Tag Archives: week3

09/22/21

Blame The Bank

The story criticizes the world bank and the international monetary fund for their policies on providing funding to latin american countries. A common complaint against these organizations is that the rich countries who run them use the power of funding to make countries do what is best for the countries funding the bank rather than the countries receiving the funding. The wellbeing of the country at hand is of lesser importance  than balancing the books.As seen in the story, the government employees have the means to travel and buy expensive cars, and this is a common complaint about the world bank and the IMF, that it expands the wealth of the bureaucracy but does not help the people.The policies of the World Bank would force countries to slash social funding. During the 1980s, when this story was written, many saw these policies as making the problems worse and not helping the people of the countries, as inflation was causing food prices to rise dramatically. The way the loans were given out did not take into account the culture and needs of the people in each country separately, causing the policies to be ineffectual in reaching the people who really needed the aid. These impacts are seen in “And We Sold the Rain”, when the cost of food rose steeply and the cost of luxury goods,such as caviar fell due to the measures implemented by the IMF and World Bank. 

09/22/21

Wear it proudly

After reading the four poems of “Here was paradise” by Humberto Ak’abal, knowing that he is from Guatemala we can infer that the historical background at that time influenced his writing.

I found it so fascinating that even when he was living in one of the most segregated countries filled with racism, violence and discrimination towards indigenous people, he self-identified with the mayan culture and he was proud and honored of his roots, the most relevant example is that he knows how to write in mayan language and his writing process involved first doing it in          K´iche´ and then translating them to Spanish. 

Quotes that the most stood out for me were in the poem: “When I woke up”; “and pull out a rib” (Line 7) and “made of mud and corn,”(Line 12) are allusion to both mayan culture (Popol Vuh) and christian religion, In the mayan culture it said that the woman was made from mud and corn grains but here he mixes it with the Bible that states that Eva was made from Adam´rib, it shows how he identifies as a mestizo, he doesn’t have anger towards his older generations or how the spanish stole their initial and real culture beliefs, he accepts both equally.

I believe the initial theme in “When I woke up” is solitude but eventually it had a “solution”, a light, that at the end everything will be alright. Humberto’s writing is filled with optimism even after his death; it still gives the hope that at some point things in his country could improve.

 

09/21/21

The Perpetual Cycle of Underdevelopment

The Global South lives in a perpetual state of being promised development. Western nations have laid out paths that resemble pyramid schemes, claiming that if we follow a number of simple steps, we too can achieve our own developed nation! Yet, there is a cyclical nature to our development or lack thereof. We go through peaks and troughs, booms and recessions, never achieving the riches and freedom Western states enjoy. With more than 70 years into the official beginning of development projects, it is clear we have been set up to be in a perpetual cycle of underdevelopment.

“And We Sold the Rain” by Carmen Naranjo clearly depicts this condition the Global South is confined in. The country in her piece, which we assume is Costa Rica, does not enjoy economic, social, or political freedoms. To the extent which when they find temporary wealth in selling the rain, the president believes they “will regain our [their] independence” (154). Yet, this is not true. Despite colonialism being technically over, neo-imperialism is thriving. Through it, ideas of development and economic dependencies are instilled to serve Western interests while the Global South lives in a fragile state of uncertainty, where they have no idea whether the products they have built their economy around will continue to be marketable. The Global South is in a constant limbo, where they depend on outside economies to eat and access primary resources like water, as shown in pages 149-150. Despite Costa Rica being a resource-abundant nation, with the perfect climate for all types of crops, they can not even eat beans, and abundant precolonial food, because of their need for imports they can not afford due to bankruptcy. The development project forged dependency, as nations were encouraged to specialize in selling a resource, while Western nations returned it manufactured at double or triple the price. Through this extractive method, cycles of underdevelopment are enforced, leading the Global South to blindly fight for a seat at a table that was never built for their inclusion.

 

09/21/21

Cycle of Crisis

Despite having a strong allusion to Costa Rica in the 1900’s, the story “And We Sold the Rain” by Carman Naranjo and its critiques can also represent a wider theme in Latin American literature and history of this era.

