This weeks readings are focus on how the populations in ‘Latin American’ began to protest against the imperialist rule of the countries that ‘owned’ them. The experience between North America and ‘Latin American’ experience differ considerably on their yearning for independence. The majority of the population in ‘Latin American’ countries were forced there, rather than the largely freedom of choice in North America.

Around the late 1700s there was a growing discourse of universal rights. This inspired many countries in the New World to rebel against the crown that was controlling them. In North America, the term “No taxation without representation” was a catalyst to the rebellions that started in the Southern lands of America. This newfound confidence led to a desire for political and economic freedom from the monarchies that were controlling the New World.

However, ‘Latin America’ was concerned of being controlled again by the North American individuals, so many of the independence narratives identify how their freedoms wants to be separate to that of their Northern counterparts, because of the destruction that the European monarchy already instigated.

Out of all the Independence narratives, I found José Marti’s the most interesting because of its literary foundations. He focuses on ‘Latin American’ identity and how this has been moulded by their collective experience.

The language that he uses to refer to ‘Latin Americans’ is that of familiarity, as he calls them ‘brothers’. This conveys the idea that they are part of a family, fused by their unfortunate exploitation by the European, particularly Spanish rule. This relates to how they have developed a strength and courage that can not be matched by their colonisers. For example, Marti uses the metaphor of a tiger in order to portray the strength of the oppressed: ‘The tiger, frightened by gunfire, returns at night to his prey.’. This clearly presents how although their colonisers. The use of the word ‘prey’ when identifying the European colonisers is important as it conveys the idea that although they seem powerful, its identity of being ‘prey’ means that it will eventually succumb to its inferior position to the tiger.