Hi American Literatureans!
For your first informal writing, to be posted on your own blog, please take 250-350 words to start synthesizing the written texts we will have just read for the "Spanish conquests and encounters" unit and the film,
Tambien la Lluvia (
Even the Rain). You might choose to compare one person's text with the representations of him in the film. You might choose to compare approaches to the non-human world in a writing and the film. Or, you might choose something entirely different from these. Regardless of your choice, please work hard to put the two texts into conversation.
Please post your writing by 9:30am, Wednesday, Sept 11.
In comparing the movie “Even the Rain” to the literature from Columbus, de Casas, and de Vaca, what I found to be the most compelling is the idea of the “noble savage.” This idea comes up briefly in the literature that we read, but it is not a main theme. It is mentioned that the natives are very generous to the Spaniards, even though they have very little to give and are always hungry. This idea also comes out in the movie. While rehearsing, a line comes up that says, “treat them well, we need their food.” The Spaniards definitely took advantage of the noble nature of the natives.
ReplyDeleteThe idea of the noble savage is expressed more in the film than in the literature that we read. The biggest reason for this is that there are more individual accounts in the film. The literature mentions the generosity of the natives, but individual accounts and interactions are not prevalent. The film shows David, who might be the shining example of noble. He is more concerned about getting water for his entire town, even when it means giving up on the opportunity for more money than he has ever seen in his life. He represents the “savages” that Columbus encountered, caring more about the wellbeing of others than just themselves.
There are also scenes from the film within the film that show off the nobility of the natives. Some of these scenes, like the generosity, are seen in the literature. Other scenes that are shown in the film are the drowning of the babies and the calm death that the grandmother shows from the dogs. The noble nature of the natives is contrasted by the brutal nature of the Spaniards coming in. A line from the film states that fifty men could come in and take over the natives, making them do anything they want. The film, as well as the literature, shows the nature of the native people, which leads me to believe it was something that was clearly observable.