Jake Snider
Summer Assignment
AP English
August 15th, 2017
Chapter 2-Nice to Eat with You: Acts of Communion
Meals in everyday life are a time for people to come together, eat, and conversate. There is usually not a deeper meaning behind them. But, this is not the case for meals in some novels. When an author includes descriptions of a meal during their book, there is often something deeper going on between the characters, that they want readers to take note of. An author would not go through great lengths in order to describe a meal that characters are having if there was no deeper meaning behind it. Readers would find the part boring and would just look at it as a page filler. Authors take advantage of meal times because it is a great time for characters to discuss what is going on in their lives or what is going on in their relationship.
In the novel The Hummingbird’s Daughter, author Luis Alberto Urrea utilizes meal scenes as an opportunity to develop his characters and to develop his characters relationships with one another. Luis Alberto Urrea goes into very vivid details when describing meals, especially when talking about the food. He also finds ways to add in some dialogue in between descriptions of the food. Tomas and Huila develop their relationship when Tomas invites Huila to have dinner with him. Prior, Tomas and Huila rarely crossed paths, and never in such a personal, intimate way. Eating with someone is very intimate because you are sharing your time and thoughts with one another. Tomas feels that he wants to hear what Huila has to say, “Call Huila, would you” (Urrea 40). He wants to find out information from her. Like expected, she was at first skeptical due to the fact that she and Tomas never interacted in this type of way before. Tomas inviting Huila to the meal provides a great platform for them to be honest with each other on how life on the village is going.
When Tomas and Huila are eating together, readers really get the sense of communion. They are coming together for the common good of the village. The act of having another person watch you eat is very personal, therefore Huila and Tomas became very comfortable with one another over the dinner table. Between the bites of their delicious food, they discuss how each other is viewed by the villagers “Huila poured herself some coffee. Five spoons of sugar, a splash of boiled milk. They respect me, Huila said” (Urrea 41). Huila feels comfortable enough while eating, to share with Tomas that the villagers do not respect him. Tomas initiated the meal in order to find out information like this from Huila. This meal in particular brings two near strangers together in order to build trust between the two, so the village can be bettered. The conversation between Hula and Tomas would be difficult to have at any other time, so the author, Luis Alberto Urrea used the communion style meal to host the conversation.
Meals in novels are often overlooked. People just look at it as a familiar situation that they do not need to pay close attention to, but that is wrong. Meals can very well be the turning point of stories, or the key ingredient in a major plot twist. Authors enjoy uniting their characters over a meal. Luis Alberto Urrea provided many scenic meal scenes that remarkably added to the plot of The Hummingbird’s Daughter.
Jake Snider
Summer Assignment
AP English
August 16th, 2017
Chapter 15-Flights of Fancy
Many people dream of flying through the clear blue skies as look down upon the cities below. People are fascinated by the mystery and wonder behind flying. The weightless feeling is accompanied by a clear mind. A clear mind is seldom experienced on land. People look to the sky in hopes of being rescued from what is going on in their lives. Flying would provide a chance to just soar above everything and not have a worry in the world. Flying is associated with freedom because you would have the sky to yourself. There would be nothing holding someone back or stopping them in the air. A person would be able to travel for eternity, while being care free.
Authors incorporate flying into their novels because it is a very relatable feeling. Readers know what it would be like to be floating through the sky. Authors also know that readers know what it is like to be limited here on earth. There are so many problems that occur that can stop someone from doing something. With flying, there would be no limits and no boundaries. In the novel The Hummingbird’s Daughter, author Luis Alberto Urrea utilizes flying very frequently. Often times, it will occur while a character is dreaming so the experience appears even more magical. The characters who fly in this novel, leave behind the worries and challenges that they are facing in their village, it is a chance for them to escape.
In the novel, Huila has an enchanting experience with flying. As Teresita lay trying to fall asleep, she slips into a state where she can not tell if she was dreaming or not. She looks up and sees Huila above her, “She walked down in a spiral. Coming from a place far up in the night, and she saw Teresita and smiled down at her” (Urrea 136). Huila has escaped the worries of her life. She is up in the night sky soaring all around. On earth, so much is expected of Huila. She is held to very high standards. When Teresita sees her flying, she realizes that this is Huila’s time to be free. She is not expected to help others while flying, it is just her and the sky.
