Aubree's Literature Blog

Aubree Monares Literature 23 September 2017 Blog Post #4- Choice 1 Reyna Grande’s memoir, The Distance Between Us , is an emotional, honest, and heartbreaking story about a young girl’s journey through a confusing and conflicting time in her life. Reyna and her two siblings, Carlos and Mago, are raised partly by their cruel and abusive grandmother after their parents leave them to move to El Otro Lado. Although their parents may have had good intentions, as young children, Reyna, Carlos, and Mago , are confused and conflicted when their parents leave them. I enjoyed reading this lyrical and captivating story because in the midst of the pain that Reyna and her siblings face, a story of hope, love, and strength emerges.     I often read this book sporadically. I kept it tucked in my backpack, and most frequently read it while on the bus, in the car, at the park, out for lunch, and often at home on my couch. When I began reading this story, I didn’t want to st...

Aubree Monares Literature 16 September 2017 Blog Post Number 3- Symbolism             My associations with the idea of a forest depends on the setting and time in which the forest is being described. When I think of a forest in the morning when the sun is beginning to shine through the tops of the trees and the clear, blue sky is peering out from above the leaves, a forest seems like a place of peace and tranquility. However, when I imagine a forest at dusk when it is foggy and damp and the sunlight begins to fade, I feel uneasy and gloomy. Forests can be considered an archetype in literature, and I think that readers generally associate forests with fear, ominousness, and dullness. Forests are commonly presented in literature as places where characters happen to get lost or trapped. However, forests are also portrayed as places where characters find their strength and self-awareness, as in the short story “The Thing in ...

Aubree Monares September 9, 2017 Literature Blog Post #2- Characterization The Distance Between Us is written in first person with the main character, Reyna, as the narrator. Because the story is being told from Reyna’s perspective, the reader gets to experience Reyna’s thoughts, hopes, dreams, disappointments, worries, and recollections, unlike the other characters in the book. The reader has knowledge of what Reyna is thinking and how she is feeling at all times, therefore, Reyna is definitely a major character. Also, because Reyna experiences and shares with the reader many different thoughts and emotions, she is a round character. Another major character in the book, is Reyna’s big sister, Mago. Although the reader does not have as much insight into Mago’s thoughts and emotions, she does have a major role as her siblings' “Little Mother” (Grande 13). Mago is a mother figure to Reyna and her brother, Carlos, when their mother leaves for El Otro Lado. Although Ma...