You should be finishing The Book of Unknown Americans by Cristina Henriquez in the next few weeks. As you reflect on the book, think about some of the themes that have emerged in the Icarus stories (you should have read at least two of the stories from Icarus Tales before you respond here).
Where do you see a theme from one or more of the Icarus stories reflected in this The Book of Unknown Americans? You can focus on the major plots and characters or on one of the shorter narratives found throughout the novel. In your response, describe the theme from Icarus and how it appears in the novel. Here are some other questions you might consider:
Have fun with the response and explore all the crazy ways these two very different texts connect. This is a very abstract prompt and lots of people need to talk through their ideas to process. Don't hesitate to reach out to your teacher to talk about it. Make sure to respond to at least one other student. This blog response is due May 24th
56 Comments
Hazel Levin
5/14/2021 09:48:58 am
I think that a parallel character relation could be Mayor and Icarus. Icarus flew too close to the sun causing his wings to melt and make him fall into the ocean and drown. the mayor flew too close to Maribel, but when they kept meeting up when they weren't supposed to, it caused Maribel's fathers to get shot and killed. This has some sort of parallel in my opinion because it has a chain reaction leading to someone dying, due to someone making the decision to fly too close to their sun.
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Angelyne Valdez
5/16/2021 07:48:12 pm
I see how mayor and Icarus are similar. You have a really thorough comparison between the two throughout the whole story, very nice!
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Corey Freed
5/19/2021 09:26:46 am
One thing that stood out to me was the similarities between Icarus and Mayor, and I think you did a really good job of explaining that.
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Harlan Moritz
6/2/2021 10:03:30 am
I noticed a similar parallel between Mayor and Icarus, and I also thought their fathers, Rafael and Daedalus could be parallel characters. Your explanation of the parallel between the two stories was well done though, good job.
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Bobby Hamblin
6/7/2021 10:37:09 am
I never even would have thought about this connection, but it totally makes sense!
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Angelyne Valdez
5/16/2021 07:46:05 pm
There is one comparison I see between Anne Sextons version of Daedalus and Icarus and The Book of Unknown Americans. Daedalus and Icarus are exiled on Crete similar to the way Maribel, Alma, and Arturo are living in Mexico but need to be somewhere else. So Daedalus makes wings for him and Icarus to escape while Alma and Arturo plan to leave Mexico and come to the United states. In the end Icarus dies flying too close to the sun and Arturo gets shot. But what Anne focuses on in her version of the story is the beauty of the moment when Icarus flies too close. She states "Who cares that he fell back to the sea?" And I think the same goes for Arturo and his family, how beautiful that they came to this new place where Maribel found Mayor who helped her get bette. And even though the destination was ugly for both characters their journeys were quite wondrous.
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Aili Deibert
5/18/2021 10:47:54 am
I think you did a really good job of tying Anne Sextons theme to The Book Of Unknown Americans. The parallels between the two texts you mentioned were spot on!
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Ariana Ridgway
5/19/2021 11:06:29 am
I really like the way you connected so many aspects of the two stories, I didn't realize just how many similarities there really were.
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Maxwell Peterson
5/31/2021 03:30:48 pm
I hadn't even considered connecting these two texts because I didn't see any similarities that weren't in Ovid's version, but the point about their journeys really is exactly the same.
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Aili Deibert
5/18/2021 10:42:11 am
I think the stories of Icarus and Daedalus by Ovid and The Book Of Unknown Americans by Cristina Henriquez share a common theme of longing. While exiled in Crete trapped by the labyrinth and the monster that lies inside, Daedalus and Icarus long to escape. Which has strong parallels to Alma and Arturo situation while they're in Mexico, the labyrinth being the immigration system here in the U.S. Then Daedalus builds wings and Arturo secures a work visa. Now everyone's escaped from their exiles and home free. But things don't go as planned. While it's not Arturo's fault he was shot like it was Icarus' fault he fell, in the end both families loose someone important to them and their longing for a better place is replaced for a longing for their dead family members. The stories both show that longing can be a dangerous thing. Maribel's longing to be with Mayor sets off a chain of events that leads to her fathers death. Icarus' longing to fly higher leads him to his death. Longing is a powerful emotion and in both stories it lead to triumphs, flying in the case of Daedalus and Maribel's improvements because of her new school but also failures, in the deaths of Arturo and Icarus.
