Connecting to the Characters in a Story

V.S. Naipaul

     In the book “Reading and Writing: A Personal Account” by V.S. Naipaul, the author manages to make the characters come alive. As a reader, I am able to immerse myself in his story, forgetting the where and the when of where I am. I imagined I was in rural India, and I empathized with the protagonist when he went through such a drastic change and moved to the city, feeling like a complete stranger and always out of place. He felt lost in his childhood too, as he knew he wanted to be a writer, but had not yet found his reason to write. 

Ramlila

     His characters are relatable, as we all have felt lost at some point of our lives. I still feel that way, and I wonder when will be the moment I realize exactly what I want to do in my life. I also felt his confusion, and felt the way he must have felt during his personal growth and self-discovery. I could really see how his experiences had a profound effect on him and helped made him who he is. The Ramlila, for example, a play based on the epic Ramayana, was what really cemented in him his Indian culture. As the author mentions, it lay below the writing he was later to make.  

Characters coming alive 

     The details in his story really make it possible for the reader to imagine everything the author is going through, and after reading the story, for example, I feel I really know what kind of person his dad is. Just by mentioning that he never finishes a story, one can assume he is easily distracted and absent-minded. Since the protagonist mentions him a lot, and how he read to him, I can know that his dad was a really good father who cared about his son and his education and had a deep effect in his reading and writing. The details say so much more than what it is written on paper. At the end, the author mentions he was “eaten up by anxiety”, during and after a hard time in his life where he suffered from poverty. He mentions it was an emotion he had always known, and I could really feel his anxiety during the whole story. In conclusion, to me, what really made the characters come alive is the fact that I was able to connect to them and really care about them. It mattered to me whether or not the author would be able to find his voice as a writer, and I felt happy when he found it.

Our Puerto Rican Culture

San Juan streets

Puerto Rico has a very unique culture, influenced heavily by the fact that we are an American colony. Our roots are based on Taínos, Africans, the Spanish and the American culture. By walking through the streets of San Juan, one can appreciate our history while walking by craftsmen, eating traditional foods and admiring the old Spanish-influenced arquitecture from the buildings there.

                A big part of our culture is our music. Even in new generations, salsa is still relevant and present at every party.  Another important part of our culture is our food, consisting of mofongos, rice and beans, alcarpurrias, pasteles, and many more. Christmas is coming soon, which means a lot of lechón, arroz con gandules, and coquito. We get double the presents: from Santa Claus and then Los Reyes Magos. Our festive holidays are the best and longest. We find any excuse to party. There are small festivals in our towns in name of every food imaginable. We’re known for being loud and friendly, as well as knowing how to party. We’ll always help out a stranger, and make him feel like we’ve known each other for a long time.

So then, can Puerto Rican culture be defined by our food, festivities and music? In my opinion, it definitely can, but it is also much more than that. Our culture is influenced by our past as well as the present, by our joined attitudes and beliefs, as well as our atmosphere (living in an island). We’re proud of our culture. And we’re proud for every accomplishment a puertorrican makes. We love our country, and we’re loud when expressing our pride.

My Journey Journal

Since the start of this school year, I’ve kept a journey notebook for my English class given by Professor Cynthia Pittmann. We did a collage on the front cover filled with pictures of places where we’ve went to want to go. It could also be things that represent our inner journeys. I did mine on various places. There’s a couple of Puerto Rico from a couple of my favourite places to go.

I included Flamenco beach, my favourite beach, where I spent my quinceañera. I also have a picture of El Morro, but that symbolizes San Juan as a whole with all its rich history.  El Yunque is Puerto Rico’s rainforest, a beautiful place where you can have an adventure while appreciating the huge diversity of life here in Puerto Rico. There’s a couple of places I’ve gone to outside of Puerto Rico, like New York City and Broadway. Places I’d love to go to include Chicago, Disney World and the Great Canyon. To symbolize my inner journey, I included a picture of Borders as reading is a big part of me, and my campus, UPRRP. Also, where I’d love to go and my ultimate goal, the Medical Science campus.

