Colonialism and Latin America Essay Example for Free

Colonialism and Latin America Essay Eduardo Galeano is a passionate journalist and writer, a man that has put this passion into writing about the lost or often overlooked histories of Latin and South Americas. In one of his acclaimed books, Las venas abiertas de America Latina/Open Veins of Latin America, he looks at the history of exploitation in this place from early European explorers to current United States and European endeavors. In this paper using three examples from Open Veins of Latin America by Eduardo Galeano, will show how Latin America has developed a dependency on foreign entities. Latin America was mostly untouched by the European world until 1492, when the Spanish where looking for a cheaper way to obtain the goods from the Exotic East. Galeano even goes on to speculate that even earlier explorers could have visited thus creating the religions and gods that the native tribes worshipped (pg. 17). These Spanish explorers came looking for new goods and spices, and when they saw that these natives had bits of metal upon them and inquired after them discovered that gold and silver were in abundance here. Thus began the Spanish Conquistadors reign begin in Latin America, though out numbered 10 to 1, the Spanish steadily moved out. The technology gaps between these two worlds was astounding, as Columbus earlier noted, â€Å"They knew nothing of swords, and when these were shown to them they grasped the sharp edges and cut themselves. † Along with gunpowder, full metal armor, and most importantly horses the Spanish were able to decimate and terrorize most opposing forces that they encountered. â€Å"The conquests shattered the foundations of these civilizations† (pg.43), afterwards almost every major native city and been sacked and looted along with the natives being indentured or killed. The mines that were established created the greatest displacement of the native people; it forced them into grueling labor and destroyed the agricultural communities. These early conquests helped lay the groundwork for the future exploitation of this region. Gold and silver were the main motivating forces for the Conquest, but many other goods have developed within this region. Foremost of these goods was sugar, in fact it was such suitable terrain that it proved to be a â€Å"white gold. † The early sugar plantations were pure profit for the Spanish lords, with legions of African and Native slaves and soil ideal for sugar cane. This new agriculture and overseers helped contribute to the already old agriculture downfall. Forests were felled and other crops were dismissed as unnecessary, sugar became the only crop that mattered. These plantations developed into what we know today in Latin America as the latifundio, which has been meticulously honed into a system that allows for the highest profits to the owners but hardly adequate conditions for its workers. â€Å"The latifundio as we know it has been sufficiently mechanized to multiply the labor surplus, and thus enjoys an ample reserve of cheap hands. It no longer depends on the importations of African slaves or on the encomienda of Indians; it merely needs to pay ridiculously low or in-kind wages, or to obtain labor for nothing in return for the laborer’s under of a minute piece of land. † (pg. 60) This system created was so effective at siphoning the natural resources of the region that its growth into areas can be documented by the destroyed land and displaced populace that it leaves behind. Galeano states, â€Å"And this has not been the role of sugar alone: the story has been the same with cacao, cotton, rubber, coffee and fruits† (pg. 61). With the creation of this system within Latin America, it became ripe for foreign business interests to produce their product in this place. With the abundance of common resources available for cheap and with huge potential for a business owner to create huge profits, Latin America was directly and indirectly was given host to many business ventures from Dutch, French, English and U. S. industry. Businesses that invested into these ventures loved the model, land was acquired with earnest and more plantations were created with their overseers working for the new companies. Now all these companies could obtain a bulk product for little to no cost to them, and should you happen to own the transportation for bringing the product to its destination only created more. Investors grew rich and enjoyed their success at making double profits, though workers were not so happy. Unrest has become a staple of the Latin America countries, and unfortunately it is usually painted by our governments as the opposite of what is occurring. To begin most Latin American countries are under a Dictatorship, where the military has absolute power and the only thing with more influence is the businesses that want to keep their labor cheap. Foreign entities train these dictators then give them the money and goods they require to help maintain the goals that the businesses request of them. Most unrest that is documented is the people of these regions rising up against these Dictators to install someone for the people, but it usually doesn’t last long as foreign interest is already setting up the next player for their scheme. Latin America once boasted an ancient civilization with brilliant people; astronomers, builders, leaders, but now is governed by what product is most in demand. These people have had foreign parties that have been molding the way they live and function for over 500 years. Even know as we campaign to help them we can’t begin to grasp that these people need more than foreign interests to stop exploiting them, they need it to change their whole way of life. It’s a double edged sword, for there shall always be a party that enters the system that is only focused on its own needs rather than the needs of the people. The world has so deeply ingrained itself in the history and creation of the crutch that Latin America lives off of and if we should take that crutch away, they still won’t be able to walk, but if we show them how to do it on their own and let them govern themselves and teach them. Maybe they’ll be able to walk for themselves someday. Work Cited Galeano, E. H. (1997). Open veins of Latin America: five centuries of the pillage of a continent (25th anniversary ed. ). New York: Monthly Review Press.

