-
Tsunami of 1835
“On Feb 20th 1835, a large earthquake (estimated M8.1-8.2) shook… Chile, and generated a large tsunami which battered the Chilean coastline.” (disaster-analytics.com) “That was the year of the floods, which were immortalized in schoolchildren’s textbooks . . .a series of minor temblors, which came like God’s wrath, finished destroying everything . . .” (Allende 38-39). Allende uses personification to describe how terrible the tsunami was. Photo by Charles Darwin (disaster-analytics.com) -
Period: to
Opium War in China
“The first Opium War (1839–42) was fought between China and Britain, and the second Opium War (1856–60), also known as the Arrow War or the Anglo-French War in China, was fought by Britain and France against China” (britanica.com) “In 1839, when the Opium War between China and Great Britain broke out, Tao Chi’en was sixteen years old.” (200) Allende uses characterization to help us understand Tao’s past. -
British in Chile
“These British merchants in Chile were the group of people in ‘high trade (alto comercio)’ and controlled large portion of exports and imports.” (cowlatinamerica.voices.wooster.edu) “And that was the state of things at the end of 1845.” (Allende 76) Allende used imagery to describe Joaquin’s home, making it an analogy for Chilean society and comparing it to the lives of the British. Photo on dare2go.com -
Joaquin leaves Chile
“ Perez Rosales was 41 years old when he sailed for California on December 28, 1848… On board their ship were Chileans of all sorts, including a prostitute named Rosario Amestica.” (pbs.org) “On the night of December twenty-second, he kissed Eliza and his mother good-bye, and the next morning set off for California.” (Allende 153) Allende uses allegory to represent the historical aspects of the 1840s. Photo found on pbs.org -
Eliza and Tao Chien Arrive in California
“Brevet Gen. Riley replaced Brevet Gen. Mason as Governor of California.” (sfmuseum.org) “Tao Chi’en’s and Eliza’s Sommoers’s feet first touched soil of San Francisco on a Tuesday in April of 1849, at two o’clock in the afternoon.” (Allende 269) Allende uses symbolism to try and inform the reader about the weight of the situation. Photo found on new prairiepress.org -
Ice Storms in San Francisco
“The last days of January 1850 witnessed one of the worst ice storms ever seen in those parts. No one dared leave shelter; the town seemed dead, and for more than ten days not a single customer came to the barn. (Allende 370) “The winter of 1850 produced incessant rains with record and near record precipitation totals in the months of November, December, January and March.” (sierrasun.com) Allende uses personification to describe the treachery of the storm. Photo found of sierrasun.com -
California is branded a new state
“In September of 1850, Tao was present at the noisy patriotic celebration when California became the newest state in the union.” (Allende 386) “During the gold rush its a good time to be in the pick and shovel business” Mark Twain (goodreads.com) Allende uses imagery to describe how enthusiastic people are for California becoming a state. Photo found on fallout.fandom.com -
Joaquín Murrieta’s head is put on display
“The heroic Captain Harry Love proceeded to cut off the head of the supposed Murieta with one slash of his sword.” (Allende 482-483) “The character of this truly wonderful man was nothing more than a natural production of the country in which he lived, acting upon certain peculiar circumstances… his individual history is a part of the most valuable history of the State.” (gradesaver.com) Allende a historical event to help move the plot along. Photo found on sfchronicle.com