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which is further made aware that this is not their first encounter of this sort 

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Reflective piece of Padlet Presentation - Aisling Clinton

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Reflective piece of Padlet Presentation - Aisling Clinton

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The process of the Padlet began with the organisation of the different sections and the delegation of each section to a particular person. To do this, we agreed in class to meet up at another time and spend an hour discussing what we needed to do, who needed to do what, etc. the process of choosing who did what was relatively simple, as we all decided personally what we would be interested in doing, which everyone agreed on. In order to visually aid the presentation, we used different images to add colour and interest, along with this, each person added articles of further information of their particular topic, and finally, a YouTube video of the song ‘Havana’ by Camila Cabello in order to give an element of life to the presentation. What I enjoyed about the presentation was the group work, as I personally am not strong in essay writing and therefore it was something different and enjoyable, however in my opinion the overall percentage for the Padlet presentation should be slightly higher. There was a slight challenge in being able to meet up as a group to prepare due to different class times, however overall, I personally found the Padlet presentation to be successful.

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Reflection of Padlet Presentation - Rachel O'Dea

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Reflection of Padlet Presentation - Rachel O'Dea

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This Padlet presentation was an interesting approach to studying the novel Vientos de Cuaresma. A huge advantage to this study approach was that due to each group being assigned a specific topic/theme, we were able to analyse the book as a class in a more interactive way. It was greatly beneficial to hear other classmates’ opinions of certain topics and their interpretations of elements of the novel. The nature of this presentation allowed us to explore certain aspects of the novel in more detail which would have been impossible if we were trying to study the entire book individually. Another advantage with working closely with other members of the class meant building new friendships and getting to know people that you may not have had the opportunity to get to know otherwise. Finally, due to the nature of the padlet we were able to personalise it with bullet points and key pieces of information to display to the class which we then further expanded on during our oral presentation. We were able to include images, media and external links with ease.

For the most part I thought the padlet worked quite well. One issue we had was with the organisation of the padlet itself. Once one of us moved one post on the padlet, all the rest would rearrange themselves. This caused some difficulties in navigation during our presentation but we were able to work around this on the day. In my opinion, the split in assessment grade between the presentation and final essay would be more beneficial if it were more evenly distributed. This would work well to include all students, those strong in essay writing and those stronger in presentation work. Overall I had a lot of fun during this portion of the course.

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Overall, I found this activity unique and engaging. Using the format of the padlet was a nice change from the usual style of writing an essay. The topic my group had was Havana and the relationships the characters have with the spaces around them. This topic allowed for myself and my group to explore the book from a different perspective as normally, book reviews main focus are the characters, not the setting. There were advantages and disadvantages to our topic being so broad. An advantage was that we each had individual areas to focus on, be that the crime scene, Cuba or specific characters. This meant we were not repeating each other in the group presentation. A disadvantage, however, was that because each of our information was so exclusive it was hard to condense it all down for a ten-minute presentation. A frustration I had with the padlet was that anytime you put a new section into it, it would move all the other slides. This meant, as a group, we thought our padlet did not look as professional as we would have hoped. My specific topic was the relationship Conde and Candito el Rojo have with the spaces around them. I found my topic enjoyable as there was a vast amount of information about both characters and their relations with the spaces around them, also because they were key characters in the plot. Overall, I thought the padlet style of assessment a positive experience.

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Padlet: Refelction								(Ryan Bradley)

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Padlet: Refelction								(Ryan Bradley)

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In my opinion, the main strengths of the Padlet lie in its interactive nature. The ease of access that each member of my team had when contributing to our final project was fantastic. In terms of the content we covered, it was an effective way to grasp the salient themes of the novel without having to focus on every last detail. I particularly enjoyed learning about Havana and its history, including the revolution led by Fidel Castro in 1959. In its ability to allow us to work as a team, the Padlet was flawless, it has to be said. On the flipside, my main concern is whether having focussed on one issue in particular has meant that I gained a deep understanding of the main themes of Los Vientos de Cuaresma. Is this down to a lack of attention to the other presentations on my part? Quite possibly. Yet, even with some of them being interesting, I still feel that if we covered more material ourselves we might obtain a more complete understanding. I understand that time limits are a constraint, but if the module was weighted 50/50 then this would possibly leave more time to cover Los Vientos.

