Daughter+of+Fortune

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=Daughter of Fortune = =by Isabel Allende =


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**-About the Author-**
Isabel Allende was born in Lima, Peru. Her father was a Chilean diplomat. Her parents were divorced so she lived with her mother and grandparents. When she got older she worked as a secretary and then as a journalist. After the assassination of her uncle in 1973, Isabel Allende and her husband and children left for safety in Venezuela. During this time was when she first started writing her first novel, The House of the Spirits. This novel was based on her own family and the politics of Chile. Allende continued to base her novels on her own experiences. Besides writing books, Allende goes on book tours and teaches literature at colleges in Virginia, New Jersey, and California.

-Setting-
There are two main settings to this story. In the beginning it takes place around the 1840s in Chile. Later in the book it takes place during the Gold Rush in San Francisco, California.

-Themes-
 This is presented in the beginning of the story. This refers to men rule the society, which means they rule over women and children. This is demonstrated by Jeremy towards the rest of the family.  There are many different types of showed in this novel. Rose’s love for Eliza is the first example. Also, Mama Fresia’s love for Eliza is shown in the novel. Rose and Mama Fresia both love Eliza, but they both love her in different ways. Another example of love in the novel is Eliza’s love for Joaquin.  Medicine is seen throughout the novel. Mama Fresia uses spells as her medicine. The reader will see this when she is trying to heal Eliza. Tao learned Chinese medicine and treats patients with what he has learned.
 * //Patriarchy //
 * //Love //
 * //Medicine //

**<span style="display: block; color: #a57e1d; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive; text-align: center;">-Characters- **
<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive;">// Eliza Sommers // Eliza is an orphan who was left on the door steps of the Sommers family. She is half Chilean and half English. She was mainly raised by Rose Sommers and Mama Fresia. As the reader gets to know the character he learns that she has an excellent sense of smell and a good memory.

// Rose Sommers // Rose is an English woman who leaves for Chile after a scandal she was involved in England.

// Je remy Sommers // Jeremy is the oldest of the Sommers. He is the typical English man during this time. Stern and head of the household. Jeremy never shows interest or care for Eliza.

// Mama Fresia // Mama Fresia is the cook for the Sommers family. She not only helps with cooking for the family, but also with raising Eliza. She is the woman who helps Eliza run away.

// John Sommers // Out of all of the Sommers is the lay back one. He is a captain of a ship and carries supplies to California.

// Tao Chi'en // Tao is a cook for John Sommers ship. After John lets him go he meets Eliza. Throughout the novel Tao helps Eliza in Cailfornia. During this time they become really good friends.

// Joaquin Andieta // Joaquin is one of Jeremy’s workers. Once he meets Eliza they begin to have a fling, but once he gets word of gold in California he leaves her.

// Jacob Todd/Freemont // After loosing a bet, Jacob heads to Chile. While he is here he becomes attracted to Rose Sommers. After people find out he is a fraud he leaves Chile and heads to California. Here he changes his name and becomes a journalist.

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive;">**-Vocabulary Lists-** //(All of these words an be found throughout the novel)//

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive;"> Vocabulary List 1 Batiste- A fine soft sheer fabric of plain weave made of various fibers. Mantillas- A silk or lace head scarf arranged over a high comb and falling over the book and shoulders. Annihilating- To annul; make void; to defeat completely. Visceral- Characterized by or dealing with coarse or base emotions; earthy; crude. Tumultuous- Raising a great clatter and commotion; disorderly or noisy.

Vocabulary List 2 Fortuna- The ancient Roman goddess of fortune, identified with the Greek goddess Tyche. Labyrinth- An intricate combination of paths or passages in which it is difficult to find one's way or to reach the exit. Brigantine-A two-masted sailing vessel, square-rigged on the foremast and having a fore-and-aft mainsail with square upper sails. Nostalgia-A wistful desire to return in thought or in fact to a former time in one's life, to one's home or homeland, or to one's family and friends; a sentimental yearning for the happiness of a former place or time. Panorama-An unobstructed and wide view of an extensive area in all directions.

Vocabulary List 3 Flotilla-a group moving together Sheaf-one of the bundles in which cereal plants, as wheat, rye, etc., are bound after reaping. Contagion-the communication of disease by direct or indirect contact Celestial-pertaining to the sky or visible heaven Odalisques-a female slave or concubine in a harem, esp. in that of the sultan of Turkey.

Vocabulary List 4 Dysentery-an infectious disease marked by inflammation and ulceration of the lower part of the bowels, with diarrhea that becomes mucous and hemorrhagic. Gringos-a foreigner, esp. one of U.S. or British descent. Monte-a city in SW California, near Los Angeles. Intransigence- refusing to agree or compromise; uncompromising; inflexible. Indefatigable-incapable of being tired out; not yielding to fatigue; untiring.

<span style="display: block; color: #a57e1d; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; text-align: center;">

<span style="display: block; color: #a57e1d; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive; text-align: center;">-Reading activities-
<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive;">
 * 1) <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive;">In 19th century Chile, a married woman could not travel, sign legal documents, go to court, sell or buy anything without her husband's permission. No wonder Rose doesn't want to get married! How would the lives of the women you know be different under those conditions? What are the consequences in a society that limits the freedoms of a segments of its citizens?
 * 2) <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive;">Eliza grows up under the influence of a number of strong individuals--Mama Fresia, Rose, Jeremy Sommers and his brother, John. What does she learn from each of people? How do their differing philosophies contribute to Eliza's experience of the world? How do they shape her personality?

<span style="display: block; color: #a57e1d; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive; text-align: center;">-Sources-
<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive;">http://womenshistory.about.com/od/writers20th/p/isabel_allende.htm <span style="font-size: 9.5pt; color: rgb(0,36,138); font-family: Verdana; text-decoration: none;"> http://www.novelguide.com/a/discover/nfs_18/nfs_18_00012.html#Themes [] <span style="font-size: 9.5pt; color: rgb(0,36,138); font-family: Verdana; text-align: center; text-decoration: none;"> <span style="font-size: 9.5pt; color: rgb(0,36,138); font-family: Verdana; text-decoration: none;">