For native Spanish speakers...what novel has impacted you the most?

caslug says on Jul 19, 2005, 21:38:

why don't you try.. Maya Angelo(cage bird sing), Langston hughes(raisin in the sun). Both have universal theme of social injustics(they can see how america had to overcome it's struggle with racism and clasism. For romance i like Neruda, they can use it to woo their gf/bf, extra incentive to study. his social conscious stuff is good too, applies very much to latin america remember.

Faulkner or Vogennut are a little too "american", ie lots of the stuff requires reader to understand american centric themes. George B. Shaw is good too(his my fair lady has a good theme to it-treat the flower girl like the countess-meaning treat everyone as a special person)

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caulfield2 says on Jul 19, 2005, 22:23:

What/which Neruda would you most recommend?

As far as social consciousness goes, I like To Kill A Mockingbird, Cry The Beloved Country, Native Son, Invisible Man, The Autobiography of Malcolm X....those come to mind right away.

There's one called Black Like Me about a white author who had painted his face and went throughout the American South during the 1960's and pretended to be black to see how he would be treated differently.

I wish there was a good book on Cesar Chavez.

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quindioman says on Jul 19, 2005, 23:24:

15-18 yrs olds? hmmmm......why not try Bram Stoker's Dracula or even better Mary J Shelley's Frankenstein...they certainly wouldn't be bored then

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Antioqueñita says on Jul 20, 2005, 09:56:

Neruda I just wanted to mention that I love Pablo Neruda's Poetry! WOw I had to act out his biography in an Oral interpretion of Literature Class and I was his wife in this act and I did some of his poems and I just fall in love with those poem's everyday! The love sonnets especially #20........... DIVINA!!!!!!!!!

"Que Viva Medellin!"

"Que Viva Medellin!"

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caslug says on Jul 20, 2005, 10:14:

You also can try.. deconstructing English songs.. One of my teacher in high school had us reading then listening to Springstreens, that's when i discover that there's WORDS to the music! LOL! And found out what many consider him a "poet" of the working man.

You can try Queen or Dylan, maybe throw in some NWA or even Emeniem(some of his stuff is quite good). Spice up the class, make those student engage their minds on things they thought was just music or entertainment.

As to Neruda, i forgot the title of the book, but i would try to get a book of his "best" works. Here in US, you can get the version with the Spanish original and English translation in one. That's where i've discover some of his love poem was PRETTY graphic(metophorically of course) sexaully. Kids will love it and definitely use it outside the classroom! LOL!

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caulfield2 says on Jul 20, 2005, 10:22:

Well, unfortunately, I am leaving tomorrow morning...

I think The Doors would be good for this.

You mean I can't use La Camisa Negra, lol?

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caulfield2 says on Jul 20, 2005, 10:24:

I'm assuming #20 is in 100 Love Sonnets?

• Twenty Love Poems and a Song of Despair Pablo Neruda, Pablo Picasso (Illustrator), W. S. Merwin (Translator), Christina Garcia (Introduction)
• Memoirs Pablo Neruda, Hardie St. Martin (Translator)
• The Poetry of Pablo Neruda Pablo Neruda, Ilan Stavans (Editor)
• On the Blue Shore of Silence/Poems of the Sea a la Orilla Azul Del Silencio Pablo Neruda, Mary Heebner, Alastair Reid (Translator)
• 100 Love Sonnets / Cien sonetos de amor Pablo Neruda, Stephen Tapscott (Translator)

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MacGringo says on Jul 20, 2005, 11:08:

A KESTREL FOR A KNAVE by BARRY HINES was always quite popular in English lessons at schools in UK.
Adapted to a film called KES.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0064541/

http://www.englishonline.co.uk/englishnon/literature/authors/kes/

http://www.teachit.co.uk/index.asp?A=1&M=3&S=5

This third site shows about how this book is used in the UK GCSE qualifications.

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kat1 (Moderator) says on Jul 20, 2005, 11:21:

Mc Gringo I heard about that one, it sound interesting my dauther wants to go and see it in the theater were there is an adaptacion at the moment.

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MacGringo says on Jul 20, 2005, 12:16:

You should take her to see it Kat1, or if you get the chance let her see the movie Kes, its a good story for young ones, quite sad at parts aswell.

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Lauthra says on Jul 20, 2005, 12:28:

A Tale of Two Cities (Charles Dickens), it's the best book I've read so far, probably a bit to long for that age range. When I was in school I had to read 2 books a year, I loved Animal Farm and 1984 (George Orwells), Brave New World (Aldous Huxley), Catcher in the Rye (J.D. Salynger) I had to read S.E. Hinton's The Outsiders, Rumble Fish and That was then this is now, but they didn't really interest me much, but most people seemed to enjot watching the Rumble Fish and The Ousiders films after reading the books. In 6th grade we read A Wrinkle in Time, and it's a sweet fantasy book. Oh Neverending Story should be cool, and maybe the Harry Potter books, I must admit there's better fantasy books around, but at least they would know about them.
Nato

(='.'=)

Nato (='.'=)

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caslug says on Jul 20, 2005, 12:34:

The problem with.. certain american authors(SE Hinton or others) is that there material is dated in this age. But Animal Farm or 1984 aren't really dated, but i think 1984 would have a bigger impact for US/UK kids because WE DO HAVE big brothers(camera on the street, govt survellience,etc.,). While in COL there's not anything near that. WOnder if you can give them science fiction and fantasy books(david Gemmell, UK is great), maybe even Tolkien. Especially if you explain to them his background, fought in WWI had a son who fought in WWII. Lot of his inspiration can be traced to his life experience as a soldier.