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Reflection of Padlet Presentation by Joe Barcoe

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Reflection of Padlet Presentation by Joe Barcoe

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I thoroughly enjoyed the padlet project and presentation and thought it was a great success. There were many reasons to why I liked this different approach. Firstly, this was a refreshing new technique of doing a presentation, replacing the boring and unimaginative powerpoint. My team and I were able to include videos, quotes, clips and pictures with ease. Furthermore, the manner in which we could all access and contribute to the same padlet presentation was extremely helpful. Secondly, although faced with the difficult challenge of studying character relation with spaces, the padlet presentation encouraged me to study specific chapters and scenes in greater depth. For example, Lisette and her relation to her apartment in Santos Suarez. I learned the major importance of all the objects she contained in her apartment and how each object provided invaluable information to both the reader and Conde. On top of this, due to my role in presenting Flaco Carlos, I was privileged with the chance to deepen my knowledge with regards to Cuban involvement in Angola and how it affected the Cuban populace. However, one thing I disliked about the padlet presentation was how at times it was quite difficult to organize. Every time either myself or one of my team mates moved a section of the presentation, a number of other sections involuntarily moved themselves which caused confusion and almost made it impossible to organize. Despite this minor flaw, overall the padlet presentation was a major success and highly enjoyable.

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BQ0mxQXmLsk

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Camila Cabello - Havana (Official Video) ft. Young Thug

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http://lelibros.online/libro/descargar-libro-vientos-de-cuaresma-mario-conde-las-cuatro-estaciones-en-pdf-epub-mobi-o-leer-online/

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Characters relation with Spaces: Candito el Rojo

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Characters relation with Spaces: Candito el Rojo

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Candito el Rojo is the character who plays the role of the informer in this crime novel. Both Candito and Conde are aware of how divided society in Cuba is at this time. Candito says ‘Tú sabes que aquí hay dos mundos’. Candito is the link between Conde’s world and the world of the streets.

Candito was born in a house in Santos Súarez and has lived there for the entirety of his life. It is a very run down area with lots of people living in very small spaces. In the book it tells us how Candito owns more rooms than usual as his brother is in jail, his parents are dead and an old neighbour gave him his property when he died. So although Candito lives in the more poverty-stricken area of town he is one of the better off.

Candito appears to have money to spare to buy coffee and other commodities. For being a humble shoe-maker this is an unusual luxury. We, therefore, know he is involved in illegal activities. Even the fact that he has proper rum, not cheap stuff which the majority of the population have to drink. The book explains how Candito is not used to ‘innocent’ police visits, yet he still owns all his property and is out of jail. Clearly, his illegal activities are only petty crimes. Due to the lifestyle that he leads, he knows information about people on the streets and the illegal activities that go on. This information is what Conde needs.

Canditos problem is that he is loyal to both Conde who he has known him since youth and the reputation he holds on the street. He is torn between both, we know this because Candito confronts Conde say what he is doing by helping Conde and informing on his fellow criminals is against the code of ethics on the street, Honour among thieves. ‘sabes que lo que yo estoy haciendo no se hace. Esto no es juego.’

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https://placesjournal.org/article/history-of-the-present-havana/?cn-reloaded=1

https://blog.oup.com/2016/12/cuba-intervention-africa-cold-war/

https://oncubanews.com/cuba/los-vientos-de-cuaresma/

https://www.historynet.com/cuban-fighters-angolas-civil-war.htm

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The crime takes place in the apartment of Lissette Núñez Delgado; on the fourth flour of an apartment complex in Santos Suarez in La Havana, Cuba.

When Conde arrives, we learn that the victim was ‘la asfixiaron con una toalla’. She was beaten, suffered from a fractured rib, 2 broken fingers and was raped by at least two men.

‘Le dieron golpes de todos los colores, le fracturaron una costilla y dos falanges de un dedo y la violaron al menos dos hombres.’

The chalk outline of the silhouette of the body is traced on the floor; one arm described as being close or cradling the body while the other is stretched upwards as if trying to protect the head. The legs are intertwined as if in attempt to protect stomach/womb that has already been assaulted

‘Las piernas unidas y flexionadas, es un esfuerzo inútil por proteger el vientre ya vencido.’

The coffee table has been flipped over on to its side.

Interestingly, the police find marijuana cigar fibres ‘fibras de un cigarro de marihuana’ in the toilet water, suggesting that the perpetrator attempting to dispose of the contraband once killing Lissette.

Conde notes a large collection of books comprising of chemistry books, books of the work of Lenin (a Russian revolutionary) and poetry books. He concludes Lissette must not have been a huge reader as all the books are covered in a thick layer of dust.

‘Debió sacudirse el polvo que le quedó en las manos.’

