"Our life is shaped by our mind, for we become what we think." Dhammapada as translated by Eknath Easwaran.
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
"Ysrael" by Junot Diaz
Remember to read all the stories by a given author. Read them especially well if something in the first story you read strikes you as fresh, impressive, or pleasantly mysterious.
One of your jobs this semester is to form your own "literary family."
Well I found this story very interesting. Talking about the quest to find out what was under the mask. It was like ealrier in the story about Rafa and his conquest with the women of the earlier words of the story.
I also liked the dialogue between the two brothers through out the story how they talked about trying to get the mask and seeing whats under there.
I'm impressed by how well Diaz immerses his audience in his stories through vivid imagery. His prose evokes bright shades and hues through setting details, graphic dialogue exchanges, and flavorful heritage. Diaz uses plenty of metaphors– "the paper would expand out behind the plane like smoke", "whose baby was hacking like a miner", "the brucal trees that blazed like fires on the hogbacks". Diaz is also able to define his characters very well through the relationships hey have with each other. Reading through "Ysrael", we find out about Rafa through Yunior's description of him and their relationship as brothers. We see him as the domineering and mischievous big brother to Yunior, who is there to support him when he has to. Ysrael is also defined through his interactions with Yunior– first indirectly, in Yunior's memory of Ysrael's small-town legend, then directly, when he talks to Ysrael on the way back to the colmado. Diaz is able to give a masked, mangled boy a sympathetic personality, in only a page and a half.
I found this story very interesting. It's a very cool idea - "the quest to find out what was under the mask," as Carter602005 put it. Yunior seemed to relate to Ysrael very well. He seemed honestly interested in what Ysrael had to say. Ysrael has to where this mask to fit in and it's not his fault. Perhaps, Yunior has to wear a "mask" to fit in with his hoodlum brother Rafa.
It could also be said that maybe Rafa has been wearing a mask all this time to fit in with his hoodlum friends. "The night before we went to look for Ysrael, Rafa couldn't sleep. He kicked at the mosquito netting, and I could hear the mesh tearing just a little." Rafa maybe doesn't want to take the mask off because he has had his mask on for so long. I don't know if you followed me there, it was kind of a stretch.
This story has put me in a rather odd place, truth be told. I greatly enjoyed the narrative and always found the idea of masks and why we wear them evocative. However, I find myself disappointed because I had been working out a bit of a story involving someone who wears a mask to cover up their facial deformities. Despite this, I was still able to greatly enjoy the work. Like Andrew said before me, I was very impressed by how immersive Diaz's language was. His story was steeped in simile and imagery.
Diaz did away with much of the framing devices in his narration, choosing a manner reminiscent of Cormac McCarthy to deliver his dialogue directly to the reader. This helped greatly in immersing the audience within the story and putting them on the same plane as the characters. This along with the incredibly descriptive narration greatly aided in letting the reader explore the geography of the inside of Yunior's head.
There definitely seems to be a trend forming here with the unsympathetic characters in the last two stories. This being said, I didn't really like the character of Rafa, I found him to be an annoying braggart. He had a very juvenile personality and was just an unpleasant character all together. On top of this, the handling of seeing Ysrael's face was somewhat sickening. I found him to be the only sympathetic character, which is why I felt bad for him after Rafa knocked him out and pulled his mask off. Worse yet, Yunior was cowardly and just let Rafa attack Ysrael, just another reason why Ysrael was the only character that Diaz made me care for.
Characters aside, I agree with Andrew about the attention to detail. The descriptions really did paint a vivid picture, especially those dealing with the depictions of the enviroment, and Ysrael's face. Diaz's description of the scar tissue peaking out from under the mask, the voice full of the "spit" sound, and the constant drooling painted an unsettling and monstrous image.
