PurposeThe learning goals of this essay are to twofold: to show that you can identify a significant topic for literary analysis; and from that topic, craft a professional, persuasive argument that is original and valuable to readers, using the texts we’ve read this semester as the raw material, or data, of your analysis. The essay…
Summaries
Jan. CryingChristmas rolls remind of TitaPedro pops Q and accepts Rosaura on Tita’s cold night. Feb. Tita’s tears ruin wedding vomit everywhere secret whispers bring hope to TitaNacha dies of saddness. Mar. Roses become aphrodisiac heatedGertrudis experiences sexual fantasy becomes realityescapes on horsegets disowned. Apr. A spark reignites a miraculous birthTita’s milkRosaura’s hurt motherhood bringing…
Essay II (draft due 11/18)
“Human beings participate in history both as actors and as narrators. The inherent ambivalence of the word ‘history’ in many modern languages, including English, suggests this dual participation. In vernacular use, history means both the facts of the matter and a narrative of this facts, both ‘what happened’ and ‘that which is said to have…
Resource: “At Dinner with Laura Esquivel” (Interview)
“At Dinner with Laura Esquivel” – An interview with Laura Esquivel in the New York Times a few years after she published Like Water for Chocolate. It offers an intriguing glimpse at the persona Esquivel crafts for herself.
[Resource]: Can What We Eat Affect How We Feel? (news)
“Can What We Eat Affect How We Feel?” – A recent article about an increasing interest among some psychiatrists in prescribing not just medication to patients but nutritional changes as well. The article is from the New York Times but shouldn’t be understood as reporting on a wide-spread medical practice.
[Resource]: Study Finds Poor Diets Linked to 1 in 5 Deaths (news)
“Eat Your Veggies: Study Finds Poor Diets Linked to One in Five Deaths” – Short article from the New York Times summarizing a recent study that suggests the importance of diet to overall health is greater than previously thought.
[Resource]: “If you close the border, Eagle Pass will die.” (news)
‘If you close the border, Eagle Pass will die.’ Residents fear a Trump border closure would be destructive to South Texas towns – Recent article from the Washington Post about the the cross-border connections between Piedras Negras, Mexico and Eagle Pass, TX, especially as President Trump threatens to close down the U.S./Mexico border. Dr. Brown lives in…
[Resource]: Photos from the Mexican Revolution
In the late 19th century photography became a popular medium and so 20th century wars are well documented. This collection is from the Yale University Library. You can see 300+ images with the link below, but I’ve also highlighted a few images that are especially resonant with the novel Like Water for Chocolate. Some of these…
[Resource]: When Women Took Up Arms to Fight in Mexico’s Revolution (site)
Good article from the History channel about the different roles women played in the Revolution including details on how some woman traded domestic roles for traditionally masculine ones. https://www.history.com/news/women-mexican-revolution-soldaderas
[Resource]: Searching for Soldaderas-The Women of the Mexican Revolution in Photographs (site)
Short article comparing photographs of women who participated in the Mexican Revolution and men: https://www.kcet.org/shows/artbound/searching-for-soldaderas-the-women-of-the-mexican-revolution-in-photographs