Flying is a very mind clearing experience. It is also a very personal experience. When people think of flying, they do not picture themselves flying with, or accompanied by other people. This is a time for people to be alone and calm. A person is free of worrying and another person being present may alter this experience. Huila shares with Teresita that she wants to be completely left alone while flying through the night sky, “I'm flying. Teresita put her hands over her mouth. You shouldn’t be watching me. It’s rude to watch people fly, Huila scolded” (Urrea 137). Huila feels like Teresita watching her fly is an invasion of her freedom. Huila can not truly have a clear mind if there is someone clearly watching her. Teresita watching Huila fly defeats the purpose of flying. It should be an experience that someone can escape to without having to worry about anybody else being present.
Authors love playing with the art of flying. Flying is a way for their characters to share their deepest thoughts and also have a clear mind at the same time. Flying can be the well needed break from a character's stressful life. It could also serve as their lightbulb moment to greatness. Luis Alberto Urrea helps Huila getaway from her life of serving and enjoy some freedom for a change.
Jake Snider
Summer Assignment
AP English
August 17th, 2017
Chapter 17-…Except the Sex
Sex in literature was a taboo in the beginning days of novels. Many felt that sex is such an intimate, private experience that it had no place in literature. Some early authors explored ways to incorporate sex into their novels, but they never really found the right mix of tasteful, yet still conservative. It was not until recent years that authors discovered a presentable way to include sex in their novels. Authors are now displaying sex as more of an art than as a private activity. They use this art to give their characters traits and to allow readers a close look at the characters emotions.
In the novel The Hummingbird’s Daughter, author Luis Alberto Urrea uses sex to give his readers insight into the characters. Luis Alberto Urrea does not go into any vivid sexual details in the novel. He instead, describes the emotions of the moment and describes the characters feelings towards what is taking place. He helps readers paint a picture about who the characters really are deep down. This might not have been possible if he did not have the reader imply that sex took place.
Because of Luis Alberto Urrea usage of sex, readers are able to get a much closer look at the feelings of one of the novel's most mysterious characters. Huila is a very strong, kind, and compassionate woman. But, it is not until Luis Alberto Urrea describes the fire between her and her first love that makes it clear what a loving woman she is, “She smoked her cigar and thought of his hands, thought of him naked, felt him throb within her as if a great heartbeat had fallen between her legs…gone now, lost all these long thirty years. Gone to dust. But alive in her chest, strangely alive on her body, as if his touch had tattooed her skin, ghost love” (Urrea 129). Huila and her lover had a very emotional bond with one another. Their devotion and love were so strong, that it lives on in her heart to this day. Readers were made aware from this scene that Huila is so warm to others because her heart is still on fire from her former lover.Without this scene, we would be missing how she became so caring.
Turning sex into a form of art allows readers to see the beauty within it. Authors can create a picturesque scene that allows viewers to feel the emotion and love involved. The scenes that authors like Luis Alberto Urrea create are able to show that humans are much more benevolent than people think. In The Hummingbird’s Daughter, Luis Alberto Urrea creates this striking image that truly captures the art of sex, “She was dancing in the arms of her first love, his breath hot in her ear under the orange light of a rising moon” (Urrea 128-129). The intention of this line is to show that there is much more to sex than what is depicted in the media. This captures the art of sex. Its hows that sex can indeed be a tasteful part of novels.
Authors are able to turn the formerly unused topic of sex into a key aspect of their novels. Whether it is used for showing the emotions behind a character, or just showing the beauty behind the art. Sex lets readers see the softer sides of characters. It brings out emotions that readers may not otherwise see. Sex can indeed be tasteful and useful in novels.
