Maya & Miguel

Literature exists as a mirror of society when it was written, a reflection of evolving societal values. Through Aristophanes’ Lysistrata, Geoffrey Chaucer’s The Wife of Bath’s Tale, and Miguel de Cervantes Don Quixote de la Mancha, we witness a progression of historical and literary autonomy through the characters within these masterpieces. From Lysistrata’s determined female activist Lysistrata, to The Wife of Bath’s Tale manipulative and controversial housewife Alison, and Don Quixote de la…

I analysis some of ancient to 17th century literature to see how they structure, social classes and what morals they have. I look at stories with different backgrounds and different meaning behind the stories. They all have a very powerful connect with social classes and how they are structured. The morals of these stories is also letting us know at what society was like during these time periods. Morals a person's standard of behavior or beliefs concerning what is and is not acceptable for them…

The majority do not dare to wander because of lost time, reputation or certainty. Most are far too worried about appearing foolish or putting time into something that will not have quick results. Maybe that is part of the reason that the fool of Miguel De Cervantes still touches something in the heart of readers. Don Quixote tells his neighbor farmer Pedro Alonso, “I know…

makes you who you are and what you categorize within the human race. Cervantes also connotes the term “stumbling” (33); when we see the word “stumbling”, we often see it as an action that is when one trips over another, but Cervantes means to connote it as one who is struggling with more internal thoughts. “Bullets” (19) are being personified to be the “eyes” or the superior race, those who are there to “kill slowly” (19), being those who take down the minds of those with colored skin, slowly…

Truth in Fictional Literature One of the themes in Miguel de Cervantes’s Don Quixote is the opposition of truth and imaginary in literature. Various characters within the novel, including the priest, state that literature’s purpose should be to only illuminate the truth and even suggest censorship on books that could rot one’s mind, like Don Quixote’s mind. However, one of the aspects of fictional literature that the priest and others do not understand is that fictional literature does contain…

Have you ever read the spectacular novel Don Quixote? In the novel, Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes, Don Quixote and his squire share a friendship. Sancho, his squire, always helps Don Quixote. Whether it’s telling Don Quixote not to attack the windmills or even advising him not to worry about the princess, Sancho is always helping Don Quixote. The painting, Young Girls at the Piano by Pierre-Auguste Renoir, two girls are at a piano and one girl is helping the other read the sheet music. The…

Clendinnen recounts the history of the Yucatan peninsula once the Spanish arrived. She splits her recounting into two sections: the Spanish’s perceptive and the Mayan’s perspective. Clendinnen’s recounting the Spanish side of history demonstrates a struggle not only between the Spanish and the new land and its inhabitants, but also the internal conflicts between the Spanish settlers and the friars. At first she tells us how the Spaniards’ interactions with the natives consisted of tribute…

This poem talks about how women should show dignity and pride of being an African American women. In this, Maya shows that women should believe in themselves and know that they are worth something. Women also should not change or try to make themselves noticeable to be confident. The tone of the poem is confronting because she is telling women that they should…

civilizations, such as the Maya, that seem to simply disappear; leaving only their cities, temples, and a few scattered traces behind. It’s a common misconception that the Maya people disappeared. The Maya are still around, and in fact still live in many parts of Mesoamerica. The mystery that surrounds the Maya is why so many of their cities were abandoned and the population depleted in a relatively short amount of time. There have been various hypotheses on what caused the collapse of the Maya,…

She went to a “Blacks only” elementary school in Stamps, Arkansas during the “Jim Crow”, racially segregated South in 1940. She tells the story of the excitement she felt on her graduation day. Maya Angelou described the moments leading up to graduation, the nervousness of the faculty, the proud parents, and the overjoyed classmates. Angelou received gifts of a Mickey Mouse watch, embroidered handkerchiefs, and a collection of Edgar Allen Poe…