Reading: Antonio Skármeta, The Days of the Rainbow, Ch. 1-13, pp. 1-55.

Due No Due Date
Points 0

Antonio Skármeta, The Days of the Rainbow. Trans. Mery Botbol. NY: Other Press, 2013.

I pp. 1-55

1. In what city and year is the story set? What is the narrator’s name? How old is he? (1, 7 & 53)
2. In what sense is this a Bildunsroman or ‘coming of age’ story?
3. What is Plato’s allegory of the cave? (2-3)
4. What is Professor Santos’ definition of ethics? (4)
5. What are “the Baroque situation and plan”? What is “the Barbarian syllogism”? (8-9)
6. According to the Minister of the Interior, Dr. Fernández, what differences will there be between the 1980 plebiscite and the upcoming one? (10-13)
7. Why has he selected Mr. Bettini and what does he want him to do? (14-15)
8. What does Nico do in response to “the Baroque situation”? How will the person on the other end of the phone “take care of the situation”? (20-21)
9. Why has Mr. Bettini been out of work? On what grounds does he decline the Minister’s offer? (23-24)
10. What document does Nico destroy and why? (26)
11. Who is don Patricio (31 & 36)
12. On what grounds does Magda argue that her husband should accept the government’s offer? Why does he believe it would be useless? (31)
13. What is Aristotle’s theory of ethics? (34-35)
14. What has happened to the Chilean Congress? (36)
15. How much time does the opposition to Pinochet have, in order to prepare the “No” campaign? (37)
16. According to don Patricio, who are the undecided voters in Chile, whom the opposition must convince? (38)
17. How many parties make up the coalition that supports the “No”? Which party supports them but isn’t in the coalition? (39)
18. What is ironic about the plebiscite and why is the Pinochet government calling for it? (40)
19. What analogy does one of Nico’s classmates draw between the prisoners in Plato’s cave and the situation of the Chileans? (45)
20. Why does Mr. Valdivieso feel guilty? Is he right to do so? (45-46)
21. How does the appearance of downtown Santiago differ from that of the suburbs? (47)
22. What has become of many people in the advertising industry and in journalism? (48)
23. Why does Patricia Bettini tell her father that she doesn’t plan to vote in the plebiscite? Under what circumstances does she say she will change her mind? (50-52)
24. Why doesn’t Patricia want to have sex with Nico for another six months? (53)