Wrongs in Latin America

In these readings, we have finally broached the subject of historical wrongs that have afflicted the people of Latin America, the repercussions of which are still felt today. In these two texts, the subject is approached differently, more lyrically in Memory of Fire and "historically" (with a strong level of personal interpretation) in Bartolomé de Las Casas' text.

I very much liked the lyrical descriptive approach taken in the writing of Memory of Fire. It developed and portrayed a complex and long history in a way that was both easy to read and that projected us into the mindset of the people that lived through these events, especially the Indigenous people. Everything seemed to be interwoven to create a visually engaging description. Personally, I enjoyed reading it very much. The way it was written allowed me to mentally string together a history that was complex and scattered across a continent and see it as a coherent, cohesive chain of events. More importantly, it allowed me to see the importance of certain events that I would not necessarily have considered, and understand how the related to a whole.

In Las Casas' text, the approach that is taken is very different. I guess that he must be applauded for being one of the first to speak out against the injustices being wrought on the people of the New World, but I found it very hard to remain sympathetic towards him after reading his description of said Indigenous people. He sees them as children, helpless, innocent, delicate, unable to speak for themselves. In this sense, I think he mis-represents them just as much as the butchering Spaniards that he speaks out against did. All this serves to corrupt the European's image of Indigenous people in the Americas. However, I believe that much can be said for him being one of the few willing to speak out against these atrocities, and to propose that these people be treated with fairness and considered human beings.