Perdí el habla después de haber visto la presentación de Luis Rodríguez sobre “las cuatro conexiones claves”. Hablando no como un poeta laureado, sino como una persona indígena, comenzó su discurso apoyando el movimiento detrás del día de los pueblos indígenas, un día festivo que ahora celebran oficialmente 14 gobiernos estatales en los Estados Unidos.
Sabía que esta festividad celebra y honra a los pueblos nativos americanos y conmemora sus historias y culturas, pero no me di cuenta de lo importante que es difundir la sabiduría indígena para proteger nuestro futuro. Estaba al tanto del genocidio que tuvo lugar en los Estados Unidos, con las poblaciones nativas diezmadas, pero la atención se centra a menudo en las enfermedades relacionadas con el contacto con los europeos. Sin embargo, Rodríguez hizo evidente que los gobiernos locales de hecho pagaban recompensas por las cabezas y cráneos de los pueblos originarios. Eso me dejó absolutamente pasmado. Rodríguez señala con éxito que la sabiduría indígena nos enseña el equilibrio con la naturaleza, la alineación espiritual y la abundancia, donde nuestra sociedad en general nos obsequia con una forma de vida desequilibrada y al revés. Son una invención de la filosofía occidental las fronteras, dejando a Rodríguez para explicar que no presume de que los centroamericanos son inmigrantes. Tampoco acepta la idea de escasez que dicta las acciones, esperanzas y sueños de la humanidad moderna. Estoy completamente de acuerdo con su cosmovisión. Al explicar que todos tenemos raíces indígenas, el argumento en el punto final de Rodríguez fue liso y llano: “Somos uno, tenemos un destino, somos una comunidad, una familia, una humanidad”. No solo es importante darse cuenta de lo conectados que somos. De hecho, debemos negar las falsas paridades que presenta la sociedad moderna y, a veces, incluso la propia constitución, con un retorno a las ideas indígenas de conexión con uno mismo, entre sí, con la naturaleza e incluso con lo divino.
0 Comments
In two wildly different novels by W.G. Sebald and Junot Diaz, second-hand narration creates a unique connection to the reader through simulated oral storytelling and thereby sheds light on collective acts of human society as it pertains to the fate of central characters. A reading of Diaz’s The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao (2007) bears narrational fruit through its storyteller Yunior, who reflects upon his interactions with the young Oscar in a way that gives credit to oral tradition, while relegating intertextual historical elements to a vast network of footnotes. This body of facts is contextually incorporated to contrast the life of a young man with the curse or “fúku” of colonialism, which is presented as a backdrop to this intimate bildungsroman. The style of Yunior’s narration is uniquely intercultural where Caribbean Spanish, as well as intensely specific pop-cultural references from anglophone culture are scattered throughout the story to bring a sense of collective culture to the reader. This culminates when Yunior breaks the “fourth wall” by directly inviting the reader to collectively decide whether this story is true or mere fantasy. Similarly, the German novel Austerlitz (2001) meanders through a thicket of indirect speech to reveal that the reader alone can validate the story in its consumption. A grown adult, the character of Austerlitz realizes his life story through interactions with the unnamed narrator, taking the reader on a journey which reveals that the truth about the past and the Holocaust is collective and perhaps beyond all grasp.
I've got answers for you if you are trying to learn or practice French!
Contact me for private tutoring via zoom or in person. I specialize in beginner's French for kids or adults. I've worked with ten kid over the past year who are in a French immersion program here in Kansas City, so we work on French, but also subjects like Math, Science and Music. Most kids are focused on improving their reading and conversation skills. I offer private tutoring for adults, too and highly recommend lessons for parents and family of kids in French immersion school. It will improve your quality of life and will be an important asset to your kids as they continue their education. Currently I'm working as the Language Center Coordinator for Alliance Française of Kansas City. In fact, I'm offering a summer workshop for learning "French Through Music" at AFKC. There are tons of other opportunities to learn French or expand your abilities, both online and in person through this cultural center and association. Membership is only $40 per year and it allows you to take advantage of a ton of resources. These include small classes with expert teachers, private tutoring, and many events for intermediate, advanced or native speakers. Currently AFKC offers conversation opportunities like the Walk & Talk, Café Virtuel and the Monday Conversation Meet-Ups. For more advanced speakers and natives, the book club and cinema club are terrific opportunities to meet others who literally speak your language. AFKC is also becoming a testing center for DELF (French proficiency certification) in the European Common Framework of Reference for Languages. The people at AFKC are wonderful and encouraging besides! For those of you who prefer studying on your own or who are looking for supplementary materials, check out French with Alexa or Français avec Pierre (youtube), Michelle Thomas Method (audio) or Schaumm's Outline of French Grammar (fundamentals & workbook). |
Aaron BurnsI'm an entrepreneurial linguist and musician, a European in a former life, and an indefatigable conversationalist (like June). I'm available for hire as coach, teacher, writer, editor, analyst, consultant, marketeer, content specialist, translator, interpreter, MC, facilitator or performer. This blog is a portfolio of my interest and abilities in various languages of which I have extensive knowledge. I am also a student of several other languages that I am less intimately familiar with and they all bring me great joy. I currently hold degrees in Language and Literature as well as in Vocal Music Performance, both fields in which poetics and interpretation are no strangers. Archives
December 2023
Categories
All
|