Silvana Paternostro, Right

"All of this eluded me in my Conservative household. I have no recollection of ever having listened to anyone-not my paternal grandparents nor my maternal grandparents; not at school; not in the kitchen where the servants socialized- speak about the famous attack of Operation Marquetalia in April 1964, the event that most Colombians point to as the beginning of Colombia's destruction. If it weren't for the FARC, Colombia would be the paradise it once was. That is what everyone tells me. Why do I doubt that?"  (pg. 60)

In previous blogs I've criticized Silvana Paternostro for being ignorant concerning Colombia's situation. However, in this paragraph she is completely right. The FARC is certainly not Colombia's only problem and is not the only reason there is violence in this country. Many people, as Paternostro states, believe this and think that once the FARC is over, Colombia's issues will be resolved. Even though a peace treaty with the FARC is a huge step, it will certainly not end the violence in Colombia and will not make it a "paradise." The main issue in Colombia are the violent groups that are referred to as Pandillas. A great part of Colombia's violence comes from these groups, which are all around the country.


This is one of the only times in the whole book in which I feel that Silvana Paternostro has a valid and reasonable judgement over Colombia. I feel that Paternostro is right about the violence in the country but now about it's people except in this case.

As I get more into the book, I realize that Silvana Paternostro might not know a lot about the present and does say some irrelevant and shameless statements, but she does have her fact straight as she tells Colombia's history.

As for register, Paternostro mainly uses an informal register as she describes Colombia and her family. The use of words such as puente, aja, and casa nueva sustain this register, apart from adding a little bit of Colombian Culture to the memoir.