Latin America Analysis

American attitudes towards Latin America can be summed up as an extension of larger global directives, and the exclusion of foreign powers in the region. This was highlighted especially during the Cold War as US involvement was essentially in competition with the USSR. Latin America was therefore a mere pawn in the larger context of US-Soviet competition for global dominance. The actions and methods used are also characterized by the lack of an international authority, or an atmosphere of inter-state anarchy, which shaped their calculations in the endeavor to increase their influence over Latin America. When one analyzes the situation, it seems only rational that the United States treated its southern neighbors so, due to the geographical

“Violence can only be concealed by a lie, and the lie can only be maintained by violence.” As said by the russian activist Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, showing that violence feeds into lies and vice versa. Meaning that they don’t help solve issues such as war, but rather feed them. The war based novels Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut and The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien both authors portrays unique styles to develop similar and different themes of war through protest, society, and humanity. In the novel, Slaughterhouse-Five, the main character Billy Pilgrim who is a veteran from the Bombing of Dresden in World War II handling his way through being traumatized from war while

The United States has influenced many nations in the world throughout history. Some of the ways the U.S. has been able to dominate poor countries are with military action and corporate activities that allowed the United States to influence their governments. Since the United States extends its power with the previously mentioned methods, it is recognized as an imperialist nation. The United States has specifically demonstrated imperialistic forces in Latin America. The effects that the United States’ imperialism had on Latin American economies and politics were negative since it brought violence and caused the poor to struggle even more. When the United Sates government did not like policies that Latin American presidents were creating, they would take military actions to force American ideologies into Latin American countries’ governments by installing puppets into their governments. Generally, these countries would have flourished economically without the United States, but since the U.S. became involved with the countries’ policies, their economies have weakened because the U.S. wants the benefits of controlling countries’ resources without being responsible for the people who reside there. This pattern of the United States’ imperialistic behavior has been demonstrated many times in Latin America.

As stronger nations exercise their control over weaker ones, the United States try to prove their authority, power and control over weaker nations seeing them as unable to handle their own issues thereby, imposing their ideology on them. And if any of these weaker nations try to resist, then the wrath of the United States will come upon them. In overthrow the author Stephen Kinzer tells how Americans used different means to overthrow foreign government. He explains that the campaign & ideology of anti- communism made Americans believe that it was their right and historical obligation to lead forces of good against those of iniquity. They also overthrew foreign government, when economic interest coincided with their ideological ones

In the novel Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut, a fictional character named Bill Pilgrim is used to depict the various themes about life and war. Vonnegut went through some harsh times in Dresden, which ultimately led to him writing about the tragedies and emotional effects that come with war. By experiencing the war first handed, Vonnegut is able to make a connection and relate to the traumatic events that the soldiers go through. Through the use of Billy Pilgrim and the other characters, Vonnegut is able show the horrific affects the war can have on these men, not only during the war but after as well. From the very beginning Vonnegut portrays a strong sense of anti-war feelings, which he makes most apparent through Billy Pilgrim.

　　One of the underlying issues shown in Vonnegut's book is how innocent the soldiers are that are fighting in WWII. Towards the

During the late nineteenth and early twentieth century, the United States was the most dominant power in the Western Hemisphere. European nations conceded to the United States their right of any intervention in the Western Hemisphere and allowed the United States to do whatever they wanted. The United States took this newly bestowed power and abused it. The United States intervened in many Latin American countries and imposed their policies on to these countries against their will. A perfect example of this aggression is what occurred in the Dominican Republic in 1904. The United States intervened in this sovereign nation and took control of their economy and custom houses. A memorandum from Francis B. Loomis, the United States Assistant

Kurt Vonnegut’s anti-war novel, Slaughterhouse Five, illustrates the ghastly experiences within World War II and the journey through the universe and time of the main character, Billy Pilgrim. Although war is a sensitive subject in most cases, Vonnegut’s sarcastic, dark humor on the matter helps bring light to the fact that war is horrendous. Slaughterhouse Five demonstrates the reality of war throughout its major themes, historical accuracy, and Kurt Vonnegut’s personal experiences within World War II that shines light on the horrendous acts of war that has plagued an abundant amount of countries for centuries.

