El Fin
This class, even though difficult at times, has been one of my favorite classes. Not simply because of the topic, but because of the sense of community were able to make between all of us. Having a year long class like this really allows us to get to know one another, which is good... usually hahaha.

This class really pushed me to do more than I ever have for a class and I am a better student for it. Throughout the course of this class I have certainly developed many skills that will help me for the rest of my college career, such as my writing abilities. I knew I wasn't the best writer coming into this class, however I believe that I have left this class a better writer, or at least with the knowledge of what I need to do to become a better writer. To be completely honest, this was the hardest class I have ever taken, but it was worth it. I learned a lot about myself, and it is because of the way Professor Stark and Professor Serrata set this class up and a wanted us to analyze not just the literature, but also ourselves.

However, even though this class was hard, does not mean I don't think we didn't have any fun, as we had the dance lesson and our field trip to Chicago, as well as just always having a good time in class! Needless to say, I did enjoy our trip to Chicago a lot and will remember that for a long time, you know what, I will remember this class for a long time. It was great getting to know you all and I hope that everyone has a great summer!

Response to Elena's blog #11

Elena, I really like the connection you made between Maria Antonietta Saa and Veronica Corningstone. Anchorman is one of my favorite movies and I think it is awesome that you managed to relate it to the societal roles that women were place in, in Chile between Allende's and Pinochet's regime. And I completely agree with you, I think it's very interesting how many people were concerned that women were going above what their traditional roles called them to do, such as taking care of the house and kids. Nice blog!

Blog # 11- The Heights of Macchu Picchu

After the first day of discussing this poem and talking more about what all the parts of the piece could mean I decided that this poem might not be so bad after all. I really liked what our group came up with in our discussion about how Neruda begins the poem talking about the death of an individual but then, as the poem progresses, it moves to talking about the death in relation to the community. He does this by listing all the different types of workers; the farm worker, the weaver, the quiet shepherd, the mason, to name a few. He is attempting to join all these different types of people together in order to make a connection to the past society that once lived on this great, historic monument. It is clear that Neruda is expressing his longing to have seen this past society in all its greatness, and that he is in awe of everything that they were able to accomplish. So after realizing all of these attributes of the poem I decided to give Neruda another shot, so I read another poem by him. The poem is called "poema veinte" and I really, really enjoyed reading this poem. Granted it was a simpler, and shorter poem than his "heights of macchu picchu", I still liked this poem. I read it in both english and spanish and it gave me a new view of Neruda, because after reading the macchu picchu poem I wasn't so sure about him! Anyways, thats all for now, and below this blog is "poema XX" in both spanish and english:

Puedo escribir los versos más tristes esta noche.		Tonight I can write the saddest lines.
Escribir, por ejemplo: -La noche esta estrellada,		Write, for example, 'The night is starry
y tiritan, azules, los astros, a lo lejos-.		and the stars are blue and shiver in the distance.'
El viento de la noche gira en el cielo y canta.		The night wind revolves in the sky and sings.
Puedo escribir los versos más tristes esta noche.		Tonight I can write the saddest lines.
Yo la quise, y a veces ella también me quiso.		I loved her, and sometimes she loved me too.
En las noches como ésta la tuve entre mis brazos.		Through nights like this one I held her in my arms.
La besé tantas veces bajo el cielo infinito.		I kissed her so many times under the endless sky.
Ella me quiso, a veces yo también la quería.		She loved me, sometimes I loved her too.
Cómo no haber amado sus grandes ojos fijos.		How could one not have loved her great still eyes.
Puedo escribir los versos más tristes esta noche.		Tonight I can write the saddest lines.
Pensar que no la tengo. Sentir que la he perdido.		To think that I do not have her. To feel that I have lost her.
Oír la noche inmensa, más inmensa sin ella.		To hear the immense night, still more immense without her.
Y el verso cae al alma como al pasto el rocío.		And the verse falls to the soul like dew to the pasture.
Qué importa que mi amor no pudiera guardarla.		What does it matter that my love could not keep her.
La noche está estrellada y ella no está conmigo.		The night is starry and she is not with me.
Eso es todo. A lo lejos alguien canta. A lo lejos.		This is all. In the distance someone is singing. In the distance.
Mi alma no se contenta con haberla perdido.		My soul is not satisfied that it has lost her.
Como para acercarla mi mirada la busca.		My sight tries to find her as though to bring her closer.
Mi corazón la busca, y ella no está conmigo.		My heart looks for her, and she is not with me.
La misma noche que hace blanquear los mismos árboles.		The same night whitening the same trees.
Nosotros, los de entonces, ya no somos los mismos.		We, of that time, are no longer the same.
Ya no la quiero, es cierto, pero cuánto la quise.		I no longer love her, that's certain, but how I loved her.
Mi voz buscaba el viento para tocar su oído.		My voice tried to find the wind to touch her hearing.
De otro. Será de otro. Como antes de mis besos.		Another's. She will be another's. As before she was of my kisses.
Su voz, su cuerpo claro. Sus ojos infinitos.		Her voice, her bright body. Her infinite eyes.
Ya no la quiero, es cierto, pero tal vez la quiero.		I no longer love her, that's certain, but maybe I love her.
Es tan corto el amor, y es tan largo el olvido.		Love is so short, forgetting is so long.
Porque en noches como ésta la tuve entre mis brazos,		Because through nights like this one I held her in my arms,
mi alma no se contenta con haberla perdido.		my soul is not satisfied that it has lost her.
Aunque éste sea el último dolor que ella me causa,		Though this be the last pain that she makes me suffer,
y éstos sean los últimos versos que yo le escribo.		and these the last verses that I write for her.