Holidays and Poverty

"Our poverty can be measured by the frequency and luxuriousness of our holidays. Wealthy countries have very few: there is neither the time nor the desire for them, and they are not necessary. The people have other things to do, and when they amuse themselves they do so in small groups." (Octavio Paz, The Labyrinth of Solitude, 48)

Countries such as Mexico are known for having many holidays and large parties. In general, having large parties and being with your family and friends is very much so apart of Latin culture. In the eyes of an American, Latinos are very fun-loving people who like to relax and have a good time. From reading the chapter by Octavio Paz that talks about the Day of the Dead, I was reminded that people living in poverty generally have big parties and celebrate holidays to the fullest. Paz reminded me of my experience in Brazil and how I recognized that when I was in more impoverished areas, the parties seemed more frequent and more luxurious.

When I lived in Brazil as a missionary, I was always shocked to see how often parties occurred and how big of a deal the people made of the frequent holidays. When I was in poorer areas, the parties seemed more frequent and more luxurious then when I was in wealthier areas. From reading about the Day of the Dead in Paz's book, I recognized that people who live in poverty have parties so often and celebrate holidays to the fullest in order to escape reality and the difficult situations that they are living in. I believe poorer people want to party and drink in order to live in a fantasy world and live as if everything is really good.

In contrast, Americans don't party as much compared to poorer people in Brazil because they are too concerned with their work and making money that they don't really have time to sit back, relax, and party. Americans also want to concentrate so much on their work and try and get ahead of the next guy because as a country, America is very competitive. There is some truth to the statement said by Paz that wealthy countries don't really desire holidays. The reason being is that they want to continue to work and get rich. This is their form of happiness and they don't need to live in an imaginery world as often as poorer people because in general, they are happy with where thay are at. When Americans do choose to relax and enjoy themselves, more often than not they go on vacation with a small group of people rather then have a huge party. I believe this is the case because culturally, Americans would rather be with close friends rather than a huge group of people.

Poorer countries have big parties and frequent holidays in order to escape the misery that they are living in. It is their form of relaxing and way to have happiness. Wealthier countries don't party as often because of the lack of time and because of their desire to continue working in order to become wealthier.

The False Fortune-Teller

"Go, go in peace, with your mind at ease." (Machado de Assis, The Fortune-Teller, 53)

In the short story, The Fortune-Teller, the fortune-teller is constantly trying to make sure that Camillo and Rita don't think that Villela knows about his wife's affair. The fortune-teller is a very sinister character who tells people exactly what they want to hear. She uses metaphors to appear wise and acts as if she knows Camillo's fate. Unfortunately for Camillo, he doesn't stand for anything so he ends up believing whatever the fortune-teller tells him. The fortune-teller gives Camillo false hope that everything is going to be all right, which eventually leads to his death. The false hope given to Camillo by the fortune-teller reminds me of the scene in The Dark Knight when Harvey Dent tells Rachel that she will be okay while they were both tied up in separate warehouses.

Much like the fortune-teller, Harvey Dent also lets Rachel know that everything was going to be okay while they were in danger. Harvey Dent and Rachel were both tied up and Harvey told Rachel that people were coming for her and that she would make it out safely. In the end, the police end up coming for Harvey and Rachel dies from a bomb explosion in the warehouse. The quote I chose by the fortune-teller shows that the fortune-teller let Camillo know that he was going to be all right and that he should leave in peace because Villela was not going to hurt him. Since the fortune-teller gave Camillo this hope, he no longer was afraid of Villela and even laughed that he had been afraid. Camillo ends up going to visit Villela and is killed with two gunshots.

These two instances where people are given false hope makes me think about how I do not like it when people tell people that everything will be all right when there is a chance that everything will not be all right. If you feel that something bad might happen, you should never act as if everything will be all right. Making it seem like everything will be all right is bad because if something actually bad does happen, that person you told will be devastated and will lose all trust in you next time. It is okay to comfort a person when something bad might occur, but you should be real with the person and prepare them for what could occur. If the fortune-teller warned Camillo that Villela wanted to kill him, Camillo would not have gone to Villela's house and would still be alive. In The Dark Knight, I understand that Harvey was trying to comfort Rachel, but if I were him, I wouldn't have made it seem like everything was going to be okay, I would have at least said good-bye just in case.

Your Perspective

 Velasco, José María, The Valley of Mexico, 1875.

Velasco loved to make paintings of the Valley of Mexico because from his perspective he believed it was very beautiful. Recently in class we discussed Velasco's paintings and also talked about where different people in the class are from and how they feel about the landscape of their city. The discussion really got me thinking about the place where I'm from and how I feel it is also very beautiful. I feel that most people have a positive perspective of where they are from because of the people that live there and the experiences that they have there.

Like Velasco, I too believe that the place where I'm from in California is an extremely beautiful place. This is a beach in Laguna Beach that is about 10 minutes from my house. Some people might think that this is just any other pretty beach but to me it is much more. I grew up coming to this beach and had so many amazing experiences here. The media might say that the people from this area are rude and stuck up and make other preconceived notions about this place, but I think differently. I know several people from this area and for the most part they are very nice and down to earth people. I feel that it is very easy to judge people without knowing them. To me the people of Laguna Beach are something that makes this city even more interesting and beautiful. I can understand why people make preconceived notions and I am also apart of that group. I remember when I came to Utah for the first time, I thought it was just another ugly desert. As I lived there for a while and got to know the people, the mountains and the lakes in Utah began to be very beautiful to me. Another thing that made me like Utah even more is that this is the place where I met my soon to be wife.

I strongly believe that places are beautiful to you according to how well you know the people and the experiences that you have there. Once these things occur, your perspective will begin to change and things that used to be ugly will seem more beautiful. I love where I'm from and also now love Utah because of the good people and the memorable experiences that I had there.

Pensive Leaders

Obregón, José María, The Inspiration of Christopher Columbus, 1856.

This picture of Christopher Columbus depicts how being a very pensive person can bring one to amazing discoveries and accomplishments. In this picture, I can image that Christopher Columbus just finished talking with King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain about the idea of sailing to the East Indies. The king and queen supported Columbus' voyage because they thought it would give Spain the advantage in the lucrative spice trade with India. In the above picture, I can image that Columbus is in deep thought about how he is going to arrive in the East Indies. He has his compass and drawing instrument trying to picture what drawings his empty map might consist of. As history tells us, Columbus ended up going west and arrived in what we know as the Bahamas. Though Columbus never made it to the East Indies like he had hoped, he will always be remembered for helping Europe become aware of the American continents and for the initiation of the Spanish colonization of the New World.

Just as Christopher Colombus came up with a great idea through pensive thought, so did Martin Luther King Jr. His pensive thoughts brought to pass many marvelous things. Martin Luther King is known for being an inspiring leader in the African-American Civil Rights Movement. He will always be remembered for his advancements in civil rights by using tactics of nonviolent civil disobedience. As a result of Martin Luther King’s moments of deep thought, he was able to change the way a nation thought about African Americans and over time was able to help them receive their equal rights.

Through their times of pensive thought, Christopher Columbus and Martin Luther King were able to think of amazing ideas that greatly affected the world for the better. It is astonishing to see how two men could have such a great influence on the world.