Chronicle of a Death Foretold​: Craft Post-Analysis

IB English HL 1

Craft​: Characterization

Directions​: Work with your team to analyze each name and research underlying nuances
that Marquez intentionally conveys to the reader. While doing so, consider the root
words of each name, or the materialistic objects that it may represent, or the social
connotation that it conveys. If you get stuck, these ​Quizlet Flashcards​ may help—​though,
you should definitely have more notes than what is identified here!

1. Santiago:​ Means saint of spain and is meant to portray Santiago as innocent and a
martyr also connecting him to how Jesus died.

2. Placida Linero: ​Means calm and unbothered by the things around her. Shows how
throughout the story she remains unaware of what is happening to her son, especially
when she calmly locks the door sealing her son’s fate in a gruesome death.

3. Divina Flor: ​Means divine flower to represent her purity and innocence. Her naivety
and frightfulness to the world around her prevents her from warning Santiago leaving
her to remain oblivious to what she should do.

4. Pura & Angela Vicario: ​The last name means vicarious which represents Angela’s
actions in protection of the person who actually took her virginity. Pura means pure
symbolising how she’s seen by society due to her traditional values and beliefs.

5. Widower Xius: ​Means Zeus or Olympus which refers to his house and the beauty it’s
supposed to portray. The house was filled with expensive furniture and objects showing
its wealth and the ideal place that Bayardo and Angela were going to live.

Craft​: Imagery & Symbolism

Directions​: Now that you have read the novel, review the ​Cultural PreSearch Padlet​ and
analyze the use and meaning of each symbol throughout the text. For each one, provide a
clear and concise THESIS statement that identifies WHAT it means and HOW it is being
used by the author; then support each statement with two or three paraphrased
examples from the text.
1. Dogs: ​Used to show men’s inability to control their sexual desires which causes them to
act as animals that women have to exterminate. At the beginning the dogs feed on the
guts of a rabbit in a horrific manner. When the autopsy is being performed the dogs try to
feast on the intestines of Santiago. Placida Linero orders the dogs to be killed to stop
them from further desecrating the body.

2. Cocks/Crowing: ​To show people’s betrayal to Santiago and the church’s involvement in
the desecration of his body to symbolize their fault in his murder similar to the disciple in
Jesus’ crucifiction. When the bishop arrives there is a large roar of cocks crowing but he
never even stops at the dock to accept the townspeople’s gifts. The priest is criticized for
not using the whole cock.

3. Birds/Canaries: ​Used to show how society has caged people to their restricted roles
through traditional values that can only be broken through committing actions that go
directly against what society expects. The caged bird in Angela’s house. The image of the
bird about Xius house after the ending of Bayardo and Angela’s marriage.

4. Orange Blossoms:​ The pressure for women to be pure and innocent like the symbolism
that orange blossoms carry causes an impossible standard that can’t be met to ruin
relationships and whole communities. Bayardo and Angela’s house are decorated with
orange blossoms after their marriage. When Bayardo first sees Angela and decides to
marry her she’s carrying fake flowers.

5. Almond Trees: ​The corruption and immorality of society causes the innocent to be
incapable of divinity or purity which they’re prevented from reaching. In Santiago’s
dream he is flying above a grove of almond trees. When Santiago first walks from his
house to see the bishop there are almond trees in the square where he will later get
killed.

Craft​: Plot Structure

Directions​: One element that we really haven’t discussed this unit is the intentionality of plot design
and structure. Therefore, discuss the following questions with your team, considering Marquez’s
primary intentions. ​There’s technically no “right” or “wrong” answer to these, but your responses
should be thorough, reflective, and well supported.
If you need some help, feel free to review this article: ​Death a Chronicle of Foretold​.
1. How and why does the author manipulate ​time​ throughout the novel?
​Marquez manipulates time throughout the novel to draw out suspense and invoke dramatic irony
while also causing the reader to question or infer what will happen. It also allows the reader to see
the real impact that Santiago’s murder has on the town and when he actually reveals the brutal way
that Santiago is killed, it has a stronger effect since we fully understand the story.

2. What was the purpose of disclosing the climactic murder on the very first page of the novel? How
does this type of narration create a compelling and engaging story?
​It leads us to wonder how it happened and then it also creates dramatic irony when the characters
in the novel do actions that will inevitably lead to his death. The reader also pays closer attention to
the events that take place and connect them to his death to recognize symbolism and meaning.

3. Discuss the order of events presented within each chapter, as well as the absence of chapter titles,
and the effect these choices have on the reader:
​The chapters in this novel aren’t organized by one category for each giving a more authentic
experience of the narrator’s struggle to reconstruct a messy and complicated story. The absence of
titles also helps to allow the reader to focus on many themes or issues that are in the chapter rather
than just focusing on one.

Craft​: Motif of Falconry

Directions​: We’ve spent some time discussing the motif of falconry but I can tell that
some students are still a bit confused on the intended meaning...am I right? Yup--thought
so! Therefore, quickly review this ​Prezi​ (which is excellent!) and, if needed, also this
article​ (which is just asi asi). Then, utilize the space below to write a formal THESIS
statement that specifies how the author uses the motif in support of a primary theme.
Then, please bullet point at least four paraphrased examples from the novel in support of
your thesis (this should be quite easy, as there are numerous examples included in both
resources!).
 I​ n the novel, ​Chronicle of a Death Foretold​, Marquez uses the motif of falconry to show
the archaic way society allows for men to behave when seducing a women only leads to a
broken and difficult relationship.
-The chasing Santiago does after Maria ends their relationship
-Bayardo’s chase of a random women instead of it stemming from love leads to the
broken marriage with Angela.