The Shadow of the Wind-Week 3, Post B

This mystery of Julian Carax is intriguing. Daniel keeps finding more and more clues into Carax’s puzzling life and I love it when he does because it gets him closer to discovering why people are opposed to Carax. Daniel may even be able to find Carax if he gathers enough information. I am baffled has to why some people are so opposed to Carax. I cannot understand why people would want to burn his novels. Everything I’ve heard about his novels has been unmistakably positive. His novels have been described as entrancing, magnificent works of art that deserve to be recognized. As I sit here and try to predict what clue Daniel will discover next in the novel, I can’t help but wonder about the strange man who cornered Daniel and demanded that Daniel give him his Carax novel in order for him to burn it. I am beginning to think that this man could possibly be Carax in disguise. One thing Daniel seems to have learned is that Carax is still alive but nobody knows where he and barely anybody even knows who he is. So it would be quite simple for Carax to disguise himself. However, I have trouble understanding what incentive Carax could possible have to burn his own novel. It may seem that my prediction is poorly backed but I only suggested this because something in my instinct says I may be on the right track. I am anxious to learn more about Carax and see if my prediction is correct.

The Shadow of the Wind-Week 3, Post A

In our society here in the United States, a close friendship between a grown man and a young boy would be considered suspicious. In The Shadow of the Wind Tomas and Fermin develop a very close relationship and they spend quite a lot of time together. Fermin is an older man in possibly his 50s while Tomas is probably 16 years old. I would consider this to be a cultural difference because in the United States close friendships between adults and children usually cause a raised eyebrow if the adult is not related to the child. There seems to be a lot more distrust of adults here in the United States than there was in Barcelona around 1945. I realized this to be a cultural difference because as I was reading of their newfound friendship I felt as though this was rather abnormal when in reality, this was a normal practice in Barcelona. I noticed this unsual close friendship between Daniel and Clara as well. Clara is twice Daniel's age and yet they created a bond that proved itself to be strong enough to break Daniel's heart in the end. I felt uncomfortable with the relationship as it was growing and I knew it was because I am not used to adults and children having relationships this close. It will be interesting to see if any more of these adult/child friendships spark throughout the novel.

More World Issue Articles

"Analysis: What does Hamas really want?" from Jerusalem Post on http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1208422652748&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

"Israeli, Palestinian Leaders Hold Talks on Gaza" from CNN on http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/meast/04/13/mideast/index.html

"Carter Says Hamas and Syria Are Open to Peace" from New York Times on http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/22/world/middleeast/22mideast.html?_r=1&ref=middleeast&oref=slogin#

World Issue Topic and Articles

I will be researching the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Here are some articles that I am going to use.

"Israel's Strategy for Combating Palestinian Terror" from Joint Force Quaterly accessed on SIRS
http://sks.sirs.com/cgi-bin/hst-article-display?id=SMN0307-0-5309&artno=0000185244&type=ART&shfilter=U&key=&title=Israel%27s%20Strategy%20for%20Combating%20Palestinian%20Terror&res=Y&ren=Y&gov=Y&lnk=N&ic=Y

"War Begins in Mideast" from UPI'S 20th Century Top Stories accessed on SIRS
http://sks.sirs.com/cgi-bin/hst-article-display?id=SMN0307-0-5309&artno=0000257708&type=ART&shfilter=U&key=&title=War%20Begins%20in%20Mideast&res=Y&ren=Y&gov=Y&lnk=N&ic=Y

"MIDEAST TURMOIL: The History; Imperative of Faith, Advanced by Force" from New York Times
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C07E2D7113FF931A15757C0A9649C8B63&scp=8&sq=origin+of+israeli-palestinian+conflict&st=nyt

The Shadow of the Wind-Week 2, Post B

It seems that all the younger characters in this novel somehow come to find a mentor with whom they become very closely attached to. First, Daniel finds Clara and immediately begins spending large amounts of time with her. He is enamored of her and looks up to her in many ways. There is a point in the story when all Daniel can talk about is Clara. Personally, I found the relationship unhealthy and strange. It upset me that Daniel wouldn’t face reality that he was never going to get this woman, who is twice his age, to fall in love with him. I wouldn’t have minded the relationship had Daniel not been so insistent on spending every waking hour with her. For the period of time that Daniel kept in touch with Clara, he allowed himself and his best friend Tomas to become completely estranged. I was quite surprised that Tomas accepted Daniel back into his life so quickly and without explanation. Speaking of Tomas, he also finds himself a mentor. Fermin, the new bookseller at the Semperes’ bookstore makes a connection with Tomas over their common interest of inventions. They create a strong bond rather quickly and Fermin even decides he care so much about Tomas that he is going to help in get rid of his stammer, which could hold him back from impressing fellow inventors in the future. I do hope that Fermin does not create a pattern of gravely disappointing Tomas as Clara disappointed Daniel. If a pattern is created, there’s only so much time before another mentor is discovered that consumes another child’s life.

