AP Spanish Literature is certainly not one of the most popular AP courses among high
school students, but it is certainly the most rewarding AP class. My decision to take this course
was based on my personal life experiences. Over the past five years or so, I have been lucky
enough to travel to Spain, Mexico, Costa Rica, Argentina, and Uruguay. My experiences from
these trips have allowed me to gain a deeper understanding of Spanish and Latin American
culture. Further, my conversations with Spanish speaking people have allowed me to gain a
respect for the Spanish language. Moreover, my starting of a language-learning based non-profit
organization allows me to put my knowledge of forigen languages to use in the service of those in our
community. Therefore, my motivation for taking such a complex, reading-intensive Spanish
course is purely driven by my passion for the Spanish language, culture, and literature.

On the first day of AP Spanish Literature class, I was handed a large, green book called
Abriendo Puertas: Ampliando Perspectivas (Opening Doors: Amplifying Perspectives). The
title of this book would attest to the experiences I was about to embark on in class.
Lazarillo de Tormes was the very first novel I read in this class! I was absolutely amazed
by the quality of the work, given that it was published back in the mid 1500s Spain. This
particular work is written by an anonymous author, and it is actually addressed to a mysterious
being that is never revealed throughout the novel. Throughout the story, the anonymous author
geniously mocks human imperfections and morality through his account of a story of an
impoverished young boy who ends up in a high position in life through tricking and deceiving
others. At one particular point in the novel, Lazaro, at this point a young boy, works with a blind
man who physically and mentally abuses him and makes him understand the harsh realities of the
world. Lazaro’s experiences with this abusive man highlight the reality that the world is an
imperfect place and teaches Lazaro the reality that, as humans, we may have to “play dirty” in
order to survive. Needless to say, this affirmation certainly applies to American politics;
sometimes one may take risks and blue morality in order to survive.

At another point in the book, Lazaro de Tormes works with a holy priest who preaches
equality, fairness, and moderation. However, this particular member of the clergy abuses Lazaro
by starving him by eating all the food in the house for himself. Further, this priest encourages
Lazaro to engage in gluttony and excess at funeral processions so that he would not have to feed
him himself. (How absurd and hypocritical!)
At another point in the novel, Lazaro lives with a “royal squire” who has nothing in
terms of food and money, but he still wishes to appear as a royal, rich man by putting on a facade
for society, thereby persevering his honor, an important thing at the time in Spain. His living
with the fake, royal squire teaches Lazaro that one’s honor is worth being lost in order to survive
and not die of hunger.

Therefore, the story’s thematic elements enable me to question the realities of the world
through the lens of the actions of the blind man, the Church clergy, and the squire who puts
personal honor above his bodily needs. Moreover, the sheer aesthetic and thematic pleasure that
this work generated in me was felt by many in the 1500s when this work ended up creating a
new, popular picaresque movement in Spanish Literature. This would later inspire Miguel de
Cervantes to write his most spectacular work, Don Quijote de La Mancha.
After reading Lazarillo de Tormes, I enjoyed reading and studying Spain’s best work of
literature, Don Quijote de La Mancha. At first, I was a bit apprehensive because I
had watched the play Man of La Mancha online, and I had not been particularly enthralled nor
thrilled by the performance. While the play was boring and was worth little aesthetically,
Cervantes’s work, on the other hand, is one of great, superior aesthetic value.
Don Quijote de La Mancha tells the story of a man who loses his mind and reason and
lives the life of chivalric knights that he idolizes. In his adventures, this man fantasizes about being a
knight and aims to live “the impossible dream.” El Quijote’s desire to make his own world is
exemplified as he makes his old, beaten down horse “Rocinante” and his neighbor turn into
his grand, beautiful wife, “Dulcinea.” While reading the novel, I marveled at El Quijote’s ability
to shape his own reality, something many humans would marvel.

Although I did not live during the times of Cervantes, I certainly can relate to his main
character’s desire to create his own world. Obviously, if I had it my way, the world would
represent my impossible dream: a perfect utopia in which I am totally satisfied. Further, my
study of Don Quijote allowed me to gain respect for Cervantes’s ability to make use of many
texts and sources in order to enable readers to gather multiple perspectives of a particular part of
his novel. This, to me, is absolutely stellar!

