Caramelo- Manette Tanelus

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Caramelo has specifically 2 quotes that resonated with me deeply. The first one if from part one, and the second one is from part 3, and I think a bit of the reason for that is I think that the ending and beginning of a story is always more memorable for me than even the climax. They are the reason that you kept reading, and the moment the author felt there was no more to say.

 At the beginning she states "As soon as we cross the bridge everything switches to another language.....sweets sweeter, colors brighter, the bitter more bitter"(17). I think this quotes is so memorable for me because it reminds me of Haiti. If anyone reading this has not traveled outside of the US, I highly encourage that you do. There is something so amazing about seeing another culture, another language, another group of people who see the world not like you see it. Whether its Europe, Asia, or Africa, I guarantee you will see that everything you had been used to, from the shapes of the buildings to the color scheme, is so different. This immediate shock I think would make anyone realize how massive the world is and appreciate each life outside of your little bubble a little more. I commend Cisneros because she describes the differences so well, and so poetically that even the ugly parts of culture can seem worth expressing.

She ends the novel by stating "I don't know about anyone else, but for me these things, that song, that time, that place, are all bound together in a country I am homesick for, that doesn't exist anymore."
This quote resonated with me most of all because it reminded me of the nostalgic feeling of going back to Haiti.The thing about memories is that they are filled with the truth but we always seem to edit them so that we remember the best for the longest and the bad seems to slowly become lies or slip away. Memories also never repeat, and I think that is what Cisneros met by saying the place does not exist anymore. The place she once visit, and the loved ones she visited are all ever changing. From people moving around, children being born, homes changing. It is all ever changing, and evolving.

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