Conde investigates the bedroom and notes the wardrobe which was filled with old-fashioned and unusual clothes of expensive materiel, eg. old fashioned blouses, petticoats/skirts, trousers, pullovers, shoes, panties, coats, etc.

‘el ropero no era común no corriente.’
This raises to question where Lissette got the money in order to afford these clothes.

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https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/nov/27/fidel-castro-dead-revolutionary-history
https://www.irishtimes.com/topics/topics-7.1213540?article=true&tag_organisation=Guardia+Civil

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We learn that Flaco was heavily influenced by the war in Angola where he lost both of his legs.

" Fidel Castro was not content with keeping the flame of revolution burning solely within Cuban borders. Thus, he sent his forces to fight in armed conflicts on other continents. Nowhere was their presence more strongly felt than in Angola during its bloody 27-year civil war".

Flaco gives a description of the horrors he experienced in Angola: "Por eso era más fácil volverse loco que morirse, metido en aquellos huecos, sin tener la más puta idea de cuánto tiempo había que estar allí y sin ver ni una sola vez la cara de tu enemigo, que podía ser cualquiera de esas gentes que nos encontrábamos en las aldeas por donde pasábamos. Era terrible, mi hermano, y además sabíamos que estábamos allí para morirnos, porque era la guerra, y era como una rifa en la que a lo mejor, si tenías suerte, te tocaba el número de salir vivo: así de sencillo, lo más
irremediable del mundo (pg127-128).

This highlights the immense struggle it was for Cubans who were stationed in  Angola and how the bloody civil war had long lasting effects on the Cuban populace.

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The neopolicial novel is usually intended to be a cultural statement from the author; Leonardo Padura wanted to reflect the chaos in Latin America in 1989.

The scene is set from the beginning of the Los Vientos de Cuaresma, with the narrator describing the landscape as apocalyptic (p 11):

-  << como si hubieran un terremoto>>

-  << el acto de respirar se hizo un ejercicio consciente y doloroso>>

-  << los effectos del apocalíptico vendaval:las calles vacías, las puertas cerradas, los arboles vencidos>>

All of this amounts to the setting of a wasteland where the dreams of the revolution lay shattered.

Political backdrop in 1989 Cuba
1.  30 years since Cuban revolution of 1959

- The socialist program that followed sought to redesign the Cuban state.

- Reforms included: gender + race equality, re-nationalization of business + land, free education + healthcare for all.

2.  Cuban interventions in Africa during 1970s-80s

- During the Cold War, Castro’s Cuba had a large part to play in the peaceful transition from Apartheid in South Africa, in the independence of Namibia, and in the war of independence in Angola (where ‘Flaco’ fought).

- Nelson Mandela: “We come here with a sense of the great debt that is owed the people of Cuba. What other country can point to a record of greater selflessness than Cuba has displayed in its relations to Africa?” (1991).

- This altruistic cooperation was an example of how the Cuban revolutionary vision was carried out.

3.  Fall of Berlin Wall in 1989

- The USSR fell along with the Berlin Wall and in the months that followed, the dissipation of the Soviet Bloc lead to economic crisis in Cuba.

- As the Communist state had lost its main economic partner, Cuba had to move towards the capitalist principles of markets, tourism and investment in order to survive.

- The ‘special period’ that was ushered in became one of austerity, so much so that a ‘tarjeta de racionamiento’ had to be introduced
- The scene in the Vientos de la Habana film where Candito asks his girlfriend to buy coffee at the shop and she returns empty handed, is an example of the shortages at the time.

- In 1991, the US Dollar became legal tender in Havana, again emphasizing the Americanization that had been taking place.
- Interestingly, nowadays it is the use of two currencies, one for locals (CUPs) and one for tourists (CUCs) that causes problems. As the convertible currency used in tourism is worth roughly 25 times that of the Cuban peso, it has created serious economic imbalances.

SECONDARY SOURCE
- Belmont Freeman, the journalist who wrote a very informative article called Havana: History of the Present, wrote about friends who  live in the still “decidedly un-posh barrio” of Santos Suarez (where large parts of the novel/film are set). They believe that “Cuba is now stuck with the worst of capitalist inequality and socialist inefficiency” due to the way the state currently operates (2014).

Descriptions of Havana in Los vientos de cuaresma

<<El viento peinaba la Calzada del barrio como si aquel arrastre de suciedades y tierras muertas fuera su única misión en el mundo>> (p 83). This reinforces the idea of Havana being some sort of post-apocalyptic wasteland that needs cleansing.