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Lauthra says on Jul 20, 2005, 12:43:

Fantasy and Science Fiction They will always get their attention, Philip Pullman's dark material is ACE. Greg Bear for Sci fi.
Clive Barker's short stories are quite scary and interesting.
One of my favourite books is The Picture of Dorian Gray, (Oscar Wilde), that one is a must read as well.
Nato

(='.'=)

Nato (='.'=)

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caslug says on Jul 20, 2005, 12:55:

the problem with.. many sci-fi/fantasy stuff, it has no value outside of pure entertainment(which is why i read them). Of course there's great ones that have lot of social messeges, Tolkien, Heinlen, Gemmell come to mind. Tolkien is the most famouse due to the recent movies. One of great theme of tolkien was that even the smallest/weakness(HOBBIT) individual can make a difference. Remember he was writting this after WWI(where he saw combat as just another cog-in-the machine) and up to and through WWII(where his son was a RAF pilot defending UK) and most of the people that fought or support the war against the AXIS where NOT great heroes or Generals, they were the factory worker who produce the planes, the nameless soldier who stood his ground in the face of the enemy, or sailor on watch during convoy duties or even the little kids who collect pots/pans to help with the war effort. SO student can see why the hobbit played such a prominent role in his books, yet they were not the best fighter or magician, but they were still an neccesary and important character.

Beside TOLKIEN is actually taught at several US colleges as a seperate lit class.

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ColombianoX says on Jul 20, 2005, 13:26:

How about great adventure stories like 'The Iliad' and 'The Odyssey'?


CX

ColombianoX 'Defensor de la Colombianidad'

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BlondeJamesBond says on Jul 20, 2005, 13:47:

My thoughts Even though i'm not a native speaker I will comment here, although please feel free to ignore me. :-)

Cockney Colombian - I remember studying Mary Shelley's Frankenstein in English Literature at College - I was bored to tears!

My favourite book is American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis - you'll certainly have some talking points after reading this.

A very funny, laugh-out-loud sort of book with a Colombian theme is Cosmic Banditos by A.C Weisbecker


Both books very entertaining guaranteed.

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caslug says on Jul 20, 2005, 13:58:

BJB..I don't think.. American Pyscho is appropriate for kids! LOL! Unless they are kids of FARC or PARA, they'll learn some creative way to torture and kill! LOL!

COLX, Homer stuff is great but like shakespear the langauge is "ancient" and will require rereading passage several times to understand what the "english sentences" means in mordern context. For College level or advance high school class, that's probably OK.

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BlondeJamesBond says on Jul 20, 2005, 14:03:

Caslug LOL - I really should read these things more closely! Mind you, the 18 year olds should be able to read the book, they're old enough to watch the film.

I also hated studying Shakespeare at School and College - I can't imagine Colombian 'kids' enjoying it either!

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Lauthra says on Jul 20, 2005, 14:58:

Actually, what level of english will this kids have? Cos in my school, english was divided in 6 levels, and books were chosen accordingly.
Nato

(='.'=)

Nato (='.'=)

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Antioqueñita says on Jul 20, 2005, 16:40:

caulfield2 ; yes that book The 20 songs of despair!

They are all beautiful but that one makes me like gosh feel so sad!

Some people call it " THE SADDEST LINES", 'THE SADDEST VERSES", "THE SADDEST POEM"....

HERE IS THE POEM:

Tonight I can write the saddest lines.

Write for example, 'The night is shattered
and the blue stars shiver in the distance.'

The night wind revolves in the sky and sings.

Tonight I can write the saddest lines.
I loved her, and sometimes she loved me too.

Through nights like this one I held her in my arms.
I kissed her again and again under the endless sky.

She loved me, sometimes I loved her too.
How could one not have loved her great still eyes.

Tonight I can write the saddest lines.
To think that I do not have her. To feel that I have lost her.

To hear immense night, still more immense without her.
And the verse falls to the soul like dew to a pasture.

What does it matter that my love could not keep her.
The night is shattered and she is not with me.

This is all. In the distance someone is singing. In the distance.
My soul is not satisfied that it has lost her.

My sight searches for her as though to go to her.
My heart looks for her, and she is not with me.

The same night whitening the same trees.
We, of that time, are no longer the same.

I no longer love her, that's certain, but how I loved her.
My voice tried to find the wind to touch her hearing.

Another's. She will be another's. Like my kisses before.
Her voice. Her bright body. Her infinite eyes.

I no longer love her, that's certain, but maybe I love her.
Love is short, forgetting is so long.

Because through nights like this one I held her in my arms
my soul is not satisfied that it has lost her.

Though this be the last pain that she makes me suffer
and these the last verses that I write for her.

ANOTHER POEM OF NERUDA'S I LOVE IS : IF YOU FORGET ME.



"Que Viva Medellin!"

"Que Viva Medellin!"

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utopiacowboy says on Jul 20, 2005, 18:00:

How about "Lady Chatterly's Lover"? Nice artsy one-hander.

Disclaimer: any comment I make is inane and is not to be taken seriously, and is so patently ridiculous that no one should take it seriously, even as an insult.

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