Vlog

http://youtu.be/aT03Lczt1DQ

Las Papas

"Las Papas", by Julio Ortega was very inspiring, because it invloved a man living in the united sates, who is one day cooking dinner, particularly potatoes, and is reminded of his native Peru. As his son comes in and out of the kitchen, he recalls how he use to reject his father's cooking.I particularly found it most symbolic when the son comes back in the kitchen to check on his father's cooking and expresses his thoughts about chicken, when he quotes "chicken is boring" Food in this story symbolizes a memory and history of what his family embodies. The potatoe is the representation of his family history. The wind is also symbolic in this story because as he glances out the window, he feels agony, the wind hinting at winter which stimulates the feeling he feels. What the story was primarliy centered around was the potatoes, because it causes him to reflect on his family and how much they mean to him. They also symbolized memories that once were, but are past. This was a very touching story, because food (potatoes) in this story tied to the memories one father once had with his father, and now has learned the importance of family and as a single parent wants to provide a family like atmosphere for his son, because he had an empty void of the unfinished things he and his father didn't get to complete.

Snow

This story, which revolved around narrative was about the narrator who grew up, "fell in love, and spent a winter with her lover in the country", as described in the story. She starts out the story trying to recall events that occurred during the time she and her lover spent together, by speaking of a chipmunk jumping out of a pile of firewood and running through the house. Although I really dont know why the chipmunk had anything to do with the significance of the narrative, the narrator seemed to have had a deep connection with the memories she has shared with the one she loved for the time tha they were together. After beimg broken up for a while, the narrator cant help but reminise on that particular time in her life. To me the winter her and her lover at the time spent together represented some type of truth for her, because although she has proven that she has moved on that particula time was important to her and in a way defined her.

Family Album

Family Album, by Siv Cedering was a family story that was surrounded around a family photo album. The narrator seems to be looking through his father and mother's wedding photo album, and is telling of the time that they were engaged and how they met. As the narrator continues on she then begins to go deeper into family history, describing her father's siblings. The narrator then reverts back to how the mother and father came to be together, talking of how the mother was a virgin who refused to make love with her fiance before they were married. The story then  begins to end with how the narrator has inherited certain features like her hair and birthmark. Despite all of the things the narrator mentions about what she has inherited, she proves how she is different from her parents an apparently hasnt inherited any of the things that werent about genes, like her being motherless, going from one husband to the next, and eating blood pancakes at a old age.

Girl

This short story was about a young girl who appeared to be getting lectured from her mother on what to do and what not to do. To me this short story was built on boundaries, because the mother gave her daughter instructions on pretty much the lines that she shouldnt cross as a lady. Utilizing the word slut alot and referring it to what she believes her daughter is trying to become was a crazy way , I felt that a mother shoukd lecture her daughter. But on the flip side, I think the mother just wanted her daughter to prevent going down certain paths, and taking the right ones. She often spoke on how to avoid things like getting spit on and such things like cooking for your husband and father. In such a short story, I took alot from it, which is a mother simply wanting her daughter to do all of the right things and avoid all of the wrong ones.

The Other Wife

I found "The Other Wife" by Colette to be very interesting and relatable, because in modern times running into someone who you don't expect to see is common, hince the American saying "Its a small world". The story was about a husband and his wife encountering his ex wife at a restuarant, while being led by the maitre d' to a table close to the one his ex wife is sitting at. Throughout the couple's entire evening at the restuarant, the husband's wife is beyond curious to know why he and his ex-wife broke up. After her husband assures her that he just couldnt satisfy her, she becomes even more curious and even envy, because she uses language such as disatified, difficult, and superior to describe the "woman in white". I felt as though through these descriptions, Alice was jealous because she wasn't as idependent as Marc's ex wife, a person who didn't feel the need to induldge Marc during the time that they were married. Alice, on the other hand was "satisfied" as described in the short narrative. This story depicts a very interesting view on what its like to be the woman who seems to have it all, but searching for something she isn't necessarily missing. To me, in the end Alice doesnt seem to be as satisfied as her husband praises her to be. However, overall I really enjoyed the short story and it caused me to ask the question, Is the grass ever greener on the other side? because curiosity seems to always kill the cat.