets caught and continues studying Melaquiades' books and trying to keep alive his workers' memories.

Quotes

1. “It’s as if the world were repeating itself”- This quote from Ursula tells us that she notices the repetition of the family's actions.

2. "Cultivation stopped halfway, the fruit rotted on the trees and the hundred-twenty-car trains remained on the sidings"- This shows that the strike is officially on but little did those workers know that it would lead to their deaths.

Themes

Lies- This theme is expressed through the origin of Meme's baby as Fernanda told it as well as how everyone thought the workers were on a train but in all actuality they were killed.


CHAPTER SIXTEEN

Magical Realism: Continuous rain for 5 years is magical ant at the same time real because of Hurricane Katrina we've learned that rain can go on for a long time but not 5 years. The town is also forgetting more and more by the second. Lastly, Aureliano Segundo has changed from outgoing to quiet.

Character Development: Ursula is inching towards death and the Buendia house is getting old and dilapidated.

Plot Summary

The chapter starts off with aureliano segundo beginning to care for the children, Armanta Ursula and Aureliano and Meme who is the son, who has escaped from the room Fernanda hid him. Ursula is growing more senile, and talks the kids who learn from her stories. Fernanda tries contacting doctors, who are trying to heal her from a disease and she also is bothering her husband, Aureliano Segundo, who gets fed up and breaks everything in the house. Aureliano Segundo tries to find the money in gold coins that Úrsula hid in the backyard. The banana plantations have been washed away, and the town is losing memory.

Quotes

1. "Please shut up,"- This quote from Aureliano Segundo to Fernada tells us that he is getting fed up with how he is being talked to and wishes it would stop.

2. "I'm only waiting for the rain to stop in order to die."- This quote shows us that Macondo has become a place where not many people wanted to live.

Themes

Magical- This chapter starts and focuses on how it rains for almost five years and how it affects the family.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

Magical Realism- Ursula is extremely old and is reaching 120 years of age. Jose Arcadio Segundo is still stuck in Melaquiades' room after years of sitting and studying which is definitely magical. Lastly, the twin brothers Jose Arcadio Segundo and Aureliano Segundo die at the same time and that is unheard of in any time period.

Character Development: In this chapter, Petra Cotes and her boy toy are struggling because their animals died in the rain and yet they love each other more. Aureliano Segundo is not spending time with the kids anymore and they are grownig into young men and women. Also the town is looking older and poorer.

Plot Summary

This chapter statrs out with Ursula trying to clean the house after the rain and finds Jose Arcadio Segundo still in the same room he's been in since forever ago. Unfortunately Ursula dies at 120 years oldas well as Rebeca. After that, the town gets beat up and looks bad but Aureliano Segundo is focused on getting enough money to send his kid Amaranta Ursula to school which is taking a lot out of him and he begins to get old and weary. His twin Jose Arcadio Segundo is dying and figures out Melaquiades' writings and tells Baby Aureliano to follow through with them. After Aureliano Segundo gets word that Amaranta can go to Europe, he dies at the same time as his twin brother. Jose Segundo's last wishes were to make sure to keep alive the souls of the workers who died earlier.
Quotes
1. "Nevertheless, even the most pitying purchaser was getting a chance to win a pig...."- This quote shows how extreme the poverty was in the city.
2. "When the owner appears, God will illuminate him so that he will find it."- This quote shows how hard Aureliano wanted to get the money for daughter because he's trying to ask dead Ursula where the gold was so that he can take it.
Themes
Death-For obvious reasons......
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Magical Realism: Melaquiades is reappearing to baby Aureliano which is a ghost and definitely magical.
Character Devlopment: Sofia is fed up with the house and decides to leave, Fernanda is now stuck mistreating her husband and then dies, baby Jose Arcadio is now in what seems to be the cool thing to do which is seclude himself while waiting on a huge inheiritance.
Plot Summary
Baby Aureliano is still in the labratory where he learns how to write differently and the whole family is in poverty but live off the food that Petra Cotes gives to them. Sofia decided to leave and Fernanda dies. After that baby Jose Arcadio comes back to Macondo and finds out where Ursula hid the gold and starts to be aquainted with baby Aureliano. Their friendship is cut short when Jose gets killed in his bath for the gold.
Quotes
1. "Only then did he understand how much he had begun to love him."- This quote tells us that the two were getting closer and how unfortunate it was to lose him.
2. "For the first time in her long life Santa Sofia de la Piedad let a feeling show through..."- This shows that Sofia was a very reserved person and didn't really say much which made it even more surpirsing to find out that she left.
Themes
Greed- The characters were driven to take another man's life just to obtain stolen gold.

