Many instances of history have shown us that people go about bringing change in different ways, whether it be on a major scale, or something minor. In most cases, these instances can be either referred to as reforms or revolutions. Although similar, they are different in the way in which a plan is carried out to bring about change. For instance, a reform is simply an improvement in the way of living which is usually carried out by making slight changes or additions to the rights of those who seek reform. A revolution on the other hand, is a more radical reform, in that it focuses on changing the fundamentals of a government and sometimes a complete overthrow of a previously instated power structure. In Lope De Vega’s Fuente Ovejuna, peasants are shown to be fed up with military dictatorship of Commander Fernán Gómez. In hopes of seeking better living conditions, they collectively murder the commander and bring down his reign of terror. By doing so, I believe that the play should be regarded as more of a revolution, rather than a reform. …show more content…
His disrespect for the women of the village left a strong distaste in the mouths of characters such as Laurencia, Pascuala and Jacinta. In the play, he is shown to have been forcing women to do his bidding. When Laurencia was down in the lake washing clothes, the commander says, “let my hands overcome those airs and graces!” (Vega, 25) which not only disrespects Laurencia, but coerces her to come with him against her will. Additionally, the commander also forcefully captures Jacinta and says, “You shall become my soldier’s baggage” (Vega, 40) meaning that she would become an object of pleasure for his soldiers which demeans
I commend the authors' overall work in being able to effectively present the aims of the reform movement and its progression over time. I am especially was appreciative of what seemed to be a very critical analysis of the policies that came out of the “reformers” at the time. Yet, I do have some minor issues with how they seem to skim though the topic while forgetting to discuss some others important elements of the topic. For example, I thought it was odd that although the reform movement had some major issues within its ideals of "fixing democracy", they did not seem to focus on heavily on some of the positive benefits of the movement. Therefore, with this paper, I hope to hone into what I personally thought were fascinating elements of the reading, which was how the reform Movement was instrumental in establishing strong elite governmental policies against the typical machine city politics at the time, but also in some major cases discriminated and disenfranchised individuals in lower socioeconomic classes within those newly "reformed" cities.
Maintaining feudal conditions through violence and intimidation, the army holds the populace in a constant state of fear. Guaranteeing that the peasants stay ill and in need furthers the necessity that they work to stay alive, but prevents them from doing so. This is the paradox of the poor worker, but one the army does not see. The army blindly kills anyone who tries to help the peasants, murdering all the doctors and priests that enter the villages. They do so to keep the peasants in need and in ignorance, to prevent them from learning another way of life. Lacking knowledge of the outside world ensures that the peasants will remain in the plantations, because fear of the unknown is stronger than fear of the known. Acting as feudal knights, the army forces people into the feudal plantation relationship using fear and intimidation.
From the 19th century to the early 20th century, a series of multiple revolutions occurred throughout the globe, leaving Japan, Italy, and Mexico forever revitalized by new ideas, leadership, and developing governments. In this essay we will discuss and contrast the revolutionary goals, leaderships, and tactics found in the Mexican Revolution, the Meiji Restoration, and the Risorgimento. Although each revolution is characteristically different and important in its own way, we will examine the efficiency of each and determine which one was ultimately the most effective.
"Los Vendidos," directed by Luis Valdez, is a remarkable play that looks into the historical struggles, stereotypes and challenges of Mexican Americans in a unique fashion. Rather than tell the history of Mexican Americans through documentaries and actual footage, the play conveys its message about the true history of Mexican Americans in the United States through both subtle and blatant techniques.
Revolutions have occurred throughout history. The evolution of revolutions might be comparable to the different stages of an illness. Similar to a sickness, revolutions can be studied in stages. The different stages of an illness included the inoculation, symptomatic, crisis, and convalescence stages. In each of the stages, events occurred that may lead to the next stage in the development of the disease. Resembling an illness, revolutions also happened in stages. The revolutions stages are comparative to the stages of an illness like the flu. The fever model could be used to show the progression of the Haitian and the Gran Colombian Revolutions.
middle of paper ... ... You don’t have a revolution in which you love your enemy, and you don’t have a revolution in which you are begging the system of exploitation to integrate you into it. Revolutions overturn the systems. Revolutions destroy the systems.”
Gerken H., Fraga L.R., Fung A., Issacharoff S., Karlan P.S., Keyssar A., Overton S. (2006, September/October). Six ways to reform democracy. Retrieved from http:// http://bostonreview.net/BR31.5/gerken.php
...society as she guides them away from the fascist regime and its debris and into a land of social and political freedom. Through this process, revolution brings transcendental transformation. Moore suggests that revolution is a two-step open spiral. From the starting point, society has to go back and destroy the corruption. Once the injustice has disappeared, society can start rebuilding its values and move forward. If the clearing has been done well, there will be no more need of destruction, and society can solely focus on creation. However, to reach such a stage of reconstruction, it is not only necessary to destroy the past but also to understand the value of power, freedom and one's inevitable social and political responsibility. This understanding is crucial as a defensive mechanism since oppressive regimes can only take power from those willing to give it up.
