The main purpose of this class is to help you learn how to think critically and analytically. Most of us do not like to think and we look for the easy way out. Remember, no one gets paid to copy someone or something. This class will challenge your thinking and creativity. Your creativity will be pushed outside its habitual thinking box and into the world of inspiration, potential and originality!
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Octavio Paz
Post an analysis of the Blue Bouquet by Octavio Paz by 10 pm. Remember to post a response/critique to your fellow classmates!
The character in Octavio Paz’s Blue Bouquet is an example of someone conditioned to see things a certain way. He “inhales the country air…and hears the breathing of the night.” His romanticism of the country and towards life in general, becomes apparent in these lines: "I breathed the air of tamarinds. The night hummed, full of leaves and insects. Crickets bivouacked in the tall grass. I raised my head: up there the stars too had set up camp. I thought that the universe was a vast system of signs, a conversation between giant beings." He is one of those who believe that one’s life has a purpose and that there is a reason for everything. The lines “I walked a long time, slowly. I felt free, secure between the lips that were at that moment speaking me with such happiness,” show that he is reflective and at that moment seems to be at peace. When he said that “the night was a garden of eyes” probably referring to the stars, this revealed not only a foreshadowing event, but also that the character was poetic. His poetry, however, is confronted with the harsh reality of a man wanting to take the former’s eyes out. The man said that his girlfriend had a penchant for a bouquet of blue eyes. Blue eyes are usually a signifier for “American.” The fact that the man wanted to take out blue eyes from people does not only show a simple act of obsessive violence but obsessive violence towards the “American.” The man said, “Don’t be afraid, mister. I won’t kill you. I’m only going to take your eyes.” The desire to remove people’s blue eyes may symbolize the desire to stop them from seeing things the “American” way. But while there seems to be anti-American present in the text, the line “my girlfriend has this whim. She wants a bouquet of blue eyes. And around here they’re hard to find” can also be construed as an obsession to see things through American eyes, because that is something “hard to find” around here. This could mean that while the dominant way of perceiving the world is through “blue eyes”, the situation in the country was different. The owner of the boardinghouse was described as a “one-eyed taciturn fellow.” As for the man who wanted to take people’s blue eyes out, there was no mention of his eyes, except that half his face (including his eyes perhaps) was covered by a sombrero. The symbol of the eyes is very appropriate to refer to how the world is perceived. The bouquet of blue eyes is foreshadowed by the night being described as a garden of eyes. Night is the binary opposite of day, and day is usually associated with light. Light is the root word of “enlightenment” and to be enlightened means to understand things better and come out of the “dark” or come out of one’s confusion. But when the night is described as a garden of eyes – a variety or assortment of ways of seeing, instead of a “blue bouquet,” it seems to undermine the privileged term “light,” and position “night” in the positive, over “day” or “light.” The insecurity, instability or relativity the night offered is preferred to the certainty and “objectivity” of daylight
Your analysis is long, but once I read it it's kind of what I interpreted the poem like too in a way. I agree it pretty much is about people's views because it's written all over or at least its what I see & seems like you do too in a way. Nice analysis you go into great detail, but overall nice.
Doesnt anyone notice the fact that the hotel owner was missing an eye and the guy that threatened to take his eyes had a sombrero over one of his eyes + the owner was telling him he shouldnt go outside
Doesnt anyone notice the fact that the hotel owner was missing an eye and the guy that threatened to take his eyes had a sombrero over one of his eyes + the owner was telling him he shouldnt go outside
As I was reading the story I noticed that many strange things occurred. At the beginning he took the walk and everything was calm. Suddenly, he was faced with danger and almost died. By this Octavio Paz wanted to let us know that even the most secure and free place can transform into a life threatening situation. Also, when he was confronted with the man that wanted his eyes, the protagonist acted very cool and didn’t even yell. He allowed the man to take a good look at his eyes. I thought this was very strange because I wouldn’t have let him take a good look at me. Another thing I noticed was that love can make people do crazy things. The man was doing this all because he wanted to please his lover even though he caused others harm. The last thing that I thought was neat was the many times he mentions the eye, which foreshadows what will happen later on in the story. For example, Octavio Paz writes “a one-eyed taciturn” and “The night was a garden of eyes.” I understood that we are exposed to many things that can abruptly change the way we view our surroundings.
