skip to main |
skip to sidebar
This novel presents several striking leitmotifs (frequently repeated phrase, image, symbol, or situation in a literary work which supports the theme). Leitmotifs in One Hundred Years of Solitude include cyclical patterns, prophecy, illegitimacy, fantasy, and of course solitude. Consider one or more of the following:1. What patterns of behavior are emerging among the characters and how are these recurring patterns affecting life in Macondo?2.) What events in Macondo, if any, have been prophesied with precision or at least seem likely to come true?
3.) List the many ways fantasy plays a part in the characters' lives. Are these elements of fantasy every ironic?
You must post 2 times before Thursday, April 22nd. Your first post should be in response to one of the prompts below. The second time you post, it must be in response to or in reaction to the post of another student.
1. One Hundred Years of Solitude is seeped in symbolism, allegory, hyperbole and parable. (These literary terms are defined below.) Why do you think Gabriel Garcia Marquez chooses to write his narrative in this way? Choose an aspect of the novel that makes use of one of the aforementioned literary devices then attempt to give meaning to it.
Symbolism: a word or phrase referring to a concrete object, scene, or action which also has some further significance associated with it
Allegory: a story or visual image with a second distinct meaning partially hidden behind its literal or visible meaning. The principal technique of allegory is personification. In written narrative, allegory involves a continuous parallel between two or more levels of meaning in the story. An allegory may be conceived as a metaphor that is extended into a structured system.
Hyperbole: Exaggeration for the sake of emphasis
Parable: A brief tale intended to be understood as an allegory illustrating some moral or lesson.
2. Choose a particular character to evaluate. Determine whether the character traits you have noted are ultimately positive or negative, or both. Explain your reasoning. For example Jose Arcadio Buendia: He is inventive and spends many hours alone on his alchemy experiments trying to discover already known science. This is ultimately negative, because he isolates himself from his family and eventually goes mad.
3. Identify elements of the story that you find particularly confusing, interesting, or worthy of discussion. Pose your own questions. Include portions of the text that you feel contribute to your questions/your point. Cite page numbers.
You must post 2 times before next Thursday, April 15th. Your first post should be in response to one of the prompts below. The second time you post, it must be in response to or in reaction to the post of another student.- Where in this text do you see the connections between what Freud says about human motivation and our dreams and the way Gabriel Garcia Marquez has chosen to write this text? Give specific examples including passages from the text. Cite page numbers.
- Find a piece of art which you feel represents a passage or portion of the text. (You will need to paste the link to the artwork in your blog post so that other students may view it.) Explain your choice. Support your explanation by comparing the passage from the text with details from the artwork. Cite page numbers. Do not simply Google One Hundred Years of Solitude art, do a little more of an in-depth searching on your own.
- Identify elements of the story that you find particularly confusing, interesting, or worthy of discussion. Pose your own questions. Include portions of the text that you feel contribute to your questions/your point. Cite page numbers.
