« previous next »

Author Question: What is the background of the Gutre family? How did they come to ownan English Bible? Why is it ... (Read 89 times)

justinmsk

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 524
on: Jul 20, 2018
What is the background of the Gutre family? How did they come to ownan English Bible? Why is it ironic that they own this book?
 
  What will be an ideal response?

Question 2

How old is Espinosa? What is ironic about his age?
 
  What will be an ideal response?


kalskdjl1212

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 353
Reply #1 on: Jul 20, 2018
Answer to Question 1


  • Like America, Argentina is a country populated largely by immigrants. (Borges himself was a mixture of English, Italian, Jewish, Uruguayan, and Argentinean stock.) The Gutre family are the descendants of Scottish immigrants, but they have lived on the Argentinean pampas so long that they have forgotten not only their English but even their ancestry. Their name is a corruption of the name Guthrie. Significantly, Borges links their Scottish ancestry to Calvinism, with its belief in absolute predestination. (In retrospect, Espinosas sacrificial death seems fated.) The irony of their owning an English Bible is multiple: they cannot read; they know no English; they are seemingly ignorant of Christianity; they have forgotten their Scottish roots. However, there is, of course, a deeper irony. Although they have forgotten everything else, the Gutres have unconsciously maintained a Calvinistic sensibility that leads them to interpret the Gospel with absolute literalism.



Answer to Question 2


  • Espinosa is thirty-three, the age at which Jesus is traditionally thought to have been crucified.



Related Topics

Need homework help now?

Ask unlimited questions for free

Ask a Question
« previous next »
 

Did you know?

The eye muscles are the most active muscles in the whole body. The external muscles that move the eyes are the strongest muscles in the human body for the job they have to do. They are 100 times more powerful than they need to be.

Did you know?

Pink eye is a term that refers to conjunctivitis, which is inflammation of the thin, clear membrane (conjunctiva) over the white part of the eye (sclera). It may be triggered by a virus, bacteria, or foreign body in the eye. Antibiotic eye drops alleviate bacterial conjunctivitis, and antihistamine allergy pills or eye drops help control allergic conjunctivitis symptoms.

Did you know?

A recent study has found that following a diet rich in berries may slow down the aging process of the brain. This diet apparently helps to keep dopamine levels much higher than are seen in normal individuals who do not eat berries as a regular part of their diet as they enter their later years.

Did you know?

Adolescents often feel clumsy during puberty because during this time of development, their hands and feet grow faster than their arms and legs do. The body is therefore out of proportion. One out of five adolescents actually experiences growing pains during this period.

Did you know?

Prostaglandins were first isolated from human semen in Sweden in the 1930s. They were so named because the researcher thought that they came from the prostate gland. In fact, prostaglandins exist and are synthesized in almost every cell of the body.

The insect family Coenagrionidae is found in the order Odonata and the suborder Zygoptera. The insect family Coenagrionidae is found in the order Odonata and the suborder Zygoptera.
Otter family Otter family
Spectrum of the Cosmic Microwave Background Spectrum of the Cosmic Microwave Background
The world has been horrified recently at a U.S. Congress so polarized and paralyzed that it cannot p The world has been horrified recently at a U.S. Congress so polarized and paralyzed that it cannot p
gene family gene family
Tata Family Tree Tata Family Tree
Video: Oxygen - hemoglobin dissociation curve & Hemoglobin's affinity with oxygen - acidity

For a complete list of videos, visit our video library