Movie: The Rum Diary

The movie “The Rum Diary” is based on a novel written by Hunter S. Thompson in the early 1960s. After he had discovered booze, but before he had stumbled across drugs, the author got an unknown start in journalism. He moved to San Juan, Puerto Rico, seeking a job on the San Juan Star, where he was turned down.

In the movie, the main character, Paul Kemp, applies for a reporting job at the Star in Puerto Rico and lands it. It doesn't appear to be the kind of paper that attracted the ambitious in those days, but he needed it. During the entire movie, Kemp is in constant search of his voice in the world and we can see how his perspective living in Puerto Rico changes due to some external journey experiences. For example, in the interview with the editor, Lotterman says “This is America” and Kemp responds, “This is Puerto Rico”. This shows us that Kemp really did new his place and were he stands. The location theme is based mainly in San Juan; which in those days appear to have been an active little metropolis. The location, I might say, was very well presented in the movie and brings out the real feeling of what Puerto Rico was back then. For example, the chicken fights and the different neighborhoods.                                                                                                              
Opening Scene

Down on the Island by Jim Cooper: Teaching English and Helping

As Dr. Elaine Miller says, “Down on the island is the best introduction to rural Puerto Rico- as it was and, in parts, still is-”. In the year 1951, Jim Cooper got a teaching position at a small university in Mayagüez, Puerto Rico. Because of the difference in cultures and customs between his Puerto Rican students and him as an American, this would be a challenging task. Jim Cooper explains his journey and shows us how life really is -from his perspective-, being a teacher in a foreign university.

I noted that the author’s placement in the narrative is to describe his life as a young continental English teacher. As he describes himself “I was the only young continental English teacher who returned that year”. During the entire chapters he describes his life as the only continental trying to face reality, as he had to become an important part of the faculty with responsibilities which he had no idea of how to achieve them. Meanwhile, Cooper has a gazing direction that is to criticize the people in the faculty who are really not helpful bringing the English teaching to Puerto Rico. For example, when he says, “he was one of the many continentals then on the island who didn't believe Puerto Ricans were capable of learning anything anyway”. Here we can see, that though Cooper is a continental and he might be including himself, this is the way he gazes that some people in the faculty were not supportive at all.

Reflection on Journal ✎

As an assignment for the class, we had to write  ten minutes daily in a journal created by us. As easy as that sounds, we had to follow some rules that made it a bit more challenging. For the first rule, we had to keep our hands moving. We could not cross out. We could not worry about spelling or grammar. At some point we had to lose control. We could not think or get logical. If we could, we had to go for the jugular. With all these rules, sometimes you stopped to think what were you doing wrong and made it challenging.

At first, I’d always try and correct my grammar and spelling, I would cross out, I would think and break all the rules. I’m so used to writing properly that when I tried to write freely I wanted to do it right. But as time passed and the more times I wrote in the journal, I could get the hang of it. I had moments when I wasn’t concentrated on my writing and was getting too logical. There were other moments were I wasn’t stressed or busy and I could let myself go, not worry about anything and could really write freely. The best journal entries were when I was in a good mood and happy. These are the moments when I was more capable of expressing myself rather than when I’m busy or stressed, I was usually reserved and did not even want to write.

Overall, I think my writing process was great. I can say that I learned new things about myself, like; in difficult times I can't stop thinking of all that is happening around me. Also, when I’m in my peaceful times I can free my mind with more ease. This journal helped me to think much faster in English independently, rather than to think in Spanish and traduce to English. I think I will keep practicing this "First Thoughts" activity and keep learning new things about myself.