My Journal
Photo taken by me 

Inside, there are several entries. The rules are:

o   Keep your hand moving

o   Don’t cross out

o   Don’t worry about grammar

o   Lose control

o   Don’t think or get logical

o   Go for the jugular

We have to do a total of at least 40 entries following these rules. We also have to do a life compass, rating from 0-3 our spiritual, mental, physical and emotional states. At first, I was overthinking too much and worrying about grammar, but with time I’ve learned to let go. It can be pretty relaxing sometimes. Other times, it brings to the front of your mind everything you’re worrying about. But in any case, I found it helpful to later read my unfiltered thoughts. Sometimes it can be hard for me to express how I’m feeling or why I’m feeling that way, and this can help me get in touch with my feelings in a better way.

I’ve never kept a journal before. But I see now why people keep them as it can be therapeutic. It’s also nice to keep those memories and read them later. But, it requires a bit of time and discipline if I want to document my day to day life. I don’t know if I’ll still have one after the project is over, as I know I won’t want to write everyday on it. But who knows? I could see it as an option now.

About Dreams. A Reflection on Carl Jung's “Memories, Dreams and Reflections”

Credit 

     
     I usually remember my dreams. We all have dreams when we get to the deepest sleep, the REM stage. Yet not many people remember their dreams. Now, I don’t keep a dream journal, but even if I did and I’d wrote down everything just after waking up, I wouldn’t be able to recall all the details from even my most memorable dreams. Much less the degree of details that Carl Jung seems to recall in his autobiography “Memories, Dreams and Reflections” from his dreams many years later. I treated the dreams section from each chapter as the fiction part of the book, as I can’t believe in their authenticity.

Carl Jung

     But, as a reader, what I look for in a book is to either to be entertained, to maybe see things from a different perspective or to learn something new. And in this aspect, I feel that his autobiography delivered. In each chapter, he explored a new country, and seeing the different cultures was my favorite part of the book. He connects the memories from each place he visited with one or more dream he (presumingly) had during his stay. The memories represent his outer journey, while the dreams represent the inner journey.

     I do feel, of course, that my dreams are formed from thoughts in my subconscious. They have made a small impact in me as a person. I sometimes dream about things I don’t want to confront when I’m awake, thoughts that maybe I didn’t wish I had or I’m not ready to accept. And they sneak their way into my dreams, forcing me to confront it in that moment. But it’s always been things I’ve already known and just didn’t want to think about. And either I shake it off in the morning, or it bugs me all day until I’m forced to reflect on it.

     I suppose, in that way, my dreams have played a part in the decisions I later make, being whether I decide to do something or not. I’d still like to have a dream that’ll make me arrive at a new realization I wasn’t just purposely ignoring. One that wasn’t already in my conscious, and that enters from my unconscious into my consciousness just in that moment. Maybe it's already happened and I haven't realized.

About Me

     Hi, welcome to my blog! I'm a 20 year old junior in college. I'm majoring in Biology at the University of Puerto Rico Río Piedras Campus. This blog's title, The Time Traveler, was inspired by my favorite book "The Time Traveler's Wife”. It also refers to how life is a journey and we're all traveling through time, unable to slow down or go faster. So we have to enjoy the ride, and live a life without “what if's”.

     I have a younger (but taller) sister, Tiffany, and my dog Abby. Both are of course equally important to me. I live close to campus with three other roommates, which can be a bit crowded, but also really fun. We spend our days either studying, watching Friends or How I Met Your Mother, or singing and goofing around.

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     I enjoy reading a variety of fiction books. Some of my favorites include the Harry Potter series, To Kill a Mockingbird and My Sister's Keeper. I enjoy going to the beach, catching a movie, goofing around with my friends and exploring my beautiful island of Puerto Rico. I mainly spend my days studying, but I really enjoy it and I hope to become a doctor one day. Being confronted with challenges and making somebody smile are passions of mine

Beach in Vega Baja
Photo taken by me

     I love traveling, but I don’t travel nearly as much as I would want. But, I have travelled within Puerto Rico, and I’ve visited New York a couple of times. My favorite place I’d gone to would have to be the island of Culebra. It’s an island full of adventures and beauty, and holds a special place on my heart.

     Made for my English literature class given by my professor Cynthia Pittmann, I’ll reflect about some literature works here in my blog, as well as explore my inner and outer journeys, and maybe talk about books I’m currently reading or any other interesting topic. You can find me on Instagram as kimberly0015 to keep up with my life.

 

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