There was never a death more foretold...

By the end of Marquez' Chronicle of a Death Foretold, we realize everyone knew about the murder plot of Santiago Nasar and did nothing to stop it. During the murder, no one lifted a finger to stop it or help out Santiago. Why? What does it say about the town, the people in it and Santiago himself that no one stopped his brutal murder? What commentary about society in general was Marquez trying to make?

We dance round in a ring and suppose, While the secret sits in the middle and knows”-Robert Frost

All throughout Marquez's Chronicle of a Death Foretold, secrets abound. The catalytic moment of the novel, the death of Santiago Nasar, is caused by Angela Vicario allegedly revealing the secret identity of the man who took her virginity. However, this information was never, ever confirmed. Everyone in the novel possesses secrets; some minor and silly others extremely important that have far reaching effects on the people and actions of the novel. Can secrets still do damage if no one knows them? Do secrets always come out eventually? Talk about how secrets affect the people and the action in the novel, but also discuss whether secrets even exist in our modern world.

"...trying to put the broken mirror of memory back together from so many scattered shards..."

The narrator of A Chronicle of A Death Foretold returns to the scene of Santiago Nasar's murder many years later to piece together clues. The villagers rely on their memories of the day's tragic events and of the many himself. What happens to memories as we age? Are memories ever reliable? How might memories distort reality, much like a mirror would do? Use examples from real life as well as from the novel.

CAS...Helping others...Helping yourself...

I know many of you are worrying about the CAS component of your IB diploma. I know it seems that more and more responsibilities are being heaped on your plate. Between homework, jobs and sports; when is there any more time to give? It is believed that performing community service and helping others helps build character and makes you a better person. Do you agree with this? Do you think giving time and helping those in need builds character? If you are helping people because you have to and not because you want to generates the same effects? What do you hope to get out of the CAS portion of your IB experience?