Maybe he acted calm becuase he knew his eyes were brown, but still I think his reaction was strange. If I was to be in his situation I would have panicked and thought" Maybe this is just a trick to make me kneel down then he'll stab me when i can't even block the machete. What about you, what do you think??
The Blue Bouquet by Octavio Paz was an interesting story. He does a really good job of using imagery. I could easy imagine everything that he wrote and see what was going on in the story. However, this story does seem strange. I don't really understand what he was trying to say about the universe. It confused me. However, the part about the man wanting to see his eyes was odd. Paz doesn't say anything about the small mans eyes. He only says that the man's sombrero covered half his face. Paz also tries to prevent the man from seeing his eyes and yet he says his eyes eyes are brown. Shouldn't he just let the man see his eyes so he can be left alone? And why does he leave town? Unless he does blue eyes and doesn't want to get caught. The story makes you wonder about certain things.
The Blue Bouquet, was a pretty Legit story and i understood it very well in english this time. It had a lot of irony and imagery that made it a very interesting story. At the beginnig he was being cautious for every little thing but then when some one actually warns him about the dangers of the town, he ignores him and goes towards danger." I jumped from my hammock and crossed the room barefoot, careful not to step on some scorpion leaving his hideout for bit of fresh air." and also the line " I rubbed my chest and legs with a soaked cloth, dried myself a little, making sure that no bugs were hidden in the folds of my clothes ,gotdressed. He was being very cautious but when they actually warned him not to leave because its dangerous he just ignored. i also found it pretty ironic that the owner of the boardinghouse "a one-eyed tarciturn fellow" has only one eye and warns him, and after paz leaves he gets stopped by a guy that wants blue eyes.I wondered if the owner warned him because he knew , this story just makes me wonder.
I had to keep reading this story over and over again for me to get an idea of what I think I understand. I thought of it as how a care-free, cautious person lived in a world where there are life threatening situations. As if there are people out there in the world wanting to kill you or do something horrible. It seemed as if as the character went out into the world, he experiences being in a horrifying position. I reread the title and saw what is the connection of "The Blue Bouquet" to the situation in the story. It just doesn't make sense to me still of why Paz uses that specific color. Would it be related to how the eyes of a blue color are calm and carefree? I still don't understand. I do see it as how everyone experiences something shocking and terrifying because we all don't live in a world that is perfect, but a world that is dangerous and cruel.
How would you explain the strangers actions and the way he was dressed, and how would the title connect to the title as well? Overall good thinking!+ I had to reread it more than once just to get a glimpse of what it meant! TeeHee!
"The Blue Bouquet" was pretty interesting. Octavio writes which so much imagery that I analyzed this poem based on 'point of views', as the theme. I noticed every character's eyes or point of view were described. At first, it starts with how Octavio Paz sees the night and how he wants to take a walk out. He also describes the owner of the boardinghouse as "a one-eyed taciturn" & "eye half closed" smoking on a wicker stool. I interpreted this as him not seeing the real beauty of the night. Also as someone who doesn't go out to enjoy nature because "everything's closed. And no streetlights around here." As Octavio Paz goes on his way he once again writes w/ imagery about his night. Suddenly on his way he, describes about his incident where he almost was killed. The stranger wanted his eyes, whom he thought were blue. In the stranger's perspective he saw blue eyes and was convinced until he saw them in the light. I interpreted this as the stranger's paradigm, which was changed when he 'looked in the light'. Also the reason the stranger needed blue eyes was for his girlfriend, who wanted blue eyes which were hard to find. Usually people find things using their vision, so I interpreted her as someone who makes or lets others see things(find) for her. After his incident, he saw the town as a dangerous place because in his poem he wasn't detailed any longer...
