Monthly Archives: February 2024

The professor selected “The most handsome drowned man” by Gabriel Garcia Marquez to give an opening for the class semester, a piece that opens up the whole universe of literature in most magical way possible. The story gives a sense of reality and magic that involves a story, leading to the creation of the world created in our imagination that Gabriel Garcia Marquez illustrated for the readers. Gives an Epic adventures for us as students and readers to evoke interest for more literature pieces, turning into a journey of discovery. The story of Sebastian and the people of the village is more than a story creates an inspiration of philosophical thoughts, made by strong messages that comes out of the piece. The professor selected “The most handsome drowned man” as an invitation to dive deep into the richness of literature setting this opener to an intellectual exploration into the landscapes of literature.

I think you chose the short and interesting story “The Handsomest Drowned Man in the World” by Gabriel Garcia Marquez for your class because there were several intriguing literary devices throughout the novel, such as the use of magical realism, which combines fantasy and reality. Also, this story had a lot of topics that can create conversations on human nature, community, acceptance, and storytelling. Additionally the story was very unique and interesting. All things considered, the story was picked because it is engaging, rich in culture, and an appropriate spot to begin exploring into literature.

I think Professor Conway assigned “The Most Handsome Man” as the first story to introduce us to the writing style of magic realism. To add on how this magical story along with other folktales can establish new senses of identity within ourselves, while also expanding our imaginations. With this story being the first magical read since my childhood. This short story was a very captivating and intriguing read. From the start of the story, the descriptive words used about the villager’s home and the unorthodox arrival of their guest has provided the ability for me to create mental pictures. The way how the villager’s looked at their lives once their handsome guest arrived was truly interesting. This newfound guest that nobody knew the identity of was able to birth a new life, a new meaning to the people in the village. While the villagers gave an identity to this new man birthing “Esteban”. Describing him as this god like person, more handsome and stronger than their husbands. Professor Conway assigned us this story to show the magical realism of unexpected events and that it can change our lives too.

Hello. I really liked the story “The Most Handsome Drowned Man” and how you (the professor) broke it down and ask questions to really make sure we understand what’s going on. I also like how we had to think from the characters perspective when it came to how they felt throughout the story duration.. I think you might have assigned this as the first story to show how far imagination can take you. Imagination is a factor that develops the plot. In the story we can see the small village go from finding a random body to using that imagination to build a story for this man without knowing him. The story ends up causing everyone to have sympathy for this man (Esteban) and even leads to them feeling inspired. Without the imagination of this story for Esteban the town would’ve stayed the same and they would’ve never tried to improve the village in memorial of him.

The reason I think this was the first story of the course was because it shows us (the reader) about having compassion for others even if you don’t personally know the person, also to include others. The story shows how the people of the village find a body of a man washed up on the shore dead. These people took him in and saw that he was huge for a man he couldn’t fit on a chair on the bed, the women and men of the village were impressed by his sheer size. The people of the village started to have empathy for the large man saying it must be very inconvenient to be that large and so by the end of the story people started to make their homes and everything bigger just to include and honor the large man. This story was great as the first of the semester it makes be want to see what else we are going to read in the future

Hello professor! This was a great story and also A quite interesting one. I think what is important while answering your question is knowing that you really have to be able to comprehend the moral of the story after all is said. You have to put yourself , so to speak, in the shoes of the author and ask yourself, what is it that Gabriel Garcia Marquez is trying to tell me? What do I feel when reading this?What I have received from the overall message of the story was live your life with no restraints; to appreciate your life while you are blessed enough to have it. In other words value what is important. I feel like you assigned this as the first post because you want us to start and continue moving forward into this semester with an open mind to have that mentality of having a positive mindset of valuation of life .

I’m not quite sure why but I do know there are many different reasons. I think you assigned this as the first story because you want us to not only focus on the setting or purpose of the story but to expand into it, to put ourselves in the same situation and feel the same way the characters are feeling in that moment. You could also be preparing us to read other stories like this one as it expands the stories we are used to reading. There is also something about the story that is intriguing but I still don’t know what it is because I’m still figuring that out myself. It might be because Gabriel Garcia Marquez stories have so many things to examine with details. It could also be because it’s a good story to start with. All I know is that there is a good reason behind why this story was chosen.

Hi everyone, I liked Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s short story and enjoyed having Professor Conway’s soft voice reading it to us. To be honest, I am not sure why it was chosen as our first story. Maybe because it had a theme of identity, which is something that we can all relate to as it part of the human experience? Or maybe it was because it is a very well-known story from a very well known author that most of us would not have been exposed to and so, her goal was to broaden our horizons, as she will attempt to do throughout the semester. Maybe it’s her favorite story! The same way that for the villagers there was a before/after Esteban, I feel like I have a before/after the introduction of this author in my life. Not that the story had a profound impact in my life, but it did tickle my curiosity about Gabriel Garcia Marquez life story and his other works. I am now intrigued and may try to look for other stories that could be of interest for me.

I believe that you picked this as the first story, to make us expand our mind when it comes to stories of this kind. I also think that Gabriel Garcia Marquez is a perfect author to help us introduce ourselves into the magic world of writing and storytelling. I’m a latin student, of course I knew about Gabriel Garcia Marquez. His stories have left a big mark in our culture. It was my first time reading this one though! I truly loved how his wiring’s style is so magic, and even fascinating. I actually love the way he used words to catch the reader’s attention using his magic style to write. This story is the perfect example of how a hopeless palace can turn into an extraordinary one just because of one event. Esteban really changed the village’s environment. To me, the most ironic part of it is that Esteban wasn’t even alive, that makes me think that the people of the village only needed something unusual like the discovery of Esteban’s body to bring the village that hope and brightness that they needed. 