Wednesday, March 14, 2007

Reading Actively Chapters 9-10

CHAPTER NINE

Magical Realism: Aureliano is seeing the future and at the same time seeing the past. These occasional flashbacks and predictions are our first aspect of magical realism. As well, Ursula is seeing her dead husband.

Character Development: Our war friends Aureliano and Gerineldo begin to give up on the whole war concept. They begin to do other things but shortly return to their lives of fighting.

Plot Summary

Disappointment fills the air as this chapter shows us that Aureliano and Gerineldo drift away from the war scene and Aureliano starts to exclude himself from worldly things while Gerineldo begins to hang all over Aramanta again even though she treats him like "the third beer". He gets in trouble and then Aureliano begins to regain his fighting mentality. He fights with his people and eventually gets a a truce which he thinks is kind of garbage how it happened. He believes that the government is fishy. Figuring that Aureliano has taken as much negativity as he can take, he tries to shoot himself and luckily he survives. When his mother gets word that he's still alive she tries to clean the house up.

Quotes

1."...As soon as I See his dead body I swear to you by the bones of my father and mother, by the memory of Jose Arcadio Buendia, I swear to you before God that I will drag you out from wherever you're hiding and kill you with my own two hands."- This quote shows us that Ursula is compassionate for other people and treats them as if they were her own.

2. "Put on your shoes and help me get this shitty war over with."- This shows Aureliano's transition from sorry and secluded to aggressive and ready to fight.

Themes

Change- This theme is shown through the way that the two fighters change their attitudes about war repeatedly and as well as how aramanta changes her feelings about men.


CHAPTER TEN

Magical Realism: Aureliano Segundo seeing the ghost of Melaquiades is our first example of magic and this happens in the labratory that Melaquiades gave to the family. Also his twin brother Jose Segundo has sex with donkeys.

Plot Summary

Colonel Aureliano Buendía has gotten away from society by locking himself in his workshop making fish and not talking about politics. Aureliano Segundo begins to get involved with weird things that are still in Melquíades’s laboratory. He often sees Melquíades ghost. José Arcadio Segundo, begins to be more religious. Soon, he becomes a cockfighter and sometimes haves sex with donkeys. The two brothers, who look alike both start sleeping with Petra Cotes who thinks that they are the same man. Twin Jose stops messing with her because of a sickness she gets but Twin Aureliano keeps being with her. They have a strong liking for each other, and something magical causes their animals to be fertile. Soon, Twin Aureliano becomes rich because of his animals and has parties to gloat about it. Twin Jose Segundo tries to make a river passage to the ocean.

Quotes

1. "He spent many hours in the hot room watching how hard sheets of metal, worked by the coloniel ...."- This quotes supports the change in personality that Aureliano undergoes.

2."Make us poor again the way we were when we founded this town..."- This quote shows that something is going wrong and that she is no longer comfortable with being wealthy.

Themes -Triump
All the characters were able to overcome dificult tasks in their desperation for accomplishing their goals and acheivments.

Tuesday, March 13, 2007

Active Reading Chapters 7-8

CHAPTER SEVEN

Magical Realism: Yellow flowers falling form the sky show the magical we are looking for when Jose Arcadio Buendia the father dies after being tied to a tree.

Character Development: Rebeca makes a drastic change after her husband Jose the son dies. Armanta remains in seclusion by rejecting Colonel Marquez.

