This weeks reading was about the Cuban Revolution, and about the conflicting elements that occurred from it. I found it very interesting about how Dawson questioned the idea that the Cuban Revolution had a clear timeline. Dawson quoted how “Fidel insisted that the Revolution was not an event, but a process” (Dawson, 247). This idea was interesting to me especially in relation to the primary sources by Yoani Sánchez, from 2009, 2011 and 2013. These extracts depicted how Cuba was still plagued by a chaotic and rather depressing society. For example, “the poorest people in the area took over the old factory—now closed—and began to dismantle it.”. The date of the extracts is what I found really interesting in terms of the Revolution timeline, as it portrays the idea that cuban society is still experiencing the “process” of revolution.

In Document 8.5,  Yoani Sánchez’s “In 2013: Reasons to stay alive”. This source is similar to one of the earlier sources, Document 8.2. They both focus on Cubans leaving Cuba in ‘exile’. The consistent themes in documents from very different time periods. This presents the idea of continuity in the Cuban revolution, and also to a certain extent, the failure of the revolution. I don’t necessarily think that the revolution was a failure, but the primary sources by Sánchez about the more recent environment in Cuba. Document 8.5 is particularly interesting when thinking about the future of Cuba, because Sánchez illustrates how the increasing amount of exile is limiting the time left for Cuba to become a better society. For example, “But someone has to stay to close the door, turn the lights off and on again. Many have to stay because this country has to be reborn with fresh ideas, with young people and projects for the future.” – this quote was very interesting to me because most of the primary source before this is about the hopelessness that Cuba is quickly approaching. However, this quote portrays a glimmer of hope about how the Cuban Revolution of the past will be rekindled in the younger generation.