The Magical Realist tone of this story uses imagery of a poor nation full of inequality and corruption to critique the fictional government in the story. The use of anonymity however intrigues me as it enables the reader to interpret the story as a wider critique of an economic and political cycle that Latin American countries seemed to have been trapped in at this time.

Based on our understanding of Costa Rica (as a base line) we observe a country that was corrupt, poor and underdeveloped due to poor leadership and political/economic institutions. Following WW2, we see the country begin to adopt increasingly capitalist policy. Along with this export businesses were thriving, and economic conditions were relatively stable. Here is where it seems things turn, and governments begin to nationalize enterprise, while people begin to demand social policies and welfare, slipping towards a socialist regime.

As the history we have so far been presented suggests, as these nations first turn towards capitalism, they begin to borrow at unsustainable levels, and more of this debt is being used to fund such social programs demanded by the people. At this point all it takes is one economic shock for this house of cards to topple.

This is where it seems we start off in the story “And We Sold The Rain”. A nation insolvent, and an economy unable to generate capital to meet its debt obligations. Here is where the cycle begins. As we see in the story, the government must enact strict austerity measures, symbolized sarcastically when the president suggests that the nation begin to tax the air, yet meanwhile social programs were cut, food was being rationed, and the currency was being devalued and incredible rates.

After embracing what is coined as economic “Shock Therapy” we see an economy that begins to restabilize. This concept has been coined by the works of economist Jeffery Sachs, who has advised governments transitioning out of communist era, and into democratic capitalism, and had done so with great success in countries such as Bolivia.

However as we can see today this cycle, in Costa Rica, has repeated. Where governments eager to appease to citizens, continue to borrow to fund socialist policies and social welfare programs, a substantial amount of debt has been accrued to the point that 42% of the nations GDP in 2021 will go towards interest and amortization of federal debt.

This, similarly to the period before this story is alluded to unfold, comes at a time of a global economic shock. Where in 1980 we saw an energy crisis, today we see a global pandemic.

Due to all of this, I read and interpret this story more so as a warning of this cycle. Rather than critique on capitalism, it seems as if socialism is the issue, although nice in theory, it is practically inefficient, leading to corruption and inequality rather than a world of prosperity and equals.

09/21/21

and we sold all of nature

In “And We Sold the Rain,” Carmen Naranjo emphasizes water as a source that causes contempt, happiness, and lastly, exile; through this, the people’s relationship with water comes to symbolize a fraught relationship people have with nature under capitalism. The first mention of rain happens when the people complain that “they raise our water bills but don’t give us any water even though it rains everyday” (Naranjo 149). Rain has yet to become exploited, and (while incredibly sardonically) rain is considered separate from water as a commodity. At this stage, rain (as a representation of nature) is an obstacle, a cause for frustration when “poor people without umbrellas, without a change of clothes, they get drenched” (Naranjo 151). This sentiment is further emphasized when Naranjo writes “[t]he sea of poverty” — the sea, a large water mass, is chosen to represent poverty. However, this soon changes when they sell the rain, and the rain becomes a commodity. For a moment, it seems that they have conquered this cause of annoyance, and “[t]he people smiled. A little less rain would be agreeable to everyone” (Naranjo 154). Furthermore, they are able to profit off their triumph over nature. It is almost smart, until it becomes unsustainable. 

Finally, water becomes the ultimate cause, and aid, of their exile. The rain stops forever, and people are forced to flee — a situation that the real world will perhaps come to sooner than later due to the climate crisis. By their triumph over nature, and the commodification of natural resources, the people have made their home uninhabitable. Like The Lorax, this short story’s hyperbolic situation mirrors one of the real world’s rapid and insatiable consumption of nature that can only lead to exile.

