A Dream Deferred

WORD CHOICE

If you examine the first pages of Raisin in the Sun, namely the dedication and the epigraph, you'll see where it's title came from. (Or, if you're a stickler for good grammar, from where its title comes.)

The poem Harlem by Langston Hughes asks a profound question about dreams, encouraging the reader to contemplate what happens not just when a dream is not realized, but when a dream is deferred.

As you read A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry, keep this word choice in mind. Is deferred the best word simply because of the alliteration, or is there another reason Hughes chose it?

• What does it mean to defer? 
• What does it mean for a dream to be deferred? 
• How would the meaning or tone of the poem change if Hughes had asked instead, "What happens when a dream doesn't come true?" or "when a dream dies?"

We'll check in on this during our discussion next week, and we'll also talk about the relationship between Hughes' poem and the play, especially Hansberry's choice to take her title from Hughes' poem.

We'll also check in on the assignments below, so please choose one to tackle and come prepared to discuss your thoughts, show your work, or defer your dreams, whichever is most appropriate.

ASSIGNMENT OPTIONS

Option #1: Dream Collage
What are your dreams? Not the ones you have at night while you're asleep—the ones you think about during the day. Such as... what you plan to do after high school or college, what you hope to do for your life's work, where you want to live, what kind of house, car, or lifestyle you hope to have, whether or not you want a family. That stuff. Come up with at least one dream you have for you future and create a collage (or go ahead and sketch, draw, or paint) to illustrate it pictures and words. Bring your collage with you and be prepared to pass it around and talk about it a little bit.

Option #2: Dream Essay, Poem, or Song
See #1 above, but instead of creating a collage, write an essay, poem, or song about your dream—what it is, why it is important to you, and when (or how) you hope to make it happen.

Option #3: Raisin Dreams
What do raisins dream about? Actually, forget that. Instead, take some time to consider the depiction of dreams in the play and answer the questions below—in writing, in an essay, with bullet points, with pictures. Whatever works. Creativity is always encouraged. Ready? Here you go:

• Why do you think Lorraine Hansberry took the title of her play from this poem? 
• Which characters in A Raisin in the Sun have their dreams deferred? Explain.
• What would it be like to work toward a goal but never actually accomplish it? 
• Which of Hughes' similes do you think is most accurate? Would a "dream deferred" be more likely to dry up, fester, or explode? Why?
• Finally, do any of the characters' experiences suggest one simile more than another? Explain.

Option #4: Sacrifice (this one comes directly from Shmoop.com)

In A Raisin in the Sun, incredible sacrifices are made for the benefit of the family. Some family members are more willing to shoulder sacrifice than others, however, which leads to conflict. Accepting sacrifice for the benefit of the family is a recurring theme throughout the play, culminating in its final scene. So... riddle us this:

1. Who sacrifices the most in A Raisin in the Sun?
2. Is sacrifice seen as a positive, admirable attribute? Why? By whom?
3. What are people willing to sacrifice? What aren’t people willing to sacrifice?

Those are your choices, although you are always free to come up with something of your own. See a symbol or theme you want to explore further, write about, depict in an artistic creation of your choosing? Go for it. 

Whatever you do, be ready to share it on Wednesday. Until then, happy reading. 

From the Lord to the Prince

Sovereign Insects

Last month, we read about the Lord of the Flies, and this month we're delving into The Prince of Los Cocuyos.

What is it about royalty and bugs around here?

And what is it about authors with colors in their names?

You may recall that Lord of the Flies was written by William Golding. Interestingly enough, the author of our next book is Richard Blanco (blanco being the Spanish word for white). Strange, right? But all of these coincidences aside...

A Lot of Boxes

There are a few reasons you may recognize the name Richard Blanco.

For one thing, Blanco is from Maine. Well, not from Maine exactly, but these days he does split his time between Bethel, Maine and Boston, Massachusetts, so you may know his name because he's a well known local poet and author.

More likely, though, you've heard his name because he is the United States' fifth inaugural poet, having written and read his original poem "One Today" at President Barack Obama's second inauguration on January 21, 2013.

When Blanco was chosen to read at he 2013 inauguration, much was made of the fact that not only was he the youngest inaugural poet to date (see the list of other inaugural poets at right), but also the first Latino and the first openly gay inaugural poet. And he was speaking, of course, at the inauguration (albeit the second) of the nation's first black president.