I like the way of how you used "others see things(find) for her." They didn't mention about the strangers eyes since it was covered by the sombrero, what would you think the strangers eye color was?
This was a really deep and interesting analysis. Definitely different than what I would have thought. After reading your analysis and looking back at the story, its definitely a good interpretation.
There's a quote that stood out to me which was, "I thought that the universe was a vast system of signs..." This made me believe that from the start where he woke up sweating was a sign of something bad was going to happen. Then, when he doesn't listen to the man who tells him he should not go out there. In a way, you can foreshadow that something bad will happen. Octavio Paz teaches us that we should listen to the people who warn us because they may know more than you do. If not, we will, learn the consequences when it's too late. He, also, teaches us to not ignore signs.
This is pretty good and I understand how you would interpret it that way, but what do you think the significance of the rest of the story is, with the odd situation of a blue-eyes-robber, not just an average money-robber?
Good question! Well, by the blue-eyes-robbery attempt, it was a lesson for him to learn that he should have listened in the first place. The eyes kind of resemble that anyone could be watching and there's always a witness to what you do. When i think of blue eyes, i think of calmness and beauty, and i interpret it as, you should see situations calmly and be calm in situations because you may make situations worse if it's no taken calmly and it won't be pretty. I might have over analyzed it though. Sorry if this is late.
The Blue Bouquet was an interesting story. A lot of imagery is shown in story such as the man's thoughts about the universe and stars. I also thought how it was strange how the man is threatened by a stranger demanding blue eyes. I don't understand why the stranger would specifically want blue eyes or what the blue eyes symbolize in the story. I do see how the man carelessly went out at night regardless of the warning from the "one-eyed taciturn fellow". He felt free and happy, and he suddenly gets himself into a dangerous situation. It shows just how unexpected and dangerous life can be. Overall, there are things that I don't clearly understand in the story such as what the blue eyes portray in the story.
You got a point there about the blue eyes. I hadn't payed attention to that but now you got me thinking. Maybe it symbolizes nature because I searched up what the color blue stands for, It stands for peace and spirituality.
"The Blue Bouquet" is a pretty profound type of writing that I would likely be interested in. Octavio Paz wants the reader to see that lifeless things becoming alive. When he states, "inhales the country air...and hears the breathing night." He tries to grab the attention of the reader knowing that during the night you don't hear breathing. He could of had a perspective that he is in love with life being so free and well-being. The strangers feelings were unordinary because he asked for blue eyes when the man only had brown eyes. The man felt like he would do anything to keep his life in order to stay here in the lustful world. After the whole situation about the "Blue eyes" the man just suddenly leaves town. Paz probably meant that where he lives at the moment wasn't the place to be at since he was asked for something he didn't have, but from within is what they really wanted.
As I re-read the story several times, I noticed that it was foreshadowing into his incident with the mysterious man. From the beginning, the man with just one eye had warned him not to go out because there are no street lights. He warned him due to the fact that he was a victim of the man that was going to steal his eye. Then as the protagonist is out in the dark he states, "My actions, the cricket's saw, the stars blink" these descriptions are all about sight. Relating to vision and the future incident. "The night was a garden of eyes" Another description that leads to his incident. Until the man that was about to steal his eyes reached him. And his incident occurred.
I notice in the Blue Bouquet it foreshadow something was going to happen to the boy when the man warned him before going out.The man who tried stabbing the boy had his face half covered which got me thinking it was the same man who warned him before going out. The man probably didn't have an eye that's why he kept his eye shut. It seemed that the man felt jealousy how the boy was able to enjoy and observe the beautiful nature very well. Also it tries to explain how one simple difference can change a person's point of view.
