Favorite Text of the Semester (or one of them)

The variety of the texts, art, music, and films we studied in this class enriched greatly not only my understanding of Latin American authors and the culture but of fundamental principles in life that are essential in human relationships.

I have always enjoyed reading literature that would help me learn historical content. Ines of my Soul written by Isabel Allende was very well written as the plot line was clearly structured, I was able to understand the historical significance of the different areas they were traveling around and I could understand the relationships and see the character development as it progressed and changed throughout the novel.

I have always believed that in order to understand our future and present, personally and as a nation, it is fundamental that we understand our past. Latin American history is a complicated issue, and my eyes were opened so much more as to what the Spaniards did as they conquered Latin America. The three g’s, gold, glory, and God, really were the momentum for the men in this novel, and during this time period, while for the women, they were almost powerless and victim to males desires.

But through the example of Ines we can see that the way a society is does not determine how it has to be. She chose not to let the norms of society dictate how she had to act or keep her from getting what she wanted. I was fascinated that this theme really is as prevalent today as it was 500 years ago.

It was hard to pick a favorite text because once analyzed they are became more applicable but this one was easily applicable to principles and themes I understood personally.