Fin

I really enjoyed this class, it gave me the opportunity to understand my background from various aspects, everything from the indigenous groups to food and literature.  I have to admit that my favourite part of this class was the lecture on photography. Every time I have been to Latin America I have been inspired by what seemed to me like insignificant scenarios, because it was so typically seen, however in class when the images of these events were captured in such a simplistic frames it encouraged me to take more pictures on my up coming trips.
One thing that I would have liked in this class was to have the opportunity to express the literature or novels we read in a different format other than book reports. It would have been nice to explore topics beyond written work.


Finally I would like to give thanks to our instructor for giving us an insight to what Latin America is all about!

Chronicle of a Death Foretold

Chronicle of a Death Foretold

By Gabriel Garcia Marquez

Cultures around the world are ever changing. Many different incidents or scenarios have caused changes, whether it has been natural disasters, war, or the result of interaction with other cultures. Traditions and rituals have been lost, but new ones have been created in replacement. Some say that the changes that have occurred are for the better, but there are others who would vehemently disagree.  It is impossible to say that one culture is better then another, but we can say for certain that no culture has remained completely intact. The fictional novel, Chronicle of a Death Foretold by Gabriel Garcia Marquez deals with the Latin American Culture over the past century. To generalize Latin America into a specific culture is an unfair statement, seeing as every country in Latin America holds a unique culture. And yet, this is still a poor, false generalization because within each of these countries, there are groups of people whom form communities of their own culture. Nonetheless, all of Latin America holds a unique form of interaction and thinking that can be separated from every other culture in the world. There are key characteristics that that defines all of Latin America that any foreigner would be able to see in just mere seconds of being immersed in the culture, such as the undeniable lively spirit of the people or the way they greet one another. In Chronicle of a Death Foretold, Gabriel Garcia Marquez is able to depict the Latin American culture in the early 19^th century, and serves as a perfect way to show just how much Latin America has evolved and what aspects of the culture has remained intact.

A Chronicle of a Death Foretold takes place in a town where everyone knows everyone, and everybody knows everything about just anybody who inhabited this small Colombian coastal town in the 1920’s. Gabriel Garcia uses a journal like writing style to recount a murder that occurred many years ago. The narrator is veiled in secrecy, his name never being revealed. The cause for his investigation is because he wants to find out what really happened on the day of the murder. The narrator questions all the people of the village who witnessed the crime, jumping back and forth from the present to the past, to both prior and after the murder day. This style of writing is extremely important to the plot of the book, because every interview exposes more details about the crime. Exposing what had been hidden about the murder does not necessarily develop the underlying truths of the crime, as much as it served as a window into why people of the village acted the way they did. Baynardo San Roman, a handsome young man full of character and charm, but most importantly money, was courting Angela Vicario, the antagonist of the story.  Angela came from a proper, rigid family who not only very strongly believed in the customs and traditions of the past, but were instilled to follow them as well. Baynardo and Angela’s wedding was the most extravagant wedding party and they invited everyone in the village. After five hours of marriage, Angela revealed to Baynardo that was she was no longer a virgin, resulting in him immediately returning her to her family.  At this time, having a daughter returned to her family is perhaps the biggest embarrassment a family could face. Angela is forced to reveal who stole her purity, and she tells them it is Santiago San Roman. Santiago was a wealthy, respected young man, a descendent from the Arab immigrants. In order to restore her honor, Angela’s two older twin brothers, Pedro and Pablo, set out to kill him. On the day of this murder, the whole village knew Santiago San Roman was going to be killed; the only person who didn’t know was Santiago himself. All through the book, the narrator is trying to find out why no one warned Santiago and why the authorities did not do anything about it. Throughout the recounting of the event, no new facts about the truth are revealed, however, the narrator gains a greater understanding of the culture he grew up in. Slowly, the narrator begins to pick out ideas of his culture such as honor, machismo, and sexism, all of which seemed so natural before, is now being questioned and found flawed. 

