Pedro - Choice 3
Are the sections for reading TOO SHORT? Why or why not?
posted by Mrzhire at
1:47 PM
Thursday, January 10, 2008
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27 Comments:
I think they are a good length. If they were any longer, I would lose complete track of the plot as well as who is narrating. And if the sections were any shorter, I would have a really hard time connecting the different sections of plot. Everything would just be cut up even more than it is.
I agree with Sara, the sections are a pretty good length. The short ones don't have enough content to make sense before switching to the next section. The long ones are great, but you get so into that section that I tend to forget about the other stuff going on. Personally I think the sections that are about a full page or so in length are perfect!!
Just to contradict with the previous two opinions (as well as a bit of disagreement), despite the fact that I really like the direction this work is going, I don't particularly like the short sections. I understand that it's like a jigsaw puzzle and you're supposed to "re-fit" all of the sections together...but sometimes the thoughts conveyed seem frustratingly cursory (eg: page 20-top of page 21). It's like those commercials with the sublimonal messages; a forced idea.
They are totally the perfect length. They are long enough that it actually seems like you are reading it but short enough that they are manageable for me. Well I just got confused about what you are actually asking. Are you asking if the sections in the book are two short or are you asking if the assigned reading sections are two short?
This is a great book to chew bit by bit. it would be a shame to just let it blow by us. i know we are all senior IB students but this book isn't exactly a walk in the park if you are looking for some real depth. if time is on our side i would say that we gain a lot by keeping the section length as it is.
Nick Smiley-Kallas
To be honest, i have trouble figuring out who is talking regardless of length so i guess i will cast my vote with the majority.
I don't believe that the sections are too long at all (the sections that we're reading anyways). Because the plot doesn't come in the order that we're used to a lot of people are reading just for plot. However the shorter reading sections allow us to focus on more than just the plot. If we had to read more, then too many of us would be focusing solely on plot.
If you're talking about in the book, then no I don't think their too long either. I'm sure that we're only getting the pieces of a person's entire story, however if we were to just read their entire story a large piece of them would be lost. The smaller sections force us to have to really look in depth at the character in order to understand them.
I like that the sections of people's opinions are short because it makes the novel seem like a sort of interrupted thought process and adds to the total effect. As to the reading assignments, I think that they are at a good length so that when we come to class we can analyze those sections in detail. I think that this will help us keep track of elements within the novel easier.
I think they're good length because it's easier to understand it in short sections. the narration keeps switching so a longer section would be way more confusing.
I'm sure we could take more, but for sake of putting off the damned essay, the present sections are fine. Keep em short!
People are gettin sorta surley...eh? I just feel like I wanna keep reading!!!! And I'm sorry I keep "giving things away" as some of you are accusing me of. But I don't really think it's as much as you think!
I think they're perfect! Especially because I get REALLY confused on some of the weird parts, so it's good to not have a very long section so you can go back and re-read it a few times. sa-weet!
I like the length of the reading assignments. Mainly because I often forget to read and it takes all of 15 minutes. But other than that, it makes writing the notes easier, and definetly makes it easier to keep track of what is going on and who is narrating each section. And if I ever get confused it is not a hassle to go back and re read it again. They are awesome!
Not in any way shape or form. I think the length is just right. In my opinion, if you get a section with a lot of narration changes, you're gonna forget some of the smaller ones that may nevertheless be very significant. These readings allow for a decent amount of plot, as well as a decent amount of cognition after reading.
I think that the reading sections are the perfect size.I still have nightmares about the house of spirits reading sections and this allows me to appreciate the book more. This is because I can worry less about reading a lot of pages and spend more time actually apreciating the book, which I am actually enjoying.
I think the readings are a good length. Its easier to read once through and then once more to pull out all the information we need. If they were to be longer it would be less desirable to read because it is SO much to process at once. Taking it slow is much better. And its easier to say, OK I understand these ten pages really well; rather than, I just read 50 pages and am completely lost. Taking it in small bits, I think, helps with comprehension.