That's a lot of firsts, and, as Blanco himself said, his selection as inaugural poet "checked a lot of boxes." That box-checking is directly related to issues of identity, belonging, ethnicity, sexuality, and immigration—all of which are prominent themes in The Prince of Los Cocuyos.

As you read—or after you read, as the case may be—consider these themes as well as the potential assignments below.

Choose one assignment to complete for our next meeting on November 18th and be ready to discuss your ideas.

Assignment Options

Option #1: Abuela
The book starts with Abuela and she is a dominant character throughout. Why do you think that is? Take some time to deconstruct Blanco's grandmother. Is she a good person? A bad person? Does she nurture young Riqui? Is she abusive? What role does she play in Riqui's life, and overall, how would you characterize her influence? Is it positive or negative? How does the author seem to view her? Is this different at all from how the character, Riqui, views her?

Option #2: Poetry
Blanco is first and foremost a poet. Take a look at some of his work. You can find four poems here, or you can seek out some other poems on your own. (Check the library for one of these titles.) choose a poem to analyze, and bring it with you along with your interpretation of what it is about and, if applicable, how it relates to the book.

Option #3: Identity
Throughout the novel. Riqui struggles with his identity. Is he Cuban? Is he American? Is he Cuban-American? An American gringo? Is he macho? Is he effeminate? Is either of those a problem? Think about your identity. What are the various roles you play in life? What identifiers or labels could you apply to yourself? Which ones make you most proud? Which ones cause you concern or make you wonder? Think this over and create an identity chart for yourself. You can model it after the one at right or create your own version. Feel free to use pictures or colors if you like.

Option # 4: Your Favorite
Of all of the stories Blanco relates from his childhood, which is your favorite and why? Ahem: This is probably the easiest assignment to relate to right away, so if you choose this one, dig deep. Go over your favorite story again and try to figure out what it is about it—the plot, the characters, the emotion, the tension, the humor, a particular pop culture reference—that appeals to you. Can you relate to this story? Or do you find it intriguing because it's so different from your life experiences? Really. Get. In There.

Option #5: The Epigraph
Read the epigraph—the quotation at the beginning of the book by Cesare Pavese—and examine its relationship to the book. Why do you think Blanco chose this particular quote to open the text? How does it relate to Riqui's character development or the themes of the book?

Option #6: The End
Consider the end of the book. Is it satisfying? Did Blanco pick a natural stopping point? Why or why not?

Phew. That's a lot of assignment options. Have fun completing yours. And, as always, happy reading!

LOTF: No rings in sight, but we've still got a Lord

Belinda's Joke Corner

Q: What do you call an alligator that's been roughed up in a fight? 

A: An allegory! 

Okay. That's not true at all, and it's not a very good joke, either, but Lord of the Flies, (like Animal Farm by George Orwell for those of you who have read that one), is an allegory. 

An alle-what? 

An allegory is a story in which objects and characters within the story also have meanings outside of the story. Because of this, an allegory typically tells two stories at the same time: a literal story, a.k.a, what's actually happening from moment to moment, and a bigger picture story that can be figured out by determining what the specific characters and objects represent.

This is exactly what's going on in Lord of the Flies—it tells two stories. First, there is the literal story: the plane crash that strands a group of private school boys on an island and all of the events that follow. Second, there is the “bigger picture” story that can be understood when we look more deeply at what various characters and objects symbolize.

Symbolism in the Shadows

As you read Lord of the Flies, be on the lookout for symbolism. A symbol is something that stands for something else. For instance, the American flag is our national symbol—it stands for the United States; it can also be seen as a symbol of “freedom” or “patriotism.”

In Lord of the Flies, you will find several symbols. Piggy’s glasses, for instance, are symbolic, though I’ll let you try to figure out what it is they represent. 

You will also find many motifs in this book. A motif is an object, image, word, phrase, or action that is repeated throughout a story. 

Two motifs in Lord of the Flies—images that arise over and over again—are shadows and masks. 

Motifs help to unify a story, and are often used to suggest greater meaning. See if you can figure out what Golding is doing with the motifs of shadows and masks in Lord of the Flies. Why does he repeat them so often? Is there something he is trying to tell us or make us think about? 

It’s okay if you don’t come up with an answer. I just want you to be thinking about it. If you notice other symbols or motifs (and yes, there are more), be sure to make a note of them so we can talk about them when we meet in November. 

And, as usual, here are a few assignments for you to choose from. Please come prepared with a thoughtful answer for at least one of them.

