Carolina Maria de Jesus in her last year of life, 1977
18 thoughts on “W10”
Christopher Kurbikoff
1. There is a passage in the introduction of Carolina Maria de Jesus book that mentions she was rejected by her fellow peers for her ability to read. Her peers thought “a black girl enamored with reading must be a creature of the devil” (6). Why did they believe this? Was this belief widespread across Brazil? Was it culturally unacceptable for an Afro-Brazilian to learn how to properly read and write during that time?
2. Carolina gained success and fame when her first diary was published, however she would face harsh criticism from Brazilian critics over the years, even many years after her death. Another woman author named, Maura Lopes Cancado, would face harsh criticism from critics just like Carolina. Is it possible that many Brazilian critics were sexist towards women authors? Were the critics harsh towards these authors because they were women? Or were Brazilian critics just harsh towards any authors in general during that time?
1. Carolina Maria de Jesus mentions “here in the favela there are a number of children who don’t want to go t school and their mothers don’t force them”(51) as it was mentioned in introduction why would they consider children children who read were creatures of the devil?
2. Carolina states “…the whites of Brazil still enslave the blacks. A moral slavery intimidating the black with prison”(57). She mentions she kept her thing things in order to not be dominated by the whites. Was this belief the same across Brazil?
1) On page 33, Carolina Maria de Jesus mentioned how she was trying to send her book to the United States, since Brazilian publishers refused to publish her work. How were issues of black authorship and publication different between the United States and Brazil?
2) On page 48, Carolina judged a mother who encouraged her sons to steal a watermelon from a man. What did Carolina mean when she argued “when a mother has no culture she has intuition to correct her child?” Furthermore, how are similar ideas of the relationship between motherhood and morality of children emphasized throughout Carolina’s work? And why was she so particularly concerned about it?
1. When Carolina Maria De Jesus was subject to an inappropriate conversation rather than responding she ignored the man altogether. At the time and place this conversation took place was it common for men to openly degrade woman?
2. In relation to the above question was Maria accustomed to the disrespctufl language spoken by man? Did this have an impact on her literature?
On page 28, Carolina Maria de Jesus states, “…I noticed that a lot of people have moved into the favela. There is no more room.” With the export economy, urbanization, and migration to cities in mid-20th-century Latin America, what were the push factors out of the countryside and pull factors into cities? How did this context contribute to the growth of favelas?
On page 27 Carolina Maria de Jesus states, “…it’s the grownups in the shantytowns who distort childrens’ morals. It’s to be known! Poor favela children.” Moreover, on page 32 she states, “The women in the favela are a bunch of gossips.” What were social relationships and interactions like among people living in favelas? What were their interactions like with people and institutions outside the favelas (ex: politicians or state services)?
1. How did Latin American governments go about requesting and brining European immigrants to their nations? Was there some sort of marketing or advertisement that was meant to attract Europeans? What did they do to to invite/suggest European immigrants come to Latin America?
2. If Cuba and Brazil were so similar in issues they were facing and historical struggles they’ve been through as Afro-Latin Americans, and Brazil was beginning reforms thanks to president Getúlio Vargas, why didn’t Cuban governmental officials follow in Brazilian foot steps and start similar reforms or other reforms that were best for them? Is this when communism started to form in Cuba?
1. When Carolina says: ” Up to that point my heart dressed in bright colors.After that it dressed in purple. And now … in Black. I think I am black inside and out.”(pp.56), does she perceive being black inside and out as negative. What does this tell us about how she perceives blackness?
2. On page 63 Carolina state: ” The shacked where they are camped is like the headquarters of flies. They don’t let the favela children play with their children since they don’t like to mix.”, we get some insight into a social group that may have been ostracized for a particular reason that wasn’t just blackness. Where did Carolina’s strong distaste from gypsies come from?
1. Since this is the unedited version of her diary did the published account omit the names of her neighbors and people she discusses in her book or how much was changed in the official version?
2. Carolina often praises but mentions the judgements others have towards the mayor dr. Ademar, I’m often confused if she seriously supports him even with the unfair practices or if she has lost hope in real politicians?
1. How uncommon was it for Black people to know how to read and write since Carolina’s peers saw her as a creature from the devil?
2. In the introduction, why was Carolina forced back into poverty after a couple of years of her mercurial success?
1. What population comprised the majority of readers that contributed to the success of Carolina Maria de Jesus’ diary publication (the first one)? Why is there so much critique and downplaying of Maria’s work despite evidence and testimonies for its originality?
2. Why was there a major difference in the presentations of Maria de Jesus’ between Dante’s edited version and Carolina’s unedited versions, if the the former were just deletions? What was Dante’s reasoning and was he aware of the effects of these modifications?
