Literary Analysis #3

Eleven Minutes
By: Paulo Coelho

TOPICS/EVENTS

1) My book was generally about sex; not necessarily just the act of sex but making love and how pleasure can be mistaken many times. It was about the opposite gender getting to know the male and female body in order to be able to please them properly. This wonderful novel also covered the importance of the journey in uniting the two missing souls together which is indeed your missing life partner whom you should by fate marry and spend the rest of your life with. The novel was centered on the life of a single Brazilian woman, Maria, who was extracted almost by force from her country who was promised a better life but ended up becoming a prostitute at one of the nightclubs for two years.

2) My author chose to write about this topic mainly because it is one that is ignored the majority of the time and should not be. I do not understand why so many people resent this topic when it is one of the most important ones. People censor this topic far too much when it is human nature and it deserves to be talked about just as much since everyone has so many questions about it. People, especially adults need to grow up and maturely be able to handle to this conversation with respect because after all, it is how we are all created.

3) I have just continuously chosen to read books by the Brazilian author, my favorite author, Paulo Coelho regardless of the topic because even when I check out one of his books and I have no idea what it will be about, I know the topic will be just as good as the next one, if not better because he continues to amaze me and inspire me. I will continue to chose his books. When I first chose this book the title told me nothing, Eleven Minutes, it could have been referring to anything and I did not discover its true theme until the first couple of pages mainly through the dedication at the beginning of the book. It made me want to continue reading precisely because I am well aware of the fact that it is a topic not often discussed.

4) The book was definitely realistic since it was a universal topic and I found myself relating to myself back and fourth through all the discoveries and examples. I can picture many human beings having to deal with the same problems and having the same frightening questions that this novel managed to cover but not addressing them properly strictly out of fear for what another might think which is complete idiocy.

PEOPLE

1) Yes, it is almost impossible for the author to not impose their own specific beliefs and thoughts and feelings on a subject that they are covering and creating an entire novel on. It is completely okay with me however though because his intellectual insight is much appreciated and I would even dare to say necessary. I am not sure if I would feel the same about any other authors though. The author definitely analyzed much of the protagonist's actions but also kept it very personal and accurate because he mentioned her journal writings and personal insight which is definitely necessary in a non fiction novel. '

2) The main and most important person would be Maria, she is Brazilian so I imagine her to be extremely attractive with a nice hour-glass body. Her personality could be characterized as a kind and warming intelligent human being with good intentions and with real life goals. I picture her as a persevere since she has managed to endure so much over time and always stand back up. A second and probably the most relevant character on her behalf would be her newly discovered lover, her missing and now found partner in life who goes by the name of Ralf Hart. Since he is described as an artist I picture him as a very intelligent and wise free man with no limits as to what he can do on this planet also considering the fact that he is extremely wealthy. Regardless of all his luxuries, I see him as being uncertain about what he wants.

3) I find these characters interesting enough to write about since they are almost a portrayed image of ourselves because I can almost guarantee that 90% of the world experiences these problems. I think the topic is more interesting than the actual characters and that is what makes the characters so fascinating because they experience what we experience in a world where such an important topic is never discussed.

CHARACTER

1) There were multiple examples of direct and indirect characterization throughout the novel. An example of indirect characterizations could have been the moments in which they were inside each other both physically and spiritually and were able to experience something much greater than the both of them and not have to communicate a single word while they were both simultaneously feeling the same thing. An example of direct characterization would be when they teach other about each other as a man and a woman and as individuals because as they do this, they express their true feelings and thoughts about each other to each other.

2) The authors syntax and diction never really changes, it remains solid throughout the novel because he sticks to the same subject and there is no need to change it.    

3) The protagonist is very dynamic but at the same time static, which I believe is for the first time not bad at all. She is dynamic in the sense that her thoughts and feelings about the subject change overtime however her morals and what she has always wanted remained intertwined to her personality from the start which is fascinating.

4) Yes definitely, I felt as if she was a real person all along and I could definitely relate to her pain. She states through poetry, "A time to be born, and a time to die; A time to plant and a time to pluck up that which is planted; A time to kill, and a time to heal; A time to break down, and a time to heal;...etc." I very much enjoyed and related to these words because they showed me that it is possible to feel two things at once even if those two things are complete opposites of each other and I really appreciated this.

STYLE

1) The only tool I would say that the author used from fictional writing would be foreshadowing but mainly the type from romantic movies when the man follows the woman to the airport and tells her to stay because that is exactly what happened and it all seemed much too predictable. Other than that, the rest of the details were unexpected and continued to surprise me.

2) Yes, the author does both, he uses lengthy descriptions on places as well as dialogue which is extremely important and I appreciate the fact that he concentrated on both because it shows that they are both just as important. The detail in the surroundings of places demonstrate the appreciation for nature and beauty and a body with a peaceful state of mind. The stress on the dialogue and communication just demonstrates the importance of human interaction throughout the world.

3) The author creates a mood with simple words that describe things just as they are and not sugar coding everything and that is exactly why I love this author so much, he remains humble, real and down to earth as I believe all human kind should be. 

4) I think the authors attitude toward the subject and the characters was sincere and understanding which is important because in order to actually discuss something so important, you need to actually believe in in and have to have experienced it for yourself in as much as you possibly could and that is why there is so much ignorance in the world because we fail to understand many things. He definitely a lot of dedication and time well spent into thinking about this particular topic.

5) The author used prostitutes' insights to reflect and write his novel which is precisely everything he needed because, who is more of an expert on sex and human physical pleasure than prostitutes?  Probably no one else, but the fact that he utilized their own backgrounds and life stories demonstrates much time put into this and proving the fact that it is not merely a reflection of only his own thoughts and beliefs.

ENDURING MEMORY

"Life moves very fast, it rushes us from heaven to hell in a matter of seconds." This quote amazes me because it could not be truer or said in any better form. Most of us unfortunately remain stuck on something once it happens and cannot seem to get out. We seem to forget that life is continuously changing at all times and that we need to move along with it because if we do not, we will remain in the same old boring spot filled with regret. When something happens and we do not like the results, we need to be aware of the fact that we have the ability and power to change it. We are responsible for our own happiness; and the things that we cannot change should not be worried about any longer, we must learn to forget about them and move on.