Individual Post 3

The research on the play has been more beneficial lately than recent weeks.  I was able to understand the play more after I researched the history of Cuba during the time period.
The powerpoint our group put together was better than I expected.  We were able to get a lot of good information and present it well.
Overall, the research has been the same.

Group Post #3

1. The time period I plan to research is the Special Period in Cuba during the 1990s.  This makes the beginning of the changes in the economic model that gives the survival of socialism. It started with the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.  This meant that the Soviet Union would no longer exchange oil with Cuba, this is reflected by Dulce saying, “The real problem isn’t with the Americans but because we never had dinosaur.  See, without dinosaurs there’s no petroleum”.  Cuba was dependent on the Soviet Union for oil and food, so the collapse left Cuba is disarray because they were entirely dependent on the fuel to operate their society.  This lead to many shortages, such as the shortage of food reflected in Manteca.  Cuba could not reach out for help because America had an embargo on Cuba.

2.  The social event that is happening at the time this play was written was the difficulty of getting food.  This has always been a problem for Cuba, but increased during the special period because they could not receive or send anything to the Soviet Union.

3.  Fidel Castro was in power in Cuba during the Special period, whom had been in power since 1959 after overthrowing Batista.

4. The playwright is responding to the historical moment, the Special period, which was occurring at this time.  The difference between responding to historical moments and calling for a change in history is that calling for change want actions while responding wants people to be aware about a situation.  I believe he is responding to the historical moment because he does not give any ways for his readers or watchers to change things, he is simply showing how people live and the struggle in Cuba.

5. MLA citations of the information I found

Bobes, Velia Cecilia. "Cuban Civil Society During And Beyond The Special Period." International Journal Of Cuban Studies 5.2 (2013): 168-183. Academic Search Complete. Web. 25 Nov. 2014.

González, Miguelangel, and Steve Tammelleo. The Cuban Special Period : The Beginning Of Readjustment And Cultural Transformation  n.p.: 2012., 2012. I-Share Catalog - CARLI. Web. 29 Nov. 2014.

Hernandez-Reguant, Ariana. Cuba In The Special Period [Electronic Resource] : Culture And Ideology In The 1990S. New York : Palgrave Macmillan, 2009. Milner Library Web. 29 Nov. 2014.

Individual Post #3

            This week I have been thinking about the historical context of the play, Manteca.  From previous research, I knew this play was written during the Special Period in Cuba.  I learned that this meant the Soviet Union collapsed, which Cuba relied heavily on. I discovered this week that once the Soviet Union collapsed, Cuba had an even harder time than before with food shortages.  While learning all of this I could see the reflection of this part of history in the play.  The play obviously shows the struggle to have food, by the portioning of the food, talking about planting a mango in the morning and eating it for dinner, and how they want to get a plot of land to grow food, which would lead to no shortage of food.  I also noticed, the total struggle of Cuba through them talking about the problem with Cuba was they did not have dinosaurs so therefore had no petroleum.  It seems that Cuba does not have many resources of their own and rely on other countries, specifically the Soviet Union, which hurt Cuba’s economy when the Soviet Union collapsed.

            I consulted Milner Library for the sources I used for this part of the projects research. The roadblocks I came up with in my research was not finding anything during Google searches.  As I said earlier, I used Milner Libraries Search engine to find books and academic articles to overcome this roadblock.  There I found plenty of resources to use for the group blog.

Group post #2

Use a PowerPoint to present the information

1.      Torriente was born on September 29, 1954, and he died June 5, 2005, due to liver cirrhosis.

2.      He was born and died in Havana, Cuba.  This is where the play Manteca takes place

3.      Torriente acted and wrote plays.

4.      He went to The National Theatre School in Canada, he also taught in Spain, Canada, and Venezuela.

5.      I could not find out if Torriente received any awards.

6.      A major works of Torriente other than Manteca was Tema Para Veronica, which was a hit in the 1980’s.

7.      Manteca talks about the changes occurring in Cuba’s socioeconomic conditions. It’s main objective was dialogue and Torriente wrote it in octosyllables, or meter that comes close to it. Some main ideas he wants the readers to get is the struggle for survival and search for food during this “special period”.   This period began when the Soviets bloc dissolved and Cuba was one of the only Communist countries left.  Cuba had been fueled by trade with the Soviets, but this ended with the Cold War.  America strengthened its embargo against Cuba, which left the country in crisis. There was a struggle to get food, even for the rich.

8.      MLA format of sites used:

Carson, Margaret, Diana Taylor, and Sarah J. Townsend. Stages Of Conflict : A Critical Anthology Of Latin American Theater And Performance / Edited By Diana Taylor And Sarah J. Townsend ; Translation Coordinator, Margaret Carson.: Ann Arbor : University of Michigan Press, 2008. I-Share Catalog - CARLI. Web. 18 Nov. 2014.

Martínez Tabares, Vivian, and Nancy Westrate. "Theater As Conspiracy: An Interview With Alberto Pedro." South Atlantic Quarterly96.1 (1997): 53-63. Web. 18 Nov. 2014.

Individual Post 2

1.  After continued research, I have found a site that summarized and went into greater depth about the play.  http://books.google.com/books?id=RFEhcqpu5OgC&pg=PA301&lpg=PA301&dq=alberto+pedro+torriente+manteca&source=bl&ots=vELCNHHUYC&sig=BE3p_Z3_dXJ1JSWX89FMzFFkjqE&hl=en&sa=X&ei=Td1rVKjMEtOoyASHy4DQDA&ved=0CCQQ6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q=alberto%20pedro%20torriente%20manteca&f=false

2.  I learned that the play has no change in setting throughout the duration of the play. The play takes place during the time that Cuba became one of the only remaining communist countries. 

3.  I am still leaning toward doing a powerpoint for our presentation

Individual Post #2

            In terms of research it has been difficult because whenever I google the author, Alberto Pedro Torriente, the little information found is in Spanish. I used the online catalog for Milner library and found an interview of him which talks about the play Manteca.  As I looked harder, I found more information. 

            Through my research, I have found out that Torriente was an actor with the Cubana d Acero and Teatro Politico Bertolt Brecht, two different companies.  His first play was Tema para Veronica, which was a hit in the early 1980’s.  The play Manteca premiered in 1993, it dealt with changes occurring with Cuba’s socioeconomic conditions. The main objective was dialogue, he wrote the play in octo-syllables, or meters that comes close to it.

            The main roadblocks with the research is that much of the information found is in Spanish.  Considering the few sites I find on Torriente and Manteca, I do not believe that he is well known, at least to Americans.

Individual post #1

        At the beginning of Manteca, I was confused on what was going on in the play.  While I continued reading, I looked for themes and meanings of the play.  I came to realize the themes were the struggle for survival and the lack of food in Cuba.  Once I figured out the food theme, I used my knowledge of Spanish and recalled that Dulce, the name of the sister, means candy or sweet.  Therefore, I thought that the other characters names might refer to food, so I looked them up.  I found the few definitions Merriam-Webster Spanish Central website, Pucho meant waste or residue, or youngest child, and Celestino can mean heavenly.  I do not know if these have any meaning, but I will keep them in mind while I analyze the play throughout this project. I thought the end of the play was odd because they kept talking about qualities they wanted in the new pig they were going to buy, but I realized the qualities other than the pigs feet were probably important to supply them food.