The Assignments

Option #1: Symbols & Motifs

Focus on one of the symbols or motifs mentioned above—or one of your own—and locate as many quotes as you can pertaining to that symbol. Use these quotes to help you determine what, exactly, the purpose of this particular symbol or motif is. What is Golding using this symbol or motif to suggest to us? Be ready to point to your quotes to support your assertions. Feel free to create a visual illustration of a symbol or motif to aid in your explanation.

Option #2: What's up with Simon? 

Scrutinize the passages in which he is featured. Look at his physical description, pay attention to his actions, and try to figure out what his role is in both the literal story and the allegory. Put together some notes, bullet points, a collage, or a brief essay in which you answer the initial question: What's up with Simon?

Option #3: Be the timekeeper! 

How long are the boys on this island? A ballpark figure is fine, but be sure to be ready to show us how you came to your answer. How does Golding show us that time is passing? 

Option #4: Title Track

Who or what exactly is the “Lord of the Flies” and what is the significance of the book's title? Find the passage where the title appears in the text of the book and explain the significance of this scene.

Happy reading!

Belinda

"It's alive!"

If those two words conjure the image of a mad scientist throwing his head back and bellowing toward the heavens, it's probably because of this:

But it's certainly not because of this:

This is the cover of an 1882 edition of the novel.

That's because the 1931 film version of Frankenstein—like so many movies based on books—takes a few liberties with Mary Shelley's original characters and storyline.

Alas, Victor Frankenstein is not exactly exhilarated when his creature comes to life. In fact, his response is decidedly different from the performance given by Colin Clive in the scene above. And that's just one difference you'll find between the original story (crafted by Shelley circa 1816) and its many modern retellings.

AS YOU READ...

Make mental notes (or written notes, if you prefer) of what surprises you about the book. Certainly, we all come to this one with a bit of baggage. It would be hard to live in a western culture that celebrates Halloween and not have some knowledge of Frankenstein. It will be interesting to hear what surprised (or didn't surprise) people during the reading. 

GET HELP IF YOU NEED IT

Shelley's sentence construction tends to be long and involved, and sometimes (often) her characters speak in paragraphs without interruption. This can result in a difficult reading experience at times, for sure. 

If you find yourself struggling with the narrative at any point, feel free to head on over to Shmoop's Frankenstein learning guide and check out the chapter summaries to make sure you understand what's happening.

While Shmoop's summary is no substitute for reading the actual text, it can be a big help if you need a little nudge along the way to keep things moving.

OUR ASSIGNMENTS

Please complete one of the following and be ready to share your work when we meet on the 23rd.

Option #1:

Head over to Flavorwire and check out their 15 vintage book covers of Frankenstein. Choose your favorite cover and do a little analysis for us.

• What scene or character is portrayed on the front? 

• What impression of the story does this cover convey? 

• Is there anything on the cover that seems symbolic? If so what and how? 

• How well do you think the cover represents the story? Explain.

Option #2:

People disagree over just how well written Frankenstein is and whether or not it deserves "classic" status. Germaine Greer calls it downright bad, while monica45 and literaturenerd (two contributors at enotes) speak glowingly of Shelley's approach. Take a look at their comments and decide who you think is right. Then, regardless of what you think of the quality of Shelley's writing, tell us why you think it is that this story has endured for 200 years.

Option #3:

The alternate title for Frankenstein is "The Modern Prometheus." Read up on the myth of Prometheus and be ready to explain to us why this title fits. Who, in the novel, is Prometheus? What parallels do you see? 

Option #4:

What side of the nature vs. nurture debate does the story of Frankenstein seem to support? How do you know? Find at least three quotes from the books that support your opinion. 

Option #5:

(Psst! This question is taken directly from Shmoop.)
You might have noticed some Christian influences in this text. To start off, there's the creator/creation paradigm. And, of course, the monster is compared to Adam. But the monster is also compared to the fallen angel—Satan—and Victor takes on comparisons to God. You could even go so far as to call Victor's death a sacrifice that makes him a Christ figure. What might Shelley be saying about religion, and Christianity in particular? (Keep in mind that, while we're not sure how Mary Shelley felt about religion, both her father and husband were big, honking atheists in a time when atheism could get you into serious trouble.)


Okay. That should give you plenty to think about between now and our discussion on the 23rd. And please, just do your best with these assignments. For those of you who are new to the group, don't be intimidated

Happy reading!

Avast Ye, Mateys!

Argggghh!

Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum!

Now that we've got all of those pirate cliches out of the way, let's talk about this month's book: Pirate Cinema by Cory Doctorow.

OFF TO A SLOW START

I'll admit it took me a while to really get into this book (somewhere around page 100), but even before I started enjoying the story, I found plenty of interesting issues to consider.

• Squatter's rights, for instance. 

• And the simultaneous proliferation of homeless people and abandoned buildings.

• And of course the whole idea of how being booted off the internet for a year would affect my life and the lives of my family members. 

BIG ON IDEAS

That's the thing about Cory Doctorow. This is the third novel of his that I've read, and regardless of what I've thought of the plots (which, overall, have been good), they've all been full of fascinating ideas.

Ian, Evan, Ward, and I all went to hear Doctorow speak at a little bookstore in New Hampshire a few years back, and he was impressive. It is clear that he is a progressive thinker with a firm grasp on not only the technologies that currently shape our lives, but on the likely technologies of the future and the importance of  staying on top of the laws and policies that seek to influence the way we interact with these technologies.

For a sample of Doctorow's insight on such issues, check out this 4-minute clip about the role of technology in our lives--as George Orwell imagined it and as Doctorow sees it.

DISCUSSION TIME 

We'll likely be talking a bit about tech when we get together (for our last meeting!) on May 28th, and I'll have my usual list of questions, but for this discussion (our last one!), I'd really like it if each of you could come with one issue to discuss. 

You can...

• pose a question to the group (about issues raised in the book; its symbols, themes, or characters; the language or style of writing--anything!).
• create something inspired by the book--an essay, drawing, sculpture, collage, photograph, video, or whatnot. 
• pull out a quote or two that you liked and get input from others on them. 
• link the themes of the book to modern issues and current events. 

In essence, you can do anything!

Just do your best to bring something that will generate a minute or two of discussion or contemplation, which, given how smart you all are, could be (yep, that's right) just about anything.

See you in a week!

The Arrow

No, not that Arrow. 

Time's Arrow, by Martin Amis. The book we'll be discussing when we meet on Thursday, April 30th at 10:45am.

To that end, please take a look at the assignment options below and come prepared to weigh in.

We'll be discussing all of the assignment options, but everyone is expected to have completed at least one in order to be ready to offer some insight—or perhaps more questions, which could, in turn, lead to insight.

Ready? Set? Go!

(Or perhaps I should say "Go! Set? Ready?")

Assignment Options

Number 1
"Uncle Pepi" is Joseph Mengele, but who is Joseph Mengele? Do a little research and come prepared to enlighten us with what you find. Be thorough, please. Don't just tell us he was a Nazi doctor. Give us some information we couldn't necessarily glean from the text of Amis' novel—information that helps to explain references in the text; information that goes beyond what the text offers.

Number 2
Examine the structure of the novel. Obviously, Amis put a lot of thought into the organization of the story's details. Go beyond the idea of the "reverse narrative" and take a look at how the story is divided into chapters and parts. What information is covered in each chapter and part? Why do you think Amis divided the information in this way? And what do you make of the phrases used to title the various chapters? What purpose do they serve?

Number 3
We get a lot of things in reverse in this novel. Everything, really. Choose one particular event or action (the break-up of a relationship, courtship/dating, eating, domestic violence, aging, a city's economic development/regression, a taxicab ride, "doctoring," etc.) and explain what we learn by viewing this process in reverse.

Number 4
Examine one of the following symbols or motifs featured in the novel and try to figure out what it represents or what we can learn by examining its repetition.

• stars
• mirrors
• dreams
• fashion
• chess
• doctors
• time's arrow

Number 5
Delve into the issue of war crimes, particularly as it relates to Nazis and the Holocaust. How should perpetrators of war crimes be punished? Does the punishment change according to when the perpetrator is "brougth to justice"? For instance, were Tod Friendly convicted of a war crime at his advanced age, how should he be punished? Has he suffered, made amends, or been rehabilitated at all in the 50 years since the war? Does the time that has elapsed matter, or should a 95 year old, say, be put to death or sentenced to life in prison for crimes committed 65 years ago?

Number 6
As always, you are welcome to choose your own issue to explore in whatever way you so choose. Draw, write, paint, sculpt, question, answer, pull out a quote and analyze it. Anything.

A NEW APPROACH 

I'm going to try something a little different this month. Instead of giving you some background and then segueing into the assignments, I'm going to give you the background IN the assignments. Exciting, eh? (Try to contain yourselves.)

