The Underdogs by Mariano Azuela as a Reflection of the Mexican Revolution In 1910, the first social upheaval of the 20th century was unleashed in Mexico. Known as the Mexican Revolution, its historical importance and impact inspired an abundance of internationally renowned South American authors. Mariano Azuela is one of these, whose novel, "The Underdogs" is often described as a classic of modern Hispanic literature. Having served as a doctor under Pancho Villa, a revolutionary leader of the era, Azuela's experience in the Revolution provides The Underdogs with incomparable authenticity of the political and social tendencies of the era between 1910 and 1920. The Underdogs recounts the living conditions of the Mexican peasants, the corruption of the government troops, and the revolutionary zeal behind the inspiring causes of the revolution. In vivid detail and honest truth, Azuela reveals the actuality of the extent of turmoil that plagued Mexico and its people during the revolution. However, before one can acknowledge The Underdogs as a reflection of the Mexican Revolution one must have an understanding the political state of Mexico prior to the Revolution and the presidents who reigned during it. The history of political instability in Mexico and its need for revolution is very complex and dates back to the colonization of Mexico by the Spaniards in the 1500s. However, many aspects of the social situation of Mexico when the Revolution broke out can be attributed to the thirty-year dictatorship of President Porfrio Diaz, prior to 1911. The Revolution began in November of 1910 in an effort to overthrow the Diaz dictatorship. Under the Diaz presidency, a small minority of people, primarily relatives and friends, were in ... ... middle of paper ... ...vel, The Underdogs powerfully epitomizes the extent of poverty the Mexican people were living in, the corruption of the government troops and the pandemonium's they inflicted on the lives of peasants, and the revolutionary spirit and uprisings that stemmed from such conditions. After centuries of living in repressed poverty under unstable and unjust political stipulations, the Mexican people could no longer sit back and be dictated under the rulers who lacked any interests besides their own. The Mexican Revolution was the starting point for political, social, and economic reforms which have been slowly making progression in Mexico since the start of the Revolution. Through The Underdogs, one relives the struggles of the Mexican people to revolutionize a country that had been in a desperate state for centuries.
Alfredo Corchado — is the author of the book named " Midnight in Mexico:A Reporter's Journey through a Country's Descent into Darkness”. We are, probably, all interested in finding out the facts, news, and gossips about Mexico. This country was always associated with something mysterious. For me personally, the title of the book seemed to be very gripping, I was interested in revealing the secrets of life in Mexico, thus I decided to read this book. I was really curious, what can Alfredo Corchado tell me about the life in this country, the country, where the constant massacre is the picture, people used to see. In his book, the author tells the reader about the real situations, which took place in Mexico, reveals the secrets of the people’s lives and tells the story from the “inside”. He describes the way he lives his life, and does his work. The " Midnight in Mexico: A Reporter's Journey through a Country's Descent into Darkness” is a memoir. Author tries to transform his own experience into the story line. Corchado shows the reader the darkest episodes of Mexican society, while relying on his own experience.
Mr. Singletary has been remarkably successful, despite the brevity of his book, in describing with important details the Mexican War. The book can be break into two main parts. The first part gives background which explains different reasons that played a decisive role for the break out of the war, and it relates the different campaigns that allowed the invasion of northern Mexico and the city of Mexico. The second half of the book deals with the way politician and generals behave during the war, and the book ends touching the role played by diplomacy in this war.
The author of Mexican Lives, Judith Adler Hellman, grapples with the United States’ economic relationship with their neighbors to the south, Mexico. It also considers, through many interviews, the affairs of one nation. It is a work held to high esteem by many critics, who view this work as an essential part in truly understanding and capturing Mexico’s history. In Mexican Lives, Hellman presents us with a cast from all walks of life. This enables a reader to get more than one perspective, which tends to be bias. It also gives a more inclusive view of the nation of Mexico as a whole. Dealing with rebel activity, free trade, assassinations and their transition into the modern age, it justly captures a Mexico in its true light.
The Porfirio Diaz first had good intentions for Mexico. He at first bettered Mexico exponentially in his first few years. His main goal for the government was to be more industrial. He thought that agriculture didn’t matter as much as industry. The only problem was that most of the people living in Mexico depended on the agriculture. Diaz was well aware of the problem and ignored the people’s needs. Eventually his popularity started to drop. People where then looking for anyway to take him out of office. Once he realized that his presidency was being threatened; he did everything in his power to ensure he won. That is; until “People started noticing that he was rigging elections” (Source b2).
“The conquest of Western America through the U.S.-Mexico War of 1846-48 forged a new pattern of racialized relations between conquerors, conquered, and the numerous immigrants that settled in the newly acquired territory” (1). In the novel, “Racial Fault Lines” by Tomas Almaguer I am going to identify the Mexican experience in nineteenth-century Anglo California and how it differed significantly from that of other racialized groups.