Plot Summary

The Liberals have lost the war, and Colonel Aureliano Buendía, and his friend Colonel Gerineldo Márquez get caught and are about to die. His last request is that he dies in Macondo. however, by his brother José Arcadio, he is saved. He decides to start more trouble which didn’t end in his favor. Eventually, he is able to recapture Macondo and other territory. He then comes to the realization that he is fighting for pride. He starts writing poetry again, as he used to do during his courtship with Remedios Moscote. saved. He decides to start more trouble which didn’t end in his favor. Eventually, he is able to recapture Macondo and other territory. He then comes to the realization that he is fighting for pride. He starts writing poetry again, as he used to date Remedios. While Aureliano is fighting his wars, Santa Sofía de la Piedad has twins and they are named José Arcadio Segundo and Aureliano Segundo. José Arcadio dies randomly, and no one knows how he died. Rebeca becomes a hermit. Colonel Gerineldo Márquez likes Armanta but she rejects him. Finally, after living outside tied to a tree, José Arcadio Buendía dies. Yellow flowers fall from the sky when he dies.

Quotes

1. "Ursula promised and stood up to kiss him good-bye. 'I brought you a revolver' she murmured." - This quote brings a tad bit of suspense to the story and it made me wonder whether or not they were gonna get caught and what would happen to them if they did.

2."Let's pray to God for his enemies to show him clemency."- This quote stuck out to me because I never really heard of them praying before but now that they are in what I like to call "hot water" they are quick to shout his name and it reminds me of may people in today's society.

Themes

Death- An obvious theme because two members of the family have died.


CHAPTER EIGHT

Magical Realism: Magical realism in this chapter is that Pilar knew what was going to happen to Aureliano. The fact that she knew his fate, seemed impossible.

Character Development: Aureliano Jose begins to become more of a whore or a more sexually active person. Armanta begins to flip flop with her feelings in regards to men. She wants to express her feelings one day and the next she doesn't.

Plot Summary

Chapter eight starts off with the lust between Amaranta and Aureliano Jose. The two begins to play games with each other which leads to the increase in tension between them. She realized that it had to stop when she almost kissed him. Amaranta eventually started blocking her door. Aureliano the older, during this time, was fighting different battles. He took Aureliano Jose with him, but came back home. He would take different girls to Pilar's house to sleep with them. Pilar told him one day to stay in the house, because she had a premonition that something was going to happen to him. A man of the conservative army shot him. But Pilar knew that if he wouldn't have gone he would have lived, and married the woman who was waiting for him.

Quotes

1. "You look just like Aureliano when he was your age," she said. "You're a man now."- This quote tells us that Armanta is checking out her family members which is incest.

2. "I don't care if they're born as armadillos, " - This quote express the desperation that Aureliano has for marrying his aunt.

Themes

Unrequited Love- As Aramanta continues to reject yet toy with her nephew, this is where we find that Aureliano Jose likes her but she definitely doesn't like him.

Monday, March 12, 2007

The Ventilation Of A Mad Black Student Athlete!!!!!

Any student athlete can agree that even though a choice, sports physically ask a lot of you as well mentally. Furthermore, the idea to not number the chapters in the book is utterly ridiculous. This so called author doesnt realize the severity of his frivilous actions. If a human being can have enough energy to write a novel that high school students should read, then they should have more than enough energy to write the chapters in the book. I dont see a reason to avoid the chapter indication and it doesnt help or motivate me to continue to read this rather stifling book.

Wednesday, March 7, 2007

Active Reading Chapters 4-6

CHAPTER FOUR

Magical Realism: For starters the magical element of a fairy is brought up in this chapter. Jose the son thinks that Pierto Crespi is a fairy only by the way he looks. He also begins to daydream about his fantasies and get lost in time. This is magical by how he supposedly literally got lost in time and in actuality, you seem lost in time but you're not.

Character Development: There is little character development in this chapter other than the children expressing their feelings for the opposite sex.