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Greta Jobs
5/21/2021 06:32:39 pm
This was a really powerful post. You were very detailed and provided really good imagery, it was really fun to read and think about. The way you connected the two using a metaphor is really cool!
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Laurel Chandler
6/3/2021 08:59:18 pm
I love how you described this and I totally agree with you. I definitely see Daedelus in Mirabel and Icarus in her father because Icarus followed Daedalus, leading to Icarus' demise. It was interesting to see you point out the theme of longing as well because I haven't seen someone mention that in the story of Icarus yet.
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karter
6/7/2021 01:36:04 pm
i think this was a really good take, i agree!
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Jeremia Bilbrew
6/11/2021 01:59:30 pm
I think you did a really good job connecting these two stories!!!
Corey Freed
5/19/2021 09:24:47 am
I feel like there are many small elements from the stories that align, but one that stood out to me the most was the relationship between Icarus and Mayor. They both portray a kind of youthful ignorance that ends up creating problems, for Icarus, it was losing his life and Mayor with Maribel's dad. In the book, The Unknown Americans Maribel was Mayor's sun and in a way, the car trips were like the wings.
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Neha Sandhu
5/21/2021 11:10:53 pm
I really like the analogy between Maribel and the sun and the car trips and the wings. It helps explain the similarities between the two texts.
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Pam Gaspar-Soto
5/24/2021 01:45:53 pm
I think this is really good example in showing how the characters and the events in the book and the poem align.
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Ariana Ridgway
5/19/2021 11:01:22 am
There is an assortment of connections that can be made between “The Book of Unknown Americans” and “Daedalus and Icarus,” but the most prominent one is the relation between Icarus and Mayor. In Daedalus and Icarus, Icarus gets caught up in his own world and flies too close to the sun which causes him to fall to his death. In The Book of Unknown Americans, Mayor also gets caught up in his own world, but instead of being by himself, he is with Maribel, and the consequence of his actions is not the death of himself, but instead the death of Arturo, Maribel’s father. This similarity can be reduced to a simple theme, if you don’t consider the people around you when making a decision, the consequences could be severe.
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Hazel Levin
5/20/2021 09:23:30 am
you did a very nice and thorough job explaining the similarities between mayor and Icarus. and I agree with the statements you made, I think that they both got too caught up in their own world causing a problem for their story line.
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Greta Jobs
5/21/2021 06:30:57 pm
This prompt really got me thinking, and had me stumped for a while. However, once we read "To a Friend..." I the pieces started moving into place. I began to think of looking for the happier aspects to each side of the stories, and found a parallel.
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Alondra Nieves
5/25/2021 04:59:07 am
I was also extremely stumped by this prompt and would have never thought of this connection. I liked how you found the bright side within these tragic stories. I really enjoyed reviewing the poems and book through your perspective.
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Neha Sandhu
5/21/2021 11:08:10 pm
A similar theme that stood out to me between The Book of Unknown Americans and Daedalus and Icarus. The theme of listening to your parents/elders. For example, Daedalus continuously warned Icarus of the dangers, yet Icarus disregarded those warnings ultimately leading to his death and Maribel's parents kept warning Maribel to stay inside and not leave unless they knew where she was. Maribel neglected these warnings which ended up with Maribel's father passing away. In both these texts, the parents were always trying to look out for their children as best they could but the consequences of their children's actions ended up with a very bad outcome.
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Eleanor Black
5/23/2021 12:17:40 pm
I really liked how you compared the stories. You tied them together in a way that made sense and ultimately showed how they were connected. There definitely was the similar theme of listening to elders between the two.
