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An essay on ethical decision making
Introduction to essay ethical decision making
Courses of the Cuban revolution
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When we think about society, there is often a stark contrast between the controversy projected in the media that our society faces, and the mellow, safe view we have of our own smaller, more tangible, ‘local’ society. This leads us to believe that our way of life is protected, and our rights secured by that concept of society that has been fabricated and built upon. However, what if society were not what we perceive it to be, and the government chose to exercise its power in an oppressive manner? As a society we would like to think that we are above such cruelty, yet as The Lonely Crossing of Juan Cabrera by J. Joaquin Fraxedas recounts the state of Cuba in the 1990’s, we must also remember that all societies and governments view the individual differently as opposed to the whole. Each group has unique expectations that are enforced upon the individual which extend beyond those expectations that are written. What this book brings to light is the extraordinary repercussions of refusing to meet the demands and expectations of those that lead our governments. When we veer from the path well-trodden and into the ‘wild’ as Juan did, we may not face death quite as often, but the possibility of those we once called our own, persecuting us for our choices is a true and often an incredibly frightening danger.
Juan saw injustice as he perceived it, and so with only two friends and all of the bravery he could possibly muster, he set off on a journey that not only defied the laws of their own government but ours as well. Together, they overcame some challenges, only to be hurt in the most gruesome ways. Often, the price of non-conformity is so minor to us at first glance, that a great deal of individuals think it is a simple matter: “Do I d...
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... that a vast majority of those that complete the journey are left, alone in a whole new world where the laws, people, language, and customs, among countless other things, are foreign.
It goes without saying that, both today and in history, our societies are frightened by anything new or different. In the past, African Americans have been victimized for the color of their skin and immigrants have been neglected for their nationality. Sadly, it remains much of the same, for nearly all of the populace, now. To this day, if you do not live up to the expectations and image that society has for you, then you will be persecuted. Like the balseros and other refugees who sought asylum in the United States, by breaking with the standards and ideals which others have for us (be it the government or society in general), we not only risk our safety, but our way of life as well.
Chávez’s leadership was based on an unshakable commitment to nonviolence, personal sacrifice and a strict work ethic. He emphasized the necessity of adhering to nonviolence, even when faced with violence from employers and growers, because he knew if the strikers used violence to further their goals, the growers and police would not hesitate to respond with even greater vehemence. Despite his commitment to nonviolence, many of the movement’s ‘enemies’, so to speak, made efforts to paint the mo...
The emotional letter that Juan left for his mother might be one of the most emotional scenes in the documentary. The pure emotions that the letter was written by Juan to her mother leaves the audience with the bonds and emotions felt between the kids and families. Juan Carlos’s father abandoned the family years ago and left to New York, consequently Juan believe it is his responsibility to provide for his family. He also wants to find his father in New York and confronts him about why he has forgotten about them. The story of Juan is not just about migration of children, but also the issue of family separation. The documentary does not dehumanize but rather bring the humane and sensitive lens to the story of Juan where the human drama that these young immigrants and their families live. Juan Carlos is not the first of Esmeralda’s sons to leave for the United states, his nine-year-old brother Francisco was smuggled into California one month earlier. Francisco now lives with Gloria, his grandmother, who paid a smuggler $3,500 to bring him to Los Angeles, California. Once Juan Carlos is in the shelter for child migrants his mother eagerly awaits him outside. After she sees him she signs a paper that says if Juan Carlos tries to travel again, he will be sent to a foster home.
Immigration is a large aspect of American history. In the book Breaking Through by Francisco Jimenez, we are able to see the struggles of one Hispanic boy immigrating to the United States from Mexico. Many of the people in the community that Francisco lived in didn’t really accept Hispanic people. It was really depressing that he would make friends, go over to their house and their parents wouldn’t let him come over again, simply because he was Hispanic. In Diversity Matters the text states, “Unique stresses created by the process of immigration to another country and discrimination faced in the new country can create psychological distress for many immigrants” (Spradlin 126). During this time in America, there was still a lot of discrimination going on not only with Hispanics, but other minority races like African Americans. This really goes to show how far our country has come over the years. There is still a long way to go, but I think that if people are more educated and aware of the discrimination people face on a daily basis they will be more open-minded. The United States is becoming more open to diversity, but first we will look at the struggles of one Hispanic boy growing up here illegally in Breaking Through.
My essay focuses on discrimination as one of the main challenges that refugees face. I discuss some instances of discrimination that occurred in the book, whether based on race or culture,
One’s beliefs are a powerful, while they can achieve some things, they can also get one killed. Juan Martinez’s beliefs are what drive him to do what he does throughout the story. These actions define him as both a hero and a fool. Though they do not prevail and do not achieve what he hoped for, he makes a valiant effort to do so. This effort can make him seem as a fool. He stands up to a government and to the law that controls the country and does not back down to citizens that demand change. His sacrifice of his family and himself is an action that can go both ways, it can fuel change in his country or leaves his death in
The Hispanic culture is a rich and diverse element that occupies a large amount of the United States of America. Throughout history, we can see the way this culture branches out to create different lifestyles. The novel, The Brief and Wondrous life of Oscar Wao, derives its story from the dictatorship of Rafael Trujillo (El Jefe) in the Dominican Republic; it shows how Trujillo affects the individual lives and culture of an entire country. To outsiders, it may seem like simple politics, but to the citizens of the DR, it changes their lives in ways they might not even notice.