To have honor in the North American Culture is to maintain integrity, but the definition of honor varies in different cultures. As previously mentioned, this story took place in the 1920’s. The definition of honor in Latin American culture then has many differences to nowadays, and even then it was different amongst men and women. Men had honor when they worked hard, had money and if they were respected. Controversially, a woman’s honor was dependent on her purity only.  The roles of the men and women in society were brought together in their family to create the ultimate, traditional family. The Vicario family was perceived as picture perfect. “The brothers were brought up to be men. The girls had been reared to get married.”(pg. 31) Disgrace was not only brought to Angela Vicario when returned to her family, but most importantly her whole family, especially her mother, Purisima del Carmen. As a mother in the society of Latin America, a mother typically stays at home, makes sure that her children are brought up correctly and is second to her husband, this was strictly followed in the past. “She devoted herself with such spirit of sacrifice to the care of her husband and the rearing of her children that at times one forgot she still existed” (pg. 31). Purisima del Carmen had devoted everything to her children’s well bringing and the shame of Angela’s return fell solely on her. A common form of punishment then and still occurs now, is punishment through beating. A person with greater authority and respect creates the illusion of themselves of being more powerful through strength, which is why so many cases of physical abuse is seen in Latin America. Latin America has an above world average for assault and murder rates. The perception of having honor was so important in that past, a person without honor in society was someone of the lowest class. In fact, the fiancée of Pablo said she would have not married him had he not killed Santiago. It is important to note that because Pablo and Pedro Vicario’s father was blind, it left them to be the men of the house, and thus, forcing them to kill Santiago. Had they not killed him, what the village would think of their family would linger. It is easy to subconsciously come to a conclusion that the villagers approved of the murder of Santiago. If the villagers didn’t approve, wouldn’t it have been stopped? Or was it because Santiago was of a higher class that no one believed he could have been murdered. Class and honor in this culture played hand in hand.

This whole novel has revolved around the scenario of how the Vicario family lost their honor and kills in order to get it back. However, another important character that lost their honor is Baynardo San Roman.  Although the novel does not directly mention that Baynardo lost his honor, it is implied. After Baynardo returns Angela to her family, Baynardo enters into something that seems like a state of depression. The man that was once so highly respected was pitied. This man could control anyone and have anyone he wanted, failed in one area where he should have succeeded most. Baynardo became so emotionally weak that his family had to come to the village and take him away. What made Baynardo’s situation worse was that he was not able to find a way to restore his honor. He knew that when Santiago died, Angela would be able to restore his honor and she would be able to remarry, but as a man, he lacked the sense of protection that Angela received. A man in Latin American culture needs to protect the family. He needs to be powerful, confident, and portray masculinity, this is also known as machismo.

The term Machismo is commonly known and used to define men. It is a term boys from a very young age are taught to portray. It starts by telling the boy that he needs to be strong, that boys don’t cry, and boys aren’t supposed to be in the kitchen. This term is viciously drilled in the minds of the males that for the Latin American culture, Machismo seems to be the only shoes that every young boy feels the need to fill. Yes, in the past few years the idea of Machismo has been dying out, but compared to for example North America, the difference is more than evident. The concept of Machismo is not only found in Latin America but all over Asia and Africa.  In the Middle East, men have always played a role of strength and superiority. Only the men filled important roles in the village, the market, politics, armed forces, farming, and the women had very limited options to chose from, in the book it was shown that a women was either the care taker of the house or a prostitute with the exception of Clotilde Armenta who helped her husband in his shop. The concept of Machismo is the cause of why so much division between men and women in society exist. In the words of Clotilde Armenta “the height of machismo”  (pg. 63) has allowed males to feel empowered and take advantage of women. For example the male feels the needs to demonstrate to his fellow friends that he is able to fulfill his desires this means that he is able to go seek relationships outside of the marriage or while being single he is permitted to be in many relationships at a time (2). An important example in the book is the brothel that the narrator, Santiago and all of that male age group in the village would go to. Maria Cervantes was the most requested women in the village “It was she who did away with my generation’s virginity. She taught us much more than we should have learned.” (pg. 64). Women of the village knew where their spouse or sons were going to but they weren’t allowed to say anything. For a woman, to be with a man before marriage or during marriage is prohibited and this was the case of Angela Vicario. The term machismo allows the males to feel that absolute control over the women because the women are dependent on the male in all aspects of her life. There are three things that the women in a household have control over based on the novel, the maids ( if any), what will be cooked, and raising of their children. It is because of machismo that the abuse rate and crime rate in Latin America is an average of 25 percent greater than the worlds average (3). Yet the divorce rates in Latin America is one of the lowest, because of two very important reasons, the fear that is instilled in women and the catholic religion.

