Just amazing. That’s all I really have to say about the book Don Quixote de La Mancha by Miguel Cervantes. Although I have only read the first 8 chapters, it’s really got me hooked!Personally I have never been a fan of reading books assigned by my schools however this book just has a different vibe to it. It’s different, its intriguing … its entertaining.
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I have had fun reading this book. I’ve had fun because Don Quixote is a man with no limits. His adventure is not only a joy ride for him, but for me as well. I like the fact that his adventure is based solely on his imagination and passion towards his chivalry books. One of my favorite parts so far is in Chapter 8 when Don Quixote braced himself and went charging at the “giants” as if his everyone’s lives depended it… which, at least for him, it did. Right before he attacks, Sancho explains to him that, they’re not giants, just windmills. Don Quixote responds by saying, ” It seems to me, that you aren’t well versed in adventures – they are giants; and if you’re afraid, get away from here and start praying while I go into fierce and unequal battle with them.”(Cervantes, Miguel. Don Quixote de La Mancha. New York: Penguin Group. 2011. 64) I love the fact that Don Quixote really doesn’t care on bit what Sancho says. In fact, he tells him that Sancho is scared to fight with him! I am totally with Don Quixote and whatever he does. I like his adventures and I like how he continues to go on with what he loves no matter what other people say.
Our group discussion leader from last class was Sisi. I liked how she came up with questions that really made all of us think. Although I wasn’t very participative in the discussion I was very well thinking about it as the discussion went on. One of the questions she asked was,
“Maybe it as the version I was reading but a lot of times I was confused on the authors side note. like when Don Quixote first went out looking for adventure it says ‘writers there are who say that the first adventure he met with was that of Puerto Lapice; others say it was that of the windmills; but what I have ascertained to this point, and what I have found written in the annals of la Mancha, it is that he was on the road all day…’ So who is telling the story?”
In the end we all agreed that it was actually just Miguel Cervantes telling the story. Although it may have seemed as if there was someone else telling the story, it was just him.
Another very good question she asked was,
“Amadis de Gaul is a real book, about 2 lovers I have, why do you think Cervantes had those specific books thrown out a window and burned, do you think it was meant as a diss to those authors and their stories?”
We discussed how maybe he didn’t like those authors. We also said that maybe it was just a random book and it really had no meaning behind it at all. I didn’t do much research about it so I am still questioning whether it was or was not intentionally put in there with the other being thrown out and burned.
All in all, I’ve had fun reading the book so far. I’m intrigued as to where Don Quixote’s imagination could take him next. While I wasn’t very engaged in the group discussion I still like the questions Sisi asked. I could tell she put a lot of time into the questions because they made all of us think about them before we could answer.
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