The Shadow of the Wind-Week 2, Post A

A major difference in terms of society that I have noticed in The Shadow of the Wind is the formality in the way the adults address younger people. Typically, an older person will use more informal language when referring to a younger person (say, teens or early 20s). There is an older man in the novel named Fermin and he works for the Semperes' book store. When introduced to Daniel's best friend Tomas Alguilar, he uses formal language towards him. Fermin doesn't use this language just upon meeting Tomas, but he continually uses it as time goes on.

"After that they became engrossed in an unintelligable discussion about arcane mathematics, which was Dutch to me. From day on, Fermin always addressed him with formal usted or called him 'doctor,' and pretended not notice the boy's stammer." (95-96)

The other reason for this formality could be that Tomas has proven himself to be as intelligent as Fermin which provides for interesting discussion between the two. Fermin could be impressed by Tomas's knowledge of inventions that he decides to refer to him as an equal rather than a younger person.

The Shadow of the Wind-Week 1, Post B

Dear Mr. Zafon,
I am sincerely enjoying your novel. This story is unbelievably enticing and is quickly becoming one of my new favorite books. I find myself unable to put this book down and continually convince myself that I can read another chapter when I know I should be done. This is unlike many stories I've read and I can honestly say that I was not expecting this type of story when I picked up this novel. It has been quite a pleasant surprise. You are so creative I don't understand how you come up with these ideas. Everytime they praise Carax in your novel I believe that you deserve an equal amount of praise. I love how you've created a story that incorporates adventure, love, mystery, and growth. Although I am truly loving your novel, I still can't bring myself to like Daniel very much. It could possibly that he began the novel as an eleven year old and I am simply tired of hearing about his relentless obsession with Clara, a girl twice his age. I am finding him pathetic, but it appears that he will be forced to mature if he plans on protecting Carax's novel. That task demands strong willpower. I am delighted to hear that Daniel has almost completely stopped thinking about Clara. I understand that he was angry to find her sleeping with another man, but how angry can he really be? I know he's jealous, but he can't imagine that at sixteen years old, he has a chance with a woman over twenty. I found it ridiculous that he was so tormented by that. I will concede that it wasn't right for Adrian Neri to beat him up for barging in on them, but at sixteen he should be able to move on. I truly hope Daniel finds a nice girl his own age. I think a girl would do well for him.

Thank you for writing this novel,
Emily

The Shadow of the Wind-Week 1, Post A

A prominant difference I'm noticing culturally is the level of comfort with strangers. The protagonist, Daniel Sempere, becomes quite upset one night and decides to take a walk. On his walk he visits a friend's house where he finds an extremely dissapointing sight that he wasn't meant to see. Daniel gets severely beat up that night because of what he saw and is back to wandering around the streets. It's probably around midnight, and Daniel comes across a homeless man who offers him some wine and a shelter form the rain under his cardboard roof.

"'What a minute, at least until the rain eases off,' the beggar suggested. He took me by the arm and led me to a corner under the arches where he kept a bundle of possessions and a bag with old, dirty clothes. 'I have a bit of wine. It's not too bad. Drink a little. It will help you warm up. And disinfect that...' I took a swig from the bottle he offered me. It tasted of diesel oil laced with vinegar, but its heat calmed my stomach and my nerves." (63)

Common sense tells would prevent me from being lead into a place by a strange, degenerate old man, much less drink any of his wine. This novel takes place in Barcelona, close after the war. I wonder if the war is what caused people to be less cautious because there must be quite a few beggars on the street who simply have no where to go. However, this instance is not the only one that displays a certain comfort with strangers which is why it sparked my attention.

Why I Chose The Shadow of the Wind

I have chosen the novel The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon for outside reading this quarter. I became interested in this novel because I remember my mom reading it last year and absolutely loving the story. I also remembered it was a world literature novel and decided it would be a good choice for outside reading this quarter. I am excited to begin this novel and anticipate this to be an engaging story. I am also interested in this novel because it is about a subject I know very little about. I'm looking forward to expanding my knowledge about this dismal time in history.