<<... un escudo de hidalgos criollos remataba una construcción sin trazas de hidalguía, roída por los años y la lluvia>> (p 137). The wearing-away of this historic coat of arms symbolises the neglect that the city of Havana has experienced in recent times.

<<A esa altura, superior a la escala humana, está el alma más limpia de la ciudad, que abajo se contamina de historias sórdidas y lacerantes>> (p 137). From a high point in the city, Conde feels the warmth of Los Vientos de Cuaresma. Yet, even while praising this vantage point, he still refers to the La Habana as dirty.

Conde remembers how his grandfather, Rufino, had a hand in building one of the old castles in the area <<hacía mas de setenta años>>. Despite the fact that it is in decay like much of the rest of the city, the important thing is that <<sobrevivía el castillo, con sus tejas rojas>> (p 223). The castle simultaneously represents how the people of La Habana came together to make the city what it is, and how in spite of all of the difficulties it has faced, it has survived.

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Characters relation with Spaces: Mario Conde

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Characters relation with Spaces: Mario Conde

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Conde is not your average policeman, he is aware of the crimes of Candito yet he knows he is more valuable to him outside of jail to act as an informer than locked up. Conde also turns a blind eye to the fact that Josefina's got the ingredients for dinner off the black market. Conde knows the reality of what normal people must go through in order to survive in Cuba at this time. In both the book and the movie you get the sense that Conde is different from the other policemen, he is emersed in the community not outside it.

The area of town which Conde lives in is more high end than Candito but still run down. The book describes the graffiti on the walls ‘aquella calle mal pintada y sucia en la que faltaban’.(pg 84) Conde is very much a part of the community, in the book he greets all his neighbours passing by. Normally police officers are isolated characters as the community is wary of them.

We know that Conde is from the same background as Candito ‘Tú eres de la calle,’ (pg 82) yet he is in a better situation than most due to his job as a policeman. However, throughout the film and the book we know that this is not his true passion in life.  If he lived in Cuba at a different time he would have wanted to be a writer. ‘Conde, no te hubieras metido a policía y hubieras sido escritor’. So although Conde's job requires him to be hard and abide by the law, due to the relationships he has with the people around him and the life all Cuban people must lead at this time, you realise that he actually just wants the best for his friends and community

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Characters relations with Spaces: Flaco Carlos - Angola and his own house

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Characters relations with Spaces: Flaco Carlos - Angola and his own house

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Our first impressions of Flaco Carlos is solely that he is a close friend of Conde`s and lives with Josefina. We then find out the significance of his relation with where he lives:

Flaco Carlos is housebound and is taken care of by Josefina. Conde even stresses how it hardly is even Flaco`s house anymore. "Todo comenzó el domingo, después de almorzar en casa del Flaco, que ya no era flaco, y de comprobar que Josefina estaba en tratos con el Diablo". (Pg 12)

This also highlights Josefina`s dealings with the black market. However, Conde is willing to turn a blind eye to her dealings: "...servidos los platos de caldo y, circunspecta y desbordada de promesas, la fuente de carnes, viandas y garbanzos" (pg12+13).

He spends nearly all of his time inside. One could say Cuba`s suppressive society is portrayed through Flaco`s living situation. He is unable to venture outside due to his condition. One may presume he spends lots of time watching TV as we are exposed to him watching baseball, again reinforcing this sense of Americanisation: "Flaco insistió en sentarse frente al televisor para hacer el postre con el doble juego de pelota. El equipo de La Habana, por fin, estaba jugando una temporada
como se debía". (pg13)

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The Characters relations with spaces: Lisette- Her apartment/Crime Scene in Santos Suarez

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The Characters relations with spaces: Lisette- Her apartment/Crime Scene in Santos Suarez