1. There are many mentions of Dr. Adhemar the mayor of the city. However, Carolina mentions how they are taken advantage of by their fare being increased. Were there any other political influencers that advocated for the classes like Carolina was in?
2. Carolina mentions men at the beginning of her writing. There are similarities with Reyita and her ideas of gender. In what ways could or were there advocations of gender equality during this time? Was there any that exists?
1. Carolina Maria De Jesus tells us a different experience of urbanization from what we read in Reyita’s autobiography. While in Reyita blackness and poverty were removed from urban areas and living standards increased there, in Carolina Maria De Jesus‘s diary, she often said that life, especially for children, in favela get worse due to its development. What makes the difference between the two stories?
2. Carolina Maria De Jesus’s diary talks a lot about women and kids. To what extent does her point on motherhood shows the common sexist idea in Latin American society by then?
The text states that Carolina would often misuse words in her diary (1). Considering she is a black woman living in Brazil, did these mistakes lead to more criticism of her?
Seeing how Carolina talks about the men she encounters, it appears that there was a gap in equality between men and women. Was there any major advocacy for women’s rights at the time?
1. Carolina being able to read was seen as the Devils work, reviving the color association of Black people being unpure or the people of the Devil. What other ways or actions of Black people were considered devilish?
2. Carolina’s entries feels like there is lack of real emotion, all the feelings she writes about are quick. Did she intend to do that from a lack of education or does that stem from her feelings being invalidated her whole life? Did other slaves/ Black people feel this way too?
Since Carolinas experience is that of such a marginalized population, what made her story have such broad appeal to the general Brazilian population, leading it to become the countries best selling book?
How did Carolinas story impact perceptions of black Latin Americans ?
“a black girl enamored of reading must be a creature of the devil” did this sentiment have more to do with the fact that she was black or a woman ? or were her black male peers viewed the same?
Carolina was very vocal about the fact the Whites of Brazil still enslaving Black people, what were the repercussions of being so vocal about a topic like this? Was it free to discuss, or like in Cuba something that was kept out of the public sphere?
What role did labor-based populism play in promoting the concept of racial democracy in Latin America?
What are some of the economic challenges faced by Afro-Brazilians, particularly in terms of employment opportunities and wages? In what ways do economic disparities intersect with racial barriers to create obstacles for upward mobility among Afro-Latin Americans?
1. There is a passage in the introduction of Carolina Maria de Jesus book that mentions she was rejected by her fellow peers for her ability to read. Her peers thought “a black girl enamored with reading must be a creature of the devil” (6). Why did they believe this? Was this belief widespread across Brazil? Was it culturally unacceptable for an Afro-Brazilian to learn how to properly read and write during that time?
2. Carolina gained success and fame when her first diary was published, however she would face harsh criticism from Brazilian critics over the years, even many years after her death. Another woman author named, Maura Lopes Cancado, would face harsh criticism from critics just like Carolina. Is it possible that many Brazilian critics were sexist towards women authors? Were the critics harsh towards these authors because they were women? Or were Brazilian critics just harsh towards any authors in general during that time?
1. Carolina Maria de Jesus mentions “here in the favela there are a number of children who don’t want to go t school and their mothers don’t force them”(51) as it was mentioned in introduction why would they consider children children who read were creatures of the devil?
2. Carolina states “…the whites of Brazil still enslave the blacks. A moral slavery intimidating the black with prison”(57). She mentions she kept her thing things in order to not be dominated by the whites. Was this belief the same across Brazil?
1) On page 33, Carolina Maria de Jesus mentioned how she was trying to send her book to the United States, since Brazilian publishers refused to publish her work. How were issues of black authorship and publication different between the United States and Brazil?
2) On page 48, Carolina judged a mother who encouraged her sons to steal a watermelon from a man. What did Carolina mean when she argued “when a mother has no culture she has intuition to correct her child?” Furthermore, how are similar ideas of the relationship between motherhood and morality of children emphasized throughout Carolina’s work? And why was she so particularly concerned about it?
1. When Carolina Maria De Jesus was subject to an inappropriate conversation rather than responding she ignored the man altogether. At the time and place this conversation took place was it common for men to openly degrade woman?
2. In relation to the above question was Maria accustomed to the disrespctufl language spoken by man? Did this have an impact on her literature?
On page 28, Carolina Maria de Jesus states, “…I noticed that a lot of people have moved into the favela. There is no more room.” With the export economy, urbanization, and migration to cities in mid-20th-century Latin America, what were the push factors out of the countryside and pull factors into cities? How did this context contribute to the growth of favelas?
