You must post 2 times before next Thursday, December 16th. Your first post should be submitted by Monday, December 12th. It is to be in response to one of the prompts below. The second time you post, it must be in response to or in reaction to the post of another student.This novel presents several striking leitmotifs (frequently repeated phrase, image, symbol, or situation in a literary work which supports the theme). Leitmotifs in One Hundred Years of Solitude include cyclical patterns, prophecy, illegitimacy, fantasy, and of course solitude. Consider one or more of the following:
1. What patterns of behavior are emerging among the characters and how are these recurring patterns affecting life in Macondo?
2.) What events in Macondo, if any, have been prophesied with precision or at least seem likely to come true?
3.) List the many ways fantasy plays a part in the characters' lives. Are these elements of fantasy every ironic?
OR
Identify elements of the story that you find particularly confusing, interesting, or worthy of discussion. Pose your own questions. Include portions of the text that you feel contribute to your questions/your point. Cite page numbers.
There are a few reoccurring patterns in Macando. One of them is that the women from their family are very withdrawn and cold. Remedios, for example, even though she is beautiful, she doesn't find anyone attractive, she is almost too good for them. Before her, Amaranta was another girl who was very cold and led Pietro along. It seems to be passed along through the generations.
ReplyDeleteOne element of fantasy that is very ironic is that Colonel Aureliano Buendia goes to the doctor to find out where his heart is located. the doctor proceeds to draw on his skin with iodine to show where his heart is. Colonel Aureliano then shoots himself right where the heart is supposed to be, but the bullet goes right through him without hitting any main organ or artery. this is very ironic because, he thought he was hitting his heart to kill himself, but little did he know it kept him alive.
ReplyDeleteThe men in the family have similar patterns in their behavior and this has a very negative effect on the town. Pretty much all of the men have upset and let Ursala down. Jose Arcadio left the family and moved out with Rebecca and this made Ursala mad. JAB kept to himself and really wasnt involved with the family and the town. Aureliano started out quiet and kept to himself too, but than he went to war and became powerful and then depressed. I see a theme that power and trying to be perfect never works out and leads to being uphappy. The behaviors of these men has made a really bad impact on the town and has only led to troubles for Macondo.
ReplyDeleteI don't really know what is going on in this book and it gets more and more confusing. The characters kinda just mesh together and I still can't figure out who's who.
ReplyDeleteI think that it is interesting how all of the Jose Arcadios seem to be "impulsive and enterprising, but marked with a tragic sign", and the Aurelianos are "withdrawn, but with lucid minds", as said by Ursula. I wonder why this is, it is almost like people these days who have the same birthdays and how they are extremely similar.
ReplyDeleteOne pattern that I see recurring in the book is the fact that many people in the book get depressed and send themselves into solitude. This could have something to do with the title of the novel. Some specific examples of this are when a loved one dies such as pietro or when aurilliano loses his vigor for the war effort.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Teresa that the men are having a negative effect on the town. I also agree with her that they let Ursula down a lot. She is the oldest, and she deserves respect. Everyone should want to make her happy, and instead they do things to upset her.
ReplyDeleteI do not understand why they have the same names. There are multiple Jose Arcadio's, 17+ Aureliano's, a few girls named Remedios. Does the author have a reason for using the same names over and over again? If so, what does everyone think that the reason could be?
ReplyDeleteI agree and like Brandon's comment. I think that the heart little part of the story was really interesting and written very well. It seems pretty strange and "out there" that he could shoot himself exactly where it wouldn't kill him. Maybe this is foreshadowing that he turns his life around in the future for the better...
ReplyDeleteI agree with T.J.. It seems like one person gets depressed over another person and then it continues to carry on throughout the all the characters.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Teresa that a theme in this book is that having power and wanting to be perfect or discover something great has lead to unhappiness. And everytime one of the men becomes unhappy, they isolate themselves: Jose Arcadio Buendia stayed under the chestnut tree and Colonel Auriliano wouldn't let anyone within 10 feet of him. ETC.
ReplyDeleteSame as Brandon, I find that Colonel Aureliano Buendia wanted to kill himself and went to the doctor to have him tell Aureliano where his heart was and when he shot himself it ended up being the only spot on the human chest where you could shot and miss all of the main organs and survive the shot. So the doctor was smart and placed it where he wouldn't die, but for Aureliano if he truley did want to die he could have just shot himself again, or in the heart or anywhere else.
ReplyDeleteI find it's interesting Colonel Aureliano Buendia didn't know any of his children very well. It's also weird that he fathered these kids while at war. I would think that that would be the last thing on his mind. I also think it's confusing how he comes home during the war; doesn't he have to stay and fight, I didn't know there were breaks in war. This is a very interesting book.
ReplyDeleteOne thing that has occurred a couple of times is suicide, or at least attempted suicide. First Pietro killed himself after both Rebecca and Amaranta rejected him. And then more recently Auriliano tried to commit suicide after the war had ended.