The Renaissance and Why Its Important Essays -- essays research papers

Q: What was the Renaissance and why was it important? The Renaissance was a radical and comprehensive change of thinking and lifestyle that took place in European culture during the 15th and 16th centuries. The Renaissance was the reformation of many old ideas and the formation of many new, this brought many changes to Europe such as the birth of vital subjects, such as mathematics, geometry, and algebra. As well as sciences such as chemistry and astronomy which led to technological advancements. In my essay I will explain how the flourishing culture helped to inspire new developments in art, clashing views in the Church and religion and the concept of multiculturalism which helped to inspire teaching and learning?s of a broader range subjects. Renaissance artists sought to create art and sculptures that expressed themselves on a deep and emotional level, they created art forms consistent with the appearance of the natural world and with their experience of human personality and behaviour. Renaissance artists considered perspective, or the differences in the way things look when they are close to something or far away. The artists painted in a way that showed these differences. As a result, their paintings seem to have depth and meaning. During the 15th and 16th century artists concentrated mainly on the theme of life after death. This was the result of artists who became increasingly liberated from their guilds to pursue individual carers. Renaissance artists were usually of high prominence in the modern day society. Many were hired by rich patrons to paint in their household of either family or religious themes along their walls. The idea that you hired famous artists to paint for you meant that you and your family were. .. ...h and learn off each other spread all over Europe. Thus, making Toledo a significant element in the innovation of Universities and learning during the period of the Renaissance and the modern day world. In conclusion the Renaissance is an important and significant part of life today as many concepts of learning and teaching, art and religion all contribute to modern day society. The Renaissance saw a dramatic change in people?s thinking and expressions. People felt free to think for themselves for once, rather then how they were meant to think. For example, Artists felt unconstrained to draw and paint the honesty and realism in religion. The public thought for themselves and freed themselves from the church in order to express humanism in society. Cultures and backgrounds came together to teach and learn of each other, oblivious to their race or religion.

A Martian Sends a Postcard Home

â€Å"A Martian Sends A Postcard Home† The main theme for this poem, â€Å"A Martian Sends A Postcard Home† is showing that how different people have different perspectives and different way of perceiving things. This poem shows how a Martian would describe some of our everyday thing a lot differently than we would. The Martian has a unique way of describing everyday objects, emotions, and time. The Martian sees mist as an object that has human like properties such as becoming tired. Mist is when the sky is tired of flight and rests its soft machine on ground. † (Page 867) The Martian describes mist in a completely different way from the ordinary way we think it to be. We know that it has no human properties and understand it to be something just caused by nature. The Martian, while on Earth, sees adults while they are suffering. The Martian sees them hiding their pain in a room alone, yet children openly expose their hurt. â€Å"Only the young are allowed to suf fer openly.Adults go to a punishment room with water but nothing to eat. † (Page 864) The Martian gets to see something that most adults try to mask. The Martian is able to make a distinction between the way that children and adults express themselves. The Martian seems to describe in an odd way about how humans keep their time trapped in a box and how we have it tied to our wrists. â€Å"But time is tied to the wrists or kept in a box, ticking with impatience. (Page 864) In this statement, it shows how he finds it hard to understand why we keep track of time in that way and because we keep it in that way, time begins to tick impatiently. In conclusion, the theme of this poem shows how everyday items can be described or viewed in such a different way from another perspective. Such things as objects, feelings, and time can be held in such a different viewpoint from two different people. This poem shows how point of view is used to contrast things viewed from a human vs. outsid er viewpoint.