09/21/21

Satire, Sarcasm, Sea of Poverty

This piece by Naranjo (a short story) contained many, many literary devices that lent to its effectiveness as what is ultimately an educational short story with a huge moral tilt. I believe the “genre” (if we are using that term) would be a satire, as it makes fun of the monetary agencies such as the IMF and EEC, as well as Costa Rica’s own delusional leaders. Naranjo effectively uses sarcasm to make her points, lending to the satirical tone, as in the lines about levying a tax on air: “ten colones per breath would be a small price to pay.” (151)

Above all, the literary device that I picked up on was metaphor. It was administered in small doses, such as, “sea of poverty,” (150). But metaphor manifests itself in a much bigger way, too, from the concept of Miss Underdeveloped, to the “fat cows” representing international lending. In honesty, I had a bit of difficulty understanding what the idea of Miss Underdeveloped represented, and I’m hoping that a colleague can help me out with this!! (Perhaps in the comments).

The back-and-forth between such metaphor and reality (between the conceptual and the specific) throughout the story had the effect of making me stop and think in the middle of the text, especially because it was done so abruptly between modes (see page 152: the “lean cows” seem to come out of nowhere)! For me, this definitely broke up the flow of the reading and was a bit frustrating, but perhaps this was the intention – to make the reader stop and be an active participant in decoding the metaphor so as to understand it better. I am wondering if the inclusion of such rich metaphor so seamlessly/casually in the text makes this piece an example of magical realism, or whether it’s just metaphor?

09/20/21

Cruel reality through history

I personally found “And We Sold the Rain” by Carmen Naranjo as a reflection of what Latin America has suffered through   years since the Spanish conquerors came to colonize the region. The short story reflects the economic struggles, corruption, inequality, selfishness, cynicism and inferiority . As well as a clear dominance from superior countries. The story touches these themes quite smoothly and makes the reader understand that countries like Costa Rica are not progressing because of their rulers, ignorance and submission to powerful countries. Therefore, I believe the story portrays common scenarios that Latin America keeps facing and has not stopped, and who knows when it will stop. Repetitive factors keep running in this region and it is not letting these countries to grow and be economically independent. Since the Spanish conquest, one can see that Latinos were and still are suppressed, and considered inferior because their countries are tagged as underdeveloped . And dominant countries want it that way, in order to have more advantage and control over these countries. Moreover, through history, one can learn that Latin America lacks development, good life quality, economic efficiency, strong government, education,  among other factors. Meaning that history has taught us that Latin America has struggled since ancient times due to the supremacy of the dominant countries that do not want this region to grow. In addition to this, at the end of the story, things seem to be improving; however another issue takes place and ruins everything. And this is what I mean by repetitive patrons that are blocking Latinos to keep growing unless someone decides to break the toxic circle of submission and fight for a change. In conclusion, the short story from my point of view, portrays the previous and current struggles that Latin America faces that started to take place since the Spanish conquest until the present day. Latinos are tied to dominant countries and will continue like that until someone decides to break the chains.

09/20/21

SCARCITY IS THE MOTHER OF STRATEGIES

Throughout the reading we are constantly reminded about how the country is in debt and how the poor in comparison to the members of the government are described as  “rats” and their quality of life is unmatched. From the beginning to end we are shown that the situation goes from bad to worse, starting with several debts that not even global organizations want to support or help until the dissolution of the country. It discusses topics of scarcity, social classes, incapacity (government), inequality, corruption, etc.

I found it confusing whether the realness of the so-called “cows” was true or just a metaphor, or maybe what it meant is that everyone puts themselves out to help but at the end they are just words. Maybe the cows highlight corruption as a topic, because as we all know they never send them cause the country next door would probably steal them.

Then the rain starts, making what was worse into a horrible situation, but here comes the “brilliant” or what i like to call “what did you do before coming up with that, next time i’ll go with u”, idea. Different circumstances brought the last person to do something unthinkable but what at that time someone else demanded. They created a strategy, first send a woman that fitted the top beauty standards as seller to the possible buyer, second only tell him about the “good” and how it was always green, a paradise in other words, incredibly sell the idea. 

IT WORKED!!! yeah I know (i couldn’t believe it either), but as we know something awful had to happen, the rain magically stopped and things got bad again, people started seeking their “same past life” but in another place, the country issues start to look a lot like in the first one and after finishing the story I thought to myself how blind I was, that i didn’t know from the very beginning that the city that “bought” the rain was indeed that neighbour.