Analysis Of Samba By Alma Guillermoprielo

The short story “the Golden Thomas Vargas”, magical realism is evident in the union opposites of gambling. In the modern era gambling is notorious for cheating, lying, and stealing, however in Agua Santa gambling is sacred to the people. When his wife and Concha Diaz force Vargas out of his house, he takes on the life of gambling. When Vargas begins to gamble the narrator explains the audience that the townspeople “could tolerate a man who mistreats his family, a man who was lazy and a troublemaker, we never paid that money he borrowed, the gambling debts were sacred”(73). Magical realism can be seen in two instances here.

Thus, this book also traces the origins of prohibitionist drug laws in Mexico and later the origins of Mexico’s war on drugs.

Focusing on Salvador a city within the state of Bahia, it has a population of over 3 million people which was previously the capital of Brazil and has many historical influences, such as it “…was the largest and most important port for the trafficking of Africans and other goods on the transatlantic trade route.” (pgs. 5,8). Importantly, Salvador is the most the largest Black population outside of Africa, and is 77 percent Black with 2.3 million Black residents, and is a major factor in determining the projection of living standards and conditions, that re cast in negative commentaries throughout the other parts of the country. (p. 7). This plays a significant role in the social and economic hierarchy as the idea of the country not being influenced by racial distinctions is contradicted by the actual living conditions of Afro-Cubans verses that of other ethnic groups.

The Dominican Republic during the Trujillo Regime in the 20th century was an extremely tough experience for citizens and residents in the island. There was recurring acts of torture, violence, arrests and murders that were occuring all thoughout the country while dictator Rafael Trujillo was in power. His main targets were those of Haitian descent and people who had African phenotypes which led to the development of colorist and racist roots in the upbringing of the country. During his dictatorship, approximately 20,000 people, mainly Haitians, were murdered in 1937 under his command which later became known as the Parsley Massacre. Through Junot Diaz’s work, The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao,we get insight into a family’s life and struggles

He mentions that some young men sell drugs because they have no choice and nothing to lose in society. He acknowledge that choice is immoral. However, the resources available to the young men are limited. He states that “the creative social and cultural capital that the boys developed in response to being prevented from acquiring capital to succeed in mainstream institutions” (Rios:98). Moreover, he argues that the punishments meted out by the criminal justice system usually fail to support rehabilitation and social reintegration.

This band is composed of 2 primary singers known as Alexander Delgado and Randy Malcom Martinez. This bands music focuses mostly on reggae music style. One of the reasons why this band has become so popular is because of their collaboration with successful music stars such as Pitbull, Enrique Iglesias, and of course Marc Anthony. They sang a variety of songs including “Somos Tu y Yo” and “Yo quiero mas.” Being of Cuban decent I found my self very connected to the band and their songs.

Introduction Written and published in 2008 by Paul Gootenberg, History professor and Latin American studies at University of New York at Stony Brook, “Andean Cocaine: The Making of a Global drug” retraces the pivotal stages of the illicit cocaine trafficking, starting from the boundless coca fields in Latin America to the chemistry laboratories in Europe up until the streets of U.S. cities. The aim of this book review is to provide the reader with a short but detailed insight of what is the main content of the book, by paying particular attention to its structure, objectivity and style. Scope & Organisation Adopting a meticulous chronological approach, Gootenberg describes the infamous and complex untold history of cocaine, analysing and

Racial disparity in Brazil is best explained in Abdias Nascimento article, Quilombismo: An Afro-Brazilian Political Alternative. “I believe that the Black and mulatto the Brazilian of colour must have a racial counter-ideology and a counter position in socioeconomic terms. The Brazilian of colour must strive simultaneously for a double change: socioeconomic change in the country, and change in race and colour relations.” In 1968, through these words, Afro-Brazilian scholar, artist, and politician Abdias Nascimento called attention to the potentially divergent but essentially related nature of the two main objectives of Afro-Brazilian activism: first, to effect concrete change in the distribution of social and economic power in Brazil, and second,

Many people are undermined by the drawbacks of belonging to a low socioeconomic status. In The House on Mango Street, Esperanza is raised in a poor, Latino community, causing her to be introduced to poverty at an early age. This introduction of poverty affects Esperanza in many ways, one including that she is unable to find success. Esperanza struggles to achieve success in life because the cycle of poverty restricts her in a position in which she cannot break free from her socioeconomic status.

As explained in Alma Guillermoprieto’s Samba, Brazilian samba and carnival allowed those who participated in the dance to come together to participate in Carnaval, a popular celebration during Lent. Samba, a popular dance in Rio de Janiero, Brazil, was an important symbol in Brazilian’s identity for people who were faced with poverty and racism to unite as a community where people’s differences in their backgrounds disappear. Brazilian samba and carnival promotes racial harmony because the idea of racial mixing did not stop people from participating in the dance, as they shared a similar love for samba. Samba brought together both blacks and whites as a community to participate in the dance throughout Carnaval. Alma writes, “I fidgeted, feeling both out of place and eager to linger in the household’s chaotic warmth.

Poverty is “...the most savage of all human afflictions” (1). It “...[spreads] like a cancer” through generations that become ever more powerless to “...mobilize their efforts against it” (1). Nowhere is this more clear than in Gordon Parks’ essay, “Flavio’s Home”. Parks vividly retells the story of a young boy, Flavio de Silva, and his family as they struggle to survive on grossly less than the bare minimum in the slums of Rio.

The illegal drug business is a business that is worth more than 25 billion dollars a year. An economic issue that the Barrio Azteca gang has to deal with is other gangs trying to fight for the control of the illegal drug business because the industry of illegal drugs looks very desirable to other gangs

This is no surprise, as salsa can be found in many other Latin American countries. Salsa music is very popular for dancing. It can be heard at parties, bars, clubs, anywhere people may desire to dance. It features a range of instruments and a fast-paced, upbeat rhythm. Salsa music does integrate Cuban influences; however, it was founded in New York by the Puerto Rican community (“Costa Rican Music,” n.d.).

The Story of the Vargas Family “Rosa Vargas’ kids are too many and too much. It’s not her fault, you know, except she is their mother and only one against so many” (Cisneros 29). In the novel The House on Mango Street, the author, Sandra Cisneros, touches on the many negative consequences of a single, impoverished mother raising an overwhelming amount of children. Poverty, discrimination, parental and neighborly responsibility, and respect are all issues and social forces that act upon the family; their presence or lack thereof cause several grisly occurrences to take place. Poverty was almost like a curse given to Rosa Vargas by her husband, who “left without even leaving a dollar for bologna or a note explaining how come” (29).

Aforetime, the Spanish word Joropo meant "a party or a soiree", but now the meaning of the word gained more power and is defined as a style of music and dance that identifies Venezuelans. Thereby, Joropo, a Venezuelan and Colombian genre, began as an ordinary activity that joined people around music and dances, food and socialization and later on it developed into popular music with both regional and national self-expression, traditional and entertaining significance, maintaining only some musical structures of the Llanero variant in tasca contexts, concerts, festivals, occasions and competitions. According to the parameters of defining a genre in Revista Musical de Venezuela, since the mid-1950s Joropo became wide spread in both private and public spaces and of high impact on social