Bless Me, Ultima By Rudolfo Anaya

1
Bless Me, Ultima By Rudolfo Anaya
Introduction and background information
Learning Targets Students will learn background
about the setting of a novel. Students will
learn and apply several archetypes to known
information.
2
New Mexico was originally inhabited by the
Navajo, Pueblo, and Apache tribes. It was next
settled by Spaniards and Mexicans who migrated
from Mexico. New Mexico was ceded to the United
States in 1848. It is the 47th state, admitted in
1912. The official languages are Spanish and
English.
3
Short Video

• http//www.neabigread.org/books/blessmeultima/film
  guide.php

4
Archetypes

• Universal symbols, motifs or themes that may be
  found among many different cultures.
• Archetypes are everywhere!

5
Water

• Birth-death-resurrection creation purification
  and redemption fertility and growth.
• Sea/ocean the mother of all life spiritual
  mystery death and/or rebirth timelessness and
  eternity.
• Rivers death and rebirth (baptism) the flowing
  of time into eternity transitional phases of the
  life cycle.

6
Rocks

• Can symbolize strength and power. It can also
  show stability, hardness and endurance.

7
Sun

• Creative energy thinking, enlightenment, wisdom,
  spiritual vision.(fire and sky are closely
  related)
• Rising sun birth, creation, enlightenment.
• Setting sun death

8
Colors

• Red blood, sacrifice, passion disorder.
• Green growth, hope, fertility.
• Blue highly positive secure tranquil
  spiritual purity.
• Black darkness, chaos, mystery, the unknown,
  death, wisdom, evil, melancholy.
• White light, purity, innocence, timelessness
  negative death, terror, supernatural
• Yellow enlightenment, wisdom.

9
Numbers

• 3 - light, spiritual awareness, unity (the Holy
  Trinity) male principle.
• 4 - associated with the circle, life cycle, four
  seasons female principle, earth, nature,
  elements.
• 7 - the most potent of all symbolic numbers
  signifying the union of three and four, the
  completion of a cycle, perfect order, perfect
  number religious symbol.

10
Wise old Man(or woman)

• Savior, redeemer, guru, representing knowledge,
  reflection, insight, wisdom, intuition, and
  morality.

11
Garden

• Paradise, innocence, unspoiled beauty.

12
Tree

• Denotes life of the cosmos growth
  proliferation symbol of immortality

13
Desert

• Spiritual aridity death hopelessness.

14
Seasons

• Spring - rebirth genre/comedy.
• Summer - life genre/romance.
• Fall - death/dying genre/tragedy.
• Winter - without life/death genre/irony.

15
The great fish

• Divine creation/life.

16
Research topics- Look up your assigned topic. We
will share these out on Wednesday.

• Rudolfo Anaya
• Curandera
• La Virgen de Guadalupe
• Bruja/Brujo
• Magical Realism
• Bildungsroman
• Chicano Movement