One thing that I really liked about how this story was written was how Diaz went about using dialogue. With his way of not using correct punctuation, it feels as if it’s really put of the story. I mean, the dialogue doesn’t interrupt any of the action that is taking place. It just seems effortless that we are following what the two boys were saying. I really liked what it did on page 414 with “Okay, I said. I was just asking.” Line break. “Then stop. Rafa was looking up the road…”
During parts of the story, I felt like I was really connected to Yunior, but others, especially when he seems to be really trying to “impress” his brother, he just seemed lost. And I understand that he’s just a little boy. But from what I understand from reading the introduction, Yunior just keeps on being a doormat the rest of his life because he seems to always want to be liked and, frankly, never grows the balls to stand up to anybody. I’m not really sure if I would or even could call him a failure of a character but don’t your characters have to go through some growth? At the moment, I haven’t read the other two stories yet, but is anything really going to happen to him is he just keeps on taking everything that’s handed to him?
I may have no idea how to say Junot Diaz's name, but damn, he can write. I don't want to reiterate what people have already said, but as Andrew acknowledged, he truly crafted some wonderfully original metaphors throughout his tales. Aside from that, he managed to create a lasting motif through his usage of a mask.
As Rory and others have stated, this mask worn by Ysrael represents his failed assimilation into average society,whereas Rafa's actions of either lying or sexual prowess demonstrate that perhaps he too wears a mask (while not a physical one, a psychological one). Two scenes that truly caught my attention were of the creepy, muscular man touching Yunior on the bus, because of the sudden switch from a friendly man concerned with a pant stain to a pedophile jonesin' for a grope. The other scene was of course when Ysrael is discussing wrestling with Yunior and is understood to be smiling beneath his mask. And of course, to destroy a beautiful scene, Rafa decides to break a Coke bottle over poor Ysrael's head (as if the sad kid doesn't deal with enough already), is kicked in the side, and then looked over as if a specimen under a microscope. It truly did upset me and made me wish that Rafa would wake up the following morning to a plethora of STDs.
I thought this story was ok, it was a little boring and the Spanish words thrown in made me feel really stupid and fairly confused at some points. I was sort of annoyed by the characters as well, while the descriptions in certain parts were interesting. The whole concept of the story didn’t interest me as much as I thought it would too, unlike the last two writers I didn’t particularly this one as much. The treatment of Ysrael was disgusting though it portrayed the way children act very well, the unfeeling hate of those who don’t know better. Overall the story was a little depressing, a tad slow, and not one of my favorite reads so far. Sorry for not having anything more constructive to say.
I found "Ysreal" to be a rather unsettling and disturbing story. However, serious props go out to Diaz for his use of language. The addition of the Spanish, the swearing, the swearing in Spanish, all gave the narrator a distinctive and engaging voice. These are clearly boys who feel they have something to prove, and this could easily come from lack of parental figures in their lives.
Wisneiski mentioned that characters require some sort of growth, which is true, but can you not also obtain very distinct characterization through lack of growth? Someone who never gets the nerve to stand up for themselves would be a very sympathetic and pathetic charcter indeed, which, for the duration of a short story, is perfectly acceptable. In my eyes, none of these characters actually grow; we see them act as they are, which is just as believeable and legitamate as a character who experiances a major epiphany.
At the end of this story I found myself wondering what Diaz was getting at by making the doctors American. Assuming the metaphor that everyone else has seemed to notice - Ysreal's mask representing his failed assimilation into society - this choice has a deeper meaning. Ysreal seems to think that America can fix this. The country is known as a melting pot - one where people of every sort find somewhere and somebody who accepts them. And he seems to think that America is the only place that will fix his face - or make him feel normal. The story ends, however, with Rafa assuring the narrator that the Americans "aren't going to do shit to him" - perhaps a question of America's ability to fix this problem in society?
I thought the heavy use of Spanish words was a bold decision that did not necessarily pay dividends. While i think it is true that a good portion of the educated people who would be reading this story would have some kind of formal training in Spanish, I often found myself consulting my iPhone's translator in order to make up the differences. I have no training in Spanish, as I took German for 5 years. Words that are relatively simple, like 'Tio' (uncle) made me stop reading and turn my attention away from the story. I thought this ruined the pacing of the story.
I also thought that Diaz used Rafa and Ysrael as metaphors for the conflicting visions of the United States. Ysrael represented the great hope and possible success that the US could be in Latin America. His father was obviously doing well for himself, and Ysrael was full of the hope that he would one day look normal again. Rafa on the other hand is sure that the American doctors would not help Ysrael, and that he would be forever scarred.