ReplyDeleteThe attitude of the men have had a negative effect on everyone. In some way or another each man has let down Ursula and the family. They also at one point or another get depressed or upset and shut themselves off from the world. And each boy now like the 17 Aurelianos all resemble their ancestors one way or another.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Clare. All of these same names are just too much. I understand that the author was trying to make a point of the tradition of passing down of names.. but that only happens like once or twice in the same family. You might have one of your kids named after you but that's it. You wouldn't name your 17+ children all the same name. that would just be stupid.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Claire. I really hate that they all have the same names. It's so hard to follow the book. But did Ms. Dale say something about how when they name someone after someone else it's because they want them to have the same characteristics?
ReplyDeleteI agree with Clare. I don't understand the significance of everyone in the book having the same name. It is very confusing and so far I have not figured out the significance. I don't feel like there is a significance to why the author has done this.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Clare. Does Mendez have an idea that it may be confusing why he has 17 Aurelianos? I imagine there is a purpose to him doing this, i just cant seem to understand why he does.
ReplyDeleteone thing that I've noticed in the book is the repitition of death or attempts at death. People seem to be dying every chapter and others seem to be committing suicide or attempting it. I wonder what Marquez is trying to prove or why he is using death so much in this book.
ReplyDeleteI agree with TJ, there is a lot of people get depressed and go into mourning/solitude. For example, when Remedios died, CAB mourned her for a long time. Another example is when Amaranta burned her hand and went into mourning after Peitro committed suicide. I think that this too might have to do with the title of the book,100 Years of Solitude. Almost everyone mourns in this book and goes into solitude for a long time.
ReplyDeleteI agree with T.J. because a lot of them are almost losing the will to live, and are starting to be alright with slowly dying. another pattern i see starting to occur is that people are starting to die more and more as the book goes on. I'm also confused because there is no way that Ursula could raise a kid at 100 years of age I don't care what shape she is in, or how much energy she has.
ReplyDeleteI really agree with Brandon. I think that there is some symbolic irony behind Aurilia's suicide attempt. It is saying that he shouldn't have been trying to kill himself at all and the irony is that he tried to kill himself in the heart and in turn he missed.
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ReplyDeleteOne event in macando that has been prophesied with precision was pilars's prediction that amaranta wouldn't achieve happiness until her parents are dead. I think that this will come true because it has been many year since this prediction has been made and she has had many opportunities to gets tried to the many men that have proposed to her but she has remained cold and unaccepting if any man's attempts. I think that as long as Ursula is alive she will remain this way.
ReplyDeleteIn response to clares question I think that the author uses the repetition of names to symbolize the characteristics that have been genetically passed down with these names. I think ursula actually realizes at one point that aureliano segundo demonstrates specific mannerisms of the colonel aureliano and aureliano Jose, and Jose Arcadio segundo is similar to Jose Arcadio Burundia and Jose arcadio
ReplyDeleteThe events that happen in the family seems to recur as each generation goes down like how each of the family members falls "in love" with another family member. It seems to get worse as the family progresses. Their actions are the remain the same throughout the book, they have the same thoughts and intentions almost. First, it started with Jose Arcadio with Pilar, then it went down to Aureliano with Pilar, after Jose Arcadio left with the gypsies. Then there was the drama between Rebeca and Amaranta with Petro Crespi, and Aureliano with Remedios. Then there was Arcadio, who wanted to sleep with Pilar, and so on. Everyone is going insane and having all kinds of relationships. These recurring patterns affect Macondo by the people just constantly getting confused, especially with the new government system they made up with the librals and the conservatives. They made up many new rules and regulations that just corrupts the city and make them go under a civil war amoung themselves.
ReplyDeleteIt seems to me that all the men in this story, act the same and that always leads to somthing bad happening, which upsets ursela. im still really not understanding much of the book, it seems like everyone has the same name or something, which makes it really hard to fallow.
ReplyDeleteI agree with T.J vie seen that a lot of the characters always seem depressed and have gone cold. seems like they are not happy with themselves and also in the book Ive seen the multiple attempts of suicide or murder.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Erin. Amaranta will remain unhappy for most of her life seeing as how Ursula is still going strong at 100 yrs old. I believe that Amaranta may achieve happiness after Ursula dies but with whom? That is the real question.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Vanessa, the guys are always falling for all these different girls and the girls always respond to them in a way that would always end up bad. For example, Amaranta rejects Pietro, and all the other guys that fall for her, and Pietro ends up committing suicide.Also, like what Vanessa said, Ursela would always get upset and she would do something to show her disgrace towards the person, like Jose Arcadio and Rebeca. When she found out that they were getting married she kicked them out of house and lost all communications with them because of her disapproval of them.
ReplyDeleteThis book is very confusing because there are so many characters. I could follow along better if the names weren't so similar. I have to think about it when reading to remember which character they are talking about. Also there are so many deaths I have no idea most of the time when reading, which characters have died.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Sarah. Amaranta is always depressed and thinking of a way to harm herself for her actions. She is always worrying about things. Looking at Ursula, she is going strong even through the hardest times. She tries to find ways of assisting her family in positive ways.
ReplyDeleteOne thing i think is very interesting is the thing that is going on with Aureliano Segundo. He believes that Petra was making his animals very fertile and he is making a lot of money. And when Ursula prayed to be poor again, she found gold coins in a statue.
ReplyDeleteI feel like this symbolizes something but I am not sure what it is.