I agree with the sentiments of the majority, the speaker is hard to figure out whether you read it for an hour straight (looking back all the time trying to firgure out who the characters are) or if you just read one section and then leave the book to gather dust for a couple of days. Though, I looked at the reading we have for thursday and it's 30-something pages, which is longer than the 10-is page sections we've had so far (that was a brilliant observation, 30 is bigger than 10), I'm guessing that's because the other class had the weekend to do it. I expect there to be complaints on Tuesday :)
I don't think the sections are too short. I think at times they might seem that way if you're just reading the novel without really trying to figure out what is going on, but if you actually take the time to decipher whose perspective it's from and how it fits in with whatever else you've read so far, then the sections are the perfect length. They're long enough to make sense and give new information, but short enough to keep the overall plot in pieces that require great attention to detail to be put togeter, something that for me is more interesting than a more linear narration.
I don't think that the sections are too short. They make it easier to follow what's going on. With all the different characters and their own stories, the short sections make it easier to piece everything together. The short sections make the novel more interesting and keep you guessing.
At first I thought the sections were a good length because they allow you to get all of what is being said, and you can read it more than once through without killing yourself. At the same time, the sections seem to be too short, so I always end up reading more than I'm supposed to, just to be able to see if the next sections answer some questions. I think they are only slightly too short, but short is good for comprehension, and it makes it easier to dig deeper through the text.
That comment above says Sarah, but that is my sister's name....it is actually from me...I don't know what happened...
I think the sections are of good length because they allow you to look into the context of the sections, especially because the smaller sections have connections of characters such that Juan will be the narrator for a couple sections at a time then pedro and to consolidate that into small sections it is easier to understand context. Also, smaller reading sections reminds me more of the short sections that are in the text of narration and puts me closer to the text.
I think the sections for reading are just fine; there's usually a lot to be inferred even in the shortest of Rulfo's sections. I think the shorter reading sections allow for me at least to be able to really look at the details and narration/perspective in each section. The readings are also broken up pretty well in that each set of 10-20 pages we read usually seems to pertain to one backstory in particular, which also makes it easier to follow.
I think that the reading lengths were about right even though they were short. The content of Pedro Paramo is just so unconventional that having the ability to read less and actually try to interpret it was better for me. The size of the reading actually allowed me to reread multiple sections because I didn't realize something happened or I didn't understand who was talking. The style that Rulfo has caused me to not catch some of the huge "plot" points that happened and I liked being able to take it at my own pase.
Personally, I liked the length of the reading sections in Pedro Paramo. Although, admittedly, my procrastinating tendencies pretty much nullified the effect the prescribed reading blocks had upon my Pedro Paramo Experience, I feel that having sections that are 15-20 pages with a work like this is beneficial because it allows us to process the material (and with a work like Pedro, with constantly switching narrators and perspectives and time periods, processing the material is sometimes easier than said than done). Were the sections any shorter, and we'd be moving at a snails pace, and that's hardly beneficial for the class, either.
Well, upon reevaluating the answers people gave to the question, I guess the question is really asking about Rulfo's reading sections, as opposed to Mrs. Hire's reading sections. That being said, I think that the short reading sections have both their benefits and their disadvantages. Short reading sections better allow us to "break down" the work into smaller chunks, but at the same time, they A). made the logs a total pain in the, well, you know, and B). sometimes the sections switched perspectives so rapidly I was too busy rolling my eyes to continue reading. One thing that I love with literary works is getting engaged in the characters, and when you only have about 250 words from Pedro's perspective before switching to someone else's, it, in my opinion, makes it more difficult to truly understand and become engaged with the characters in the work.
I think Rulfo's choice to keep short sections keeps the reading very much alive, energetic, and happening despite all the deadness in the novel 'l plot itself. I didn't like Catcher in they Rye very much for this reason, because the author kept dragging a scene out and before I knew it, I have no idea what I read in the last 5 pages. The short sections in Pedro Paramo keep help me keep concentrated and not to mention it keeps me thinking on how and where everything fits in.
I also like Faulkner's As I Lay Dying due largely to this reason as well. Faulkner manages to create rich prose full of literary technique while still keeping to the point of the story. This seems very difficult to do. If I am asked to do a creative writing piece full of diction, metaphor, allusion, simile, etc, etc. I would imagine it would be dragging and long compared to one where I am asked just to keep it short and to the point. Faulkner manages to do both simultaneously...skillz.
-Gautham
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