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- Lisette`s body marked on the floor with chalk.
- The apartment is quite small with one room and a balcony: “Entró en la única habitación del apartamento y encontró la cama tendida” (pg33)
-Furthermore, the apartment is located in a rather poor and run-down area with shocking constructions "encontró construcciones miserables" (pg34)
- As Conde ventures out onto the balcony, he describes what he sees as: "más decrépita, más sucia, más inasequible y hostil" (pg34)
-However, we then are exposed to key clues and unique objects found in Lisette`s apartment which provide us with a key insight into the woman she was:
1: The Poster of Barbara Streisand- expressed the influence of Americanisation.
2: The books found in her apartment- Tries to give the impression she is a normal/perfect girl by the books she reads, however when Conde takes a closer look at them, he finds them quite dusty and unused. They are more for display. “había una hilera de libros que le interesó más: varios de química, las obras de
Lenin en tres tomos de un rojo desvaído, una Historia de Grecia y algunas novelas que el Conde jamás se atrevería a volver a leer. Doña Bárbara, Papá Goriot, Mare Nostrum, Las inquietudes de Shanti Andía, Cecilia Valdés" (pg33)
*First clue that expresses Lisette is not as innocent as we had believed*.
3: As Conde describes his surroundings, we find out she had a Japanese coloured TV, and a double cassette recorder. On Top of this is her vast quantity of expensive clothing.
*In such a small and run down area, one would not expect to find such valuable objects and expensive clothing. “No se llevaron nada de valor, aparentemente: ni ropa, ni equipos Eléctrico”. (pg32)
4: Finally the marijauna found in the water of her toilet . “Y en el agua del inodoro de la casa aparecieron fibras de un cigarro de marihuana". (pg32)

Black Market and Corruption!

Lisette`s apartment provides important information about her life and her character in general.

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Police and Police Station in relation to space

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Police and Police Station in relation to space

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The police station and the police in general are majorly influenced by the realistic portrayal of La Guardia Civil throughout Cuba in the 20th century. Cuba, under the rule of Fidel Castro was ruled according to communist views. A communist police force in a country with a dream of nationalism was the cause of much of the hatred to pass through Cuba at the time ‘Vientos de Cuaresma’ was written.

The imagery of the police station and the treatment of Las Guardias Civiles in the film can be compared to the treatment of criminals in a typical prison. The scene in which food is put on a plate without choice gives an atmosphere of incarceration/hostility.

The police station derives constant negative connotations as it can be seen in the book as a constant place of scrutiny and interrogation. for example, the intense interrogation between Manolo conde and Caridad regarding Lisette’s drug possession

—¿Lissette consumía drogas? —preguntó entonces el Conde dispuesto a aprovechar su superioridad. —No, no, ¿cómo van a pensar eso? —se rebeló la mujer, recuperando algo de su devastada seguridad—. No puede ser. Que tuviera varios novios o que fuera a fiestas o que un día se tomara unos tragos, eso sí, pero drogas no. –

The state of corruption in general in Cuba is shown by the lack of respect given by the people upon interaction with officers. While attempting to show authority, conde says ‘Soy Policía’, folding his arms in attempt to show power, to which Karinna responds —¿De la policía montada del Canadá o de Scotland Yard? Sí, y o lo sabía, tienes cara de mentiroso —dijo, se apoyó en los brazos cruzados del Conde y lo besó en la mejilla—. Adiós, policía. She shows little care towards condes position and what he has to say, and is completely unconvinced by his argument.

Corruption in Police Force Cuba is further shown in Padura’s contrast of good cop versus bad cop in relation to Manolo and Conde, while Manolo typically displays characteristics of detective whodoneit, basing his action off knowledge and intellect. Conde, on the other hand, is more cunning and uses his connections in order to get information without caring about the legality of his actions, commonly associated to . For example, Condes relation to Candito el Rojo, a known criminal, in order to gain intelligence of Pupy.

—Pero eso no tiene que ver con el Pre. A lo mejor salió de otra parte. —Coño, Rojo, el policía soy y o, ¿no? —Pérate, socio, pérate. La cosa es así: a lo mejor el Pre no tiene que ver con eso. —El lío es que ella vive cerca de aquí, como a ocho cuadras, y Pupy fue novio de ella, pero parece que seguía cay éndole atrás. Y y o te digo: si la hierba se mueve en el barrio, puede llegar hasta la gente del Pre

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One of the primary differences between the film and the book is the presence of the victim’s body. In the film, the body is still present at the crime scene whereas the book, we are only told of the chalk outline ‘marcada con tiza’

This makes us question why the physical body is left out of the book, is it too violent for Padura?

There is also a significant difference in the presence of drugs. In the book, the police find Marijuana in the bathroom, as if the perpetrators tried to flush the evidence before fleeing the scene. In the film, it is not just marijuana that is found but also methamphetamine pills. The marijuana is left in plain sight in the ashtray ‘y restos de marihuana en el cenicero’ and Conde finds methamphetamine pills in Lissette’s bedroom. The drugs present in the film are more up-to-date, more common drugs of this time than those of when the book was written. This shows Padura’s interest in modernising the film and making it more relevant. The marijuana is left in the ashtray as it is not as transgressive as it was when the book was written. In the book the perpetrators attempt to dispose of the drugs but in the film, they are more concerned with washing the glasses and bottle of rum of fingerprints.