Religion plays a very important role in Latin America and this is evident in the novel. The same morning of the murder the bishop was coming into town. The twins were forced to postpone their pursue of murder till after the bishop left. The people of the Latin America have great respect for their religious beliefs, a common form of showing this demonstrated in the novel is through sacrifice of the best their best animals or offerings of whatever they have. This is still a common practice in Latin America and it goes to demonstrate how important religion is in the lives of these people. Most marriages like Angela’s and Baynardo’s wedding is done under the catholic vows, so which means that if a divorce is ever to occur they will not be allowed to remarry under the catholic church. In the eyes of a women a divorce would mean that they most likely will not receive any help financially in the up bringing of their children and that they are unlikely to find someone willing to remarry with them. Therefore, for most women divorce is never an option. Fortunately thanks to the globalization, the idea of machismo is dwindling away and women have more opportunities to study and have careers. 

I enjoyed this book because it offers the reader the opportunity to compare how the Latin American culture has evolved. Based on the book I am able to pick out many aspects of the Latin American society that I have witnessed such as machismo, and compare it to my grandparents who are still very instilled in the traditions of the past, and then compare it to my parents who have drifted away from much of these traditions and finally my generation in which I feel privileged to not have to had endure such division between the males and females. More and more women have the opportunity to go to university and are taking careers once only done my men.

As Latin America grows many of the traditions and ideologies of the past and evolved; however, I question to what extent will Latin America change. From my point of view all of Latin America seems to idealize the United States and want to transform into the perfect commercialized world they see the U.S as. I hope that this desire these nations have does not drift them away from the attachment they hold to their religion, their festivities, nor to take away the tight knitted communities like the one depicted in the novel. The Latin American culture is so unique which is why so many tourists are attracted to it. I hope in the future that the Latin American culture will be able to maintain its integrity but evolve for the better.

References:

(1)Gabriel Garcia Marquez, translated by Gregory Rabassa, Chronicle of a Death Foretold. Vintage Books: 1982. Print

(2)“Machismo Sexual Identity” <http://www.stanford.edu/group/womenscourage/Repro_Latin/ekobash_HIVmachismo_Latin.html> Web. 16 Jun. 2012

(3) Caroll, Roy “Rampant violence is Latin America's 'worst epidemic'”. The Gaurdian. 8 Oct.2008. Web. 16 Jun. 2012

Murals Worth Taking a Look At

It is difficult to imagine the tremendous amount of work such art requires. However I think that the work these muralists have put into these master peices is well worth it. These are images that tell a story and you simply cannot take your eye off of them!

Ethnography

Book Report

Lettered Mountain: A Peruvian Village's Way with Writing

Authors: Frank Salomon and Mercedes Nino-Murcia

Introduction

According the Oxford Dictionary of English, ethnography is the scientific description of peoples and cultures with their customs, habits and mutual differences.

This paper presents a book review of the book called Lettered Mountain: A Peruvian Village’s Way with Writing which provides a thorough ethnographic background of writing and literacy of the native people of Peru by focusing a study on a small Andean district known as Tupicocha located in the province of Huarochiri within the region of Lima, Peru.

The author describes the historical and social discrimination that Andean natives, also known as “yndios”, have been subjected to and how this ethnic group has been considered as people not having their own literacy. The author offers many examples that support the rich history of graphic communication and writing of these people.  

Salomon and Nino-Murcia teach us that in the first decade of the XVII century, Andean natives of Huarochiri wrote down a Huarochiri Manuscript – the only known book from South America that may be compared to the Popol-Vuh of the Mayans. In Chapter 1, Salomon and Nino-Murcia explore Alphabetism in Tupicocha from different perspectives such as the different forms of precolombinan communication using khipus, history of Quechuan and Spanish language literacy, evidence in the form of written materials found in town, purpose of written communication, etc. The fact that Tupicocha doesn’t have a great deal of printed literature throughout town may give visitors the impression that locals do not have a high level of literacy; however, given the opportunity, a high percentage of local population know how to read and write and are quite keen to read any literature available to them.

