"I bless you in the name of all that is good and strong and beautiful, Antonio. Always have the strength to live. Love life, and if despair enters your heart, look for me in the evenings when the wind is gentle and the owls sing in the hills. I shall be with you" (page 261)
Reading this was very emotional for me because I could picture the pain that Tony felt or most likely felt as Ultima said these final words to him. The relationship he had with Ultima was very complicated but grew as the book progressed. I feel like Tony thought that he could really trust Ultima and that she was very helpful in aiding him towards his road to self-discovery. Losing Ultima must have taken a really big tall on Tony because like I said she was a big part of his life. The life Tony must live now will be very different than what he got used to not having Ultima but it really ties into the whole loss of innocence and growing up theme of the book
Friday, August 30, 2019
Friday, August 23, 2019
BMU Blog #9
" 'maybe God puts obstacles in front of us so that we will have to overcome them. And if we overcome all the hard and bad things, then we will be good Catholics, and earn the right to be with him in heaven' "(page 196)
My friend Daisy and I constantly talk about how we think its funny that people can have so much faith in a higher power being whose existence is not even certain. For example, when something great happens, my family members say "gracias a Dios". While I think that faith and hope are very important, I also believe that everything just kind of happens for a reason. Like if something was bound to happen then it will occur on its own, maybe that is all there is to it, and there is not necessarily a higher power taking care of that. In this one television show I watched, a man bought a holy candle with a picture of La Virgen de Guadalupe. He then lit the candle and prayed that he would get a job. When the candle ran out and was completely melted, the man went and complained to the store owner and said that the candle did not work. What the man forgot to do, was actually go out and apply for jobs. He put all his faith into that candle and did not put in any effort on his own part. So basically, while I think being faithful and having something to believe in can be beneficial, it also does not always make the most sense and can end up being a bad thing.
My friend Daisy and I constantly talk about how we think its funny that people can have so much faith in a higher power being whose existence is not even certain. For example, when something great happens, my family members say "gracias a Dios". While I think that faith and hope are very important, I also believe that everything just kind of happens for a reason. Like if something was bound to happen then it will occur on its own, maybe that is all there is to it, and there is not necessarily a higher power taking care of that. In this one television show I watched, a man bought a holy candle with a picture of La Virgen de Guadalupe. He then lit the candle and prayed that he would get a job. When the candle ran out and was completely melted, the man went and complained to the store owner and said that the candle did not work. What the man forgot to do, was actually go out and apply for jobs. He put all his faith into that candle and did not put in any effort on his own part. So basically, while I think being faithful and having something to believe in can be beneficial, it also does not always make the most sense and can end up being a bad thing.
Thursday, August 22, 2019
BMU Blog #8
"Bah! Little do they care about church. That is only to keep up appearances" (page 139).
As I said in one of my previous blogs, my grandmother used to take my brothers and me to church all the time. In this quote, Antonio's uncle is criticizing those who go to church. This reminds me of when I was little because my grandma would try to get my grandpa to go to church with us and he never wanted to. If he did go, he would fall asleep halfway through the service. When I asked him why he did not like going, he said that he did not think people actually went to church to be with God. He believed that may people went simply to be able to say they went. This changed my perspective because it made me wonder why I was going to church. Was it just to please my grandma? Or was I doing it because I genuinely wanted to be closer to God? Those two questions ran through my head a lot. My father also explained to me he thought people just went to church when it was for a big reason, like Easter or Christmas mass. He said that anyone who went when it was not a holiday only went for bragging rights. Both my grandpa and father did agree however, that some people did exist who truly did want to be closer to God, such as my grandmother. I feel like that inner struggle of religious beliefs I had when I was younger allows me to connect better with Antonio.
As I said in one of my previous blogs, my grandmother used to take my brothers and me to church all the time. In this quote, Antonio's uncle is criticizing those who go to church. This reminds me of when I was little because my grandma would try to get my grandpa to go to church with us and he never wanted to. If he did go, he would fall asleep halfway through the service. When I asked him why he did not like going, he said that he did not think people actually went to church to be with God. He believed that may people went simply to be able to say they went. This changed my perspective because it made me wonder why I was going to church. Was it just to please my grandma? Or was I doing it because I genuinely wanted to be closer to God? Those two questions ran through my head a lot. My father also explained to me he thought people just went to church when it was for a big reason, like Easter or Christmas mass. He said that anyone who went when it was not a holiday only went for bragging rights. Both my grandpa and father did agree however, that some people did exist who truly did want to be closer to God, such as my grandmother. I feel like that inner struggle of religious beliefs I had when I was younger allows me to connect better with Antonio.