Well I found this story very interesting. Talking about the quest to find out what was under the mask. It was like ealrier in the story about Rafa and his conquest with the women of the earlier words of the story.
ReplyDeleteI also liked the dialogue between the two brothers through out the story how they talked about trying to get the mask and seeing whats under there.
I'm impressed by how well Diaz immerses his audience in his stories through vivid imagery. His prose evokes bright shades and hues through setting details, graphic dialogue exchanges, and flavorful heritage. Diaz uses plenty of metaphors– "the paper would expand out behind the plane like smoke", "whose baby was hacking like a miner", "the brucal trees that blazed like fires on the hogbacks".
ReplyDeleteDiaz is also able to define his characters very well through the relationships hey have with each other. Reading through "Ysrael", we find out about Rafa through Yunior's description of him and their relationship as brothers. We see him as the domineering and mischievous big brother to Yunior, who is there to support him when he has to. Ysrael is also defined through his interactions with Yunior– first indirectly, in Yunior's memory of Ysrael's small-town legend, then directly, when he talks to Ysrael on the way back to the colmado. Diaz is able to give a masked, mangled boy a sympathetic personality, in only a page and a half.
I found this story very interesting. It's a very cool idea - "the quest to find out what was under the mask," as Carter602005 put it. Yunior seemed to relate to Ysrael very well. He seemed honestly interested in what Ysrael had to say. Ysrael has to where this mask to fit in and it's not his fault. Perhaps, Yunior has to wear a "mask" to fit in with his hoodlum brother Rafa.
ReplyDeleteIt could also be said that maybe Rafa has been wearing a mask all this time to fit in with his hoodlum friends. "The night before we went to look for Ysrael, Rafa couldn't sleep. He kicked at the mosquito netting, and I could hear the mesh tearing just a little." Rafa maybe doesn't want to take the mask off because he has had his mask on for so long. I don't know if you followed me there, it was kind of a stretch.
can you elaborate more on that subject im very interested in hearing more
DeleteThis story has put me in a rather odd place, truth be told. I greatly enjoyed the narrative and always found the idea of masks and why we wear them evocative. However, I find myself disappointed because I had been working out a bit of a story involving someone who wears a mask to cover up their facial deformities. Despite this, I was still able to greatly enjoy the work. Like Andrew said before me, I was very impressed by how immersive Diaz's language was. His story was steeped in simile and imagery.
ReplyDeleteDiaz did away with much of the framing devices in his narration, choosing a manner reminiscent of Cormac McCarthy to deliver his dialogue directly to the reader. This helped greatly in immersing the audience within the story and putting them on the same plane as the characters. This along with the incredibly descriptive narration greatly aided in letting the reader explore the geography of the inside of Yunior's head.
There definitely seems to be a trend forming here with the unsympathetic characters in the last two stories. This being said, I didn't really like the character of Rafa, I found him to be an annoying braggart. He had a very juvenile personality and was just an unpleasant character all together. On top of this, the handling of seeing Ysrael's face was somewhat sickening. I found him to be the only sympathetic character, which is why I felt bad for him after Rafa knocked him out and pulled his mask off. Worse yet, Yunior was cowardly and just let Rafa attack Ysrael, just another reason why Ysrael was the only character that Diaz made me care for.
ReplyDeleteCharacters aside, I agree with Andrew about the attention to detail. The descriptions really did paint a vivid picture, especially those dealing with the depictions of the enviroment, and Ysrael's face. Diaz's description of the scar tissue peaking out from under the mask, the voice full of the "spit" sound, and the constant drooling painted an unsettling and monstrous image.
One thing that I really liked about how this story was written was how Diaz went about using dialogue. With his way of not using correct punctuation, it feels as if it’s really put of the story. I mean, the dialogue doesn’t interrupt any of the action that is taking place. It just seems effortless that we are following what the two boys were saying. I really liked what it did on page 414 with “Okay, I said. I was just asking.” Line break. “Then stop. Rafa was looking up the road…”
ReplyDeleteDuring parts of the story, I felt like I was really connected to Yunior, but others, especially when he seems to be really trying to “impress” his brother, he just seemed lost. And I understand that he’s just a little boy. But from what I understand from reading the introduction, Yunior just keeps on being a doormat the rest of his life because he seems to always want to be liked and, frankly, never grows the balls to stand up to anybody. I’m not really sure if I would or even could call him a failure of a character but don’t your characters have to go through some growth? At the moment, I haven’t read the other two stories yet, but is anything really going to happen to him is he just keeps on taking everything that’s handed to him?