The book provides examples in recent history of the limited resources that the state has assigned to rural areas and the attitude that people from the capital have toward the Inka-descendant culture of Andean natives. The books demonstrates with pictures the limited amount of printed material available in small villages. For example, it shows that the most common places to find books are typically the school library and the municipal office.

The book does an excellent job exploring the history of literacy in Peru and the role it plays as a factor in the culture and day-to-day life of local communities in Peru. For example, the book describes that man who cannot write well are not considered good marriage prospects because they don’t have enough potential as household providers.

In terms of literacy among women, it is becoming widespread because new generations recognize that literacy offers greater employment opportunities for women. As a result, during the last decades, it has been observed a gradual decline in female dropout rates from school.

The book also provides some important statistics on overall country literacy rates that indicate that in 2007, 86% of Peruvian population knew how to read and write. Furthermore, the book also explores levels of literacy among men and women. On this front, it is found that women population is characterized by lower levels of literacy which in some ways it is influenced by the believe that males, who typically inherit and administer land issues, must be versed in law to defend their property. In the chapter, The Power over Writing, the author explores the historical context on how Spanish colonization influenced the culture and writing of local communities and how, subsequently, native people became marginalized from both a social and cultural standpoint.

Writing and Archive Keeping

Salomon and Nino-Murcia did an excellent job describing the rituals practiced by

local communities organized in the so-called ayllu cells which are small

community groups made up of extended families who own and administer their

common land. The authors illustrate how local Andean communities use writing at the ayllu meetings to document their daily operations, work records, group resolutions,

community events, group agreements, etc. The books explains from a historical perspective, how these communities use written language not only to be heard by the central state, but also to defend their own rights and administer their day-to-day activities.

The authors also explore the impact that migration of people to the capital has had

on the communities. For example, lately, it has been found that written language is

used quite often as a mean of communication among relatives.

Ayllu Meetings: Organizing day-to-day life in local Communities

As it was mentioned above, ayllu meetings are a core element of native Andean culture. Ayllu is made of extended families who meet periodically to administer local activities ranging from administering volunteer activities, to maintaining their properties, to administering their local political life. In this context, ayllu meetings use writing as a tool to record all transactions within the community. Having said that, records are protected by members at their houses. From a political organization standpoint, ayllus emulate a form of local governance and are used by native communities to establish a relationship with the state. For example, ayllu records are useful to confirm a person’s eligibility for retirement or to confirm if a member of the community has met all community-working activities. Salomon and Nino-Murcia explain that many of the latest improvements in the rural communities are a product of the small-scale initiatives raised by the ayllus in the countryside.

Khipus as way of Communication

Chapter 2 provides an excellent overview of khipus as a tool of communication used by Andean natives. Khipus is an ancient system of knotted cords used by Andean societies to record important information. Messages are expressed by combining fiber types, colors and knotting arrangements. The book describes several studies explaining the type of communication conveyed by khipus. One of these theories claim that khipus was mainly used to convey numerical information rather than complex or abstract expressions. Another school of thought claims that besides expressing numerical codes, khipus can also be used to represent a syllabic writing system also known as khipus phonography. A third school of thought relates khipus to semasiography which is a name used for a system of codes similar to music that can explained in simple words as writing without words. In this case, it is believed that khipus can be used to represent concepts, actions, objects. In addition to that, the book refers to an author, Urton 2003, who believes that khipus are signs representing a neutral underlying code similar to ASCI. Historically, khipus acquired different meanings such as the person who collected information of the herds by inspecting cord records. The colonial church used khipus as a tool for confession and catechism. For example, people used cord records of sins as a tool for confession, to record dates in the calendar of saints and to memorize some catholic teachings. Eventually, the Church came up with an invention known as the “khipu board” which combined alphabetic and cord signs in a single item. Historically, khipus ended up being used by local communities to maintain data independence from Spanish scribes.