Plot Summary

In this chapter Rebeca and Pierto become engaged to each other and so does Aureliano and Remedios. Jose the father is the one who goes to Remedios’ house and asks her father to marry her. The family is shocked and wants one of their older daughters to marry him, but Aureliano wants Remedios. Rebeca and Pierto become involved and Amaranta becomes jealous. She threatens to do anything in her power to prevent them from wedding. Ursula then plans a trip to take Amaranta’s mind off of their relationship. Pilar also announces to Aureliano that she is pregnant and he will recognize him as his child. Jose the father becomes very involved in trying to get a music box to work, and when that happens he finally loses his mind and thinks time is standing still, and sees the ghost of the man he killed. He goes crazy and his family is forced to tie him to a tree in the backyard where he would carry out the majority of the rest of his life.

Quotes

1. "I'll find some way of stopping you from getting married, even if I have to kill you". - This quote shows how radical Armanta is now that she's has an interest in the oppopsite sex and in my ow opoinion, I think it is weird.

2."I've come to sleep with you."- This quote is from Aureliano and this was his way of asking Pilar to have sex and it stuck out to me because it shows the extremely low standards that she has set for herself and supports the female sexuality theme.

Themes

Love- Aureliano shows that he is in love with Remedios when he takes the time to care for her, and teach her. Rebeca also in love, shows great affection to Pierto whenever she can.



CHAPTER FIVE

Magical Realism: Madness (mentally) is very big part of the magical realism aspect of the book. The one that suffers the most from it is Jose Arcadio Buendia the father. He goes crazy and is still tied to the tree as in the previous chapter. He can’t even communicate in his language anymore. The only thing he can speak is Latin, and lost memory of his family to that of his own identity as well.

Character Development: Aureliano changes a lot emotionally in this chapter from a man in love Remedios, to a man who is grief-stricken when she dies. Then he gets inspired and becomes dedicated to the war. Rebeca goes from being in love Pierto to being in love with her play brother Jose the son. Jose the father changes to a man who is completely lost within himself. He is no longer the man he used to be.

Plot Summary

Aureliano and Remedios get married. She fits into the house well. She even announces that she will be having a baby. Amaranta and Rebeca even stop fighting to make clothes for the baby. Remedios then dies, and Rebeca and Pierto's marriage is then put on hold, and while she waits she falls in love with her brother Jose the son, and marries him. Gathering what I call sloppy seconds, Amaranta and Pierto become engaged. Aureliano tells his momma that Amaranta’s marriage should be put on hold. During this period Jose the father in law urges him to remarry. He refuses. Aureliano then becomes involved in the war, and leads the revolution and becomes Colonel Aureliano.

Quotes

1."You are a woman little sister." This quote can either show how people are developing or it can show the incest that is among the family. However Rebeca and Jose the son are not biologically siblings, they are spiritually and it is still weird in my book.

2."Now I'm Colonel Aureliano Buendia."- This just goes to show how a title change con go to someone's head. It's ironic that this sort of thing still happens in today's society.

Themes


1. Love- This theme is still displayed by how the "siblings" are together. Also by how people get matched up like a deck of cards is showing us that love is not as important as what people believe it is.


CHAPTER SIX

Magical Realism: Colonel Gregorio could fight off a fleet of opposing troops, with just himself. It seems very magical that one man could get rid of a large number of men with weapons.

Characters Development: Aureliano changes into a military man, and becomes devoted to the war. With his experience in the war, he becomes wiser. Ursula begins to run the household. She steps in and beats Jose the son for becoming brutal and is about to assassinate a man. Jose Arcadio the son goes from a kind little boy into a man who punishes people for petty reasons.

Plot Summary

Chapter Six starts off with Colonel Aureliano Buendia fighting different battles of the war. While away he leaves Jose the son in charge of Macondo. During his rule, he went power crazy and hurt people for silly reasons. He had he intent to beat Don Apolinar Moscote, Ursula found out and started to beat him. Amaranta and Pierto are strengthening their feelings; however she denied his request to marry. In response to the heart break, he commits suicide. Jose and his sister Rebeca had three kids. The opposing army invaded the town, captured him and then they shot him.

Quotes

1. " I am not a Buendia." - This shows the development has gpone bad because now Aureliano hates his family and that is a part of his identity.

2."Go to hell, friend."- This quote makes me laugh because Marquez has found a way to to insult someone politely and that's what I like to read.

