I, Rigoberta Menchu (Cuatro)

1. Ayn Rand once articulated, "Ask yourself whether the dream of heaven and greatness should be waiting for us in our graves- of whether it should be ours here and now and on this earth." After reading Chapter 9, how do you think Menchu would respond to Rand's words?

What Menchu talks about in chapter 9 is things such as the fiestas and rituals her community does prior to harvesting and planting their crops. I think Menchu would agree to the part of the quote where it says "...the dream of heaven and greatness...should be ours here and now on this earth.". I say this because Menchu's community revolves around Mother Earth and everything they work towards is to help the environment while living comfortably.

2. Menchu uses the following quotation from Popol Vuh to start Chapter 10, "Tojil, in his own natural darkness, struck the leather of the sandal with a stone, and from it, at the very moment, came a spark, then a flash, followed by a flame, and the new fire burned in all its splendor." After reading Chapter 10, does this idea from the Popol Vuh take new meaning?

I believe the quote has to do with Father Sun and it's interaction with Mother Earth. Together they provide everything necessary for the people to survive comfortably. Menchu talks about how people shouldn't take these things for granted and should only get whats needed. She also goes over why her people does rituals to give back to the land so it will be happy and continue providing for everyone.

3. In Chapter 11, Menchu speaks about the age at which people get married in Guatemala. What are your thoughts about her writing.

I think the process of how people get married in Guatemala is amazing. The process is so long and well organized that it nearly gurantees the happiness of the couple. Here in America marriage is almost a joke. It happens so quickly that it almost never works out "...till death do us part.".