Upon signing up to go to Havana, Cuba with the Education Studies Department of Spelman College, I knew I was guaranteed to gain life long experiences and tools. However, I did not realize the depth and quality of those tools. Although, I have have traveled abroad before -- I have never used scotopic lens to directly focus on the needs of others. Instead, I most often use photopic lens, as in the United States, opportunity is portrayed to be so apparently bright that you have to find the darkness. For example, when a privileged American person is acting entitled and like the world around them is falling apart (even though it is a minuscule problem), one would say, "You have it so good! Think about all the children in Sudan who are sleeping …show more content…
Considering this, Cuba is portrayed to be so limited in opportunity, that you have to find the optimism/light. The use of scotopic lens forced me to really understand the struggles that the Cuban people go through, and in contrast it allowed me to understand the beauty of true life. I pose question of which society I 'd find most happiness in. In this reflection I seek to express the cultural, social, political, and economic similarities and disparities of Cuba and America in relationship to my …show more content…
ICAP is the Cuban Institute for Friendship with the Peoples. There, we participated in an in depth discussion about the Cuban society and the education system. A similarity I found between the Cuban education system and the American education is the right of free and accessible education until secondary level. The difference that divides the line of similarity is the fact that Cuba provides education free of charge period. So, this includes secondary, trade, post secondary, and graduate schooling. The societal difference is the fact that America thinks that some schooling is sufficient and everything beyond the mark is simply a privilege. This is opportunity limiting as much of the United States ' employment rests heavily on level of education. Cuba on the other hand, believes that the highest level of schooling is a right that should be provided to citizens. This benefits citizens as everyone is given the same fundamental workforce qualification of higher education. (This, however, does not completely erase the problem of inopportune; but it does lower chances of prejudice based on education
Economically, Cubans “enjoyed one of the one of the highest standards of living in Latin America” (34). This is predominately due to the fact that Cuba exported half its sugar and two-thirds of it total exports into the U.S., and imported three-fourths of their total imports from the U.S. Although the U.S. (35). Although the U.S. boosted the Cuban economy, Cubans resented that they were still living at an economic level lower than Americans. The average Cuban income was one- third the average of Mississippi, the poorest state in the U.S. in th...
Many have misconceptions of the Cuban Revolution and only see the biased American side of communism and dictatorship. However, there have been positive outcomes from it such as a more united country, one that the people all worked together in support of one cause, a new and improved society. The old was no longer working and change was needed in Cuba and the citizens worked together to make this change. One of the main positive outcomes of the revolutions was the gender relations and roles. Women stood up for themselves, gained confidence, and received respectable roles in society. After decades of having inequite among men and women, women for the first time was minimizing the gender gap that was present in Cuba.
Cuba’s unpredictable shift toward socialism and its growing dependence on the Soviet Union divided both the leadership and the country at large. With a relationship dating back to before Fidel Castro’s installment into power, Russia and Cuba have both played major roles in the development and regression of each other’s economies and societies.
Twenty percent of all Cubans were permanently unemployed. One point five percent of the landowners controlled forty six percent of the land. Half of the population had no electricity. Over half lived in bohios, a shack. Thirty seven percent could not read or write. Infant mortality was through the roof. And the
Just like other immigrating Latino groups, Cubans share the same stereotypes when they are categorized as criminals, violent and others as well as having to face barriers for employment, housing and economics. However, most of the discrimination that Cuban Americans face is due to their ties to their home country. For example, most Cubans are stereotyped as extremists who despise Fidel Castro. The main push factor for Cuban immigrants was the regime of Castro in their home country. In contrast, other Latino immigrants are mainly pushed out of their country because of economic reasons. Therefore, while Cuban immigrants are seen as extremists or anti-Castro activists, most other Latino immigrants are merely seen as immigrants who come to “take jobs”. As mentioned, Cubans are not categorized as immigrants who come to the United States in hopes for a better economic life, they are seen as political refugees who are in search of better political conditions. This is one of the main differences between Cubans and other Latinos, because of this, Cubans are thought to be more prosperous than other Latino groups. However, this is a faulty stereotype because, although some Cuban Americans are better off economically than most other Latino groups, the majority of them still face countless amounts of
Cuba's socialist model has similarities with Venezuela, they both have the same root or ideal that has led to believe that they can achieve this political form, which can be set in a government where there is no doubt, resist or influence against repression of the United States; Castro and Chavez equals the same mechanism and the belief of his predestination to save their homelands. "Chavez has really embraced Castro's anti-Ame...
