Blogs

Mexico is in the eve of another bloody revolution. The Liberal gouvernment has only been liberal towards themselves. The authoritarian and elitist government is being opposed by strong revolutionary forces led by Emiliano Zapata. His 15 point plan is demanding, … Continue reading →

The most interesting primary source from chapter 5 in Dawson’s book for me was To Roosevelt. This was because the document was written by Ruben Dario, and since we have not dealt with poems in the course before it was very interesting to learn about th…

The one document that stood out to me in this section was the letter penned by Ruben Dario to Teddy Roosevelt. This is because it is in the form of poetry, which is new in the course. Dario, in a way, tells Roosevelt, that “Yes, you are strong and when the US shouts, “the sound is like the roar of a lion”.” But he goes on to say that “our America lives. And dreams. And loves. And it is the daughter of the Sun. Be careful.” By “our America”, he is referring to Latin America. He is is saying “no” to the looming danger of North America taking over.
He also mentions poetry, which I find interesting (“But our own America, which has had poets since the ancient times of Nezahualcóyolt”). He goes on to talk about culture. By this, Dario shows that the strength of a group people is not based just on military power or financial status, but also on the richness of culture and traditions, which is what keeps people together. The Latin Americans are “A thousand cubs of the Spanish lion are roaming free”, and a big number of cubs can easily take down a big monster lion like the United States, especially when they are connected by culture and tradition. He even manages to make North Americans come across as barbaric and primitive, with the line “O Men with Saxon eyes and barbarous souls,” which is usually the opposite of what we’ve seen in history, where it is the indigenous in Latin America that are seen as uncivilized (barbaric also assumed).
His language is also that of poet: very ornate and almost mythical. I feel like the fact that he used poetry shows how strong culture can be in the strength of a people.

This weeks reading focused mainly on how the export boom came with great cost to the peasant and rural groups in the country. Not everyone benefited lavishly from the economic growth and push toward modernity that came with the new wave of technology and progress in the Gilded Age. Instead, these people were subjected to loss […]

In this poem, Ruben Dario expresses his concern on the role of active violence towards his “naïve America”, where Indian blood is being spilt. Roosevelt is described as cultured and able, and opposes to Tolstoy, who was a philosopher & political thinker who believed there should be no violence when it comes to politics. Ruben claims Roosevelt to be like a hunter, and that they will not give up to the United States until they are clutched in their iron claws, in other words, forced to do so. There are…read more