On page 27 Carolina Maria de Jesus states, “…it’s the grownups in the shantytowns who distort childrens’ morals. It’s to be known! Poor favela children.” Moreover, on page 32 she states, “The women in the favela are a bunch of gossips.” What were social relationships and interactions like among people living in favelas? What were their interactions like with people and institutions outside the favelas (ex: politicians or state services)?
1. How did Latin American governments go about requesting and brining European immigrants to their nations? Was there some sort of marketing or advertisement that was meant to attract Europeans? What did they do to to invite/suggest European immigrants come to Latin America?
2. If Cuba and Brazil were so similar in issues they were facing and historical struggles they’ve been through as Afro-Latin Americans, and Brazil was beginning reforms thanks to president Getúlio Vargas, why didn’t Cuban governmental officials follow in Brazilian foot steps and start similar reforms or other reforms that were best for them? Is this when communism started to form in Cuba?
1. When Carolina says: ” Up to that point my heart dressed in bright colors.After that it dressed in purple. And now … in Black. I think I am black inside and out.”(pp.56), does she perceive being black inside and out as negative. What does this tell us about how she perceives blackness?
2. On page 63 Carolina state: ” The shacked where they are camped is like the headquarters of flies. They don’t let the favela children play with their children since they don’t like to mix.”, we get some insight into a social group that may have been ostracized for a particular reason that wasn’t just blackness. Where did Carolina’s strong distaste from gypsies come from?
1. Since this is the unedited version of her diary did the published account omit the names of her neighbors and people she discusses in her book or how much was changed in the official version?
2. Carolina often praises but mentions the judgements others have towards the mayor dr. Ademar, I’m often confused if she seriously supports him even with the unfair practices or if she has lost hope in real politicians?
1. How do the themes of Carolina’s poetry change and remain the same over time?
2. Why does Carolina discuss others’ sexuality so often? What external factors (like religion) influence her perspective?
1. How uncommon was it for Black people to know how to read and write since Carolina’s peers saw her as a creature from the devil?
2. In the introduction, why was Carolina forced back into poverty after a couple of years of her mercurial success?
1. What population comprised the majority of readers that contributed to the success of Carolina Maria de Jesus’ diary publication (the first one)? Why is there so much critique and downplaying of Maria’s work despite evidence and testimonies for its originality?
2. Why was there a major difference in the presentations of Maria de Jesus’ between Dante’s edited version and Carolina’s unedited versions, if the the former were just deletions? What was Dante’s reasoning and was he aware of the effects of these modifications?
1. There are many mentions of Dr. Adhemar the mayor of the city. However, Carolina mentions how they are taken advantage of by their fare being increased. Were there any other political influencers that advocated for the classes like Carolina was in?
2. Carolina mentions men at the beginning of her writing. There are similarities with Reyita and her ideas of gender. In what ways could or were there advocations of gender equality during this time? Was there any that exists?
1. Carolina Maria De Jesus tells us a different experience of urbanization from what we read in Reyita’s autobiography. While in Reyita blackness and poverty were removed from urban areas and living standards increased there, in Carolina Maria De Jesus‘s diary, she often said that life, especially for children, in favela get worse due to its development. What makes the difference between the two stories?
2. Carolina Maria De Jesus’s diary talks a lot about women and kids. To what extent does her point on motherhood shows the common sexist idea in Latin American society by then?
The text states that Carolina would often misuse words in her diary (1). Considering she is a black woman living in Brazil, did these mistakes lead to more criticism of her?
Seeing how Carolina talks about the men she encounters, it appears that there was a gap in equality between men and women. Was there any major advocacy for women’s rights at the time?
1. Carolina being able to read was seen as the Devils work, reviving the color association of Black people being unpure or the people of the Devil. What other ways or actions of Black people were considered devilish?
2. Carolina’s entries feels like there is lack of real emotion, all the feelings she writes about are quick. Did she intend to do that from a lack of education or does that stem from her feelings being invalidated her whole life? Did other slaves/ Black people feel this way too?
Since Carolinas experience is that of such a marginalized population, what made her story have such broad appeal to the general Brazilian population, leading it to become the countries best selling book?
How did Carolinas story impact perceptions of black Latin Americans ?
“a black girl enamored of reading must be a creature of the devil” did this sentiment have more to do with the fact that she was black or a woman ? or were her black male peers viewed the same?
Carolina was very vocal about the fact the Whites of Brazil still enslaving Black people, what were the repercussions of being so vocal about a topic like this? Was it free to discuss, or like in Cuba something that was kept out of the public sphere?
What role did labor-based populism play in promoting the concept of racial democracy in Latin America?
What are some of the economic challenges faced by Afro-Brazilians, particularly in terms of employment opportunities and wages? In what ways do economic disparities intersect with racial barriers to create obstacles for upward mobility among Afro-Latin Americans?