The authors seem to take a position by stating that khipus are considered by many people as a graphical communication tool able to describe relationships between visual patterns of contrast, variation and data hierarchy that cannot be represented by scribal writing. The art of khipus has nearly been vanished since the Spanish decided that it was not appropriate to maintain khipus especially in the Catholic Church. This form of communication is nearly lost and remains as a mere token of history.

Alphabetization in Rural Areas

            In chapter three, A Tale of Two Cities, the book explores the idea that current state alphabetization is implemented in rural areas that already developed their own literacy practice. The authors explain that this phenomenon is quite unique since many of these peasants acquired their knowledge through self-teaching within their ayllus organizations. For example, many schools were built on the existing ayllu organization who obtained and financed ministerial education. The book provides evidence that since 1876, the ayllus in Tupicocha started sponsoring a village free school. When talking about two lettered cities, the book refers to two separate education models, one based on the ayllus scribal model and the second one driven by the central government. Salomon and Nino-Murcia investigate how the Spanish colony influenced and shaped rural writing habits. For example, villagers treasure a Spanish language book called El Mosaico which became an instrumental in learning Spanish reading and writing. Other books that became important in the learning of Spanish are Espejito (Little Mirror) and the book of The Peruvian Primary School (Guzman and Valle, 1923) and Coquito. In addition to that, the book describes some of the state projects that were implemented to bring literacy to the rural areas. The common denominator of all these programs is that this programs isolated Lima from the rural areas by trying to implement not only the cultural norms and standards of the Capital without taking into account the native culture, but also for showing signs of discrimination against native Andean people. In other words, even though some governments went through massive efforts to introduce schools in rural areas, this process didn’t integrate the needs of the peasants. However, nowadays, many of the peasants are achieving university degrees and these people are starting to support and provide positive influence in their communities.

            Offering these opportunities to indigenous groups to receive an education has allowed for Peru to become an icon for the rest of the world. These indigenous people now have the skills to communicate and let the rest of the world understand their culture at a much deeper level. Traditions, superstitions and rituals have resurfaced, and this would not have been possible if the indigenous groups where keep marginalized. Nations such as Bolivia or Ecuador are now trying to do the same. However, in Peru there are thousands of people who continue to be marginalized.

            Based on the ethnography one can come to the conclusion that to a certain extend not all indigenous groups in Peru have had the opportunity to integrate themselves with society.  The Tupicocha village that was focused on in the ethnography in comparison to surrounding villages nearby was slightly more advanced. Although due to cultural stigmas and beliefs there continues to be a greater advantage for the men in this society. Although there is proof that more female are staying in school my question rests in what type of encouragement is the government offering. In general if more students are attending school what more programs is the government offering. In the village studied in the ethnography it was mentioned that there were only two computers, which some would say is great, yet these computers lack access to internet and accessibility because only a few individuals have control over it. Yet in the neighboring villages they have never even seen a computer. I think that this should be the next focus of the government, now that the indigenous culture has been more accepting of receiving education, the next step would be to offer programs so that students feel encouraged to continue in there studies, and offer forms of communication so that the rest of the world can learn more about them.

           I understand that for the government this may seem like a difficult task due to the amount of investment that this may require. However, the government should take in note that it is because of these surviving indigenous groups, their traditions, arts and rituals that a large portion of the nations income is based on, tourism. I do not think that it is fair that such unique traditions of the past such as khipu be lost do to restrictions made in the past. Today hundreds of years later we continue to learn and understand more and more about such indigenous groups because we have become more accepting of them. Centuries ago, the Spaniards belittled the indigenous people but today there is no excuse for us to do the same. In addition to the government providing more programs for indigenous people I think the government of Peru and governments all over Latin America face the harder task of breaking the idea of racial division such as the mutallos or criollos. I think that for all of Latin America to become more successful in terms of economy, social relations, and welfare, the racial divisions need to come to an end. I having had the opportunity to travel to many Latin American countries and I have witness the racial division and I think that the only way for the indigenous people to feel more comfortable around the rest of society is if that barrier is broken.

