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Essay should follow these guidelines:
?Be 4 ? 6 pages in length (essays that do not meet the minimum page requirement will earn no more than minimum credit).
?Contain a clear, focused thesis that you support throughout the essay.
?Conform to MLA formatting standards, including double space, 12 point, Times New Roman font.
?Contain an introduction that sets up your position and eases the reader into the topic, as well as a conclusion that wraps up your argument and leaves the reader satisfied. Your introduction should be able to stand alone without the reader?s previous knowledge of the prompt, and should include the author?s full name and the title of the novel.
?Include at least three quotes from the novel supporting your position; these quotes should be cited following MLA guidelines for in-text citations as covered in class.
?Include a ?Works Cited? page for your sources.
Here are a few questions you may want to explore for your essay:
Discuss the ways in which Anaya uses paired ideas or dualities to develop the themes in Bless Me, Ultima.
Is Bless Me, Ultima an anti-religious novel? What do you think the author is trying to say about religion? (This book has been challenged and banned in some places, so keep this in mind).
Contrast Anaya?s depiction of the Catholic belief system with his portrayal of pagan beliefs (as represented by Ultima and the Golden Carp). Does one supersede the other? How does Antonio handle his knowledge of the two?
Explore the role of women in Bless Me, Ultima. How do the women in Antonio?s life influence him? What power do they have or not have? Think about mythological women as well as ?real? women.
Rudolfo Anaya, in an interview with Feroza Jussawalla, defined the ?New World person? as one who ?takes his perspective from indigenous history and spiritual thought and mythology and relationships. The New World person is a person of synthesis, a person who is able to draw, in our case, on our Spanish roots and our native indigenous roots and become a new person, become that Mestizo with a unique perspective.? Explain how Antonio fits into Anaya?s definition of the New World person.
Explain the role of nature in the novel. How does the landscape of the Southwest, the plants, the farm of the Lunas, etc., impact Antonio and the novel?
What is the role of dreams in the novel? How do Antonio?s dreams help or hinder his understanding of the world around him? Explain how Antonio?s dreams affect him and explore how the dreams connect to what is going on in Antonio?s waking life.
Critic Daniel Testa wrote that ?Anaya adds to the texture of his narrative by tapping other sources of folklore, legends, mythologies, and cosmologies.? Explore these stories; how do these other sources add to the story of Bless Me, Ultima? How do they influence Antonio?s growth and understanding?
Explore the role of witchcraft in the novel. What superstitions and stories about witches does the author reference? How do these impact the novel and our perception of the characters, especially Ultima?
Is Ultima good? How can you tell? Why does the author build in ambiguity about her character through the witch trial and dolls?
Explore the groups of threes in the novel. What is important or significant about the number three? Explain how these groups of three relate to Antonio and how they mingle with the other sets of threes. Why does this seem to be important?
How do Antonio?s ideas about God compare to his perceptions of the Virgin of Guadalupe and the Golden Carp? How does he reconcile his beliefs in each of these deities?
In several instances, Antonio plays the part of a priest in the novel. Describe these instances and explain how they change or affect Antonio.
Antonio witnesses much death. Describe these deaths and explain how these deaths affect Antonio. How do they change him and his worldview?
Does Antonio reconcile the conflicting aspects of his life by the end of the novel? (Luna vs. Marez, Catholicism vs. Ultima?s magic; God vs. the Golden Carp; good vs. evil). If so, how does he do so? If not, what questions is the reader left with?
What life choice will Antonio make as he grows up? Do you think he will become a priest and a farmer like his mother wants? A vaquero like his father wants? Something else? What clues does Anaya give for this?
What is the role of Antonio?s brothers in the novel? How does his relationship with his brothers affect him? What part do they play in Antonio?s growth?
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