Burro Genius by Victor Villasenor - Essay Example

Burro Genius An Analysis ‘Burro Genius’, is a boo by Victor Villasenor that deals with the story of his life in terms of his transformation from an angry person to a person full of wisdom from the incidents around him. The book traces the journey of the young boy from memories of humiliation to experience beyond his years. There are numerous people in the world who are gifted enough to enjoy being called a genius. Villasenor is one of them. This paper discusses various elements that surround the book. The basic aspects of discussion may be enumerated as followed: A description of the ethos followed by Villasenor. Those incidents from the book that are capable of moving a person’s emotions. The areas where Villasenor seems particularly logical. These are the basic elements of the story as well as the main protagonist that have been discussed in the course of this paper. There is a strong leaning of these points towards discussing the basic defining moments of the character as well as the story. These points then submerge so as to bring out the essence of the story and the transformation, in particular, that the young boy goes through. It traces his journey from his young days filled with anguish, to his adolescence, filled with deep anger over the incidents that shaped his childhood. (Villasenor, 2007) The first element that is being discussed involves a discussion of the ethos followed by Villasenor. For this purpose, it will be necessary to pay attention to his transition from a child to an adolescent. A human being uses various reactions in order to cope with various situations in life. This act forms and moulds the human mind and creates the platform upon which ethos are structured. The way a situation turns out after a person has applied his or her reaction to it, forms the basic ethos that define his or her life. (Aristotle et al, 2006) In this case, it may be pointed out that ethos, or pathos as known in Aristotle’s work, form an important part of a person’s psyche and they dominate whether or not a person can be trusted and what kind of a person he or she is. (Aristotle et al, 2006) These are the questions that need to be asked when studying this element of the story and the main protagonist in particular. Victor Villasenor went through a variety of situations and emotions that shaped his ethos. His ethos can basically be described as impulsive and unpredictable. This makes Victor Villasenor a person filled with anger and the impulsiveness that comes with it. Here, it is imperative to point out that Victor Villasenor is a person whose heart finally, is good. He does not intend bad for anyone, yet his situations and life experiences have been such that he cannot overcome his anguish and subsequent anger in order to think beyond himself. (Villasenor, 2007) Left to his own sensibilities, Villasenor is capable of being a good human being – one bereft of judgements and any anger towards anyone. In his reflective moments, Villasenor relates to the various difficulties like dyslexia and cultural incompetence that face him. He realises that these are not of his own making. But there is still a gap he needs to fill in order to be able to forgive himself and not feel guilty for these things. Yet, these things continue in his mind as the minute he comes out of the reflective mode, his life is filled with the trauma and the frustration of not being able to cope. His ethos are thus left hanging on a loose ledge that can fall at any moment. It is not easy to be able to trust a person like him for the sheer unpredictability of his character and not for genuine bad intentions. This character has no bad intentions so to say. He suffers from a lack of trust in himself which makes him all the more vulnerable and untrustworthy for the world around him. (Weston, 2000) The second element deals with the various incidents in the book and in the life of Victor Villasenor that are capable of moving a person’s emotions. In a person’s life, his experiences are what makes him or breaks him. In Victor Villasenor’s life, the incidents surrounding him have rendered him incomplete from within. To begin with, there is an incident where his teachers beat up Villasenor due to the fact that he cannot speak English. This forces him to sit down and think back on his heritage and roots. Finally, out of frustration that basically stems from dyslexia, he re emerges as a person who is deeply ashamed of his heritage. It may be seen here that the basic problem is that of dyslexia as well as learning a new language for better communicative competency. (Aspin et al, 2001) The knowledge of a language is akin to the art of knowing about an entire culture, nation and people. Language may be defined as a form of expression that reveals a person’s identity and gives him or her a sense of belonging. But how does a language structure a person’s experiences? To begin with, the role of language in one’s life is one that fulfils the need to belong. This sense of belonging springs from one’s immediate environment where there is focus on the language one speaks along with complementary elements like accent, nuances and other such features that form the general social and cultural terrain of the particular place. Language