The part that caught my attention was that it was hot yet it was pitch black or something like that. Also, the man warned him about what was going to happen if he left. What I thought of the story was that the guy that he ran into had no eyes and he wanted to get the man's eyes so he could see. All the time he was hiding himself under the sombrero. The man had blue eyes but since the other guy was blind he couldn't tell if so or not. He eventually just decides to leave him alone because he thought he didn't have blue eyes.
I dont think there even was a girl. I think he was just making it up so he could get eyes of his own and he demanded blue eyes because he had those before.
The title definitely foreshadowed the story. However, I never expected it to be eyes. I thought that the man with the machete was Mexican because of the decription given about him. By his girlfriend wanting him to give her blue eyes, I thought that she wanted a "white" man's eyes because they usually are thought of as superior and they have more privileges than mexicans. All the Mexican man wanted to dpvwas please his girlfriend. However, the description at the beginning of the story about where the boy lived reminded me of Mexico so they might be in Mexico and the girlfriend wants the privilages of a white man,
I thought that The blue Bouquet, was a really interesting story. I liked how their was a lot of imagery, in this story, but what I find weired ,was that this man wanted to take out the eye of another person. After realizing that he didn't have blue eyes,he decides to let go of him, but when I read this, I wondered why he only wanted blue eyes ? Especially for his girlfriend. This story made me wonder about many things, and filled me up with questions as I continued reading. For example, why did the protaganist want to leave at the end ? Did he not live there before? Was he just visiting that town, and then was scared away ?
The blue bouquet describes most of the things in the story with very descriptive words witch really give you a very clear image of the events going on on the story. For example, " sitting on a wicker stool, he smoked, his eye half closed." I also noticed that Octavio Paz used eyes to to describe a lot of this in the story. For example, in the beginning of the story he bumbs into the owner and describes him and in the description he says he had a half closed eye. He also described the stars and said they blinked. Paz also describes the night and says " the night was a garden of eyes." The climax had to do with a man wanting another mans eyes. This whole theme of eyes may have something to do with open your eyes and really consider the way you look at things. The match that the man uses to lighten up his eyes may also symbolize the meaning to open up your eyes.
Woah. "The Blue Bouqet" by Octavio Paz is pretty deep. It's very... abstract; open to interpretation through symbolic imagery. The whole story is symbolic itself.
Although many "Mexicans" with European descent can have blue or green eyes, the "Blue Eyes" in the story symbolize high status and wealth. It may also symbolize Americans and American culture. Note that when the man is being robbed for blue eyes, he says he doesn't have them, but only has a little bit of money. The robber also mentions that blue eyes are hard to find and are valuable. The character came from an old, hot, bug infested boardinghouse run by an old guy, symbolizing a modest and humble home. When he awakens, he looks out the window and observes the "breathing of the night, feminine, enormous," having an admiring tone. But later as he is taking a walk the blinding whiteness of the moon disturbs the calm of the night, foreshadowing the attacker wanting blue eyes, a symbol of being white. The fact that the robber himself wore a sombrero and held a country machete hints that all people from all walks of life want high status and wealth, maybe even by the standard called the "American Dream."
The character in Octavio Paz’s Blue Bouquet is an example of someone conditioned to see things a certain way. He “inhales the country air…and hears the breathing of the night.” His romanticism of the country and towards life in general, becomes apparent in these lines:
ReplyDelete"I breathed the air of tamarinds. The night hummed, full of leaves and insects. Crickets bivouacked in the tall grass. I raised my head: up there the stars too had set up camp. I thought that the universe was a vast system of signs, a conversation between giant beings."
He is one of those who believe that one’s life has a purpose and that there is a reason for everything. The lines “I walked a long time, slowly. I felt free, secure between the lips that were at that moment speaking me with such happiness,” show that he is reflective and at that moment seems to be at peace. When he said that “the night was a garden of eyes” probably referring to the stars, this revealed not only a foreshadowing event, but also that the character was poetic.
