GROUP B RESPONSES AND QUESTIONS

Answers to Questions for Martí Reading

1. In Jose Marti's Our America how are the American Republics described? How are they differentiated?

Our America is a place governed by the creative (125), in which knowledge and art are crafted locally by natives. Marti very much seems to want "Our America" to be a place in which "the wine is made from plantain, but even if it is sour, it is our own wine!" (126). There is very little delineation between the "Republics" referred to above - there is a scant mention of the North and South, and the fact that the south is a Spanish America and the North a European one, besides the comparison of North America as a tiger ready to leap onto South America. Marti spends more time differentiating Our America from Europe in general, chastising the Europeans as unmanly and those Americans who imitate them and scorn their own mothers as the worst of all.

2. How does the author perceive government, specifically it's interactions within a given population as a mechanism for control?

3. What does the author consider to be the Americas greatest danger?

According to Marti, “The scorn of our formidable neighbor, who does not know us, is our America’s greatest danger” (126-127). He is referring to the European imitators of North America, who he fears will use their power and dominance to control and defeat Marti’s America. He believes that “once it does know us, it will remove its hands out of respect” (127). Marti believes that if their neighbor truly knew them, they would not be able to scorn them. Getting to know one another’s land and origin is imperative in order to attain peace between the nations.

-Marilyn Head

4. How does Marti broadly depict nationalism and ways in which countries try to differentiate from one another?

Martí depicts nationalism throughout his essay through praising the success of America during its difficult times, while simultaneously denouncing Americans who do not take pride in their country. He believes that government and success of America should be self-made, and should not be reliant on the countries who preceded us. Americans should be knowledgeable about their own country in order to help the country progress and free itself from tyranny. However, he also believes that other countries attempt to differentiate themselves through their government and culture, but in actuality all countries are very similar; conflict is unnecessary and harmful. - Margo Friedland

5. What does Robert Sklar mention about the attraction and cultural appeal of Spanish-American war and film production?

Robert Sklar and his fellow scholars believe the the Spanish-American War only support the general arguments concerning the attraction, cultural appeal, and ontological lure of early films. He believes that the war brought the filmmakers their first prime opportunity for spectacle. The war raised patriotism within the audience in America and they became more receptive to films, even if the films looked very fabricated. Also, the filmmakers successfully recreated the extreme moments during the war and gave the audiences an unique experience in a safe environment.

6. What remains unexplored in Spanish-American war films and what does the author suggest is the result of this?

According to the author, it is yet to be explored how individual spectators responded to the Spanish American war films they witnessed and how this affected cultural production. There is also a lack of information on the cultural and ideological functions the film medium served for Cuba during the war. This leaves us with questions such as where and who witnessed these films, how did people make sense of what they saw on screen, what types of Spanish American war films were shown and how did reactions vary across different regions. The author explains that the lack of ideological commentary is largely the result of practical decisions involved in one's methodological and critical priorities.  

New Questions for Ferrer & Moore & Ortiz Readings

1. Why did Cuban nationalists have to strip race of its ideological hold on the Cuban population?
2. What does the author mean when she says the silence (referring to the silence of race) is audible, and can even echo loudly at times? Where did this silence originate from?
3. What were Marti’s views on race relations in Cuba and what was the problem with his writing and commentaries?
4. How is the production of sugar in Cuba different from the production of tobacco?
5. How do the race relations in Cuba, as outlined in the Moore text, compare with race relations in the United States during this time period?
6. How did the topic of race apply to the fight for independance?