SHORT STORY SEMINARS: WEEK OF MARCH 14, 2011

Niklas Kroeger kicked off our Short Story Seminars with his selection, "Die drei dunklen Koenige" (1946) by Wolfgang Borchert, a story whose title translated into English as "The Three Dark Kings" became a topic of much class debate. Christine remarked that this was "one of the saddest stories" she had read in a long time. We learned about post-WWII Germany and the genre of "rubble" literature which emerged from the wreckage, discussing the child in the story as a symbol of the new life emerging from the sad darkness of the war. We learned about Borchert's horrific experiences during the war and his tragic death at the age of 26, recognizing how his experiences informed his writing. Niklas's questions were thought-provoking, leading us to analyze the rich symbolism in the story and even to compare and contrast the message of the story with that of O. Henry's "The Gift of the Magi." Also, having already studied literature about war in class ("War" by Luigi Pirandello, a short story set at the time of WWI; the poem"Dulce et Decorum Est," written during WWI by Wilfred Owen, a British soldier who died in combat; and "Village," a short story by Estela Portillo Trambley, set in the Vietnam War), we were able to empathize with the characters and voice our interpretations of the story with conviction. Thank you, Niklas, for sharing this poignant piece with us.

The next day, Christianne Lima conducted a dynamic seminar on "The Hen" (1964), by the brilliant and mysterious Brazilian writer Clarice Lispector, another story whose title's translation into English was suspect and thus a topic of discussion. Chris shared with us many details from her wealth of knowledge of the author's fascinating life. She designed our discussion questions with insight and led our discussion gracefully, calling on participants to share their interpretations of this allegorical tale in which the hen can be viewed as a symbol of women and the plight of the hen as a mirror of the oppression of women in a patriarchal society. Chris asked us to compare Sherwood Anderson's "The Egg" with Lispector's "The Hen," which led us to some interesting conclusions about the difference in the symbolism in the two tales. Thank you, Chris, for creating such a lively atmosphere for the free exchange of ideas in your seminar.

A Special Recipe

Cheese Bread
(a very special Brazilian recipe from Chris' Mamma)

1 cup Polvilho (tapioca)
1 cup mashed potato
1 cup milk
2 tablespoons butter
1 egg
1 cup cheese (half white cheese, half Parmesan)

Mix all together. Make small balls. Bake in the oven. Enjoy while still warm!

Meet New Classmates

Niklas Kroeger by Olga Golysheva I had a chance to interview one of my classmates whose name is Niklas Kroeger. Also, he is the only man in our group. Niklas is a very nice and interesting person, so I would like to share this interview with my classmates. Niklas is 21 years old. He was born in a German city and lived there for 20 years. At 20 years of age he moved to Munich to study. Niklas decided to be a lawyer and he is doing a law course in one of the oldest universities (LMU) of Germany. When I asked him, “Why did you come to Florida to University of Miami?” he answered, “I have been to Florida before for a few times to improve my English and I have met friends here. I have good memories about this place and decided to come again. I like my new class. Everybody is nice and I’m glad to be here.” Niklas told me some interesting things about himself. As a real German he loves German beer and thinks that it’s the best beer in whole world. Also, he recommended the best bar in Munich (Thanks Niklas, I hope we will come). In our conversation he also pointed out that he likes sports like fighting (kind of Sambo). It was funny when I asked him about his favourite food. He said that he likes seafood, but from this time which he spent in Florida, it is cheeseballs that Christianne cooked. I wish to Niklas all the best and hope we will see each other in Munich.))))Russian Traveler by Niklas Kroeger

I have spent three weeks at IMG but I met a bunch of very interesting and nice people, which is why I would like to introduce you to one of them. Olga Golysheva is a 24-year-old girl who came from Krasnoyarsk, Russia to Florida on July 2010. She didn’t come just because of playing tennis in the sunshine state every day. No. She is here to support her 15- year-old brother Dimitry who is going to be a famous tennis professional. Olga has traveled a lot so she is familiar with America, Russia and Europe. She has a special connection to Japan because she studied to become an English-Japanese interpreter. She isn’t sure what’s going to happen in the future. Olga would like to do arts. But first she has another challange to face. Her boyfriend bought her a little French bulldog. The puppy is 3 months old and has a lot of things to learn. But that’s not a problem for Olga. Good luck!!!

Svetlana By Christianne Lima Svetlana Valerfevna Fomina (Khomutova) is from Moscow, Russia. She received her degree in history, is married and has three children. The eldest boy is studying in New York, the middle girl plays tennis and the youngest girl loves to dance. Svetlana has a great sensibility and loves classical literature. She always gets at the heart of the message in our reading and writing class. Traveling around is another passion since she was a child with an Alpinist father and the whole family around the Caucasian landscapes. Now Svetlana is enjoying the nice weather of Florida and having this great opportunity, with her family, to live and learn more from a new culture and this new experience.

Christianne By Sveltlana Fomina Christianne Baerlein dos Santos Lima is from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Christianne loves Rio and can tell a lot of uncommon things about her city. This is a beautiful place where you can have the possibility of combining your work, your common life and your rest. Christianne likes to spend her free time on the beach; she likes the lagoon and forest. Chrristianne likes to meet her friends. She loves music and literature. She likes to read both classic and modern literature. One of her favorite writers is Clarice Lispector – a famous writer and a woman with a very interesting fate. Christianne knows a lot about contemporary literature from Brazil. Christianne considers reading literature as the way of perceiving, of gaining knowledge of ourselves and our life.