            Overall the ethnography was extremely informative and offered a direct view into the indigenous way of life but most importantly the impact literature has had on these communities. Perhaps the most important theme in this ethnography is that the Andean people have had a their unique exposure to literature and that they have such a long history of different forms of communication that have been underestimated. There is hopes that in the near future these indigenous groups will be able to recover their traditions and beliefs which were once so brutally taken away.

References:

SALOMON, FRANK (2011) The lettered mountain [electronic resource] : a Peruvian village's way with writing. Durham, NC, USA: Duke University Press

Social Movements in Latin America

Peronismo
Peronismo meaning social justice was a way for the people of Argentina to reject pervious ideologies and adopt more free ones where social classes would come together

Cardenismo
Cardenismo allowed for mexico to expand its industrialization market and in general its trading market

Cuban revolution 
Castrismo
The Cuban Revolution had a significant impact on all of Central America because it encouraged nations to start their own revolutions

Chavismo

Sandinismo

The Sandinismo movement is very dear to me because my father grew up while the movement occurred. Having visited Nicaragua several of times I am still able to see the impact that the Sandinista's had and continue to have. One cannot understand the significance and impact of these movements without having to experienced it.

Brazil Landless Movement

EZLN

Human Rights Movement-

Mothers of Plaza de Mayo in Argentina

In Latin America there have been countless movements in which many men and women lost their lives fighting for a greater cause. The feminine movements have allowed women to receive the equal rights and respect. The environmental movements have allowed for the preservation of important land features, racial movements have given people the freedom and comfort of accepting their culture. In retrospect you can not help but wonder what Latin America would be now if these social movements never happened.

Mundo Quino

In the interview Quino, On the Funny Side of Freedom, you can learn a lot about Joaquín Salvador Lavado. The perception I got of him is that he is without a doubt funny but most importantly he is a man that is more than secure in his opinions and beliefs. The way he expressed himself in the interview allows you to really understand why he touches on certain topics and view his opinion on worldwide issues. His work is definitely admirable and I commend him for not letting his work be used in advertisements.  


I chose this cartoon because as he mentioned in the interview he often uses God in his cartoons although he does not believe in God. This intrigued me so I decided to chose a cartoon of his that displays God as one of his characters. In this cartoon God seems to hate his job of raffling off names to fill up spots in heaven. He reads the name off the piece of paper and right after you can see a man about to be hit by a giant piece of concrete. I think that in this cartoon the topic of death is being explored. Often times people question God, why did he/she have to die? Why did this have to happen to me? Joaquin is poking fun at how death can be so unexpected and how you cannot escape it because your name and everyone who know has their name in the raffle. He is making  fun of what an awful job God must have picking names out of the raffle everyday and perhaps how he and society fear the day their name will be chosen. 
 

Song Analysis

Song Analysis

Solo Le Pido a Dios by Mercedes Sosa

            It was not too long ago when the people of Latin America felt obscured of their voices by their own governments. In the history of many of these countries including Argentina, Chile, Paraguay, Peru, Bolivia, military dictators literally prohibited artists from expressing their views. Artists often challenged these governments but also faced the consequences. One artist that stands beyond the rest is Mercedes Sosa. Her folkloric songs were and continue to be the voice of oppressed people. Her voice, passion and determination will never be forgotten and her songs are simply a treasure that resonates among the majority of the people of South America. A song that has touched the hearts of many is known as “Solo Le Pido a Dios” (“I only ask God”). The current essay will provide an analysis of the significance and the meaning of this song.

Mercedes Sosa was a humble young woman when she had the opportunity to express her talent and opinion through music.  Often referred to as “La Negra”, Mercedes was able to take her career worldwide as people began to discover and understand her songs dealing with issues relevant to the time. Perhaps the most important topics that Mercedes sung about were poverty, injustice and corruption. For example, in Argentina, dictatorships prohibited artists to express themselves; however, this did not stop Mercedes. She continued to produce and sing her songs that led to her arrest in 1980. All of Argentina was devastated because they had lost their voice and inspiration. However, despite the dictatorship’s efforts, it was impossible to make people forget her message. When the dictatorship collapsed, she was more than eager to return and sing in her nation and for all of Latin America. The youth finally had the opportunity to hear her music and give her praise for her contribution to the democracy of Argentina. Mercedes went on to receive various awards including three Grammys. She continued till her death to sing folkloric music and talk about relevant issues in modern society.