offers people first hand knowledge of a variety of symbols that one comes to associate with a place. This in turn generates a more enriching quality to one’s experiences. (Aspin et al, 2001) In the case of Villasenor, he is left in the lurch either ways. He has no affinity left towards his own language or culture and he has no ability technically to take to a new language and thus escape the beatings as well as the frustration. In knowing and learning a language, whether by birth or subsequent settlement, there is a certain amount of satisfaction that helps contribute to one’s sense of identity. This also has certain mental implications as it shows the person’s basic aptitudes, besides brining him or her face to face with the challenges of implementing the language. This makes a person draw from experiences of the past, learn from present experiences and contribute to future experiences, which will shape his or her overall life experiences. This also renders a certain amount of creative and communicative competency to a person and his or her sense of confidence with which he or she carries out interactions with people. In the case of Victor Villasenor, it is necessary to shift focus to the process of learning of a language and garnering communicative competency. This process is important in every individual’s life as the knowledge comes only after learning. The very process of learning is a journey throughout which an individual is brought face to face with experiences. These experiences form his or her general perspective on things. This process and its implementation are lost in the frustration that Villasenor feels. (Villasenor, 2007) Another important incident that shapes the character and moves the emotions of the readers is when Villasenor is waiting to meet his publisher after 270 rejections. He seems to have decided, even before meeting the publisher, that he is not fit to see his name in paperback. This incident shows his core insecurities. An insecure person generally attracts all the negativity around him. This is an important part of Villasenor’s ethos as he is a person who can think of nothing but the negative for himself. With every development like the delayed flight and other such small details, he becomes more and more convinced that he does not deserve the chance to be published in paperback. (Villasenor, 2007) Another deeply moving incident is the death of his brother Joseph. The one person who Villasenor could turn to in the time of need was his brother. In his closely knit family, his life comes crashing down when his brother does and he is thus filled with deeper gloom and a sense of doom. (Villasenor, 2007) The third and final element of discussion revolve around those areas where Villasenor seems to be particularly logical. By now, it has been established that the mind of Victor Villasenor is a chaotic and sometimes, dark, one. He tends to dwell on frustrations besides making his life revolve around them. Yet, there are various areas where he unexpectedly demonstrates a keen sense of logic in understanding and coping with the situations around him. (Aristotle et al, 2006) To begin with, he assesses situations without any unrealistic expectations. He sizes up his contemporaries, whether is it fellow writers waiting to meet a publisher, or his classmates, against what he perceives as their list of achievements. This helps him take a strong stock of what he needs to be doing in order to reach someplace where they might have gone before becoming or achieving what they have. (Weston, 2000) In this regard, the mind of Victor Villasenor comes across as one that is extremely logical and calculating. The very reason why Villasenor chose to become a writer is in itself a very logical one. Filled the pent up childhood emotions of humiliation and frustration every time he opened his mouth, Victor Villasenor was filled with deep anger and resentment when he was faced with a sea of expectant faces that belonged to his teachers when he was made to stand on the podium in order to deliver a speech for public speaking. His anger was a result of the fear that he felt deep within at the idea of being rejected again. Yet, his speech was met with great encouragement and words of kindness. That is when he decided that he could actually do something right in life. That prompted him to take a step towards fulfilling his dream of becoming a writer. The book by Victor Villasenor is one filled with various teaching regarding the human mind and the way it works. Ethos are a major part of the content of the book and they define the various tools and ways of thinking that a person makes use of, in various situations. This book has a raw quality that stems from the characterisation of main protagonist in the development of his life experiences that have been discussed in piercing detail within the book. (Weston, 2000) References: Villasenor, Victor. (2004). Burro Genius: A Memoir. Harper Collins Publications Inc. USA. Aspin, D., Chapman, J., Hatton, M. and Sawano, Y. (eds) (2001), International handbook on lifelong learning. Dordecht; London: Kluwer. Aristotle; Freese, J.H (2006) Aristotle: Art of Rhetoric, Volume XXII. Loeb Classic Library. Weston, Anthony (2000) A Rule Book for Arguments. Hackett Pub Co Inc. Read More