I, Rigoberta Menchu (Quatro)

1. Ayn Rand once articulated, "Ask yourself whether the dream of heaven and greatness should be waiting for us in our graves-or whether it should be ours here and now and on this earth." after reading Chapter 9, how do you think Menchu would respond to Rands words?
I think that Rigoberta Menchu would respond that the dream of heaven and greatness should and can be ours here and now on this earth. I think that she would say that it comes the form of family, community, and the gifts of mother nature. I think she would agree that these are the only things that we really need to be happy. When we start to abuse these things, that is when we start to pull farther and farther away from heaven and its greatness. Every time she and her people go to work the land they first ask its permission and express their love and gratitude. I think this is beautiful and I wish that everyone could remember that the things of the earth are a gift to us and not something to take advantage of. If we could live with this kind of humility our world would be a much better place.

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 that 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 Popol Vuh take new meaning? What is your interpretation of this?

I did not understand this quote at all when I first read it. Now I think that it is talking about the sun. In this chapter Menchu talks alot about the sun. She describes it as the "heart of the sky". That is exactly what the sun is; The heart of the sky. Ever giving, ever bright. With out the sun we would be left to darkness, which would be nothing.

3. In Chapter 11, Menchu speaks about the age at which people gets married in Guatemala. What are your thoughts about her writing?
The traditions of marriage in Guatemala are extremely different for Menchu's people then what we think of as marriage here in America. It is much more involved and requires much more commitment on the part of everyone involved. I think they would be appalled by the careless attitude that can be associated with modern marriages in today's world. Marriage something very sacred to them. It is taken very seriously. Young couples must follow certain traditions before they are officiallly wed. The girls in Guatemala get married very young which is looked upon with a certain level of disdain here in America but to them it is simply the way of life. My own mom married my dad when she was 17 and they have been happily married for 22 years