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.
On this day 191 years ago John Quincy Adams expressed his prediction for the future of Cuban-American contact. The Cuban wars of independence were only 15 years away from his prediction when he estimated. These independence wars continue to influence Cuba’s cultural and political attitude toward Europe and the United States; This in part due to the externalities involved in the remodeling of social structure in the aftermath of the revolution. The intentions and motives of each faction: rebels, United States government, Spanish government, United States public, and the Cuban public, varied widely to an extend that caused even more concern in the future. Depending on the point of view of an outsider the situation in Cuba seemed to be a continuation of revolution...
Cuba once stood as a world leading trade post, Latin American military power house and global threat with the assistance of its allies. With its continuously declining economy, lingering violent and complicated history, it slowly became a powerless cordoned off part of the world. The communist government controls nearly all means of production only allowing its people to make an average salary of twenty two dollars per month. Even with its rich culture, beautiful 16th century architecture, rolling hills and Caribbean beaches, it is fled by its people. Seeking opportunity in their developed northern neighbor.
In the early hours of 1959, President Fulgencio Batista left Cuba and by doing so he set in motion the end of the democratic era for Cuba. Mainly due to social unrest and the political pressures from the country’s allies, the president had no other choice but to resign his post and leave. It is well known that he used repression to keep people from protesting against the widespread corruption existing in the country. Additionally, during his time in office, Cuba became the playground of many of the bosses of the organized crime. Regardless of these facts, the country used to be known for its blooming economy and beautiful infrastructure. Public transportation and the food supply were at the same levels as the United States and through hard work people were able to enjoy a decent life. As the revolution took over, promises were made to the people that a better society was going to be built. This new society was going to have no social discrimination or class distinctions. At the same time, the new government promised that the economy was going to supersede that of the previous years, that education and healthcare were going to improve and that free elections were going to be held within six months. After all these years, it has become apparent that the revolution has failed to fulfill the promises it made in 1959.
It may not be the same as it was one hundred years ago, or even twenty years ago for that matter. But one thing makes that okay, culture is not written, nor are you born with it. We humans are taught to culture. And what I’ve learned and discovered on my own is that being Cuban means many things to me; it means music and loudness, a lot of family memories, and most definitely pride. To begin with, the Cuban culture is one of loud and joyous music.
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.
Cuba's current sociopolitical trajectory is uncertain. Will the existing Castro legacy crumble due to old age? Will there be another Revolution, restoring democracy to the island? What will a Cuban democracy look like after decades of dictatorship? After reviewing my study abroad options, I believe that the Sarah Lawrence College in Havana program's practical and theoretical emphases on humanities and social sciences will relate to and build upon my overall academic plan at Brandeis. Therefore, I will build upon my current studies as I take part in this program's curriculum that is centered on developing my knowledge and understanding of Cuban life and society through the humanities and social sciences. In light of everything that I have learned about Cuba from my studies, I believe that Sarah Lawrence College in Havana balances real-world experience with scholarly learning to best match my academic goals for study
In 1959, Fidel Castro led a revolution and rose to power in Cuba. William Appleman Williams explain that Castro stated that the problem of education is one of the problems that he would take immediate steps to resolve. (Williams n.d.) Therefore, one of the social policies Castro implemented when he rose to power was his Education Reform Policy. The peak of this policy was in 1961, which Ernesto Guevara dubbed the “year of education”.
When reflection upon my lesson that I taught, I feel that I taught in a multimodal way to deepen the students understanding of the material being taught. I had never designed a meson plan for any students before especially not 5-year-old students. Therefore, I wanted to be sure that I could accurately convey the concept to the children. So, when it came to constructing my lesson, I wanted to make sure that I included auditory, visual, and tactile strategies in my lesson so I reach all the students different learning modalities.