In this Humanities class, we studied many great works of literature, artwork, music, and film by Latin American artists. I came to recognize how vast of a subject "Latin American Humanities" really is. Not only does "Latin America" include a huge group of people, but this people is composed of a mesh of cultures and traditions that is still changing. The works we studied helped me to gain some insights into this group and to have a more open mind towards learning about cultures and beliefs that are different from my own.
My favorite work we studied this semester would have to be Bless Me, Ultima. First off, this story was very engaging. In class, we were reading the book over a couple of weeks, but I finished it in the first. I couldn't stop reading! Beyond the engaging story line, I liked that this book emphasized the importance of questioning the world and coming to know for yourself what is truth. As Antonio grows up, he has many influences telling him who and what he should be. His mother hopes he will become a priest, while his father doesn't see as much importance in education. He always seems to be pulled between his mother's grounded Luna side and his father's free-spirited Márez side.
Then Ultima comes to stay with the family. In my previous blog post, I wrote about how this was an "origin" for Antonio- a significant change in the course of his life. She teaches him that "good is always stronger than evil... The smallest bit of good can stand against all the powers of evil in the world and it will emerge triumphant" (98). Ultima practices magic and most the town believes she is a witch, but she gives Antonio importance guidance in his life. To me, this novel was an example of how much we can learn from cultures and ideas that may seem different from our own.
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