His poetry, however, is confronted with the harsh reality of a man wanting to take the former’s eyes out. The man said that his girlfriend had a penchant for a bouquet of blue eyes. Blue eyes are usually a signifier for “American.” The fact that the man wanted to take out blue eyes from people does not only show a simple act of obsessive violence but obsessive violence towards the “American.” The man said, “Don’t be afraid, mister. I won’t kill you. I’m only going to take your eyes.” The desire to remove people’s blue eyes may symbolize the desire to stop them from seeing things the “American” way. But while there seems to be anti-American present in the text, the line “my girlfriend has this whim. She wants a bouquet of blue eyes. And around here they’re hard to find” can also be construed as an obsession to see things through American eyes, because that is something “hard to find” around here. This could mean that while the dominant way of perceiving the world is through “blue eyes”, the situation in the country was different. The owner of the boardinghouse was described as a “one-eyed taciturn fellow.” As for the man who wanted to take people’s blue eyes out, there was no mention of his eyes, except that half his face (including his eyes perhaps) was covered by a sombrero.
The symbol of the eyes is very appropriate to refer to how the world is perceived. The bouquet of blue eyes is foreshadowed by the night being described as a garden of eyes. Night is the binary opposite of day, and day is usually associated with light. Light is the root word of “enlightenment” and to be enlightened means to understand things better and come out of the “dark” or come out of one’s confusion. But when the night is described as a garden of eyes – a variety or assortment of ways of seeing, instead of a “blue bouquet,” it seems to undermine the privileged term “light,” and position “night” in the positive, over “day” or “light.” The insecurity, instability or relativity the night offered is preferred to the certainty and “objectivity” of daylight
you forgot to appiligize for having a long reaction!! Dont think i forgot. Over all god job on your analysis.!
DeleteWow, really good analysis, but do you think Paz was against people seeing things the American way?
DeleteYou say "The bouquet of blue eyes is foreshadowed by the night being described as a garden of eyes." Why? What are you trying to tell us?
DeleteYour analysis is long, but once I read it it's kind of what I interpreted the poem like too in a way. I agree it pretty much is about people's views because it's written all over or at least its what I see & seems like you do too in a way. Nice analysis you go into great detail, but overall nice.
DeleteThat was a very good analysis. It's described very well. I like how you interpreted the eyes with the different ways of how peoples see things.
DeleteGreat analysis, You went really deep. Everything you said makes sense once it was stated!
DeleteDoesnt anyone notice the fact that the hotel owner was missing an eye and the guy that threatened to take his eyes had a sombrero over one of his eyes + the owner was telling him he shouldnt go outside
DeleteDoesnt anyone notice the fact that the hotel owner was missing an eye and the guy that threatened to take his eyes had a sombrero over one of his eyes + the owner was telling him he shouldnt go outside
DeleteAs I was reading the story I noticed that many strange things occurred. At the beginning he took the walk and everything was calm. Suddenly, he was faced with danger and almost died. By this Octavio Paz wanted to let us know that even the most secure and free place can transform into a life threatening situation. Also, when he was confronted with the man that wanted his eyes, the protagonist acted very cool and didn’t even yell. He allowed the man to take a good look at his eyes. I thought this was very strange because I wouldn’t have let him take a good look at me. Another thing I noticed was that love can make people do crazy things. The man was doing this all because he wanted to please his lover even though he caused others harm. The last thing that I thought was neat was the many times he mentions the eye, which foreshadows what will happen later on in the story. For example, Octavio Paz writes “a one-eyed taciturn” and “The night was a garden of eyes.” I understood that we are exposed to many things that can abruptly change the way we view our surroundings.
ReplyDeleteWhy do you think the protagonist acted cool about the whole thing?
DeleteMaybe he acted calm becuase he knew his eyes were brown, but still I think his reaction was strange. If I was to be in his situation I would have panicked and thought" Maybe this is just a trick to make me kneel down then he'll stab me when i can't even block the machete. What about you, what do you think??