Art During The Renaissance in Venice

Just as with Florence, Venice was a Republic during the Renaissance. Actually, Venice was an empire that controlled land in what is modern day Italy, a whole lot of sea coast down the Adriatic and countless islands. It enjoyed a stable political climate and thriving trade economy, both of which survived outbreaks of the Black Death and the fall of Constantinople (a major trading partner). Venice was, in fact, so prosperous and healthy that it took someone named Napoleon to undo its empire status... but, that was quite a while after the Renaissance had faded away and had nothing to do with art. An Economy Supporting Art and Artists The important part is, Venice (again, like Florence) had the economy to support art and artists, and did so in a big way. As a major port of trade, Venice was able to find ready markets for whatever decorative arts Venetian craftsmen could produce. The whole Republic was crawling with ceramists, glass workers, woodworkers, lace makers, and sculptors (in addition to painters), all of whom made entirely satisfactory livings. The state and religious communities of Venice sponsored massive amounts of building and decorating, not to mention public statuary. Many private residences (palaces, really) had to have grand facades on at least two sides since they can be seen from the water as well as land. To the present day, Venice is one of the most beautiful cities on earth because of this building campaign. Scuola (Schools) Artisan guilds—wood carvers, stone carvers, painters, etc.—helped ensure that artists and craftsmen were properly compensated. When we speak of the Venetian School of painting, its not just a handy descriptive phrase. There were actual schools (Scuola) and they were highly selective about who could (or couldnt) belong to each. Collectively, they guarded the Venetian art market zealously, to the point that one did not purchase paintings produced outside of the schools. It simply wasnt done. Venices geographic location made it less susceptible to outside influences—another factor which contributed to its unique artistic style. Something about the light in Venice, too, made a difference. This was an intangible variable, to be sure, but it had an enormous impact. For all of these reasons, during the Renaissance Venice gave birth to a distinct school of painting. The Key Characteristics of the Venetian School The main word here is light. Four hundred years prior to Impressionism, the Venetian painters were keenly interested in the relationship between light and color. All of their canvases clearly explore this interplay. Additionally, the Venetian painters had a distinct method of brushwork. Its rather smooth and makes for a velvety surface texture. It seems, too, that Venices geographic isolation allowed for a somewhat relaxed attitude toward the subject matter. A great deal of painting dealt with religious themes; there was no getting around that. Certain wealthy Venetian patrons, however, created quite a market for what we refer to as Venus scenes. The Venetian School had a brief fling with Mannerism, but mostly resisted depicting the contorted bodies and torturous emotion Mannerism is known for. Instead, Venetian Mannerism relied on vividly painted light and color to achieve its drama. Venice, more than any other location, helped make oil paint popular as a medium. The city is, as you know, constructed on a lagoon which makes for a built-in dampness factor. Venetian painters needed something durable! The Venetian School is not known for its frescoes, however. When did the Venetian School Arise? The Venetian School arose in the mid to late 15th century. Pioneers of the Venetian School were the Bellini and Vivarini (descendants of those marvelous Murano glassworkers) families. The Bellini were of particular importance, for it is they who are credited with bringing the Renaissance style to Venetian painting. The Important Artists The most important artists of the Venetian schools were the Bellini and Vivarini families, as mentioned. They got the ball rolling. Andrea Mantegna (1431–1506), from nearby Padua was also an influential member of the Venetian School during the 15th century. Giorgione (1477–1510) ushered in 16th century Venetian painting, and is rightly known as its first really big name. He inspired notable followers such as Titian, Tintoretto, Paolo Veronese,and Lorenzo Lotto. Additionally, a lot of famous artists traveled to Venice, drawn by its reputation, and spent time in the workshops there. Antonello da Messina, El Greco and even Albrecht Dà ¼rer—to name but a few—all studied in Venice during the 15th and 16th centuries. Sources and Further Reading Humfrey, Peter. Painting in Renaissance Venice. New Haven CT: Yale University Press, 1995.Murray, Linda. The High Renaissance and Mannerism: Italy, the North, and Spain 1500–1600. London: Thames and Hudson, 1977.  Tafuri, Manfredo. Venice and the Renaissance. Trans., Levine, Jessica. MIT Press, 1995.