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Eleanor Black
5/23/2021 12:15:00 pm
There are a few ways you can look at the similarities, but the one that really stood out to me was how Arturo was like Icarus. He left home to have a better life, along with his wife and daughter. His wife, Alma, reminded me of Daedalus. She warned Arturo of how hard it all was going to be, but was always supportive of her husband. Their daughter -- however horrible this sounds -- is similar to King Minos. She was the reason they left their perfect life in Mexico to begin with. Maribel put them in a sort of "exile" while they were in Mexico, where they didn't have enough resources to help her. Their only chance was to fly away to Delaware and start over. Another way Arturo is like Icarus is that, despite doing what he believed was right, he still fell. He went to Capital Oaks -- the sun in this story, the place everyone was warned not to go -- and was killed. Arturo fell, and in doing so, he let his family fall with him.
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Maddie Kim
5/23/2021 01:55:47 pm
I thought it was really interesting that you compared Maribel to Minos, I never thought about that
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Maddie Kim
5/23/2021 01:54:41 pm
When I first read the prompt, the first similarity that came to mind was how Daedalus and Icarus are trying to leave wherever they are the same way Alma and Arturo are trying to leave Mexico. Both pairs are desperate to escape and longing for something better. There is also a parallel between Icarus and Mayor. Like Icarus, Mayor is youthful and naive, both getting trapped by something that should not be. For Icarus, it was the sun, and for Mayor, it was Maribel. Both of those things ended in death, Icarus flew too close to the sun and fell, and Mayor got Arturo shot. The key difference between those events is that Icarus himself died and Mayor caused someone else's death. I also think in a way the text touches on a theme we spoke about in class, "Take risks to look at the sun because even if things go wrong it will be worth it". Though they didn't end up with the outcome they desired in a way, they all had a beautiful journey getting there.
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Elowyn Gottsacker
5/24/2021 01:36:42 pm
I like how you point out several similarites between the two stories instead of one. I also like how you show the differences. Your paragraph is very well rounded and intriging as it shows multiple aspects. I agree that Mayor and Icurus have a lot of similarities.
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Rudy Bailey
6/5/2021 07:15:11 pm
I totally didnt connect the escaping thing, and fully agree that both sets of people wanted to get someplace better. they both had consequences even though they were different.
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Elowyn Gottsacker
5/24/2021 01:30:52 pm
While I was reading the story, one charecter stuck out to me as having similarities to themes from "Deadulus and Icurus" by Ovid. While we didnt get to hear her prespective, the charecter that stood out to me was Maribel. Maribel wasnt stuck in a litteral prison, but she had to hear people talk about her, infantilize her, and be stuck not able to communicate how she feels, or what she expeiriences. Even in the begining of the book when Maribel isnt very verbal, shes still smart. Shes still human. Shes still the same girl with the same thoughts and ideas, but becuase she cant communicate well she is babbied and treated less than of other kids her age. That is like a prison. Then she is given wings, she starts to learn to communicate with other people effectivly. It dosnt make her better then when she couldnt communicate well, but with this new tool it is easier for her to find her way in the world. Shes no longer trapped within the confines of her parents and can do what she wants. When she wanted to go with Mayor to the beach it reminded me of when Icurus flew twords the sun. When she realizes that her going to the beach has cuased her father to go look for her and then get shot, it is similar to when Icurus falls to the sea. Its when she realizes that freedom comes with cost. Wether or not she regrets it does not matter, becuase whats done is done.
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Pam Gaspar-Soto
5/24/2021 01:42:57 pm
Once I finished reading The book of unknown Americans I had already noticed that they shared a message. In the poem Daedalus and Icarus there is a common theme of “listen to your parents or suffer the consequences”, and that same theme often showed up in the book of unknown Americans as well. I noticed this when in the story of the book of unknown Americans Mayor was told to no longer have contact with maribel because of what happened between him and mariel prior. Well we see later in the story that the mayor chose to ignore the rules his parents set and go see maribel. Later we see that because he chose to ignore these rules he and maribel's family suffered the consequences. Mayor lost Maribel because she had to go back home and Maribel lost her father. In daedalus and Icarus when Icarus chose to ignore the rules of flying his father had recited to him, he ended up losing his life. We see now that in both stories because these characters chose to ignore their parents, they suffered the consequences.