DeleteI think you're overall analysis was good, but what about your opinions about the guy that was threatening the protagnist??
DeleteThe Blue Bouquet by Octavio Paz was an interesting story. He does a really good job of using imagery. I could easy imagine everything that he wrote and see what was going on in the story. However, this story does seem strange. I don't really understand what he was trying to say about the universe. It confused me. However, the part about the man wanting to see his eyes was odd. Paz doesn't say anything about the small mans eyes. He only says that the man's sombrero covered half his face. Paz also tries to prevent the man from seeing his eyes and yet he says his eyes eyes are brown. Shouldn't he just let the man see his eyes so he can be left alone? And why does he leave town? Unless he does blue eyes and doesn't want to get caught. The story makes you wonder about certain things.
ReplyDeleteSo then what do you think Octavio Paz wanted to tell us????
DeleteYes that is true, and I was also left with plenty of questions. Do you have any answers for these questions?
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteDid you also feel like you were the one living the scary moment, and being attacked by the crazy man ?
DeleteThe Blue Bouquet, was a pretty Legit story and i understood it very well in english this time. It had a lot of irony and imagery that made it a very interesting story. At the beginnig he was being cautious for every little thing but then when some one actually warns him about the dangers of the town, he ignores him and goes towards danger." I jumped from my hammock and crossed the room barefoot, careful not to step on some scorpion leaving his hideout for bit of fresh air." and also the line " I rubbed my chest and legs with a soaked cloth, dried myself a little, making sure that no bugs were hidden in the folds of my clothes ,gotdressed. He was being very cautious but when they actually warned him not to leave because its dangerous he just ignored. i also found it pretty ironic that the owner of the boardinghouse "a one-eyed tarciturn fellow" has only one eye and warns him, and after paz leaves he gets stopped by a guy that wants blue eyes.I wondered if the owner warned him because he knew , this story just makes me wonder.
ReplyDeleteYour analysis just made me realize about the irony. Nice.
DeleteYour analysis made me realize how he was so cautious in beginning yet he ignored the owner's warning. It made me realize how ironic the a story was.
DeleteI really liked the way you interpreted the story
DeleteI had to keep reading this story over and over again for me to get an idea of what I think I understand. I thought of it as how a care-free, cautious person lived in a world where there are life threatening situations. As if there are people out there in the world wanting to kill you or do something horrible. It seemed as if as the character went out into the world, he experiences being in a horrifying position. I reread the title and saw what is the connection of "The Blue Bouquet" to the situation in the story. It just doesn't make sense to me still of why Paz uses that specific color. Would it be related to how the eyes of a blue color are calm and carefree? I still don't understand. I do see it as how everyone experiences something shocking and terrifying because we all don't live in a world that is perfect, but a world that is dangerous and cruel.
ReplyDeleteThe main character wasn't very cautious when he went for a walk after the boarding house owner warned him every thing was closed and it was too dark.
DeleteHow would you explain the strangers actions and the way he was dressed, and how would the title connect to the title as well? Overall good thinking!+ I had to reread it more than once just to get a glimpse of what it meant! TeeHee!
DeleteGreat connection between the title and the story !
Delete"The Blue Bouquet" was pretty interesting. Octavio writes which so much imagery that I analyzed this poem based on 'point of views', as the theme. I noticed every character's eyes or point of view were described. At first, it starts with how Octavio Paz sees the night and how he wants to take a walk out. He also describes the owner of the boardinghouse as "a one-eyed taciturn" & "eye half closed" smoking on a wicker stool. I interpreted this as him not seeing the real beauty of the night. Also as someone who doesn't go out to enjoy nature because "everything's closed. And no streetlights around here." As Octavio Paz goes on his way he once again writes w/ imagery about his night. Suddenly on his way he, describes about his incident where he almost was killed. The stranger wanted his eyes, whom he thought were blue. In the stranger's perspective he saw blue eyes and was convinced until he saw them in the light. I interpreted this as the stranger's paradigm, which was changed when he 'looked in the light'. Also the reason the stranger needed blue eyes was for his girlfriend, who wanted blue eyes which were hard to find. Usually people find things using their vision, so I interpreted her as someone who makes or lets others see things(find) for her. After his incident, he saw the town as a dangerous place because in his poem he wasn't detailed any longer...
