Why The Cocks Fight (1-50)

Summary:

The story so far has been very very interesting for me to read. At this point as far as being a story it is very weak, but since it is a history book it is wonderful. The first couple of pages that I read, I was instantly learning new things about Cocks, and the different types of Cocks that the island of Hispaniola is home to. Perhaps the coolest thing that read was how the political structure of Haiti and of Dominican Republic in many ways mimic a Rooster fight. I learned that in both countries the basic set up of a cock fight is simple; two roosters in the middle of a small open area that is then blockaded by cement wall to prevent the cocks from escaping. The only real notable difference between Haiti and DR is the amount of money that is used to create comfortability inside the arena. The book then goes further into some of the history that Haiti and DR shared together. There were several battles between both sides of Hispaniola ever since the time that Toussaint L'Overture fought to gain independence from France.

Quote:

"In 1804, the victorious former slaves established Haiti...weakened the hold of all three European nations on Latin America" (Wucker 37).

Reaction:

When i read this quote I learned a lot about how DR achieved independence. I learned that in some part it was thanks to Haiti achieving its independence and the persistent in L'Overture to rid the entire island of European control.

The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao (89-119)

Summary:

The story continues with more background of Beli, the mother of Lola and Oscar. In this part of the book we learn about Beli’s first boyfriend, Jack Pujols. Pujols is a member of one of the richest families in the Dominican Republic. However, Pujols was not interested in Beli no matter what she did to get his attention, until one day Beli suddenly developed and her breast became the new talk at school. Soon afterwards Beli and Pujols were going out and all was going good until they got caught having sex in the janitors closet. Pujols promised to marry Beli after high school which is the reason that Beli did not get angry at him, when he said that she seduced him. After the incident Pujols was sent to military school and that was the last Beli ever saw of him. The rest of my reading is just more talk about Beli’s life in Bani and how she made a living, and eventually her telling her children on how it was that she met their father.

Quote:

“Hey, Dionisio, isn’t that the girl que te dio una pela last week?” (Díaz, 118).

Reaction:

I think this quote is important because it might foreshadow the reason why Beli was not able to maintain a healthy relationship with her kids’ father.

The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao (1-89)

Summary:

I am really enjoying the fact that I chose this book to read for ROAR. It reconnects me with Spanish when I have to research what a particular word means. But perhaps one of the biggest reasons that I love this book is because the protagonist Oscar Wao, and how he is described in the first chapter, makes me think of myself, and in a book that is the first time that has happened to me as a reader. The story at the moment has no real pattern and I think it is because of the point of view utilized by Junot Diaz. Diaz uses third person omniscient and so the reader knows what every character is thinking, and also what they have experienced. The first chapter was some background information on Oscar, the second was some background on Oscar’s sister Lola, and the third which I am currently on is some background on his mother Belicia aka Beli. Each chapter has a small timeline of when the events of the chapter took place. The timeline is really helpful to me so that I may be able to follow what is going on in the story. The novel is full of foreshadowing because of the way that the story is told, the chapter about Beli has not spoken about her having Lola and Oscar, but on the previous chapters I already know that eventually Beli will have her two children, I also know based on previous chapters that Beli is going to move to New Jersey, I just don’t know why and for what. The narration is difficult, but it makes me feel like I have all the answers to any questions the book may have, all I have to do is find them.

Quote:

“No amount of wishful thinking was changing the cold hard fact that she was a teenage girl living in the Dominican Republic of Rafael Leonidas Trujillo Molina, the Dictatingest Dictator who ever Dictated.”

Reaction:

This quote has some alliteration with the words Dictatingest (fake word) Dictator, and Dictated. I believe that he capitalized those words to grab the reader’s attention to them. I also think this is an important quote because as many Dominicans know, Trujillo is an infamous dictator for all the cruel things that he has done in the Dominican Republic. This is one of many lines where Diaz refers to Trujillo, and I think it is important because he may be the reason why Beli moved to New Jersey and did not stay in the Island.