As you read each assignment, you'll be given a little information and something to think about with regard to this month's selection, The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald.

Then, after reading all of your assignment choices and considering them carefully (gleaning brilliant bits of insight all the while), you'll choose one assignment to prep for our meeting on April 9th.

Ready? Go!

THE ASSIGNMENTS

#1 - Cover Art 

What's up with that ghostly disembodied face floating over the city on the novel's cover? Believe it or not (your choice), this cover art has been praised for its artistic and symbolic qualities. Created for the original publication by Spanish artist Francis Cugat, those eyes—and that glowing city—have graced the majority of The Great Gatsby covers printed over the last 90 years. But... why? You tell us. Why is this cover so perfect for the novel? What are its artistic merits? In what ways it symbolic? Give us everything you've got: color theory, thematic analysis, a biography of Cugat—anything that explains why this cover is one of the most enduring and iconic book covers ever. Ev-er.

#2 - Living Will

Here's the situation. You're in the hospital. You have to undergo a procedure that may leave you unable to make your own medical decisions for a period of time, and you need to appoint someone else to make those decisions for you. For some inexplicable reason, your only choices to fill this role are the characters of The Great Gatsby: 

• Nick Carraway
• Jay Gatsby
• Daisy Buchanan
• Tom Buchanan
• Jordan Baker
• Myrtle Wilson
• George Wilson
• Owl Eyes
• Klipsringer 

For this one, you have to answer two questions: Who's your first choice, and who's your last choice? Back up each of your choices with specific evidence from the book. For instance, if you choose Nick because he's the most conscientious, find some evidence from the book that proves you're not just making things up. Not that you would. But still. Textual evidence, please.

#3 - The Great American Novel

Of course Gatsby is great, it's right there in the title. But what is it that makes Fitzgerald's book a contender for the title Great American Novel. Try to come up with more than reason to support your answer to this one. In fact, let's say three. And if you don't think it's particularly great or particularly American, you can come up with three reasons why Gatsby doesn't deserve the GAN title. 

Ooh! Here's a crazy thought—a third option for #3: Come up with another book that deserves the Great American Novel title more than Gatsby and explain your choice. (Wow. We're up to like, nine assignment choices now. Crazy.)

#4 - Autobiographical Nature of Book

You've probably heard the advice often offered to writers: write what you know. Whether it's good advice or not, it's pretty clear that Fitzgerald took it. There are several elements of The Great Gatsby that appear directly related to Fitzgerald's life experience. Do a little digging into F. Scott's biography and see what you can find in terms of characters, experiences, or events that may have gone directly from Fitzgerald's life to the page.

#5 - Poetry

One of the things I really enjoyed about reading Gatsby this time around was the language. Possibly because I already knew the story, I found myself highly focused on his writing style, his word choice, and—in particular—his very poetic descriptions. Scan through the text of The Great Gatsby and pick out words and phrases that you find particularly poetic. Once you have a good list going, start rearranging these words and phrases to create a Gatsby-inspired poem constructed from Fitzgerald's language. (You can insert a few word and phrases of your own if you like.) Give it a title and bring it to group to share. 

#6 - Something Clever of Your Own Invention

You're all brilliant and you know it, so feel free to create your own Gatsby inspired something-or-other and show it off when we meet on the 9th. 

Happy reading, everyone! I can't wait to see what you all come up with.

Short, But Not Exactly Sweet

We’ve got two featherweights this month. The first, Antigone by Sophocles, weighs in at just over fifty pages, and the second, the essay “On Civil Disobedience” by Henry David Thoreau, is a mere thirty-two. But don’t let their lengths deceive you! A short selection does not always equal a quick read. And despite the cliché “short and sweet,” neither of these are that, either.

These are two seriously challenging texts, and if you wait until the last minute to read them, you may finish, sure, but you probably won’t have a very good understanding of what you’ve just read.

One thing that will help with the challenge of reading and comprehending these works (aside from starting early and taking your time with them) is a little background. So here you go.

A Little Background – First Up: Antigone

Written by the Greek author Sophocles in about 500 B.C.E., Antigone is part of a cycle of plays referred to as “The Theban Plays.” That’s because they’re all set in and around Thebes, a city in Ancient Greece.