Jake Snider
Summer Assignment
AP English
August 18th, 2017
Chapter 18-If She Comes Up, It’s Baptism
The idea of baptisms in novels does not solely refer to a person being cleaned of their sins in a church. The baptism can have no religious association at all, it could take place anytime a character is submerged in water. However, these two types of baptisms both symbolize the same ideas. Whenever a character in a novel becomes submerged in water, they often times are cleansing themselves of their past sins, memories, or bad experiences. When they re-emerge from the water, all of the negativity is gone and the characters soul appears to have been rebirthed.
In the novel The Hummingbird’s Daughter, a character named Don Tomas Urrea decides to move his village of people to a new area so they would not have their land taken over by settlers. When they arrive at their new ranch, they soon discover that the Yaquis, an indian tribe, burned it down. Tomas is devastated. All of his hard work and hope had vanished. He soon realized that he needed to talk to the Yaquis about their motives. Before he did that, he stopped and bathed himself. This bath appeared to do something magical for Don Tomas Urrea.
Before stepping into the bath, Tomas had a very dirty lifestyle. He did not always treat his workers with the dignity and respect that they deserved. He also had multiple affairs. Then, when the new ranch burns down, he was at an alltime low. The author, Luis Alberto Urrea, describes what happened when he relaxed in the warm tub water, “He soaked himself in the steaming water, scrubbed the smell of cows off his body. The water, when he rose, looked like bean soup in a mug” (Urrea 166). The water resembles bean soup because all of the dirt and figurative dirt comes off of Tomas while soaking in the tub. He was cleaned from all of the physical dirt that accumulated on his journey, but more importantly of all of the worries and stress that he was facing due to the relocation. The Don Tomas Urrea that entered the bath, is not the same Don Tomas Urrea that exits. He, like most characters in novels who are submerged in water was rebirthed. He has a fresh start and now a better outlook on life, that he will use to better represent his village.
After the bath, Don Tomas Urrea’s intentions and aspirations changed. He was no longer the selfish person that he once was. He now wants to do what was best for his villagers, especially his daughter Teresita. His new soul shows when he returns to his village and decides not tell the people about his journey, “Tomas knew suddenly that he would not tell. He had always fancied himself an untamed man, and now he had discovered he was half coyote. He had finally, over the last weeks, tasted what it truly meant to be untamed” (Urrea 185). Tomas only wants what is best for his villagers. After taking the bath, he was able to go out into the world and truly experience it first hand. Being submerged in the water changed who Tomas is. He is finally able to put himself in other people's shoes and experience what they go through first hand.
In novels, when characters submerge themselves in water, there is much more going on. Just like baptisms, a character is often times ridding away the bad times and memories. They emerge with a fresh start and a new outlook on life. This is very evident when Luis Alberto Urrea decides to have Tomas Urrea bathe in The Hummingbird’s Daughter.
Jake Snider
Summer Assignment
AP English
August 19th, 2017
Chapter 20-…So Does Season
The different seasons bring out many different feelings and different emotions. Each specific season has its own set of character traits and themes associated with them. The spring is known to be a time of new beginnings. Flowers are beginning to bloom and the temperature is finally getting warmer. Summer is known to be the time to thrive. The temperature is hot and plants are fully bloomed. Fall is when things start to slow down. The temperature is getting colder and the leaves on the trees start to change colors. Winter is the dark time. Plants begin to die and the temperature is often too cold to enjoy the outdoors..
Seasons can also be used as a metaphor. The changing times can be compared to the changing stages of life. Spring is the early stage of life. People are innocent and carefree. Summer is the young adult stage of life. People are free and making their own decisions. Fall is the adult stage of life. People start slowing down and start preparing for old age. Winter is the end of life stage. People's lives are coming to end. In the novel The Hummingbird’s Daughter, author Luis Alberto Urrea utilizes the seasons in order to show where a character is at in their life and to set a tone for the plot at an exact moment.
