2A+Quote+quests

Please post your quote quest assignment as a word document - clearly mark your name and the topic. Have you defined whether your topic is a motif, symbol or theme? Please be sure to do so. To upload a word document, simply click on the 'File' icon and follow the instructions. Finally, please read other students' work and add two comments on the page, again clearly marked with your name. Thanks.

Aileen Carpenter: Fire

Hello Aileen, I really enjoyed reading through your quote quest. I like how you connected to themes of the book, which was very helpful. You also had a very good, clear, well written analysis for each set of quotes you provided. This helped my understanding of the quotes and of your topic in general. You also include good comments about irony and what each reference to fire symbolizes or means. You made the author's reason for using fire much clearer. Most of your quotes are relevant, and most talk about fire as passion, but i'm wondering if there are any other interpretations of fire throughout the novel? Thanks!! :)
 * Charlotte Comment 1:**

Hey Aileen, I really like your outline of quotes relevant to fire. It was probably one of the topics that interested me the most when I was reading the book. All the quotes are very relevant and they are connected to the theme of passion and love very nicely. However, have you thought about how Esquivel incorporated magical realism in her description of fire? Like when Gertrudis burned down the shower stall, don't you think that is magical realism? and what was the effect of that? Also, do you find any significance in the last chapter where Tita ate all the candles? Lancelot

Hello eveyone, I've been having trouble with opening all the files on my computer.:/ I tried to download the conversion application for word.. But it doesn't seem to work. Can anyone of you please send me your work to my gmail- aileen.m.carpenter@gmail.com

Charlotte Moeyens: Revolution/Rebellion :) :

Pikaboo Charlotte, The quotations and analysis on the revolution/rebellion are very accurate. I found that the ideas of violence of the revolutionaries are quite similar to my analysis of violence. This "quote quest" contained great insight on the revolutionaries. There were some very great analysis on the misconception of the violence in the revolutionaries. It might have been even better, if you have described why this violence "maybe even expected." There may also have some deeper meaning to Gertrudis's revolutionary team.
 * Happy-Terrence's Comment 1:**

Helloooo Charlotte!! :) I really like how you had the "invasive air" insight--so deep!! :) Would you say that Esquivel was critiquing society with the indifferent stance towards the rebels raping the women? How do you feel about Gertrudis now, seeing that we no longer feel pity as she as risen up in social ranks as a woman? Overall, a really good contrast between the negative connotations with the rebels and the positive viewpoints of them! -Brenda

Charlotte:) I finally got to read through yours. I thought you did an exceptionally good job at presenting your analysis on the revolution/ rebellion. The only thing I would have to critique is a better explanation of the significance of Gertrudis( terrence mentioned this). Although, you provided great insight about the theme of rebellion in the novel I feel like it could be tied into oppression. - Aileen

Joel Lee: Water

Hey Joel, Nice discussion on how Esquivel uses water as a medium through which Tita uses to express her emotions. I never thought about it like that before you mentioned it. I especially love the foreshadowing quote that you had about when Tita is born and there is the tide of tears. If I were you, I would include another quote, which is from chapter two, when Tita was making the wedding cake. She cried into the cake and made people experience nausea after eating the cake. I think you can include that quote to show how strong her emotions are. Lancelot

Comments from Y.T. Jung: Hiya Joel! your work clearly shows how water, in forms of tears and bathwater, can convey emotions of people such as Tita. The work is clear and concise, but I do believe some more elaboration can greatly improve the quality of the work. All in all, wonderful job! :)

Allo Joel! Ok i new water had to symbolize something but just didn't know how to show that it did. You definitely managed though! Compared to others yours was rather brief but i still felt like you addressed water and its meanings really well. However i know you Joel and i think you could have pulled out more info and elaborated more on water's significance in the novel. My favorite part of your analysis was when you talked about how water was a "medium in which feelings are conveyed." Your qoute really supported your analysis and showed how much you understood its significance in the novel. Bon Travail Joel! Julien,

Lancelot: White Hiya Lance, There were some great quotations found with in depth analysis. I had alot of the same analysis as you did. :D It may have been even better if you have included the overall literary message in the color 'white.' There may even be room for the connection of the literary meaning of the 'color white' in the hispanic society. Overall, it is preety nice! *high five
 * Happy-Terrence's Comment 2:**