In his play Fuenteovejuna, Lope de Vega presents his audience with a provocative subversion of traditional class dynamics, depicting the peasants of the village of Fuenteovejuna revolting against and then killing the Commander who presides over them. This dramatic disruption of conventional class hierarchies would certainly be shocking to Vega’s original 17th century audience because they would be familiar with the structure of feudal societies such as the town of Fuenteovejuna. On the other hand, a modern audience lacks the necessary knowledge of European feudal politics to truly experience the same impact as an audience from Vega’s era. To remedy this issue, the class conflict in Fuenteovejuna should be portrayed as a Marxist revolution,
Through the voice of Palo Alto, a mesquite tree, Elena Zamora O’Shea relates the story of one Spanish-Mexican family’s history, spanning over two hundred years, in South Texas, the area encompassing between the Nueces and the Rio Grande. As the narration of the Garcia’s family history progresses through the different generations, becoming more Mexican-American, or Tejano, peoples and things indigenous gradually grow faint. In her account of South Texas history, Elena devalues the importance and impact of Indians, placing a greater precedence on the Spanish settlers.
Latin America is rich with stories and legends. Many are said to have been originated from the time of the Conquistadors or the indigenous era. One story or legend that has surpass all other folklore and the times, in all parts of Latin America, is that of “the weeping woman” or best known as “La Llorona”. Her sad story is said to have originated in a small town in Mexico. It was said that in this small humble town, there lived an enchanting young girl. She was by far the most beautiful young girl in all the nearby villages. Just as her beauty was recognized through out all Mexico so to was her name. The older Maria got, her beauty seem to increase and sparkle like priceless rubies and gems. But unfortunately her heart was black and full of pride. No man was suitable and they were beneath her beauty to even be glanced by her eyes. Until one day there rode into town a dashing young stallion of a man riding on his half wild horse. Some say that he claimed to say “He thought it wasn't manly to ride a horse if it wasn't half wild”. http://www.literacynet.org/lp/hperspectives/llorona.html. This young man was not just handsome but wealthy and played the guitar while singing with his majestic voice. In one glance, Maria knew that this was the man she would marry. She didn’t make it easy for him to woo her. This young man would serenade beautiful melodies out side her window and present her with gifts from afar. Maria would ignore every thing the young man did to get her attention. Finally this young man conquered her love and it wasn’t long before they both got engaged and married. Years went by and Maria bore him two kids. This ...
...ken, but he will find me tough meat for his table. I do not want his so-called “love,” Pascuala. I had rather have a sizzling rasher of bacon for breakfast, with a slice of my own baked bread, and a sly glass of wine from mother’s jar.” (491) However her stand off attitude reveals the strength and invulnerability of the women in this society. Instead of going with any man’s request, Laurencia questions the men’s power and authority and looks at their personality instead of their familial lineage. This was important at the time because a woman still didn’t have as many rights or the same level of respect as men. From the Commander’s perspective, these women were nothing but things he could use and “throw away”. He didn’t have any compassion or respect for the women and instead he saw them, as well as the rest of the community of Fuenteovejuna, beneath him.
The Revolutions of 1848 have been described as the “greatest revolution of the century”1. From its mild beginnings in Palermo, Sicily in January 1848, it did not take long to spread across the rest of Europe (Britain and Russia were the only countries not to experience such revolutions). “In 1848 more states on the European continent were overcome by revolution than ever before and ever since”2. The Revolutions became more radical but after June 1848 these revolutionary events began to overlap with those of counterrevolutionary actions, thus enabling the old regimes to return to power. 1848 was described as “a sunny spring of the peoples abruptly interrupted by the winter of the princes”3.
Throughout history, countless uprisings have occurred. Historians classify any forcible overthrow of a government or social order in favor of a new system as a revolution. The success or failure of a revolution is directly related to the revolution’s causes and consequences. The French Revolution was more successful than the Nicaraguan Revolution, because the Nicaraguan Revolution left the country in social and financial ruin, foreign powers had much greater interference, and it precipitated a period of political unrest with multiple leadership changes. One cause of both revolutions was that people from all social classes were discontented.
.... Moore suggests that revolution is a two-step open spiral. From the starting point, society has to go back and destroy the corruption. Once the injustice disappears, society can start rebuilding its values and move forward. If the staging is efficient, then there will be no more need of destruction, and society can solely focus on creation. However, to reach such a stage of reconstruction, it is not only necessary to destroy the past but also to understand the value of power, freedom and one's inevitable social and political responsibility. This understanding is a crucial defensive mechanism since oppressive regimes can only take power from those willing to give it up.