Hello everyone, Assigning the ” the handsomest drowned man” as the first story of the course severs the various purposes. Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s tale works as a masterful example of magical realism. This story introduces the power of symbolism to the students, as the arrival of the handsome drowned man profound the change and transformation of positive change within the ordinary existence of villagers. The story also shows the theme of beauty, acceptance, and the influence of extraordinary in the commonplace prompts readers to ponder how perceptions can mold reality, challenging ingrained biases and preconceived notions. The tale’s poignant allure is likely to capture students’ attention, encouraging them to delve into literature with greater depth. The story concise yet impactful nature makes it appropriate starting point for discussions on storytelling, Character development and the broader implications of nature. In summary, starting the course with this story set the stage for exploring the profound impact that literature have on human nature, social dynamics and the power of storytelling.

i believe Starting with this story could serve to introduce students to the complexities of narrative style and genre, particularly magical realism, which is characterized by the seamless integration of the extraordinary with the ordinary. This could help students expand their understanding of how stories can be told and how authors can convey deeper meanings and explore human experiences in a variety of ways .The story’s vivid images, symbolism, and exploration of community and identity offer a multi-layered approach to literary analysis. It invites readers to interpret its elements in different ways and stimulates critical thinking and debate about how literature reflects, constructs, and challenges social norms and personal beliefs. So by opening up the course with this story it can lay the foundation for students to approach literature with an openness to its potential for surprise and thought-provoking, thereby preparing them for a wide range of future texts. It could also indicate an emphasis on global literature

“The Handsomest Drowned Man In The World” by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, is a story that is different, a small town being affected by a washed up corpse that changes the perspective of life for every person that looks at him. Assigning this story first is a decision precisely on the fact that it can broke into different interpretations. It has a larger meaning to it and it can be different meanings to others. In this story, We are introduced to men and women in this small town with a daily routine. This routine was then interrupted by a corpse, who they all began to obsess over. They began to build a story for his life and how he could’ve ended up here. This story is not only different, but very descriptive, which sets a perfect example of setting and imagery that we will be exploring throughout this semester. These quotes are from the overview of the story, “…stories about how one interprets unexpected events in one’s life…” and “…demand that the reader approach interpretation–and the process of reading these stories–with an awareness of the problems of interpretation.” These quotes bring out that the reader is who is breaking down this story and giving it meaning for themselves. In this course, We will be writing essays on stories and using our knowledge on the stories to write. This is why “The Handsomest Drowned Man In The World” is preparing us to do the same for other stories.

I’m currently poring over some rudimentary annotation (mostly just underlining) that I did with a browser extension while we were reading “Overview of ‘The Handsomest Drowned Man'” in Wednesday’s class, and the sheer size of “POWER OF STORIES/IMAGINATIOI [sic]” scrawled in the margin of the final paragraph makes me laugh. It’s a potential that I strongly connect with as a former “professional escapist” through media. I just hesitated to use the term “escape artist” in a word-playing sort of fashion, but I was that too! Interpretation is an art form, 100% !! My screenshot of the notes I took is slightly cut off, but it looks as though when I wrote the above, it was beside a box I made around Raymond Williams’ quote re: ‘suspending disbelief when interfacing with literature because rationality is limited when it comes to the human experience’, which I obviously agree with. It’s about immersion, about self-inserting and empathizing even when it doesn’t make sense to Make It Make Sense — enjoying reading and writing about reading, that is! “Expect the magical, take advantage of the miraculous when it arrives at your doorstep”… “The Handsomest Drowned Man” and indulging the fullest extents of creative, if esoteric thought both embody that in spades. That’s why I think this short story was chosen for the course’s first — it’s a good Introduction to Literature- my god I can’t make that the last sentence without acknowledging how corny it is-! A partly-related to this current subject, personal experience that’s not part of the word count under read more, and hopefully it works! EDIT: it does not seem to work! mayhaps because “read mores” are opened by default when looking at “full posts”. I’ll make a Pastebin link next time, probably.

In “The Most Handsome Drowned Man”, the coming of Esteban’s body transformed the village from a gray and desolate place into a more vibrant and grander location. The villagers were unaware of any part of this drowned man’s life, but were able to show enough compassion towards him to celebrate his end of life, which made way for a new perspective. In comparing the outcome of this story to our class, the stories we are about to read and dissect will allow us the same chance to uncover fresh viewpoints. We could easily fall in love with these new characters in literature just as the villagers fell in love with Esteban through their empathy and compassion. We can also learn from their choices or circumstances in a way that can transform our own. Therefore, through exploring new ideas and human experiences, we ourselves can reframe our mindset to make way for other concepts we did not know previously.

Breaking beliefs is soul crushing, especially when it comes to people you love or thought you knew. In Langston Hues “Salvation”, this was Jesus and the holy spirit, whereas in my case, it is my mother. Growing up, I idolized her, thinking she can do no wrong and that she was the end all to be all. Even if it was a small part of the story, the boy In James Joyce’s “Araby” had to wonder what his caregiver would be like when they walked through the door due to a lack of sobriety. I relate to this strongly as my mother shares the same affliction as his uncle. In truth, I relate to the young boy in “Araby” in the same way that his perception of people and situations do not work out in his favor when he so badly hoped they would. I too would constantly put others on a pedestal and create perceptions of them when they never had my best interest in mind. When I finally defined what kind of emotional stress my mother was putting me through and decided to set real boundaries, I reacted similarly to Hues in “Salvation”. Surprisingly, it was more cathartic than I expected