In this way, George – no longer Guánlito – has politically and culturally betrayed his people, and “is not is not the tragic hero who has died in defense of his people” (Mendoza 148). In conclusion, through its plot, characterization, and rhetorical devices such as tone, George Washington Gomez is an anti-corrido. However, it must be said that perhaps in its purpose as an anti-corrido, the novel is a corrido. In telling the story of Guánlito, the anti-hero of the Mexicotexans, perhaps Paredes is singing the readers his own border ballad, an ironic, cautionary tale to the Chicanos to remember who they are and where they came from and to resist, always, as a corrido hero would.
In The Underdogs written by Mariano Azuela, we are introduced to a character that strongly symbolizes the fuel of the Mexican Revolution. Heroes like Demetrio Macias brought the Serrano’s hope of giving them what they felt they truly deserved. Although Demetrio Macias, the general (colonel) of a rebel army is hunting down the army of Pancho Villa, he seems to have the same ideals as the enemy. In addition to Demetrio Macias, we meet women like Camilla and War Paint who represent the different roles that women played during the Mexican Revolution.
Serrano, M. (1998). Governing mexico: Political parties. London: The Institute of latin American Studies University of London.
There was a huge revolution in the country of Mexico that started in the year 1910, led by Porfirio Diaz, the president of Mexico in 1910. In the 1860’s Diaz was important to Mexican politics and then was elected president in 1877. Diaz said that he would only be president for one year and then would resign, but after four years he was re-elected as the President of Mexico. Porfirio Diaz and the Mexican revolution had a huge impact on the country of Mexico that is still felt in some places today.
The Mexican Revolution. N.p., n.d. Web. The Web. The Web. 09 Nov. 2013.
The results: The old government was destroyed and the Mexican revolutionary government put in its place radically different social and economic systems. This new government recognized labor unions and peasant organizations and made them a part of the state-party. Land estates were taken from the wealthier and divided up among the peasants. A new Mexican business grew based on banking and manufacturing rather than land. Mexico was still capitalist but it was a mixed economy. Parts of Mexico were owned by the state and other parts were privately owned by Mexicans or
For thirty-four years Mexico existed under the dictatorship of Porfirio Diaz. During this time Mexico’s industries flourished however the Mexican people remained deep in poverty with little to no opportunities for educational growth. The Mexican revolution was the result of Diaz’s fall from leadership, the peons need for independence, and resulted in a new beginning for Mexico. The Mexican Revolution began due to Porfirio Diaz not allowing anyone to have a voice or say in whatever it is they must do. The people of Mexico were upset because everyone was in poverty because only a select few people actually had money because Porfirio Diaz allowed them to those select few where also the ones in power behind Porfirio. Due to all of the poverty and the poor not having a say in anything they do or have to do it caused an uprising of the peasants led by Emeliano Zapata and Pancho Villa which are greatly known for their effort against the corruption and poverty in Mexico. Although Porfirio Diaz had brought some great things to help Mexico flourish in the industrial form and economical form but for the normal working class citizens that aren’t good friends with Diaz or know him on a personal level are left broke and are left with no way to get away from their financial problems because Diaz doesn’t allow them to make enough money to prosper in anything they do. Diaz’s way of ruling Mexico was so bad that it didn’t even allow the majority of the people of Mexico to get an education because they couldn’t afford it. The only people to benefit from the new rail road systems and factories were the rich hacienda land owners. The rich hacienda owners were also the people who were basically in control over the peons they had control over them as ...
Los de Abajo, the realistic portrayal of those involved in the Mexican Revolution? After only reaching a small audience with serialised publications of Los de Abajo, the importance of the novel and author, Mariano Azuela, only became apparent in the 1920’s. The rugged nature of the narrative in the novel proved to be something different to the norm of the romanticised literature that had been published regarding the revolution. A testimonial view provided by an eyewitness account offered ‘mexicanidad’ and a realistic snapshot of life in that era. Azuela writes all from memory and draws from his real life witnessing of the Mexican revolution, thus all the characters are somewhat an indication to the people that were involved. Therefore it is
The Russian and Mexican revolution’s differed in the ideas they adopted but they were similar in the way they met their goals and started their uprisings. The Russian revolution was made with the goal to create an egalitarian government that was based off of Karl Marx’s socialism principles. In short, t...
The Mexican Revolution was intended to drag the common man from the poverty of lower class society in Mexico, and bestow upon them an equal portion of land and wealth in order to equilibrate the economic and social status in the nation. The ecomienda system allowed a few patrons to hold all of the wealth in a certain area and exert complete control over a city and the people that lived within it. The Revolution was intended to redistribute the land and power to the lower and middle classes, but this was not the case once the fighting ceased. The lower classes moved to urban areas in order to find work and pay while the rural towns that were under the control of one person became a ghost of what they once were. Juan Rulfo lived in Mexico while these events were taking place and wrote Pedro Paramo just after the conclusion of the Mexican Revolution. Juan Rulfo saw the shortcomings of the Revolution and, through the characters of Pedro Paramo, Susana San Juan, and Juan Preciado, critiqued the failures of the Revolution to precipitate the change that it initially promised.