1. The challenge and triumph in reading Galeano are in his expansive vocabulary and his writing style where historical references are constantly woven into his own commentary. Pick three words, names, or ideas you had to look up while reading this section and write a couple sentences why you think knowing those definitions significantly enhance your comprehension of the text.
Miss Gasparka was not lying when she told me this book was dense. It is taking me a while to get through but it is worth it. Here are three words that I had to look up during my reading of this chapter:
1. Potosi- Potosi is a city in Bolivia. It is here that Spain acquired the majority of its silver supply during the time of the New World Spanish Empire.
2.Charles v- The king of Spain from 1516-1555
3. Ostentatious- pretentious or showy
If I did not take the time to look up terms I am unfamiliar with while reading this book I would not get nearly as much out of it as is possible. Galeano gives a ton of history without a lot of background information. I mean, he does not give a detailed description of every person, thing, and place he mentions, it is expected that either you know it already or you seek to find out.. By knowing these definitions I am better able to understand how they connect to the events he is talking about instead of simply accepting what he writes without the desire to gain a true understanding of his words and the message he wants to get across.
2.) The description Galeano provides for the first contact between the indigenous peoples of Latin America has some stark similarities with the description of Captain Cook's first contact with the Hawaiians. What are some of the similarities in both accounts?
One of the biggest similarities in both cases is that the white man tried to do away with the indigenous peoples cultures and forced upon them their own beliefs. They paid them no respect and considered them to be ignorant savages. In both cases a great many of the indigineous people were killed by diseases brought over by the white man. If I remember correctly, in both Hawaii and Latin America the white man were thought by the people to be Gods that had come to visit them. The people welcomed the outsiders with awe and open arms, in return they were treated with hostility and brutality.
3.) America was the vast kingdom of the Devil, its redemption impossible or doubtful; but the fanatical mission against the natives' heresy was mixed with the fever that the New World treasures stirred in the conquering hosts (13). A lot of this section discusses the relationship between the land conquest paralleled with the ideological conquest (religion). What role did religion have in the invasion of Latin America?
The conquistadors used religion as a way to control the indiginous people. If they did not convert, the conquistadors would kill them or take them as slaves. I find it very interesting that one of the conquistadors said they had arrived in America "to Serve God his Majesty and also to get riches." To me, those are two completely contradictory statements. I think that they merely used religion as an excuse to do the things they did to the indiginous people because if they truly had arrived in America in the name of God, understanding what that really means, they would not have treated the Indians the way they did. The conquistadors used religion as a justification for their actions against the Indians instead of using it for the good it is meant for.
4.) Galeano quotes the saying "Father a merchant, son a gentleman, grandson a beggar" as an analogy to describe that Spain did with the immense amount of wealth it extracted from Latin America. How does this saying represent the ways that Latin America's resources were the delirium and demise of Spain?
This quote is describing how in the beginning Spain was made rich off of Latin America but over time it eventually became the ruin of Spain and they did not benefit as much from it as other countries.
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