Luis Alberto Urrea opens the novel with a description of the current season. He intends to make the readers feel a certain way about the plot and characters without even having to say the specifics. By mentioning a season, readers are already associating character traits with what is going on. Readers are also able to paint a better picture in their head of what is going on. Luis Alberto Urrea depicts the day Teresita is born as a gloomy fall day, “On the cool October morning when Cayetana Chavez brought her baby to light. It was the start of that season in Sinaloa when the humid torments of summer finally gave way to breezes and falling leaves, and small red birds skittered through the corrals, and the dogs grew new coats” (Urrea 3).The fact that Luis Alberto Urrea has Teresita born in the fall helps readers to foreshadow that Cayetana will soon be leaving. The fall is often associated with things coming to an end. Even though this was the beginning of Teresita’s life, it would soon be the end of Cayetana and Teresita’s relationship. The fact that the text mentions the end of summer, helps to articulate that the fun and games are over.
Luis Alberto Urrea decides to start the novel relating the Day of the Dead to the Fall. This was most likely done intentionally, in order to establish the metaphor between the seasons and a person's life. The fall represents the ending stages of life, the Day of the Dead reference only reinforces that,“On that October day, the fifteenth, the people had already begun readying for the Day of the Dead, only two weeks away” (Urrea 3). Luis Alberto Urrea uses the fall season in a traditional manner. Fall is a time to prepare. There are many changes taking place during this time period. The characters in The Hummingbird’s Daughter are all preparing for the Day of the Dead. Because readers know that the story is taking place in the fall, they are able to get an idea of what the physical setting is looking like during this time.
Seasons mean very different things, and authors are able to utilize these different meanings to better their novels. Luis Alberto Urrea was able to use seasonal references in his novel The Hummingbird’s Daughter in order to help readers foreshadow the plot.
Jake Snider
Summer Assignment
AP English
August 20th, 2016
Chapter 22-He’s Blind for a Reason, You Know
When an author includes a character in a novel who has a physical imperfection, there is often a deeper meaning as to why they have it. Character’s physical imperfections often times add a key element to the plot, and sometimes even add a thematic idea. The actual physical imperfection itself is also very important. Different imperfections represent different problems and ideas. In many cases, characters use their physical imperfections to better understand themselves, which ultimately leads to a better understanding of what is going on in their life.
In the novel The Hummingbird’s Daughter, author Luis Alberto Urrea’s characters experience many confrontations that lead to some physical imperfections. These characters are left with life altering physical challenges, but many of them use their physical disability as means to have a better outlook on life and to live a more prosperous life.The characters in this novel use their problems to help the other people they come across. In some cases, the characters with the disabilities are more aware and more knowing than the characters without a disability.
When Teresita encounters a madman on the side of the road, she is very perplexed and anxious. The man is acting very foolish and Teresita does not know what to do. Teresita listens to everything the man says. The man openly shares the struggles that he has faced with the people in the surrounding area, “See this face? Yaquis did this to my face. How you like it? He moved his knife up and down his face, making squishy noises with his mouth. Yaquis! He said. Wanted my eye” (Urrea 152). He shares how violent the Yaquis are and how they were after his eye. He shares this with Teresita almost as a warning to watch out for the Yaquis. This man almost had his eye taken out. He grew wiser because of it. He is able to see more than the average person. He can now see the deeper meanings behind things, better than the normal person can. The new found wiseness can all be traced to the fact that he has physical imperfections. Luis Alberto Urrea includes this madman for a reason. This man foreshadows the later events of what happens when the village arrives at Cabora.
When Tomas and the rest of his men arrive at Cabora, they discover that it is burned down. The Yaquis came and set the buildings on fire and killed some of the people already living there. This was the same group that the madman warned Teresita about only a few days prior. Tomas discovers a man who has been attacked the same way the madman was, but this time, the Yaquis succeeded in taking out his eye, “Tomas was stunned when a man with his left eye missing stumbled out of the stock-pond reeds, Like the madman they had seen so many days ago on the road, this man was without pants, his white shirt stained with old blood” (Urrea 156). The Yaquis made it so this man is not able to see. They thought that this would limit the man. But just like the madman, this only granted him more power. He chooses to share what he knows about the Yaquis in order to benefit Tomas and his men. These men are included to show that their disability did not deter them, it only makes them stronger and makes them think clearer.
The characters who have physical imperfections are not just going to sit back and let their disabilities come in the way of their lives. They often choose to rise above their disabilities. They take control of their own life. Authors include these characters in their novels because they often times choose to triumph and add strong messages to the text.