SUP Lance, I really liked the sharp contrast that you have between group one and two. Personally I thought that white was an ironic symbol in this novel, seeing as it was the color of the lovelessness between Pedro and Rosaura. As I studied color symbols before for Blood Wedding, I think you hit it on the mark that white is equally an empty yet pure color of love. I liked your analysis. However, I believe that when you talk about Rosaura slipping in the vomit it may be more of a topic of how Tita's love for Pedro was more "pure" than hers. HEN HAO!!! -Joel

Hi Lance! It's interesting that, though white is usually a portrayal of innocence and red is the typical color for passion and love, Esquivel uses it to talk about love and whether it is empty or pure. I think you correctly interpreted it as something blank and empty, as if it were something to continue staring at but doesn't evoke any happy emotions (at least, for the first half of the quotes). For the second half, first quote, do you think white represents religion as well? I know in Christianity, once your (black) sins are cleansed, your heart becomes white as snow. Maybe the white is symbolizing repentance as well? I also had a question: are you positive that Rosaura's wedding dress was white? But anyways, isn't it also mind-boggling that it can also represent the purity of love? How do purity and emptiness connect? What do you think the author's trying to say? These are just my questions, but good job with your analysis! -Brenda

Ashley Dyer: Rituals


 * Charlotte Comment 2:**

Wow, you have SO MANY QUOTES! And I loved your grouping, your organization was great! Also I really appreciate the depth of your analysis for each quote. Also, it's clear you really looked through each chapter thoroughly. I was really interested in how you included the recipes and making of food under rituals. I would've never considered making food a ritual but in that time it took so much more work, and because the story is told through recipes I understand and agree with you considering it a ritual. Well Done :)

Hey Ashley I really liked the way you introduced the themes, magical realism, and tradition while mentioning the rituals throughout the book. I thought it was really cool how you mentioned the many rituals of the food and tasks and how you went into detail and thought of each recipe as a real on and the troubles it takes to actually prepare one. I also liked the way you also moved away from the kitchen and explained the rituals about what life was like back then. Not only did i learn a lot about the rituals, I believe that I also learned a lot about what life was like back in the day for a Mexican family. Great work. -Spencer

Brenda Lee: Birds :)

Dear Brendeezy :) Well worked on! I believe you truly have every quote about a bird in the novel. Good analysis on the quotes; though they were short and concise, your comments were extremely accurate. I also liked how you grouped the quotes into original ideas (negative connotations, means to complete a task, and passion). However, I believe that the pigeon is more of a symbol of fallen hope/joy. Tita feels obligated to (she may or may not enjoy) take care of this bird. Remember in the end, the pigeon dies. Maybe she never really cared for it in the first place, thus overfeeding it until it perished. Overall, excellent work!!! -Joel

Hey Brenda, I really liked the structure of your quote quest and the different categories you used to organize the quotes. I liked how you put a whole category about magical realism. There are a lot more birds in the book than I thought there were. I forgot that the chickens/turkeys/quail Tita cook are also references to birds. The analyses you included had many good comments and observations. They were rather short though, and I think you might have been able to add a bit more to them. However, on the whole, I really liked the things you included and I appreciate your effort to get every single quote with references to birds from the book. -Ashley

Hey Brenda, first of all OMG! i had no idea there were so many references to birds in the book. I can see you spent a lot of devoted time preparing these quotes. when you first told me you were going to write about birds for your world lit essay i was confused and a little worried you weren't going to have enough to talk about. However, you have definitely proved me wrong. Although your explanations were short, I thought they were still very precise and aloud me to understand what each quote meant. I kinda don't agree with Joel and i think you were right with the pigeons being a symbols of hope and joy. But Joel definitely has a point and i can see where he is coming from. Tita feeling obligated to care for the pigeon does not suggest she cares for the pigeon. Also most of the time when someone forces you to do something it does not result in joy. You did an amazing job brenda! And i cannot wait to read your world lit essay... assuming you let me:) -Julien

Hi Brenda! Wow, this is so well done. I like your inclusion of magical realism, especially in the chicken arena. I'm pretty sure you got every single quote about birds, included every kind of bird mentioned in the novel, and covered every symbolic meaning they could possibly have. You wrote a lot about Mama Elena and Tita's relationship, it made me think about the fact that birds are often symbols for freedom and escape. Oh, wait, nevermind. You mentioned that with the quails. Anyway. I love your organization! It's super clear and comprehensible. Great job! - Bex.