When I Was Puerto Rican (190-270)

Summary:

The last section of the book is very interesting, and feelings are coming out. After Hector got injured in the bike accident, Mami had to come back home and quit her job to take care of Hector. Also after the Hector accident Papi and Mami started arguing and resulted in Mami's move back to Santurce. Mami did not only plan on going back to Santurce, but she also planned to go New York. Negri did not know that her mother was going to go to New York, but Mami believed that the only way to help Hector would be to take him to the doctors in New York. After several years Negri also went to New York to experience for herself what her mother had to go through. When Negri returned back to Macun to visit her old house she was almost not able to recognize it.

Quote:

“after all that, I had failed he audition”

Reaction:

this quote is important because it shows that no matter how old Negri gets, she will always be her mothers daughter.

When I Was Puerto Rican (105-190)

Summary:

In these three chapters Negri's mother finally gets a job in which she sews. The mother is enjoying herself because she is doing something that she finds to be exciting. Mami's job requires alot of time, and so she is not home as often as she used to. As a result, Negri being the oldest sister has to take care of her younger brothers and sisters. Negri becomes a little to bossy and her sisters start to dislike her because they believe that she is not letting them have fun. Also Negri became a little more mature as she and a neighbor Tato showed each other their private parts.

Quote:

"Delsa yelled. "you're not mami." (Santiago 127).

Reaction:

This quote is important to the story because it shows how Negri is trying to take her moms position as the female authority in the house, but unfortunately her sisters think that she is starting to become to annoying trying to be something that she is not.

When I Was Puerto Rican (84-105)

Summary:

The story continues right where it left off. After Negri awoke from her unconsciousness she was told by her mother that she was going to be spending a week at her grandmother's house in Santurce, Puerto Rico. The grandmother was very old and wanted to see her grandchild one more time before she passes. On the way to the house Negri and her dad went to a mercado, a place where people did shopping for the family. While they were in the mercado Negri wanted to eat some alcapurrias because she smelled it in the air. The father decided that they should eat before they got to the house in Santurce so he bought two alcapurrias, one for himself and the other one for Negri. When they finally arrived at abuela's house abuela could not stop comparing Negri to her father. Negri felt really good every time abuela said a compliment because. When the father was leaving his expression made Negri feel as though he was not going to come back. Negri suddenly wanted to see her mother and dad again because she felt alone after the way her father left her. Toward the end of Negri's stay at abuela's house she felt really comfortable and enjoyed sewing with abuela.

Quote:

“her long, mournful face horselike, her large eyes almond shaped, the corners pointing down as if weighed by many tears” (Santiago 88).

Reaction:

Santiago uses a combination of similes and metaphors to describe people that she sees that attract her attention. In the quote above, santiago is describing an old lady who sells Jesus heads with thorns on them. It is an important quote because Negri was scared of the lady, even though the majority of the people in Puerto Rico are Roman Catholics who believe in Jesus.

When I Was Puerto Rican (34-84)

Summary:

The mother is still mad at the father for sleeping with other girls, but the father still goes to visit her in her new house in Santurce. Negri has to become accustomed to a new school and neighborhood. The father is persistent and is breaking his neck to get back with Negri’s mother. The father tries to compliment the mother and not disrespect her. Every morning the father always reads the newspaper while he eats breakfast and takes it with him when he goes to work, but to get on the mother’s good side he would leave it behind on the coffee table. The dad would always try to have fun with all his daughters and Hector the new born baby. The mother eventually gave up and had a conversation with the dad which resulted in them getting back together, and moving back to Macun. Negri was so excited to go back to her neighborhood and hang-out with her best friend Juanita, who also goes to the same school as Negri. During the school year Juanita’s grandfather, Don Berto, a well know gentleman in the barrio died. That was Negri’s first experience with the death of a person that she actually met. The story continued with the Americans trying to give free breakfast to students and trying to teach them about good hygiene because it was election year, and the governors wanted to get the parents votes. Negri kept eating the American breakfast until one day she drunk some milk and ended up vomiting and bad mouthing to the lunch lady. Negri was unconscious for a couple days, and when she woke it was back to school, like if nothing had happened.

Quote:

“Well, it is the soul of a person that writes poetry” (Santiago 53).

Reaction:

Santiago is an author who likes to use personification. In the quote, she says that the soul, an intangible object is the reason that people can write poetry. The quote however, really shows the type of relationship that Negri has with her father. The father tries as hard as he can to give Negri a response to every question she may have, no matter if she is old enough or not.