Blogs

 Week 7: I, Rigoberta Menchu: An Indian Woman in GuatemalaMenchu's novel was so interesting to read, both structure and content-wise. I've never read a book that was created from recorded interviews, and the oral element shone through in the synta... read full post >>

One cannot help but feel so angry for the endeavours Rigoberta and her community had to endure. Endeavours which are not at all new and have happened to displaced, exploited, and underdeveloped people all over the world. Her unfiltered recount of her life ought to be enough to mobilize any decent human being. The beginning […] read full post >>

“I’d like to stress that it’s not only my life, it’s also the testimony of my people” (p.01). This quote resonated with me because it speaks to the question of voice. As we have been discussing in class, having a voice to share one’s experiences appears to be a common theme within the texts we […] read full post >>

As I began this novel I was immediately captivated by Rigoberta’s experience, her suffering and moments of joy were all painstakingly shared. The stories she shares are part of a collective occurrence, she is delicate in what she shares because she acknowledges she cannot just speak for herself, “The important thing is that what has […] read full post >>

This book is like listening to someone speaking which I enjoyed. Instead of being written very factual and more formal it is quite informal which makes easy to engage with and read. The story though is quite sad. Rigioberta describes so much cruelty and difficulty that the poor indigenous Guatemalans must endure. And most if […] read full post >>

In the book, I, Rigoberta Menchú, Menchú describes her life and experiences as a Quiché woman in an Indian community in Guatemala. Her co-author, Elisabeth Burgos-Debray, describes in the introduction how she aimed to listen and document all that Menchú talked about in order to help reflect the Indian experience in Latin America. She recounts […] read full post >>

The introduction of Yawar Fiesta was a massive exposition dump that had me desperately trying to stay as far away from as possible. While descriptive, ultimately something like the exact map of the setting was completely lost to me the moment I woke up the next morning. So many names and places and words of […] read full post >>

Yawar Fiesta by José María Arguedas is a novel that takes place in the Andean town of Puquio, the story follows the events leading up to the titular fiesta. Early on, we learn that the central component of the fiesta is the bullfight. This is also a source of conflict between the Indigenous, misti, and … Continue reading Yawar Fiesta read full post >>

José María Arguedas, through his work Yawar Fiesta, tells a powerful story of how class, race, and political power hinder ‘Indians’ of the Andes in established Peru to authentically express their culture, beliefs, and collective identity. Seen through the annual Turupukllu and the rivalry between the two of the four ayllus, the K’ayau ayllu embrace a […] read full post >>

I was a little surprised by the book because of how it was written. Unlike Guaman Poma’s book Yawar Fiesta is written like a story but I thought it might be like The First Chronicle outlining Spanish abuses. Yawar Fiesta is a lot more subtle than the First Chronicle as it showed the racism and […] read full post >>