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Christine Migani
5/24/2021 03:41:03 pm
I noticed that Alma and the Daedalus from Ovid's story are quite similar, they both blame themselves for what happened to their children. Alma believes that if she hadn't let go of the ladder or if she had not let Maribel climb up the ladder in the first place their lives wouldn't have changed like that. And Daedalus cured his own works(the wings) because he believes if he hadn't made it Icarus would probably have stayed alive.
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Peter Bradbury
5/25/2021 04:46:32 pm
I agree, both Alma and Daedalus carry a lot of guilt.
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Aissatou Idy
5/25/2021 08:07:26 pm
I completely forgot about the similarities between the blame both parents share for their children's fates, this definitely showed me a different perspective to the stories. You did a nice job of bringing up specific instances from both stories.
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Alondra Nieves
5/25/2021 04:55:00 am
The Book of Unknown Americans and Field's Icarus, in my opinion, have a similar theme of new beginnings. In The Book of Unknown Americans, Alma and her family move to a foreign country where all is different to begin a new life. In Field's Icarus, Icarus must start a new life with unknown ideas of leading a normal life. Alma and Icarus are both unable to embrace their present life and long for their previous lives. If there's one thing you should take away from this relation, it's to not let go of the dreams and life you want to live in order to have a more stable and safe life.
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Peter Bradbury
5/25/2021 04:42:14 pm
Icarus and Mayor are very similar. Icarus flew too close to the sun and Mayor pushed his boundaries to the point of Maribel’s father’s death. Each action led to problems that could be avoided. Warnings were provided to both of them. But, they did not listen. One big difference I noticed between the stories is that Icarus hurt himself and Mayor indirectly hurt someone else.
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Josie Doughty
5/26/2021 02:50:38 pm
I agree with your comparison, especially the distinction you make between how mayor hurt someone else and icarus hurt himself. When we first the story of icarus and daedalus i was thinking about how in some retellings the mirrored character of icarus can face either type of consequences, personal or to others.
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Aissatou Idy
5/25/2021 08:00:33 pm
I drew similarities from both versions of the Icarus stories and “The Book of Unknown Americans” by Cristina Henriquez in the overall theme. The beginning of “The Book of Unknown Americans” is carried by optimism, every chapter follows a new character but they're all tied by the same challenge. All being immigrants coming from Spanish speaking countries, they’re all limited, from not being able to communicate in English to lack of opportunities due to their ethnicity and lack of experience. Through all this there is hope of better and bigger, believing they’ve been dealt less than they deserve, this appears in Anne Sexton's version of the Icarus tale “To A Friend Whose Work Has Come to Triumph” It tells the story of Icarus through a more sanguine view, it deals him as a boy with ambition and burning desire far bigger than the island he’s been condemned to. It is expressed that the prize for this desire may outweigh the consequences, that optimism led to Icarus’s claiming the sun although succumbing to his consequence. This version of the Icarus story would tell the characters from “The Book of Unknown Americans” to live with no regret, throw caution to the wind and feed into those goals and desires because you either live for something or die having stood for nothing.
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Christine
5/31/2021 12:51:23 pm
I didn't think of the first one, you did a good job with the connections.
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Josie Doughty
5/26/2021 02:43:13 pm
The most obvious parallel is the different immigrants mirroring icarus, and the sun being america. they seek out what they think will be a better life, but often are disappointed in the harsh reality. they "wings" are their families, their friends, their possessions and belongings. once they the the risk and move, they slowly melt away or are even ripped away from them, sending them plummeting into the oceans of poverty or loneliness.
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Mila Brucato
5/31/2021 03:02:57 pm
The parallel that is most prominent in my mind is between the characters Icarus and Mayor. They both are experiencing a new and exhilarating feeling, Icarus with his wings and Mayor with Maribel. The characters are so attached to this feeling and they don’t want to let go, instead they are longing for more. This leads to them pushing the limits and reaching for something forbidden. Icarus flies too close to the sun and Mayor breaks the rules set for his time with Maribel. In the end the two end up losing all that they had because they didn’t take the consequences of their actions into account, they let solely their hearts guide them rather than their heads. The two of them had figures telling them what needed to be done and what was acceptable but they were both too caught up in the rush that came in the moment to acknowledge outsiders input.