            There are countless songs sung by Mercedes Sosa that have touched the hearts of millions. Solo Le Pido a Dios is translated to I Only Ask God, deals with the distain that existed in terms of the war, pain and suffering felt by the nation. The song has a very defined and repetitive rhythm with only a guitar and steady beat of what seems like a crowd of people stomping or clapping in unison. This simple arrangement serves the purpose to define the people, these people of simple backgrounds, these people working together towards a better life, these people who have united as one to achieve their goals. Mercedes Sosa in this song has a very powerful, rich voice. Symbolically, her voice is the voice of everyone, which is why her voice is so prominent and raw. The very first phrase in the song is “I only ask God”. God and the catholic church are such significant figures in the lives of Latin Americans, so it has become somewhat overly used to say I ask God for this or that, but there comes a time in peoples lives where they sincerely pray to God and in this song, it is one of those sincere moments where people put their faith and trust in God. It is important to note that it is “only ask God”, in this context, it demonstrates the severity of what society was facing. “ I only ask God” was one of those moments in life where people sincerely plead to God for their lives.

During the decades of 1970s and 1980s, Chile underwent the torture of the dictator Augusto Pinochet. Argentina was also a victim of what some people considered to be a fascist government. In Chile alone, there were over 3,000 people killed and over 30,000 people tortured. In the song’s first verse, Mercedes touches on the topic of pain and death. Witnesses of casualties were experienced so often by these people that value of human life and the pains that are experienced were diminished. It became a matter of praying to God to find the value of life and not simply giving up, without having at least put up a fight. Mercedes Sosa is really just expressing the lack of hope and willpower people had to continue under the unfair regime. This song questions the audience of the time, whether people were truly willing to give in so easily and let the hopes of freedom, democracy and life slip away.

            Perhaps the most important metaphor in this is song is the “monster”. Monsters are feared and dreaded, but throughout all of history, the myths of monsters have always ended in terms of a hero killing the monster. This is what I believe the song is conveying, that this monster which is the government, is torturing people through threats, war, murders and absolute control. This monster is abusing the innocence of the people making them cold hearted, indifferent to death, dwindled in hope, belittled in faith, regretful of luck. However this song is telling the people that not all hope can be lost, there are heroes among them, they are stronger in numbers, they have more faith than ever, they will not let themselves be crushed by this monster. The song gave people the hope to look forward to the future, to become united and to fight for one another.

There are many websites dedicated to Mercedes Sosa in which hundreds of people write their thoughts about her songs and lyrics. The majority of the comments are expressing their gratitude for her bravery and the impact she has had on their nation. I truly believe that Mercedes Sosa is an admirable woman. I think that her simplistic songs and message is a topic that will never be forgotten. The world today seems to be so modernized, yet there is still war, there are still dictators; there is still hunger and poverty. Mercedes’s songs serve as a humbling message for all the youth that is sometimes ungrateful. I really appreciate her music because it helps me understand and even feel the pain that my ancestors had to face and that I sometimes lose sight of.  

Mercedes Sosa was a powerful woman who gave society the strength they needed to demand democracy. Her words were simple, concise and relatable. I truly believe that artists, singers, and motivators have been able to give countries such as Chile and Argentina the strength to overcome all the damage that was caused. Mercedes Sosa was the voice for all those people, she conveyed the people’s thoughts, and she did not fear the reproaches she received. Her voice was the voice for millions of people worldwide. To this day, people remember Mercedes Sosa as a strong nurturing woman, but most importantly she is remembered as a great hero. 

References:

(1) Coqui Sosa “Historia”. Mercedes Sosa <http://www.mercedessosa.com.ar/marcosmaster.htm> Web.30 May 2012

(2) “Mercedes Sosa”. Buenos Aires the Easy Way <http://www.easybuenosairescity.com/biografias/sosa1.htm> 3 Jul 2011 Web. 30 May 2012