Go BEARS!

Hello 9th Grade,

I hope you enjoy reading Like Water For Chocolate! Over the next few weeks, your online assignment will be to post chapter summaries. I have completed the first two chapters as an example of what I expect you to do! This weekend, you have the choice to write a summary for either Chapter #3 OR Chapter #4. YOU DO NOT HAVE TO WRITE A SUMMARY FOR BOTH! This is due by Monday Morning at 8:00 a.m. Please choose only one chapter- The chapter that you feel most comfortable summarizing! The following are my summaries that include an explanation of the main example of Magical Realism in each chapter. Enjoy!

-Like Water For Chocolate-

Chapter 1, January- Christmas Rolls

The story begins with the narrator Tita, Esperanza’s daughter – Rosaura’s granddaughter – the protagonist’s great-niece, telling us that she is especially sensitive to onions just like her great aunt Tita. Her great-aunt reportedly cried in the womb and was born on a wave of tears in the kitchen. From then on, the kitchen was Tita’s domain and her life would revolve around the preparation of food for her family. When Tita was a young girl, she was very close to Nacha- the family cook-, playing games and even shaping the sausage they made into the shapes of animals, and she looked to her as a mother figure.

From Nacha, Tita learned the secret skills and recipes of cooking and it represented everything Tita loved about her life at home. This included the magical rituals of the sausage making, the rising of the yeast, the raising of animals, the use of all sorts of natural ingredients and, of course, the closeness that develops between women who work together in the kitchen.

One day, when most of the women were in the kitchen, Pedro Muzquiz came to ask for permission to marry Tita. Tita’s mother, Mama Elena, had warned her not to encourage him to ask for her hand. Tradition prohibits the youngest daughter from marrying so that she will always be available to take care of her elderly mother.

When Pedro came, Mama Elena surprised everyone when she offered her oldest daughter, Rosaura, instead of Tita for marriage. Chencha was the first to tell Tita but Tita did not want to believe it. Later, Mama Elena seemed to enjoy telling Tita the shocking. Nacha tells Tita about the conversation she overheard between Pedro and his father: Pedro explained that if he could not have Tita, the woman he truly loves, then he must marry her sister so that, “at least he could be close to her.”

Chapter #1 begins quickly describing the story’s subject, setting, conflict, tone and themes. The traumatic news broke Tita’s heart on the family’s ranch close to Piedras Negras, Coahuila during the Mexican Revolution. There is passion, tears and, of course, traditional food. The characters are all very strong women and there doesn’t seem to be any men in the family, except Pedro. The main example of Magical Realism is the story of Tita’s Birth on the kitchen table.

Chapter 2, February- Chabela Wedding Cake

As Tita and Nacha prepare the wedding cake for Rosaura’s marriage to Pedro, Tita is overwhelmed with her emotions. They need use 170 eggs to make the cake but as they pass the 100-egg mark, Tita’s hands begin to shake because can no longer hide her fury and anger that her sister marrying her boyfriend. Mama Elena is very cruel and shows no sympathy when she tells Tita that she will not tolerate any outburst and warns her to behave. Tita continues to beat the cake but cannot help crying into the cake batter. Nacha understands Tita’s situation and, noticing Tita’s tears falling into the batter, tells her to go to bed for fear that the cake will never be ready.

They are able to finish the cake with its apricot filling and meringue frosting but Tita is so sad that isn’t sure she will be able to get through the wedding! Tita feels better after Pedro tells her that she is the woman he really loves during a private moment at the reception. Tita is so happy that she doesn’t notice that the guests are crying over their lost loves after eating the cake. Tita leaves to tell Nacha about her conversation with Pedro but finds her dead in her own bed.

In chapter #2, Tita is forced to watch her boyfriend marry her sister while she must prepare the wedding feast, the enormous cake and special frosting. Mama Elena continues to abuse and oppress Tita and tells her that she will not tolerate one moment of self-pity. The big example of Magical Realism in this chapter is when Tita’s crying into the cake batter affects everyone at the wedding banquet with longing and remorse for lost loves. The response is so powerful that they become physically sick and Tita is the only one unaffected by the strange sickness.

Hello Everyone- Take a look at the website for the Holocaust Memorial in Miami, Florida!  I just found out about this amazing place this morning and the website is very moving & emotional! Here is website address http://www.holocaustmmb.org/   

I’ll see you when we get back on Monday March 31st, 2008!

I am very excited about going to the movie theater to watch the counterfeiters on Friday.  I hope everyone goes, so please do you best to get permission from your parents.  This movie will be another way to show how much you have all learned over the past six weeks and illustrate how intelligent you all are- EVERYONE OF YOU! Check out the Link to the MovieWebsite under the Website Links on the right side of this page- It is very Cool: 

Homework for this Weekend- Feb 29-Mar 2!  First, please read Night pages 45-80 and find 3 NEW quotes that support the theme of Dehumanization, taking away the human characteristics of the Jewish people like personal identity and individuality to make them seem inferior to the Nazi’s.  I expect that you will have these quotes ready for Monday’s Do Now! Second, tell me if you like this slideshow and, if you have more pictures, please e-mail them to me at danguerro@msn.com – & I will try to add them to the show! 

Hello 9th Grade!  Sorry for taking so long to write this post   This weekends assignment is to answer the following question: Would you prefer to continue reading Night by Wiesel from the book or from the copied handouts inside binders?   Some students have already told me that they like having the book because it is small and fits in their pockets However, we cannot write in the books so it makes taking notes more complicated.  Other students like the copied version of the book because it is easier to write their notes in the large margins.  Let me know what you think!  Although I prefer the small book, it is easier for me to take notes when I am studying for quizes and writing reflections.  I look forward to talking to you all on Monday.  By the way, here is a link to the Monterey Bay Aquarium that we will be visiting on Thursday! http://www.mbayaq.org/

 

Hello 9th Grade!  You did a great job participating in the game on Thusday- I think it was a very good day in class. Here is the next picture for you to analyze in terms of Character, Subject, Setting and Abstract/Concrete.  I also want you to tell me what you think this is a picture of and what city or country you think this picture was taken! Have a Great 3-Day Weekend and I’ll see you on Tuesday -Mr. G

Monday February 4, 2008 – During today’s Do Now, you had the chance to look at this picture, Posada’s Wild Party, and describe it using Character, Subject, Setting including Abstract and Concrete Nouns.  Your homework assignment this week is to post your description online.  All you need to do is post your comments and include your name and e-mail address- That’s It! Congratulations and Welcome to Mr. G’s Blog!