I may have no idea how to say Junot Diaz's name, but damn, he can write. I don't want to reiterate what people have already said, but as Andrew acknowledged, he truly crafted some wonderfully original metaphors throughout his tales. Aside from that, he managed to create a lasting motif through his usage of a mask.
ReplyDeleteAs Rory and others have stated, this mask worn by Ysrael represents his failed assimilation into average society,whereas Rafa's actions of either lying or sexual prowess demonstrate that perhaps he too wears a mask (while not a physical one, a psychological one). Two scenes that truly caught my attention were of the creepy, muscular man touching Yunior on the bus, because of the sudden switch from a friendly man concerned with a pant stain to a pedophile jonesin' for a grope.
The other scene was of course when Ysrael is discussing wrestling with Yunior and is understood to be smiling beneath his mask. And of course, to destroy a beautiful scene, Rafa decides to break a Coke bottle over poor Ysrael's head (as if the sad kid doesn't deal with enough already), is kicked in the side, and then looked over as if a specimen under a microscope. It truly did upset me and made me wish that Rafa would wake up the following morning to a plethora of STDs.
I thought this story was ok, it was a little boring and the Spanish words thrown in made me feel really stupid and fairly confused at some points. I was sort of annoyed by the characters as well, while the descriptions in certain parts were interesting. The whole concept of the story didn’t interest me as much as I thought it would too, unlike the last two writers I didn’t particularly this one as much. The treatment of Ysrael was disgusting though it portrayed the way children act very well, the unfeeling hate of those who don’t know better.
ReplyDeleteOverall the story was a little depressing, a tad slow, and not one of my favorite reads so far. Sorry for not having anything more constructive to say.
I found "Ysreal" to be a rather unsettling and disturbing story. However, serious props go out to Diaz for his use of language. The addition of the Spanish, the swearing, the swearing in Spanish, all gave the narrator a distinctive and engaging voice. These are clearly boys who feel they have something to prove, and this could easily come from lack of parental figures in their lives.
ReplyDeleteWisneiski mentioned that characters require some sort of growth, which is true, but can you not also obtain very distinct characterization through lack of growth? Someone who never gets the nerve to stand up for themselves would be a very sympathetic and pathetic charcter indeed, which, for the duration of a short story, is perfectly acceptable. In my eyes, none of these characters actually grow; we see them act as they are, which is just as believeable and legitamate as a character who experiances a major epiphany.
At the end of this story I found myself wondering what Diaz was getting at by making the doctors American. Assuming the metaphor that everyone else has seemed to notice - Ysreal's mask representing his failed assimilation into society - this choice has a deeper meaning.
ReplyDeleteYsreal seems to think that America can fix this. The country is known as a melting pot - one where people of every sort find somewhere and somebody who accepts them. And he seems to think that America is the only place that will fix his face - or make him feel normal.
The story ends, however, with Rafa assuring the narrator that the Americans "aren't going to do shit to him" - perhaps a question of America's ability to fix this problem in society?
I thought the heavy use of Spanish words was a bold decision that did not necessarily pay dividends. While i think it is true that a good portion of the educated people who would be reading this story would have some kind of formal training in Spanish, I often found myself consulting my iPhone's translator in order to make up the differences. I have no training in Spanish, as I took German for 5 years. Words that are relatively simple, like 'Tio' (uncle) made me stop reading and turn my attention away from the story. I thought this ruined the pacing of the story.
ReplyDeleteI also thought that Diaz used Rafa and Ysrael as metaphors for the conflicting visions of the United States. Ysrael represented the great hope and possible success that the US could be in Latin America. His father was obviously doing well for himself, and Ysrael was full of the hope that he would one day look normal again. Rafa on the other hand is sure that the American doctors would not help Ysrael, and that he would be forever scarred.