The Writing of Sarmiento, Martí, and Darío

History and specific events had a clear effect on the writing of Sarmiento, Martí, and Darío. Sarmiento wrote Facundo in 1845, the same year the United States was taking part of Mexico. While Sarmiento’s writing does clearing show how he viewed the United States, such an event had an affect of Martí’s writing. Martí lived in Cuba, Spain, and the United States. While most Latin American nationalists after 1845 would have been very critical of the United States, Martí felt a conflicting view, as he had lived in the United States. Darío wrote To Roosevelt in 1905 in response to the Spanish-American War, in which poem he denounces the United States, calling it “a hunter.”

Along with being influenced by historical events, all three literary works, Facundo, Our America, and To Roosevelt, use the symbol of the tiger. Whether or not the uses of the tiger are coincidental, the tiger always symbolizes power. In Facundo, the tiger is a “maneater,” who is dominates the wild, but is constrained by the law and the civilized world of humans; the tiger later comes to symbolized Facundo. In Our America Martí is trying to prove that America needs to build itself up without European technology or thinking (the tiger) and while that temptation will always be, “wait[ing] behind every tree, crouch[ing] in every corner” America needs to build itself up without “the tiger” (European influence) (293). Darío argues a similar point as Martí. However, instead of Europe being the tiger, the United States is considered the tiger. Darío, like Martí, is suggesting that the Latin American world should not be influenced by foreign powers.

Role of Women in Sab

While Sab’s main purpose is to address the major issue of slavery, it also discusses the role of women. Carlota and Teresa and the two main women characters; however, they are complete opposites. While Carlota was raised in a wealthy family, Teresa was an orphan. Carlota represents a woman of the 18th century, while Teresa represents the future woman and how most women are thought of today.
Carlota is a beautiful woman with a weak character. She is blinded by her love for Enrique, and as a result cannot see clearly. To Teresa and Sab, Enrique is clearly the wrong man for Carlota, but Carlota is not able to see this. When Enrique was questioning whether or not to marry Carlota, because he realizes that she has no money, she believes it is because, “he (Enrique) does not love me (Carlota) as much as I love him.” (89) However, after Carlota wins the lottery, Enrique returns to her, and she never questions why. While Sab is able to see through Enrique after his first encounter with him, Carlota is not able to see the true Enrique until she is married to him.
Teresa, on the other hand, is somewhat of a mystery in the beginning of the novel, but by the end her character has come full circle and the strength that she has is finally shown. Teresa is constantly out shinned by Carlota, who is too wrapped up in herself. Teresa is not considered as beautiful or as wealthy as Carlota was in the beginning of the novel, but Teresa is not as blind as Carlota is to the situation. Teresa, like Sab, realizes Enrique is not the right man for Carlota, but, again like Sab, she realizes if Enrique were to die, he would always be a hero in Carlota’s mind. While in the beginning of the novel Teresa is not thought to play a major role in the story, by the end she makes two decisions that change the novel’s outcome. First, she befriends Sab and convinces Sab that Carlota should get the winning lottery ticket, not her. By doing so, Sab dies knowing he has a friend, and Carlota is finally able to see the true Enrique, who she really does not love. Secondly, she decides to show Carlota Sab’s letter. As a result, Carlota is able to find the truth about Sab’s love for her. Carlota is now able to live in peace, watching over Sab’s grave and finally giving him her love. While Teresa is looked over at first, because she is not the prettiest or wealthiest, by the end of the novel she becomes the controlling character, and in many ways she is more “manly” in her actions than any other character.

Response to Bolivar's "Jamaica Letter"

Simon Bolívar's thought provoking letter not only addresses the current situation of America at the time, but also in a sense Bolívar prophesizes possible outcomes of what is to come. Throughout much of his letter, I questioned Bolívar's reasoning for wanting a free South America, as he came from a wealthy slave owning family. Yet, what is clear throughout his letter is that he only wants the best for America and for it to be, "regarded not so much for its size and wealth as for its freedom and glory." (23)
He begins his letter by mentioning the struggles and battles taking place throughout America at the time, and he especially touches on the hardships that Venezuela is suffering. The most memorable passage to me is when Bolívar suggests that the people of America are slaves to Spain. Bolívar's reasoning is correct in the fact that the people of America are being controlled and dominated by Spain, but what struck me the most was the actual word slavery. Normally I think of slavery as the oppression of races that white males believe to be inferior to them, and I normally do not think of whole continents as being enslaved. By using the word slavery it made me realize how oppressed the people of America felt. Since the people of America lost their ability to control their government, their economy suffered and for the time, when they were controlled by Spain, they made no progress.
Towards the end of his letter, I find that Bolívar is often questioning what the future holds for America. First he touches on how ruling America under one monarchy would be impossible and that, “merging the entire New World into a single nation…is both grandiose and impractical.” (27) Yet, Bolívar believes that uniting America is the only way for them to create change and win their freedom. However, Bolívar believes that once this freedom is achieved America should be divided, “into fifteen or seventeen independent states, each governed by its own monarch.” (24) Despite a slight contradiction on his part, I agree with Bolívar that America needed to unite to provoke change, and once this was done America needed to be divided into separate countries, as America is way too big to be governed by one monarch.
My final realization that came from Bolívar’s letter was how different and divided Mexico and America were. Mexico started revolts in 1810. While Bolívar believed that Quetzalcoatl could unite America, Mexicans would not respond to Quetzalcoatl, but rather Virgin of Guadalupe would unite the Mexicans. Despite both Mexico and America wanting freedom from Spain I did not realize how divided they were.
Bolivar’s letter is not only a historical document, telling what was happening in 1815, but also a letter with Bolivar’s own thoughts on what America must do to get their freedom and what America should do once they get their freedom.