For many writers, including published authors, Miguel de Cervantes is a source of great inspiration. He is credited with writing the first novel, but he is also known for his tremendous versatility―his ability to write well in many different forms, genres, and traditions. The novel Don Quixote includes numerous poems and songs, and it combines elements of other kinds of writing, such as fairy tales and philosophy.
As you learned earlier in the lesson, Cervantes even created a form of poetry for his novel―the ovillejo. Ovillejo is a Spanish word meaning “little bundle of yarn.” Like a bundle of yarn, an ovillejo rolls out its meaning a little at a time, forcing readers to “unravel” it.
Journal
For this lesson’s journal entry, try creating an ovillejo of your own. Open your journal file for this lesson, and follow the steps below. Each tab shows you an example of what that step might look like.
Choose a topic―something you know well and also something that means a lot to you.
Example:
dribbling
a basketball
Once you have a topic in mind, write down three words that name or describe your topic.
Example:
speed
style
grit
Write the questions to which those words are answers.
Example:
What
makes my dribbling hard to believe?
Speed.
What makes my dribbling easy on the
eyes?
Style.
What keeps me dribbling down the court?
Grit.
Add the final four lines, which should build on the first three stanzas. Try to say something new or include a twist.
What makes my dribbling hard to
believe?
Speed.
What makes my dribbling easy on the eyes?
Style.
What keeps me
dribbling down the court?
Grit.
Every day I’m in the gym,
weaving back and forth, up and
down
the court, avoiding all who seek to stop me.
Speed. Style. Grit.
When you are satisfied with your own ovillejo, save your journal file so that you can open it again for the next lesson with a journal assignment. (You will submit your journal to your teacher for grading once or twice during the module.)