ReplyDeleteI like the way of how you used "others see things(find) for her." They didn't mention about the strangers eyes since it was covered by the sombrero, what would you think the strangers eye color was?
DeleteThanks & ummm for sure not blue.
DeleteThis was a really deep and interesting analysis. Definitely different than what I would have thought. After reading your analysis and looking back at the story, its definitely a good interpretation.
DeleteThere's a quote that stood out to me which was, "I thought that the universe was a vast system of signs..."
ReplyDeleteThis made me believe that from the start where he woke up sweating was a sign of something bad was going to happen. Then, when he doesn't listen to the man who tells him he should not go out there. In a way, you can foreshadow that something bad will happen. Octavio Paz teaches us that we should listen to the people who warn us because they may know more than you do. If not, we will, learn the consequences when it's too late. He, also, teaches us to not ignore signs.
I agree with you that Octavio Paz wanted us to warn about the consequences that might occur if we ignore signs.
DeleteThis is pretty good and I understand how you would interpret it that way, but what do you think the significance of the rest of the story is, with the odd situation of a blue-eyes-robber, not just an average money-robber?
DeleteGood question! Well, by the blue-eyes-robbery attempt, it was a lesson for him to learn that he should have listened in the first place. The eyes kind of resemble that anyone could be watching and there's always a witness to what you do. When i think of blue eyes, i think of calmness and beauty, and i interpret it as, you should see situations calmly and be calm in situations because you may make situations worse if it's no taken calmly and it won't be pretty. I might have over analyzed it though. Sorry if this is late.
DeleteThe Blue Bouquet was an interesting story. A lot of imagery is shown in story such as the man's thoughts about the universe and stars. I also thought how it was strange how the man is threatened by a stranger demanding blue eyes. I don't understand why the stranger would specifically want blue eyes or what the blue eyes symbolize in the story. I do see how the man carelessly went out at night regardless of the warning from the "one-eyed taciturn fellow". He felt free and happy, and he suddenly gets himself into a dangerous situation. It shows just how unexpected and dangerous life can be. Overall, there are things that I don't clearly understand in the story such as what the blue eyes portray in the story.
ReplyDeleteYou got a point there about the blue eyes. I hadn't payed attention to that but now you got me thinking. Maybe it symbolizes nature because I searched up what the color blue stands for, It stands for peace and spirituality.
Delete"The Blue Bouquet" is a pretty profound type of writing that I would likely be interested in. Octavio Paz wants the reader to see that lifeless things becoming alive. When he states, "inhales the country air...and hears the breathing night." He tries to grab the attention of the reader knowing that during the night you don't hear breathing. He could of had a perspective that he is in love with life being so free and well-being. The strangers feelings were unordinary because he asked for blue eyes when the man only had brown eyes. The man felt like he would do anything to keep his life in order to stay here in the lustful world. After the whole situation about the "Blue eyes" the man just suddenly leaves town. Paz probably meant that where he lives at the moment wasn't the place to be at since he was asked for something he didn't have, but from within is what they really wanted.
ReplyDeleteAs I re-read the story several times, I noticed that it was foreshadowing into his incident with the mysterious man. From the beginning, the man with just one eye had warned him not to go out because there are no street lights. He warned him due to the fact that he was a victim of the man that was going to steal his eye. Then as the protagonist is out in the dark he states, "My actions, the cricket's saw, the stars blink" these descriptions are all about sight. Relating to vision and the future incident. "The night was a garden of eyes" Another description that leads to his incident. Until the man that was about to steal his eyes reached him. And his incident occurred.