All in all, AP Spanish Literature is certainly not one of the most popular AP courses among high
school students, but it is certainly the most rewarding AP class. My decision to take this course
was based on my personal life experiences. Over the past five years or so, I have been lucky
enough to travel to Spain, Mexico, Costa Rica, Argentina, and Uruguay. My experiences from
these trips have allowed me to gain a deeper understanding of Spanish and Latin American
culture. Further, my conversations with Spanish speaking people have allowed me to gain a
respect for the Spanish language. Moreover, my starting of a language-learning based non-profit
organization allows me to put my knowledge of forigen languages to the use of those in our
community. Therefore, my motivation for taking such a complex, reading-intensive Spanish
course is purely driven by my passion for the Spanish language, culture, and literature.
On the first day of AP Spanish Literature class, I was handed a large, green book called
“Abriendo Puertas: Ampliando Perspectivas (Opening Doors: Amplifying Perspectives). The
title of this book would attest to the experiences I was about to embark on in class.
Lazarillo de Tormes was the very first novel I read in this class! I was absolutely amazed
by the quality of the work, being that it was published back in the mid 1500s Spain. This
particular work is written by an anonymous author, and it is actually addressed to a mysterious
being that is never revealed throughout the novel. Throughout the story, the anonymous author
geniously mocks human imperfections and morality through his account of a story of an
impoverished, young boy that ends up in a high position in life through tricking and deceiving
others. At one particular point in the novel, Lazaro, at this point a young boy, works with a blind
man that physically and mentally abuses him and makes him understand the harsh realities of the
world. Lazaro’s experiences with this abusive man highlights the reality that the world is an
imperfect place and teaches Lazaro the reality that, as humans, we may have to “play dirty” in
order to survive. Needless to say, this affirmation certainly applies to American politics;
sometimes one may take risks and blur morality in order to survive.
At another point in the book, Lazaro de Tormes works with a holy priest who preaches
equality, fairness, and moderation. However, this particular member of the clergy abuses Lazaro
by starving him by eating all the food in the house for himself. Further, this priest encouraged
Lazaro to engage in gluttony and excess at funeral processions so that he would not have to feed
him himself. (How absurd and hypocritical!)
At another point in the novel, Lazaro lives with a “royal squire” who has nothing in
terms of food and money, but he still wishes to appear as a royal, rich man by putting on a facade
for society, thereby presevering his honor, an important thing at the time in Spain. His living
with the fake, royal squire teaches Lazaro that one’s honor is worth being lost in order to survive
and not die of hunger.
Therefore, the story’s thematic elements enable me to question the realities of the world
through the lens of the actions of the blind man, the Church clergy, and the squire who puts
personal honor above his bodily needs. Moreover, the sheer aesthetic and thematic pleasure that
this work generated in me was felt by many in the 1500s when this work ended up creating a
new, popular picaresque movement in Spanish Literature. This would later inspire Miguel de
Cervantes to write his most spectacular work, Don Quijote de La Mancha.
After reading Lazarillo de Tormes, I enjoyed reading and studying Spain’s best work of
literature, Don Quijote de La Mancha. At first, I was a bit apprehensive of this work because I
had watched the play “Man of La Mancha” online, and I had not been particularly enthralled nor
thrilled by the performance. While the play was boring and was worth little aesthetic value,
Cervantes’s work, on the other hand, is one of great, superior athletic value.
Don Quijote de La Mancha tells the story of a man who loses his mind and reason and
lives the life of chivalric knights that he idolizes. In his adventures, this man fantasizes being a
night and aims to live “the impossible dream.” El Quijote’s desire to make his own world is
exemplified when he makes his old, beaten down horse “Rocinante” and his neighbor turn into
his grand, beautiful wife, “Dulcinea.” While reading the novel, I marveled at El Quijote’s ability
to shape his own reality of the world, something many humans would marvel at the site of.
Although I did not live during the times of Cervantes, I certainly can relate to his main
character’s desire to create his own world. Obviously, if I had it my way, the world would
represent my impossible dream: a perfect utopia in which I am totally satisfied. Further, my
study of Don Quijote allowed me to gain respect for Cervantes’s ability to make use of many
texts and sources in order to enable readers to gather multiple perspectives of a particular part of
his novel. This, to me, is absolutely stellar!
All in all, AP Spanish Literature, a course that teaches many life lessons and allows
students to explore the realities of humanity, has profoundly “opened my doors and amplified my
perspectives on the realities of humanity., a course that teaches many life lessons and allows
students to explore the realities of humanity, has profoundly “opened my doors and amplified my
perspectives on the realities of humanity.”