Chapter 5: Signs of a Gilded Age

The first document, Dario's poem titled To Roosevelt is a extremely satisfying 'slap-in-the-face' against the might and will of the United States of America and then President Roosevelt himself.  As President, Roosevelt represented continued incursions by US forces into Latin America. In 1903, Roosevelt justified and even supported the Revolution in Panama which resulted in the annexation of Panama Canal as a U.S. territory. In a testament to the Monroe Doctrine (a doctrine presented by President Monroe in 1823 that stated that any incursion into Latin America in the form of colonization or an attempt to interfere with any North or South American state would be seen as an act of aggression and would be met with deadly force), Roosevelt and the United States believed themselves to have a responsibility to act as the police officer for Latin America.

Dario's poem is a complete rejection of the 'supreme benevolence' that the United States assumed of itself at the time. Whilst Dario does reject the presence of U.S. forces he clearly speaks about the general view held by Latin Americans that the U.S. was a wealthy, progressive, powerful and democratic example to which many Latin American countries could look towards for guidance. Mid-way through the poem he says "If you clamor, it is heard like the roaring of a lion".  I think this to be very potent image of what the United States mean in the early 1900s yet still relevant to the United States' position in international relations and Latin America specifically.

His final free form stanza is a flowing piece of literary genius that creates a beautiful and striking image of Latin America and its 'soul'. Dario speaks of the history and deep connections to its ancient lands. He recognises the incursion by men such as Columbus and the Spanish (and other European powers) and the effect this had on the Latin American culture. He perfectly sums up Latin America towards the end of the poem when he says "And it dreams, And it loves, and it vibrates, and it is the daughter of the Sun. Be careful. Viva Spanish America!". He then goes onto potraty the strength of character and the might that the people hold as collective Latin Americans. He describes the people as a 'Thousand cubs loosed from the Spanish Lion". As a grandiose finale, one that would rival the concluding bars of Beethoven's great symphonies, he directly targets Roosevelt with a thinly veiled threat and maybe even a touch of 'just try us'. 

The final sentence both signifies the solid religious foundation in Latin America (one that continues to this day) and clearly states that the U.S.A does not have god on it side rather Latin America does.

I am extremely glad that I got to read this poem as it could have been written by hundreds of different poems from hundreds of different countries throughout the United States' tenure as the global leviathan and it would have had the same effect.

The Export Boom as Modernity

This weeks reading was a fascinating account of the Mexican President Porfirio Diaz who served as President for seven terms or 34 years. It is clear that Diaz is a figure of controversy in the history of Mexico. The 'Porfiriato' (the title given to the period in which Diaz ruled) brought relative peace and stability within the borders and significant economic growth which included vast investments from foreign enterprises in the sectors of minerals and transportation/logistics. This article is bias towards the positive aspects of Diaz's rule and the benefits that the had on modernizing Mexico. Whilst the author does touch on the aspects of the cruel ways in which Diaz retained controlled, the overwhelming feeling is that the 'ends justify the means'; if to ensure telegraph wires were not cut it was required to hang or punish policeman then that was okay as sometimes its necessary to spill blood to save blood. This view on managing Mexico clearly backfired as he became greedy with his position and fell from power during the Mexican Revolution. His 'dictatorship' became unpopular wit the people as they felt repressed and whilst claimed to be democratic the elections were mere formalities as there was never an opposition.

Citizenships and Rights in the Republic

This weeks readings focuses many issues such as of citizenship and rights during the formation of Latin America and its many states, the issue of woman's rights and religion. This review will focus on Document 3.4 titled 'Brushstroke' by Maria Eugenia Echenique. Maria strongly believes in the freedoms of woman and wishes to fight against the oppression of woman. Through a combination of education and increased freedoms, Maria believes woman can truly break through prejudice and succeed at life far more easily than before. It is undeniable the access to education is one of the most critical factors in the fight against oppression. This can be seen in modern times in countries such all around the world from the middle east, to the Asia and even into the west. Education has always been seen as the gateway to freedom and choice; without the ability to understand and think critical and make decisions, society is unable to progress. Whilst this fact is undeniable, Maria does become quite stereotypical and generalizes the male population quite destructively. She continues to state that men laugh at everything, make jokes of themselves, only think about filling their pockets (with money presumably) and satisfying their desires whilst becoming angry, aggressive and destructive if something comes between them and their goals.  Whilst this would upset the modern reader, this document must be placed into context of Latin American society in the late nineteen hundreds when woman's right's were blatantly non existent.

Whilst I am writing this I feel the need to compare Maria's original document to document 3.5 titled “Women: Dedicated to Miss Maria Eugenia Echenique” by  Judith (Josefi na Pelliza de Sagasta). Judith contradicts Maria completely stating that she believes equality between sexes would be destructive and a terrible thing if it occurred. She argues that woman would lose their "greatest charms and the poetic prestige of their weakness: the prestige which forms the most noble attribute of their sex, the prestige that later, when women are mothers, doubly beautifies them and places them on the sacred throne of the home, where women best belong. Women, in our opinion, should never even in thought surpass the limits that God." This type of comment would not stand in modern times without serious backlash and it is surprising that a comment like this would be made by a woman even during such a turmoiled time.