Chronologically in the series, Antigone comes last, but, like Star Wars: A New Hope, it was written before the dramas that come before it. In order, the three plays are:

Oedipus the King

Oedipus at Colonus

Antigone

Even so, we can’t really call the plays that were written after—and yet come before—Antigone in the timeline "prequels." Why? Because all three plays retell segments of a Greek myth that existed before Sophocles got his hands on it. He just put his own spin on the tale by creating these three plays and his version of the myth turned out to be the most widely read and popular.

All three plays can be read on their own, but if you’re starting with something other than the King, which we are, it’s useful to know this: 

• Oedipus seriously messes up in the first play (exactly as a prophecy said he would), and as a result, he and all of his kin are pretty much cursed. In Antigone, we see how the sins of the father (in this case Oedipus) are visited upon his children: his daughters, Ismene and Antigone, and his sons, Polyneices and Eteocles (who are dead at the start of the play, so yeah, cursed).
• Polyneices and Eteocles are dead because they went to war against each other and killed one another in hand to hand combat. Why the war? Because they both wanted to be king. This, too (the battle and their deaths), was foreseen in a prophecy.

That’s enough to get you through, but if you want the whole backstory, check out Shmoop's summary of Oedipus the King  and the CBHS (which I had hoped was Casco Bay High School but turns out to be Christian Brothers High School) summary of Oedipus at Colonus. 

Next (and Last) Up – “On Civil Disobedience”

There’s less you need to know for this one to make sense.

“On Civil Disobedience” is an essay by Henry David Thoreau, and it, along with the book Walden, are his two most well known works. Thoreau was a philosopher and writer who had a lot to say about America’s public institutions, particularly its government. He was big on individualism (the phrase “march to the beat of a different drummer” was paraphrased from his writings) and self-reliance, as you will quickly learn. Like, in the first lines of the essay.

One more thing: It may help to know that Thoreau lived from 1817 to 1862, which means that both slavery and the Mexican-American war were hot-button issues in his day. Therefore it’s no surprise that both of them receive attention in “On Civil Disobedience.”

Okay. Let’s leave it there and get to …

T H E   A S S I G N M E N T S

In honor of this month's selections, I'm going to keep the assignment list short, too. (You can decide how sweet you think these options are.)

Ready?

Do one of the following for our meeting:

OPTION A:
Write a letter that is either:

1. from Henry David Thoreau to one of the characters in Antigone, or 
2. from one of the characters in Antigone to H.D.T.

In this letter, the writer should be "passing judgment," so to speak, on the addressee. For example, Mr. T could write to Antigone expressing his support for or condemnation of her actions and explaining why he feels the way he does about the choices she's made. Or, Creon, say, could let Thoreau know what he thinks about citizens who diss their governments and elected leaders and refuse to pay their taxes.

OPTION B:
Choose a quote from "On Civil Disobedience" or Antigone and link it to a current event. If possible, bring in a news clipping (or article printed from an online source) relating to the current event. If you have no clipping, write a brief paragraph summarizing the current event. At our meeting, share both the quote you've chosen and your information on the current event and explain how you believe the two are related.

OPTION C:
Something clever of your own invention.

Happy reading, and I'll see you on Thursday!

Just what is it about "water for chocolate?"

Like a Simile

Eventually, in your reading of this month's book, Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel, you'll encounter the title in the text, and when you do, pay attention! This simile and the way it's used in the novel provide a clue to some of the major themes of the book (not to mention the tone).

And speaking of tone...

What do you make of all of this cooking instruction interspersed with the action of the story? What is the overall effect of all of the recipes, and why did Esquivel bother to include them?

Those are just a few of the questions we'll be discussing when we meet on February 5th. In the meantime, as you prep for the discussion, I invite you to contemplate the questions below.

Please come with a thoughtful, well considered answer to at least one of the following:

1. When and where is the novel set, and why does this setting seem important to the events of the novel?
2. What do you think of the tradition that prevents Tita from marrying? Does it make sense at all? Why or why not? Find an example from another culture of a practice that dictates a person's role or limits their possibilities in life and compare it to the De la Garza family tradition.
3. Which De la Garza sister is the strongest, and why? 
4. Consider the men of the novel. Which of them are honorable, and which of them are not? Explain.
5. Sex and sensuality play a large role in the novel, but to what end? Do they add to the narrative, distract from it, or completely take it over? Is Esquivel trying to send a message? If so, what? 

Reminder: Our starting time is shifting ever so slightly from 10:30 to 10:45am (which means our ending time is shifting by 15 minutes as well, to 12:15pm). 

Until then, happy reading!