Isabel Allende

1. Isabel Allende And Of Clay Are We Created

2. Isabel Allende • Born on August 2, 1942, in Lima, Peru, traveling often with her Chilean diplomatic father. • When her parents divorced, Isabel Allende lived with her mother in Santiago, Chile. • Allende was close to her uncle who later became the president of Chile in 1970. • In 1973, a military coup assassinated the president, and Isabel and her husband went into exile in Venezuela. • In 1981, Allende discovered her grandfather was near death and decided to write her recollections of their early family life in Chile. • Allende now lives in California, teaching creative writing at Berkeley.

3. Historical Information • The story is based on one of the most deadly natural disasters in Latin America. • The eruption of the volcano Nevado del Ruiz in Colombia happened on November 13, 1985. • The volcano’s eruption buried the town of Armero with mud killing more than 20,000 people. • 13-year-old Omayra Sanchez, was covered in mud up to her neck. She quickly became the most talked about individual of this catastrophe. “They discovered the girl’s head protruding from the mudpit, eyes wide open, calling soundlessly.”

4. And of Clay Are We Created • Excerpt is from The Stories of Eva Luna (1991) • Eva, an illegitimate writer, tells stories to entertain her lover, Rolfe Carlé. • Rolf Carlé is an Austrian film-maker who is haunted by the knowledge of his father's criminal past. • However the story And of Clay Are We Created, Rolf Carle takes the role of the main character

5. Allende’s Style Of Writing • Magic Realism: an aesthetic style in which magical elements or illogical scenarios appear in an otherwise realistic or even "normal" setting. • Allende based her stories off historical events and personal experiences. • Most of her novels were regarded as memoirs…which were suppose to be based off real experiences.

6. Literary Devices • Situational Irony: When the opposite of what is expected happens. • “Rolf Carlé, buoyed by a premature optimism, was convinced that everything would end well…” (1313) • Point of View: the position of the narrator in relation to the story, as indicated by the narrator's outlook from which the events are depicted and by the attitude toward the characters. • “Many miles away, I watched Rolf Carlé and the girl on a television screen.” (1313)

7. Themes and Symbols • Themes • Selflessness: • Man vs. Self: • Symbols • Pump: The lack of access to the pump is a symbol of the lack of compassion and care of humanity in a crisis. • Azucena: According to the author, this name translates to “lily”. Lilies can represent purity, grace, and nobility as well as death.

8. Vocabulary • Presentiment: a sense of something about to happen; premonition (n) • Morass: a disordered or muddled situation or circumstance • Putrefying: To become decayed or cause to decay and have a foul odor

9. Influenced • Ramakrishna Raman (Writer) • The Prince Story • The Chubwala Papers • The Nam Beedir Mystery • Amy Tan (Writer)

10. Citations • Dictionary.com | Find the Meanings and Definitions of Words at Dictionary.com. Web. 19 May 2011. <http://dictionary.reference.com/>. • "Authors Influenced by Allende." Isabel Allende. Web. 19 May 2011. <http://brianaodowd17.tripod.com/id19.html>. • Isabel Allende. Web. 22 May 2011. <http://www.isabelallende.com/curious_frame.htm>. • "Omayra Sanchez." World News. Web. 22 May 2011. <http://wn.com/omayra_sanchez>. • "YouTube - ‪Omaira Sanchez‬‏." YouTube - Broadcast Yourself. Web. 22 May 2011. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MKL2M-qw4sU>.

11. Discussion Questions • Examine Allende use of the narrator’s point of view in this story. Why does the narrator use first person plural in some parts of the story (1st and 4th paragraph)? Why not 3rd person? Is the relationship between Rolf and his wife an important factor to the story? Cite text for support. • What is the significance of the title of the story? • Do forces of nature defeat human nature?