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.