ENGLISH 2003
Italian American Culture, Film and Literature
SPRING 2021
Prof. Fabio Girelli-Carasi
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LECTURE APRIL
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======================== ASSIGNMENT from April 16
TASK 4
Christ
in Concrete
How
challenging was it emotionally? While it started a bit difficult, it got readable the more I progressed. The first page was probably the most challenging to understand. However, right when the accident happens, I cannot imagine any other style that would match the perfect description that this writer provided in his book. I am still very much amazed at how greatly the author was able to describe the horrific accident. Firstly, prior to the accident, I felt uneasy from the fact that these men were working (giving their life away), for a dream, or even an illusion that was probably unachievable. Their biggest fear wasn’t the unsafe work environment, rather it was the unemployment. Secondly, it was the accident. While I read the book after watching the movie (which probably also made the book easier to read), I didn’t feel that emotional. However, no one can deny the feeling of shock and disturbance throughout the torturous experience that Geremio was undergoing during that accident. It wasn’t the accident that made me feel distraught, but Geremio’s on-going thoughts, and hope of almost impossible survival. Maybe, there can be a link drawn between the hopeless job with the illusion of achieving the goal (in this example, buying a house), and an impossible survival from being buried alive in concrete. Both being impossible and yet, Geremio maintained hope until his last breath.
TASK 3
Christ in Concrete 1. Give Us This Day was released in 1949, while Christ in Concrete was published the years earlier in 1939. Yet, the film is basically the prequel of the book. Explain what happens. Christ in Concrete starts off the book with Give Us This Day’s ending of Geremino’s tragic death of being buried alive in the pouring concrete. During his final moments, he yelled for his family and plead the Gods to save him. He sang songs from his childhood and had flashbacks into his previous memories.=========================== 1. Geremio-the-character in Give Us This Day and in Christ in Concrete are very different in terms of personality and character. Explain the differences. In the film "Give Us This Day," the character Geremio is depicted as violent, insincere, and selfish. Despite his desire to marry, Geremio became dissatisfied with his married life. He cheated on Annuziata and was abusive towards her. Furthermore, he is greedy and dishonest to his friend because he only thought about pursuing his dreams, even if it meant putting his friends' lives in danger. In the novel, Geremio is shown as a friendly, proud father, and concerned person. When he and the staff were working on the building site, he attempted to convince Mr. Murdin that the job need not continue in this manner for the sake of a little profit. It demonstrates his empathy and compassion for others, which characterizes him as a selfless individual. Besides, he is a proud father, as he gladly tells his peers that his son Paul built a radio. He hopes that his son will become a successful builder and will not have to work as low-wage labor as him.
Chapter 1: - “The chill day caused him to shiver, and he thought to himself: Yes, the day I cold, cold… but who am I to complain when the good Christ himself was crucified?”- I admired how high-spirited Geremio seemed. He hardly complains even though the work is hard and he has to do so much for his family.
- “Blessings to Thee, O Jesus. I have fought winds and cold. Hand to hand I have locked dumb stones in place and the great buildings rises. I have earned a bit of bread for me and mine.- He worked very hard in strenuous conditions to support his family. I truly admire his perseverance and drive.
- “You should know by now that all work is the same... Germio. The month you have been on this job, you have not spoken a word about the work… And I have felt that I am walking into a dream. Is the work dangerous? Why don’t you answer...?”- Annunziata was such a supportive and concerned wife, she picks up on the smallest issue when it concerns Geremio. She was right to inquire about the dangers of his work
Chapter 2: - “Don’t give me that! And bear in mind that there are plenty of good barefoot men in the streets who’ll jump for a day’s pay!”- Murdin lacked empathy and compassion. He did not care about the workers safety at all. All he cared about was money. - “I tell you, son of mine shall never lay bricks! Paulie mine will study from books”- I love how highly Geremio thought of his kids, he only wanted the best for them and nothing less. “ The nauseous sirup that pumped over his face clotted his mustache red and drained into his mouth – This created a horrific mental picture for me. I can’t even begin to imagine what it must have been like to risk your life every day for work. I am so happy that working conditions have improved in this era. ========================= Christ in Concrete Comment: This quote stood out to me because it really conveys the relief he feels when he can finally leave work and return to his home. Home is his safe space and where he can unwind for a little bit. He works extremely hard at a job that can easily be dangerous. His family is very important to him, he thinks about hearing his children when he gets home and that brings him a sense of peace. Which is very important to have considering that his days are filled with a lot of misery because of what he has to do to make money. Pg 8 “The language of worn oppression and the despair of realizing that his life had been left on brick piles. And always, there had been hunger and her bastard, the fear of hunger.” Comment: This line was extremely sad to read, he does not feel fulfilled in his life. He knows that he must go out every day and work hard to provide for his family, but he doesn’t get to enjoy what he does at all. It has an intense physical and emotional toll on him every single day. It puts him into a cycle where he feels unaccomplished and is always worried that he won't be able to make ends meet. Pg 16 “Show yourself now, Jesu! Now is the time! Save me! Why don't you come! Are you there! I cannot stand it-ohhh, why do you let it happen- where are you? Hurry hurry hurry!” Comment: I chose this quote because I see it as a representation of what many people feel when it comes to the end of their life or they are in an extremely difficult situation that they are desperate to get out of. A lot of people turn to religion for guidance, and some feel this intense worry that the being they pray to might not hear them when they most need it. You can feel the desperation in his words, he is going through so much agony and wants so badly to be saved. Towards the end of the quote, he is pleading for the help that he believes will come to hurry. Like the other quotes I chose, it really conveys so much emotion and pain.================ · Next, “Our children will dance for us…in the American style someday” In my perspective, it means some days the children will have an opportunity to become more than their parents were in terms of career (doctors, engineers, scientists, etc.) ====================== “He paused exhausted. His genitals convulsed. The cold steel rod upon which they were impaled froze his spine” (15) Honestly, just when I thought that it could not get worse, I come across this.
“”Jesu my lord my God my all Jesu my Lord my God my all Jesu my Lord my God my all Jesu my Lord my God my all”” (17) This is very painful to read, the scenes described were very graphic, and it only makes me more upset that Geremio’s death was at the beginning of the book, instead at the end like in the movie.===================================== · Pg. 5: “Hey Geremio! Is your gang of dagos dead?” is a pretty horrible sentence, very much fitting the 1900s America. I wonder if that word was considered offensive at that time · Pg. 5: “Ah, bella casa mio. Where my little freshets of blood and my good woman awaits.” I find this sentence to be very explanatory of why these people continued working under those conditions. Family was the only major driving factor for these construction workers to show up to work, no matter how dangerous and exhausting it was · Pg. 5: “The job alone remained behind… and yet, they also, having left the bigger pat of their lives with it.” This is a sad quote that is still appropriate to this day. Some people decide to exchange best years of their lives and, in this given example, burry it under concrete, just so they can achieve the dream that they initially had Pg.9: “No longer Geremio, but a machinelike entity. The men were transformed into single, silent beasts.” Fear of hunger and despair could really make the person forget that they are human. “Shadows were once again personalities.”============================ |
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Page by page ANALYSIS Christ in Concrete IMMIGRANT STAGES OF INTEGRATION AND ASSIMILATION:
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