Themes

Change is the evident theme of this chapter and we see this by how Aureliano has comppletely distanced himself from his family.

Monday, March 5, 2007

Active Reading Chapter 3

Chapter Three


Magical Realism: The first aspect of magical realism that I found was how one little orphan, Rebeca can have such an impact on a whole village. One little girl who has the power to make people forget things is magic to me because most females especially young ones do not have that kind of effect on anyone. Secondly, Melaquaides the gypsy comes back to life and yet again blesses the family with a picture thing. Also he is magical by how everyone is under some sort of spell until he comes back and just so happens to have the anecdote to cure them.

Character Development

Aureliano has become a man and yet has never seen or been with a girl. Also the family as a whole has developed economically by now having the ability to take pictures. Armanta begins to gather an interest in the opposite sex in the form of a man named Pietro Crespi.

Plot Summary

Macondo begins to get better when they find the route to civilization. It gets new people including Arcadio Jose the son's son and Rebeca an orphan whose past is unknown. Rebeca somehow gives the whole village insomnia and Jose the father and Aureliano put signs all over the village to remind them about what things are and they even have a sign reminding them that god exists. Melquiades then comes back from the dead and gives the town the cure they have been in desperate need of. Also Melaquiades brings the Buendia family a daguerreotype which gives them their1st family portrait. Now Melaquaides joins Jose the father in the lab as they try to find a way to take a picture of God. Meanwhile Aureliano learns how to be a silversmith. Ursula decided that she wants to re-model the house so that all her kids won't have to leave her once they get married. In the middle of it all she gets a letter from the government telling her that the house must be painted blue. Ursula must not like blue because she gets Jose the father to run the guy who told her the house had to be blue out of town. He gets denoted from his government position and comes back to settle in the town as a regular citizen. Aureliano becomes attracted to one of the guy's 9 year old daughters. Out of sexual frustration he sleeps with Pilar Ternera and tells her his secret. She helps Aureliano asks her to marry him and Remedios says yes. Also, Aramanta and rebeca become interested in the same guy, Pierto Crespi. He decides to marry Rebeca and Aramanta gets very angry. Melaquiades is the first person to die in Macondo and after they bury him, Aureliano teaches Remedios how to read but Pilar tells him that she is pregnant with his baby. Jose the father fails to get a picture of God and in turn messes up the lab and tries to burn down the house. Twenty men hold him down and tie him to a tree and Ursula built a shelter for him and leaves him there.

Quotes

1. "I'm thinking about Prudencio Aguilar again."- This quote sticks out to me because I don't understand why he's thinking about him again and I'm wondering whether or not he is going to be remembered throughout the whole book.

2. "The image of Remedios, the magistrate's younger daughter, paining him in some part of his body. "- This quote makes me wonder whether or not he really likes her or is he just attracted to her young personality.

Themes

Revelations seems to be the driving theme of this chapter. They find out many things in this chapter such as the arrival of a new family member and the symptom and cure for the insomnia that they all suffered. Lastly, Melaquiades has arisen from the dead.

Relflective Journal #2

March 5, 2007

After reading chapter three of the book I am confused and upset because now I know for sure that this should have been a movie. This book sounds juicy but I cannot keep up with it unless I see different people. This book would be so much more enjoyable if they could just have diffrent names. Somebody please make this book into a movie or play quick so that my class can go a field trip to go see it before we graduate and have to leave each other.

Thursday, March 1, 2007

Active Reading Chapters 1-2

CHAPTER ONE

Magical Elements: The character of Melaquiades is the first magical element of the book. Melaquiades' ability to resist getting sick during the worst conditions shows us that magic has to be a part of this Gypsy's life and his travels. Also a magical element of the book is Macondo and how everyone there was under 30 and never died.

Characters

Jose Arcadio Buendia: The Founder of Macondo who is strong and reminds me of a scientist by how he is so curious about things and how he is always in the quest for knowledge.

Ursula Iguaran: The matriarch of the Buendia family who is the mother of the mother of José Arcadio, Colonel Aureliano Buendía, and Amaranta. She is a supportive wife but at the same time has her limits.