They’ve set a shining example of how the will to make a difference can have drastic and incredible results effective or not to the immediate situation at hand, it encourages the surrounding people to question the value of their freedom. After the dictatorship fell, the trial of the murderers was on T.V. for a month, and they admitted to killing the Mirabal sisters and Rufino by strangulation. Although they died however, their sacrifice had not gone unnoticed. The memory of their sacrifice is honored today, by a national holiday and monuments, and through these closure is found, but their story is not lost. “Las Mariposas” leave an important legacy that enforces the ever existing
“The secret of happiness is freedom, and the secret of freedom is courage.” In America, Americans are blessed to have the right to freedom. Unlike other unfortunate countries, their freedom is limited. In many Latin American countries, the government’s leader has all power of the Country. Citizens have no rights to freedom, they are trapped in a cruel country where innocent people are killed each day. Civilians fear to speak out to the regime of leader; However, there were a few courageous citizens enough to speak out against the government. For example, “The Censors” by Luisa Valenzuela and the historical fictionalized account, “In The Time Of The Butterflies” by Julia Alvarez reveal individual 's role in overcoming oppression.
However, it’s essential to recognize the role of economic liberalization and state management of resurgent racial discourse in comparison to the treatment of dissenting Afro-Cuban voices during the Revolution’s anti-discrimination campaign. Benson’s work Antiracism in Cuba, argues that the raceless nation proclaimed by the Revolution and the forced integration of social networks without the eliminating the roots of socially constructed racial difference, inverted racial histories within themselves casting racism as counterrevolutionary and “backwards” (126). The scale between the revolutionary raceless nation and the racist antirevolutionary dissenters in exile created a rhetorically functional framework that permitted
The Cuban Revolution took its initial steps towards tackling political oppression by attempting to oust the US backed dictator Fulgencio Batista out of power. Batista alongside the US operated United Fruit Company, brought a problem that would socially divide Cuba in half: those who among Cuba’s president, “favored outright annexation by the United States, and those who were nationalists and were proud of the their Cuban culture who would rather be capitalistic system free,” (Skidmore & Smith, 38). Thus, it would spawn a distinct class of individuals, who were allotted educational and labor opportunity, from those who would be deprived of certain rights. “This dilemma was compounded for Cubans who were employed by U.S. firms: [Cubans] were paid better than their countrymen…men and woman of color were forced to endure the brutal racism of the period as well,” (Skidmore, and Smith 305). It would be those men and woman that would consist of the middle class, agriculture workers, and semiprofessionals that would band together alongside Fidel Castro and push for a revolution to change Cuban
The third major issue the Cuban government has is within their prisons. Some government officials do fess up about their country’s problems, in this way it was released in the mid 1995 that Cuba supposedly had the world’s highest imprisonment rate, possibly 3 times as many as the United States (Howard LaFranchi). Although this number has gone down somewhat since the end of Fidel’s power with many prisoners being released as humanitarian gestures, this is an astonishing fact. It becomes even more so when it is known that at the time this was reported that the United States’ total population is already over 24 times that of Cuba, so having 3 times the amount of imprisoned people would be a major amount.
de la Cruz, Juana Ines. "Hombres Necios." A Sor Juana Anthology. Ed.Alan S. Trueblood. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard UP, 1988.
...ack to destroy Juan. Since he didn’t find the letter to be important, he acted carelessly and discarded it and was “one more victim of his devotion to his work” (Valenzuela 968). Although many people would not go as far as to essentially commit suicide through the government, Valenzuela is making the point that secrets are dangerous. At the same time, Valenzuela is showing the average person can always be corrupted and caught up in their government if said government is corrupt. The most innocent person will always be tainted and destroyed by an iniquitous government. Through Juan’s letter and actions, Valenzuela depicts the satirical theme of how anyone can be corrupted by a perverted government.
Life in Mexico was, before the Revolution, defined by the figure of the patron that held all of power in a certain area. Juan Preciado, who was born in an urban city outside of Comala, “came to Comala because [he] had been told that [his] father, a man named Pedro Paramo lived there” (1). He initially was unaware of the general dislike that his father was subjected to in that area of Mexico. Pedro was regarded as “[l]iving bile” (1) by the people that still inhabited Comala, a classification that Juan did not expect. This reveals that it was not known by those outside of the patron’s dominion of the cruel abuse that they levied upon their people. Pedro Paramo held...
In his speech, Fidel says, “I cannot ask freedom for myself while my comrades are already suffering in the ignominious prison of the Isle of Pines. Send me there to join them and to share their fate. It is understandable that honest men should be dead or in prison in a Republic where the President is a criminal and a thief...” Castro says, “Cuba is suffering a cruel and ignominious despotism, and you cannot ignore the principle that resistance against despotism is legitimate”