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Maxwell Peterson
5/31/2021 03:28:24 pm
Since this is late, I've already seen the comparison everyone made about how both Daedalus and Icarus and the Riveras left their homes because they were desperate. Another connection you you could make is how Mayor and Icarus are similar because they both act in naïve ways, Mayor after falling in love with Maribel, and Icarus wanting to fly up to the sun. These actions both result in the death of someone else.
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Harlan Moritz
6/2/2021 09:59:59 am
I think that Mayor and Icarus are parallel characters between the two stories, and that Mayor's Father Rafael is also the parallel to Icarus' father, Daedalus. They are similar in that both Rafael and Daedalus gave warnings to their sons -- rules to follow to keep themselves safe. In the case of Daedalus and Icarus, it was a warning to not fly too high, or too low. In the case of Rafael and Mayor, it was a rule that he couldn't see Maribel. In both stories, though, Icarus and Mayor broke their respective rule. In the moment they both enjoyed it, Icarus flying high in the air and Mayor hanging out with Maribel, but for both of them it led to major consequences: Icarus falling to his death, and Mayor causing a chain reaction leading to Maribel's father being shot. So all in all, the parallel I found between the two stories was that they both had a wiser father figure, and an adventurous teen boy who went against the warnings of his father, leading him to face the consequences of taking risks.
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Laurel Chandler
6/3/2021 09:04:52 pm
I noticed a similar theme in Unknown Americans and Edward Field's, "Icarus". Both stories explore the theme of coming off a relatively high status to a significantly lower status. Alma and Arturo had a comfortable life in Mexico, but when they immigrated to California in the U.S, they found themselves in a tough financial, social, and language situation. It mirrors Field’s take on Icarus because Icarus was also in a place of comfort when he was in the sky, but when he fell down and survived he resented the mundane life he lives after. And while Alma and Arturo came to Mexico for a good reason and Icarus ended where he got because he didn't listen to his father, I felt that shared theme was worthwhile to point out.
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Magdalena Gonzales
6/8/2021 11:19:32 pm
I recongnized the mirroring as well and the obvious ignoring of fathers that lead to a downfall
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Havana
6/4/2021 02:52:34 pm
When I first read the prompt the first thing I thought of was the connection between Icarus and Daedalus escaping crete similar to how Alma and her family were trying to leave Mexico to find a better life for her daughter. It was a similar story to most of the people in the apartment building they were living in. Everyone there had a story for why they wanted to leave their home country. Some left because they had huge hopes and dreams they wished to accomplish in America such as Nelia Zafon who came to America from Puerto Rico hoping to dance on Broadway . But when they got there they realized the harsh realities that many didn't want them there. I find this similar to Icarus in the story. He flew close to the sun enchanted by its beauty but it melted his wings and he fell back into the ocean. Others came to America because it was too dangerous in their country and they could no longer raise their family even though they loved their country. An example of this is Rafael Toro and his family. He and his wife loved Panama and wished they could have lived there but at the time it was not a safe place to raise children so they moved to America. These people seem more like Daedalus whose only goal in the story was to try and escape the island of Crete. He was not distracted by the sun and headed straight to town. I feel as if there are multiple parallels between “The Book of Unknown Americans” and the story of Daedalus and Icarus. Everyone n the story took a risk to try and accomplish their goals.
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Rudy Bailey
6/5/2021 07:13:00 pm
In “The Book of Unknown Americans” Mayor Toro is a kid hopelessly in love with what he can't have. Family is strict in his and his girlfriends (Maribels) house. But Mayor feels that his love for her is enough to warrant disobeying both families rules. Mayor thought by pushing his way into Maribels life, he could prove himself. All it did was get people hurt. You can describe Icarus in a very similar way. He had no mal intent, but never stopped to think of other opinions and concerns. Both him and Mayor couldn't comprehend that others could think differently than them, and how life is full of consequences.Mayor felt like he needed to get what he wanted, not what fate had in store. The same goes for icarus, he thought he should always be in control. Both boys shared an ignorance to the truth. Mayors love for Maribelle can be compared to Icaruss love for the sky and unknown. They want what they cant have, but don't understand this reality.
