Perception of Creativity
Nowadays, literature takes its own place in the life of any person. However, it is not enough to read a book and set it aside. A real reader should pose a lot of questions, seek answers to them and assess the reading. What the author wants to say? What does he discover thanks to his book? By what means does he introduce his idea? Why does he use one or another word? Why does he need them? Do they justify his expectations? Questions, which concern the book, arouse constantly. Every student should learn different critical approaches in order his/her reading will be interesting and fascinating. For example, Literature: Craft and Voice (Volume 3, Drama) written by Nicholas Delbanco and Alan Cheuse is a perfect guide to engage the students in the reading. It offers the students to study critical approaches in order to develop their reading skills and abilities. It contains an interesting play Guadalupe X Three written by Denise Chavez. One can read it through a block building approach.
“A block building approach means that a student reads a book interactively” (Delbanco, Cheuse 32). A student should dip in the reading in order to understand it. A block building approach to critical thinking consists of several steps.
Guadalupe X Three. Block Building Approach
The play Guadalupe X Three relates to contemporary theatre. It is written in a modern manner and describes the some events. We can analyze this text through the block building approach.
What has influenced Denise Chavez to write this play? This is the first step in the block building approach. It should examine the historical, political situation at the moment of creation; philosophical and esthetic views of the author. As we see, the author describes Tortugas peak. The Spanish were the first who discovered this place. He writes: “You’re never climbed Tortugas Peak before? Hijole, where have you been? I climb every year with my Granma. She tells me, Lupita Gonzales, this is our tradition and our culture. I’ve been climbing ever since I was a little girl and I’m sixteen now”. (Chavez 560) “My Granma says that the Guadalupe is the mother of All the Americans. She’s our Mother who is with us always. La Guadalupe es el madre de toda la gente de las Americas, y tenemos que recorder que es nuestra Madre que esta con nosotros, siempre. That’s what my Granma says in Spanish. The Guadalupe is the Mother of all the Americans and we have to remember that she is with us always” (Chavez 563).
The second step in the block building approach to critical thinking is the importance of the study of the play and the impact on the readers. The play is very important to the readers, because it carries the reader through the history; describe the interesting story of La Virgencita. “There was this Nativo, this Indio called Juan Diego. He lived in Mexico in 1531” (Chavez 563). “Juanito, Juan Dieguito, the lady called him like a mother would. Where are you going? I am the Mother of the True God, by whom we all live. I want you to go to Bishop Zumarraga, to ask him to build a church for me on this spot so I can care for my children. Juan Diego excused himself from the Beautiful Lady and made his way to the Bishop’s house” (Chavez 564). The play is full of vivid descriptions and they make the reading plesant.
The block building approach to critical thinking is a very useful method while reading any book. It is better and more interesting to analyze the text, because you understand it more. It is proved on the example of the play Guadalupe X Three written by Denise Chavez.
Works Cited
Chavez, Denise. “Guadalupe X Three”. Literature: Craft and Voice (Volume 3, Drama. (2009): 560-567. Print.
Delbanco, Nicolas, and Cheuse, Alan. Literature: Craft and Voice (Volume 3, Drama). McGraw-Hill Humanities/Social Sciences/Languages, 2009. Print.