ReplyDeleteI noticed the foreshadowing too!
DeleteI notice in the Blue Bouquet it foreshadow something was going to happen to the boy when the man warned him before going out.The man who tried stabbing the boy had his face half covered which got me thinking it was the same man who warned him before going out. The man probably didn't have an eye that's why he kept his eye shut. It seemed that the man felt jealousy how the boy was able to enjoy and observe the beautiful nature very well. Also it tries to explain how one simple difference can change a person's point of view.
ReplyDeleteThe part that caught my attention was that it was hot yet it was pitch black or something like that. Also, the man warned him about what was going to happen if he left. What I thought of the story was that the guy that he ran into had no eyes and he wanted to get the man's eyes so he could see. All the time he was hiding himself under the sombrero. The man had blue eyes but since the other guy was blind he couldn't tell if so or not. He eventually just decides to leave him alone because he thought he didn't have blue eyes.
ReplyDeleteThat is true, but do you remember how the girlfriend wanted a whole bouquet of flowers, so why would she want so many?
DeleteI dont think there even was a girl. I think he was just making it up so he could get eyes of his own and he demanded blue eyes because he had those before.
DeleteThe title definitely foreshadowed the story. However, I never expected it to be eyes. I thought that the man with the machete was Mexican because of the decription given about him. By his girlfriend wanting him to give her blue eyes, I thought that she wanted a "white" man's eyes because they usually are thought of as superior and they have more privileges than mexicans. All the Mexican man wanted to dpvwas please his girlfriend. However, the description at the beginning of the story about where the boy lived reminded me of Mexico so they might be in Mexico and the girlfriend wants the privilages of a white man,
ReplyDeleteI really liked the way you interpreted the story.
DeleteI thought that The blue Bouquet, was a really interesting story. I liked how their was a lot of imagery, in this story, but what I find weired ,was that this man wanted to take out the eye of another person. After realizing that he didn't have blue eyes,he decides to let go of him, but when I read this, I wondered why he only wanted blue eyes ? Especially for his girlfriend. This story made me wonder about many things, and filled me up with questions as I continued reading. For example, why did the protaganist want to leave at the end ? Did he not live there before? Was he just visiting that town, and then was scared away ?
ReplyDeleteThe blue bouquet describes most of the things in the story with very descriptive words witch really give you a very clear image of the events going on on the story. For example, " sitting on a wicker stool, he smoked, his eye half closed." I also noticed that Octavio Paz used eyes to to describe a lot of this in the story. For example, in the beginning of the story he bumbs into the owner and describes him and in the description he says he had a half closed eye. He also described the stars and said they blinked. Paz also describes the night and says " the night was a garden of eyes." The climax had to do with a man wanting another mans eyes. This whole theme of eyes may have something to do with open your eyes and really consider the way you look at things. The match that the man uses to lighten up his eyes may also symbolize the meaning to open up your eyes.
ReplyDeleteWoah. "The Blue Bouqet" by Octavio Paz is pretty deep. It's very... abstract; open to interpretation through symbolic imagery. The whole story is symbolic itself.
ReplyDeleteAlthough many "Mexicans" with European descent can have blue or green eyes, the "Blue Eyes" in the story symbolize high status and wealth. It may also symbolize Americans and American culture. Note that when the man is being robbed for blue eyes, he says he doesn't have them, but only has a little bit of money. The robber also mentions that blue eyes are hard to find and are valuable. The character came from an old, hot, bug infested boardinghouse run by an old guy, symbolizing a modest and humble home. When he awakens, he looks out the window and observes the "breathing of the night, feminine, enormous," having an admiring tone. But later as he is taking a walk the blinding whiteness of the moon disturbs the calm of the night, foreshadowing the attacker wanting blue eyes, a symbol of being white. The fact that the robber himself wore a sombrero and held a country machete hints that all people from all walks of life want high status and wealth, maybe even by the standard called the "American Dream."