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Ry Adams
6/11/2021 09:58:25 am
I agree with your analysis and the comparison between the mayor and Icarus. The connection is very similar, and one that makes a lot of sense in the long run.
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Bobby Hamblin
6/7/2021 10:16:36 am
The premises of the Icarus tales and Unknown Americans are very similar in that they both involve characters escaping their former lives for something new and different. In Icarus, Daedalus and his son escape Crete by flight, but they fail in the end. When the Rivera family leaves Mexico to find a better life for their daughter, they eventually must go back to Mexico. Does this mean that they failed in the end? Even though Arturo is brutally murdered, I would say that they did not fail, just as Icarus and Daedalus did not fail to escape Crete. I see parallels between the ending of Unknown Americans and Sexton's poem, in that while the ending of both is tragic, the journey was what it was really about. Alma realized that Maribel does not need to change, and the reason that she realized that was because of the experiences they had with the Toro family and their entire community in america. I believe that even though Arturo died, there is still much hope for the Rivera family.
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karter
6/7/2021 01:46:39 pm
For me the idea of people suffering for others mistakes was apparent in both stories, the way Maribell's father paid with his life for Mayor's bad decisions, and how Icarus died because his father Daedalus got them imprissioned in that tower. But i also drew parallels between Icarus and Mayor, the way they both crashed and burned ( or caused others to get burned) by not listening to those around them.
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Camille Lawrence
6/7/2021 01:53:53 pm
One of the main themes I noticed that could connect The Book of Unknown Americans with Icarus stories is the idea of one getting ahead of themselves. Icarus and Mayor both let their ambition and desires spiral out of their control, and it ended up with disastrous consequences in both stories. In Icarus's case, his aspiration was to fly closer to the sun, and Mayor's aspiration was to be with Maribel.
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Magdalena Gonzales
6/8/2021 11:18:06 pm
I was surprised with the amount of similarities between Icarus and Unknown Americans. The quite literal falling off the ladder after the parents allow Maribel to climb up high along with the more subtle feelings of being in a car with your lover feeling like you could take down the whole solar system if you had too, only to return to a mess. From living as if your locked in a cell to the flying back to town after its all over.
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Roland Fabik
6/12/2021 12:31:44 pm
that is very interesting, I noticed a parallels in theme but not many in events. very insightful.
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Ry Adams
6/11/2021 09:56:21 am
In this text, the author, Cristina Henríquez, explores this theme through the characters of the Mayor and Maribel. The Mayor, so enveloped in their longing for Maribel, is unaware of the effect his actions would have, much like Ovid’s Icarus. However, in contrast to Fields’ “Icarus”, in this text rather than the Mayor being punished, Arturo, the father of Maribel is punished. The death of Arturo serves to show that the problem with Icarus is based on more than one person. The consequences of an Icarus’ actions can affect everyone around them, rather than just themselves.
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Jeremia Bilbrew
6/11/2021 02:10:17 pm
I think Ovid, and Christina Henriquez wrote two totally different stories but have a lot in common with the characters. I have a different perspective of Icarus, and I believe Icarus and Alma have a lot in common. Alma spent some the story trying to get her daughter back, but physcially but mentally, and Icarus spent the story trying to figure himself out and questioning who he was. Alma was also questioning herself, weather or not she was ever going to get her daughter back. She realize she had her daughter the whole time just a newer version of her. Icarus is transitioning from Icarus to Mr.Hicks, they both have different view points of there situations, Alma settles and realizes this is her life Icarus doesnt and spends his life in regret.
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Roland Fabik
6/12/2021 12:30:34 pm
I agree, the transition between who the characters were and who they will be is just as important as the similarities between them and one point in their stories
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Roland Fabik
6/12/2021 11:51:49 am
I feel like the greatest similarities is someone getting hurt due to stepping too far beyond the limits set by those with more experience. Icarus was warned about flying too high and Mayor was told to stay away from Maribel.
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