Melaquides: The gypsy who gives Jose Sr. technological things such as a magnet, a metal detector and a magnifying glass.

Plot Summary

Chapter one begins with a flashback of how Macondo was found. The gypsy Melaquiades gives Jose Arcadio Buendia a bunch of tools that can help him in the future. In turn, he begins to engage in scientific study even though his wife, Ursula doesn't want him to. He tries to get involved in alchemy, the art or science of making gold out of other metals. His studies keep him from his family more and more as time goes by. He proclaims that the world is round and everyone begins to question whether or not he is crazy. Furthermore, Jose begins to strive for civilization and contact to the world outside of Macondo. The guys that live in Macondo begin to trek through trees and shrubbery and only find antiques. Jose wants to move but his wife refuses to leave. After that he begins to focus more on his kids: Aureliano Buendia is the oldest and is just as strong as his father as well as mysterious. On a family outing, he takes his children to a gypsy fair where they all see ice for the first time and finds out that Melaquiades is dead.

Quotes

1. "Look at the state they're in, running wild just like donkeys." This quote sticks out to me because it shows how Jose's negligence is affecting the kids in Ursula's eyes. Also it reminds me of how my grandmother talks and it makes me laugh.

2. "That was a period in which he acquired a habit of talking to himself, of walking through the house without paying attention to anyone....." This quote shows the theme of isolation as well as the severity of his condition.

Themes

1. Isolation- This theme is shown through Jose Arcadio Buendia and how he separates himself from the rest of his family when he is studying alchemy and how Macondo is an island separate from all other civilization.

2. Time- The book has many flashbacks and the characters in the story are affected by them.

CHAPTER TWO

Magical Elements: The child born of incest is an example of magical realism because even though children can be born with deficiencies they cannot be born with body parts of different animals. Also Jose Arcadio Buendia kills a man and afterwards sees his ghost which haunts him until he decides to leave the place he lived before moving to Macondo.

Characters: The father Jose begins to actually take care of his children while Ursula was away. Jose the son begins to physically mature while Ursula got over her fear of incest defected babies and gave birth to Armanta, her first girl.

Plot Summary

Chapter two takes us back to when the Buendia couple were young. Ursula is afraid to confirm her marriage to her cousin because of a she was told about her relatives who gave birth to a child with a pig's tail. People began to make fun of Jose A. Buendia and one day his rival made fun of him and that was the straw that broke the camel's back. He kills his rival Aguilar by stabbing him with a sharp stick. His rival's ghost haunts him until he realizes that he can't take it anymore and decides to leave, little did they know they would discover Macondo. Also, Jose and his son Aureliano go back to studying science while the older son Jose is getting involved with Pilar Ternera a local who only likes Jose the son because he has developed a large reproductive organ. He also falls in love with a gypsy lady but before he met her he had sex with Pilar and gets her pregnant. Before their child is born he runs away with the gypsy lady and Ursula tries to follow them because she is sad that her child has left her. She returns five months later to find out that there is a path to civilization through a swamp.

Quotes

1. "Ursula, before going to bed, would put on a rudimentary ind of drawers that her mother had made out of sailcloth and had reinforced with a system of crisscrossed leather straps and that was closed in the front by a thick iron buckle."- This quote describes not only what she went through each night but how far out of her way she had to go just because she is afraid of having an defected child by incest. This quote is rather disturbing to me because of how uncomfortable she must have been physically and emotionally especially during that time of the month where comfort is a must.

2. ....he made his way through the crowd up to the first row, where the gypsy girl was, and he stopped behind her. He pressed against her back. The girl tried to separate herself, but Jose Arcadio pressed more strongly against her back." This quote makes me laugh because it is yet another example of how history always repeats itself because I can name a handful of teenage boys who either have done or is doing that to a pretty girl as we speak. Also this is a unique quote because he has a very large reproductive organ and pressing up against a girl who is seemed to be petite is a very awkward moment especially in public.

Themes

1. Females- Females in this chapter have been used only in a sexual and reproductive way.