Several political parties fighting against one another to gain respect and power in El Salvador.
-The national democratic organization: A peasant group organized by the President Molina to act as the security of El Salvado. In Things Fall Apart, they are known as the guerilla.
-The actual military: The El Salvador military that has been in power majority of the nation's history.
-People's revolutionary army and Farabundo Marti popular liberation forces: Revolutionary groups that wanted a new radical change in government.
-Marxist Sandinista National Liberation Front: Embraced Marxist communist values; agreed and fully supported Cuba's and the Soviet's policies.
-Christian Base Communities: Fought for a Christian Roman Catholic based government.
-Revolutionary Popular Bloc: Constiuent peasant that held 60,000 members group that protested for a democratic people based government.
-Anti-Communist Liberation Armed Forces: Manifestly didn't like communism just as the previous government didn't.

(And more.)

Last Post!

To say the least Midnight's Children was an interesting book, if not also a little strange. Overall I grew to like the book mostly because it was just so unique and really unlike anything I've ever read before. One of my favorite things about the book was how the author incorporated a lot of the culture and history of India in the book. I didn't know a thing about India before I read the book, but now after I read it, even though it's a fictional book, I feel as if I know a lot more about India than I did before. I also liked the author's unique way of starting the book, with the stories of his grandparents and parents (sort of, because they aren't really his relatives because he was switched at birth). However as Saleem described his life I found myself not really liking him as much as I did in the beginning of the novel. In my opinion, he became very self-centered as he grew up and that bothered me. I also didn't like the ending of the book because the author just kind of left us hanging because Saleem doesn't actually die, he only predicts his death. Obviously since he's the one "writing" the book, if he dies he can't "write" about his death. However I still wish that in the end of the novel we got to hear how he actually died instead of a prediction because what if that really didn't happen? We know that without a doubt Saleem will die, but I'd rather have the author wrap up all the loose ends in book so we know what happens and don't have to keep on wondering. However overall I really liked the book because of how different it was and there was always a new adventure happening to Saleem as he grew up. There were never any dull or slow moments in his life, which made the book that much more fun to read.

Will - Opinion

Though I have not quite finnished the book yet, I can still formulate an oppinion of it. I am enjoying the book overall so far, Salaman Rushie has a unique qriting style and it was a nice change of pace from the books we read as a class. He did a very good job of using imagery that helped me visualize the scene and understand the situation. However, because it was so frequent, I often found myself skipping entire passages of description because I was impatient and wanted the plot to move forward. I really have liked the plot so far as well, it is very interesting and it makes me want to read more. I also am enjoying how he gives a lot of background information about the events at the time and things like that, it's really helping me understand what's going on. I think if we had had the same in Things Fall Appart it would be much easier to understand the situations. Overall, I am enjoying the challenge and the novel.

Last blog post!

Midnight's children was an interesting novel to say the least. It definitely was not what I expected it to be from the get go because I thought it would have a more magical and fantastical feel to it, and I had no idea it would have so much detail. What I really enjoyed was how every detail fit into place and had importance in the novel like a puzzle being put together. The cultural elements were refreshing to read and I really liked having the opportunity to better understand different ways of living. The historical twist played a fairly big part in the overall picture. I always like it when books can intertwine bits of history within them. Even though Midnight's Children is a pretty long book compared ot some, the fact that it was composed of many little stories and histories of characters made it flow better so it didn't seem so treacherous...if that's the right way to put it. At times stories seemed a tad overdone when Saleem would go on and on and on about one story while you're itching to get at a part that he's hinted at. I found it funny how much I related with Padma's feelings in a sense that I enjoyed the parts she did and was also frusterated and surprised at similar points. The book has so much more depth and perspective because we did this blog and were able to discuss many aspects. I would probably not have caught on to all of the literary elements/aspects had we not had this blog up and running. I think it opened my eyes to the fact that maybe some books are better to read AND analyze and pick apart. Prior to doing all of this, I was the type of person who thought all books should just be read when you feel like it for your enjoyment and that you should get what you do out of just doing that. Though I may not always enjoy piecing apart novels, I now realize and have a better understanding of why it can be a good method. I have to say I much prefer reading down here in FL on the beach. Every book would be much more enjoyable if read this way. Overall, I'm glad to say that I read this book and it really gives you a lot to think about.

Opinion

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. Salman Rushdie has a writing style different from what I usually read, and it was a nice change. The descriptive passages were vivid and detailed, which helped me be able to picture exactly what I was reading, which I definitely enjoyed. I like how nothing was told blankly, it was all described, like how we're told to "show" things, not "tell" them. I feel like this will influence my writing, especially if we do a creative writing project for TFA. I also really liked having a background for the story before the "main event" started. It really helped me to place what's going on in the story, gave me a greater understanding of the characters and whatnot. I didn't know very much about Indian history before this book, but I was still able to understand most of the cultural aspects of the story. I would definitely recommend this to others. I know it's been on several lists of great books, and I can understand why. It wasn't the rip-roaring adventure story I was expecting, but that didn't stop me from thoroughly enjoying it.

Opinion

I think that Midnight's Children is an interesting book. I was quite surprised by the long exposition describing Saleem's family. Starting off with Aziz's struggle with religion and then his conflict with his wife before the book continues on with Saleem's mother. She forced herself to love her husband and then she worried about the prophecy about Saleem. Rushdie uses a lot of descriptions and imagery to help the reader image the story and make it seem like Saleem is directly telling the story to the reader. I loved the little comments that Saleem makes about various things that makes the story seem that much more like Saleem is directly telling the story. Throughout the long beginning Rushdie puts in a lot of foreshadowing elements such as Saleem's prophecy. Rushdie also switches a lot to short scenes between Padma and Saleem that help characterize Saleem and Padma and remind the reader to keep thinking about the effects of Saleem's family on Saleem. Since the point of the beginning is to help the reader understand Saleem better and understand more about the conflicts of India. This book is very unique and though it is interesting, I have to say that it is only okay and not great. I was expecting a story about a guy who had superpowers and not a story about that guy's family beforehand, but it was still interesting to learn about Saleem's family.

Opinion

This is a very interesting and unusual book. I would recommend it. Although it contains very long descriptive passages, they are full of vivid details that prevent them from being dull. There is a very long exposition before the main plot starts, but Rushdie maintains suspense during that section by providing perplexing hints as to what will happen later. I read a review that called Midnight's Children a "richly woven tapestry," and I think that phrase describes the book perfectly. It is full of different storylines that intertwine in interesting ways, and Rushdie tells the stories in very colorful and intriguing ways. People have told me that this is a difficult book to read, but I disagree. I do not think the vocabulary is particularly challenging, and the story flows in a way that is easy to read. The only caution I would give to potential readers is that it's helpful to have some background knowledge about Indian history before reading it. Overall, Midnight's Children is a captivating book.