Wednesday, August 21, 2019
BMU Blog #7
"!Ave Maria Purisima!" (page 128)
Although this quote may seem relatively simple, I feel it really represents how much faith Antonio's mother and other characters throughout this book have in religious figures. For example whenever things are going rough or in times of need they tend to pray to higher power or religious figures such as God or La Virgen De Guadalupe. This reminds me of how whenever something would go wrong my grandma would go and start praying. Many of my family members would tell her that this was silly and that she couldn't always depend On a higher power whose existence was not even certain. she would tell them that until they have the connection with God that she had they wouldn't understand. My grandmother reminds me a lot of Antonio's mom because they are both very faithful and have very kind intentions.
Although this quote may seem relatively simple, I feel it really represents how much faith Antonio's mother and other characters throughout this book have in religious figures. For example whenever things are going rough or in times of need they tend to pray to higher power or religious figures such as God or La Virgen De Guadalupe. This reminds me of how whenever something would go wrong my grandma would go and start praying. Many of my family members would tell her that this was silly and that she couldn't always depend On a higher power whose existence was not even certain. she would tell them that until they have the connection with God that she had they wouldn't understand. My grandmother reminds me a lot of Antonio's mom because they are both very faithful and have very kind intentions.
Tuesday, August 20, 2019
BMU Blog #4
"and what a sin it is for a boy to grow into a man-" (pg 31)
I feel like it really represents the struggle that Antonio is going through because it shows what his mother thinks and kind of ties into what she expects from him. His mother expects him to become a priest and thinks that growing up is a sin while his father believes that growing up is just part of life. Antonio is only six years old and he already has to think about what he's going to do in the future and how he can please parents. That is a lot of unnecessary stress for a little kid like that, which also goes with the theme of the story of maturity and how it doesn't come at a certain age and it's basically gained through experience. In the paragraphs after this quote Antonio's parents are arguing over why growing up is normal or why should it be considered a sin. His mother also brings up the fact that if he were a priest he would always be with God which would be good for him but she does not take into consideration that that may not be what Antonio wants.
I feel like it really represents the struggle that Antonio is going through because it shows what his mother thinks and kind of ties into what she expects from him. His mother expects him to become a priest and thinks that growing up is a sin while his father believes that growing up is just part of life. Antonio is only six years old and he already has to think about what he's going to do in the future and how he can please parents. That is a lot of unnecessary stress for a little kid like that, which also goes with the theme of the story of maturity and how it doesn't come at a certain age and it's basically gained through experience. In the paragraphs after this quote Antonio's parents are arguing over why growing up is normal or why should it be considered a sin. His mother also brings up the fact that if he were a priest he would always be with God which would be good for him but she does not take into consideration that that may not be what Antonio wants.
Friday, August 16, 2019
Bless Me Ultima DJ #1
"The river's brown waters would be stained with blood forever and ever and ever..." (Anaya pg 24)
I feel like this quote really starts off the whole topic of maturity. During this scene Lupito has just been murdered by the men of the town. Antonio witnessed the whole thing and he feels different after. Most people believe that maturity begins at a certain age, but this scene reveals that it can begin at any given moment. Maturity is gained through experience, not age. Since this also took place at the bridge, it supports the idea that the bridge is associated with maturity too. I think that the bridge is where people show who they really are. Antonio didn’t think any of the men were capable of killing someone, but they still did it. I also think that the waters being stained with blood forever and ever and ever has literal meaning but there’s also more to it. It could represent the scarring that this will leave on Antonio, since he has just experienced something very traumatic. It could also mean that what happened that night will never be forgotten. Maybe not so traumatic for the men of the town, probably mostly for Antonio.
I feel like this quote really starts off the whole topic of maturity. During this scene Lupito has just been murdered by the men of the town. Antonio witnessed the whole thing and he feels different after. Most people believe that maturity begins at a certain age, but this scene reveals that it can begin at any given moment. Maturity is gained through experience, not age. Since this also took place at the bridge, it supports the idea that the bridge is associated with maturity too. I think that the bridge is where people show who they really are. Antonio didn’t think any of the men were capable of killing someone, but they still did it. I also think that the waters being stained with blood forever and ever and ever has literal meaning but there’s also more to it. It could represent the scarring that this will leave on Antonio, since he has just experienced something very traumatic. It could also mean that what happened that night will never be forgotten. Maybe not so traumatic for the men of the town, probably mostly for Antonio.
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