Comment from Y.T.Jung: Hiya Terrence! I can see that you spent a lot of time in your work. You have classified many kinds of violence exist throughout the text thoroughly and thoughtfully. I don't really get the colorful first two pages, but otherwise your work looks great. I love how you classified different kinds of violence in different categories. That really helps to think about the theme of violence in the entire book. Thank you for your work! :)
 * Happy-Terrence: ​** ** VIOLENCE **
 * A Happy Note For Mrs. Kemsley: I posted my brainstorm along with everything else. Everything else begins on page 3. Please grade everything from page 3 onwards!!!

I loved your deep analysis of each of the quotes. It shows that you put a lot of work into it. I also don't really get the colorful first two pages. It was kind of confusing, but after that the structure and analysis of the quotes were very good. I liked how you organized the quotes by grouping them into different categories of violence that were used within the book. After reading your quote quest, I realized that there is a lot more violence in the book than I thought there was. -Ashley

Hey Terrence I really liked the way you organized your thoughts and theories in a very interesting but readable way. I'll admit it took me some time to understand it and took a little scrolling up and down but i think i got the gist of it. I like the way you organized each type of violence into different groups to explain what kind of violence it was. It proved you really thought about and that you did some good analyzing. I didn't know that there was this much violence in the novel, nonetheless about the different groups of violence. Great Job -Spencer

Wow, Terrence, this is really thorough! I like how you used violence as a motif to analyze the character development of Tita and Mama Elena. You have so much information here, it took me a while to figure out how you were organizing it, but when I did it made a lot of sense. I totally agree that the recurring references to Mama Elena's affinity for violent cooking methods are symbolic of her enjoyment for ruining Tita's life. The most informative part was your inclusion of the context and analysis of violence itself, outside the book, and its application to society. Awesome job! - Bex.

Terrence!!! What really appealed to me is the way in which you organized your quotes. You grouped them into different categories of violence that were used in the book. In categories, I didn't think of. I agree with your view of Mama Elena tied to violence in the novel. Mama Elena's cooking methods do seem to reflect how she treats Tita. ( watermelon). As always you applied the violence in the novel to society itself (agree with Bex). Aileen Spencer: Air (wind, aroma, smoke)

HELLO GOULD! :)

Why thanks for that very interesting read. I really liked you connections you made between smell and memory. Clearly, Tita's aromas in the kitchen brings back memories, but especially liked how you connected that to why the baby can't sleep in his own room, but has to be in the kitchen-around the smells-in order to calm down, be happy, and sleep.I also loved how you described smoke as foreplay- i bet that was exactly what Esquivel was trying to say! It would be interesting to explore if the air elements (like smell connected to memory) always have positive connotations. Does it always do Tita good that she connects everything to personal memories when she is in the kitchen? Hen hao job- gold! -andrea

Teddy: **pregnancy, childbirth, and breastfeeding :(** sorry ms. kemsley, I have the same concern with Terrence...I was preparing for SAT II so that I kinda forgot there was a homework...I'm done with 7 chapters and will finish it tmr! sorry :(



hiewww. sorry for being so late :(

So sorry Ms Kemsley my Internet was down! I know it's really late, but here it is anyway.
 * Bex! (:**

Julien: Relationships

HEY JULES! :)

Clearly you have done great research about not only the obvious relationship between Tita and Pedro/Tita and Mama Elena, but also other, minor, characters in the book. Your analysis proves that they in fact are huge parts or Tita's life and how they have impacted and formed her as a person. I like how you connect the different relationships as well, such as the one between Pedro and Dr. Brown. However, I feel like you could clarify on the significance of the different relationships, eg why she marries Dr Brown, how he changes her, or to what extent the death of Rosaura's baby affected Tita (and to what extent it made her finally revolt against her mother)? That would be really interesting to read! Great job mate. :) -andrea

Andrea- Earth/food/land