New Class Photo

Interpretive Essays: Different Perspectives

A Wanton or a Nun?
by Ivete dos Santos
About the Author:
Ivete dos Santos was born in Brazil and she is at the University of Miami to improve her English. (For a more detailed biography, see Fall 2010, Sept., Meet the Class.)

“Alberta having looked very long into life, had looked very far. She had put out her hands to touch things that had pleased her and her lips to kiss them. Her eyes were deep brown wells that have been drinking, drinking impressions and treasuring them in her soul. They were mysterious eyes and love still looked out of them.” Love always would be a constant in her life.

Looking into the mirror, Alberta after 20 years could see that the human being is very closely related with the environment where one lives, environment that shapes the character, the personality of an individual. In her life, she did not know who her natural mother was, and when Alberta was exposed to the world, she could be nurtured either by a wanton or by a nun. The same person has two sides, as a coin. It seems that God plays a game with us and, at random, throws the coin, and depending on the result, your fate is launched. Yes, looking through the mirror, Alberta was able to see the reverse of it. Had she been nurtured by another, what could have happened? Could she now be regretful about what she could have lost? She knew that she was born with the same eyes, the same soul that made her live by love, this mysterious feeling that pushed her to do things so affectionately. Therefore, she was sure that, even if she had lived the reverse of the coin, she would love with the same intensity, due to the fact that it is really her nature and nothing nor no one could change it.

Alberta indeed was made for love, but not for what the majority of the people at that time considered to be the “real love”, which meant getting married, having children and living only for the sake of the family, under the shadow of a husband. This concept of love does not exist for her. She has a free mind, and cannot stand the idea of not having her own desire, her independence. Alberta, either a wanton or a nun, built her life on her own perspective of freedom and had a big power over others. While the wanton used her physical strength - “but he had best have a care;…and she carries a knife” (pg. 60) - the nun used her spiritual energy - “And others having abounding faith, have been cured of bodily ailments by the touch of her beautiful hands” (pg. 61).

In front of the mirror, Alberta began to play with her life. She was seeing two Albertas, and, inexplicably, she started a strange but revealing conversation:

“ We are the same person, the same soul, but, because of an irony of destiny, we split in two.” Although we devote the same desire for love, we have chosen different ways to express it.” ‘Alberta’s body was too beautiful to be beaten – it was made for love’ (pg. 59). Nonetheless, ‘Even her pious guide and counsellor does not equal her in sanctity. Because Alberta is endowed with the powerful gift of a great love…’ (pg.60/61).

“It’s true. Different worlds shaped us. One of us learned with people who no longer stay with her.” ‘She had hardly the time to fix her affections upon the men and women who came into her life…’ (pg. 59) and another learned with a ‘very holy woman’ (pg. 60).

“You never realized how beautiful you were! You did not concern yourself about that. Why has someone taken such a gift for granted and never taken advantage of it,” said the Wanton. ‘ Alberta does not know that she is beautiful…but she is beautiful, with a glow of a holy passion …’ (pg. 61).

“I really didn’t care about body, I prefer to take care of my soul. It is eternal while the other is ephemeral. However, you only thought about your body and how to have profit with it,” said the Nun.) ‘Alberta is a most beautiful woman, and she takes great care of her body…’ (pg. 59).
The Wanton said, after seconds, “ Do you know, I think you reached the ecstasy, the real carnal ecstasy, although you don’t know how to denominate it.” In fact, I dare to call your visions…” ‘She could not describe in words the ecstasy…she had lived in Christ’ (pg. 61).

“Don’t say those blasphemies. It can be your biggest sin!” cried the shamed Nun.

Who knows the truth. Life is a trick! Who is the real Alberta? Perhaps, both can live in the same body and soul. And to develop one to the detriment of another depends on the environment and what you carry in your nature. There is a Cherokee legend that says we always have a big fight inside us, and this fight is between two wolves: one is evil and the other is good. Which wolf will win? The one we feed.

After 20 years, Alberta is now waiting for the consequence of her past. A wanton or a nun? If a wanton, she is looking at the mirror in a cellar while waiting for the guards to conduct her to the death, because after some deaths on her shoulders, she could not have hidden longer from the police. On the other side, if she is a nun, she is in her room, waiting to receive her title of Mother Superior!

Work Cited
Chopin, Kate. “Two Portraits.” 1895. Rpt. in The International Story: An Anthology with Guidelines for Reading and Writing about Fiction. Ruth Spack. New York: St. Martin’s, 1994. 58-61.

New Student: Niklas Kroeger

Knowing my family and my friends are standing behind me is one of the most important things to me. My life changed in the last year very much and I had to choose what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. My father is a lawyer so I decided to study law. It was not because he wanted me to do that.

I did it because he said that I could do what ever I wanted. I think that impressed me a lot even because I know how other families act in situations like that. After that I had to decide where I was going to study. I chose Munich because I had been there a couple of times and fell in love with the city. The problem was I had to move 400 miles away from home. But my mum and dad gave me the chance and all the help I needed to have a good start. So knowing my family will always help me in every situation even if their only son moves 400 miles away from them is one of the most important things in my life. My life would be a lot more complicated without these people. The fact is you have to live your life on your own but friends and family give you a hint to live it without losing the right track. I can not imagine how sad my life would be without the help and the trust of these people.