Kurt Vonnegut reflects his life during World War II as a German prisoner through his character Billy Pilgrim in the novel Slaughterhouse-Five. While enlisted in the US Army, Vonnegut had life threatening experiences that were inspiration for his writing. Vonnegut was a young boy during the Great Depression and was raised through the hardships of the time. As a child, Vonnegut’s father worked as an architect, but during the Great Depression, the building industry was brought to a halt and Vonnegut’s father was out of a job. He was out of work for ten years, yet Vonnegut says they had never gone hungry or felt unsafe. Once things started to get worse, Vonnegut’s mother began writing to provide for their family (“Kurt”). Soon Vonnegut enlisted in the US Army, and just one year after that, his mother killed herself. While in Germany, Vonnegut was taken prisoner and put in several prison camps. Since Vonnegut was held prisoner, he experienced the bombing of Dresden firsthand (“Slaughterhouse-Five”). Vonnegut repeatedly reveals that he encountered trouble writing this book because he must explain the tragic things that he experienced (Freese). Vonnegut wrote this story to show how terrible war is in his eyes and he gives his opinion of stopping war through his characters and events that made it interesting to readers (O’Sullivan).

There are three components of the US empire in Latin America. These components are punitive idealism, free market absolutism, and right-wing Christian mobilization. Punitive idealism justifies a hostile diplomacy in order to advance “freedom.” America has the right to do whatever they needed to do in order to achieve their goal. It was believed that “if America acted with moral certainty to defend its national interests, the consequence would, by extension, be beneficial for the rest of the world.” (78). No matter how America acted, as long as they had their own objectives in mind, they would help the rest of the world. There were many at home who did not see eye to eye with Washington. In recent events, America could be seen in two ways. As

In August 2000, California State University, Northridge started a Central American Studies program in the United States in which it provided a more in depth learning on the genders, arts, cultures and politics of Central America. California State University, Northridge’s campus has a moderately high amount of students who are Latinos and which the minority groups that attend the university form more than half of the CSUN’s student population. In August 2007, the program had its first Bachelor of Arts in Central American Studies and continues to have graduates with this bachelor. Over time, the influence of European liberalism brought the uniform qualities of Ladino for non-Indigenous people and the Mestizo for mixed European and Indigenous

Written in the late 1960s, while the public’s pessimistic mnemonics of WWII are fading out in the prosperous era of the “Good Old Days”, Kurt Vonnegut re-renders his audience an explicit insight of the realistic panorama by retelling his experience as an American war prisoner at the camp of Dresden in a passive way of recalling the fragmental memories of Billy Pilgrim.

Kurt Vonnegut is the author of the book Slaughterhouse Five. Of course it was controversial, and still is. The first chapter addresses the conflicts of creating such a novel in the first chapter of the book. In the book Harrison Starr questioned Vonnegut asking if his book were to be a war book. Vonnegut said it was and Starr “Why don’t you make an anti-glacier book instead?” (4). Vonnegut believed what Starr meant by that was wars, like glaciers, are as unpredictable and unstoppable. (4). As one gets farther into the book it completely changed dynamics. The novel then goes into the story of Billy Pilgrim instead of the autobiographical view from the first chapter. The three main literary elements in which will be focusing on analysing is theme,

The Monroe doctrine states that European involvement was an act of aggression and challenge to the U.S’s authority, it can be seen as “an ideological tool reconciling the contradictions of US foreign policy.” (Mariano) One of the most criticized policy is that while the U.S. isn’t okay with other countries getting involved around the world the U.S. has done it time and time again intervening as some kind of world police. Which leads to these increased tensions between Russia and the U.S. The effects of colonialism had a great role in the socio economic and political development throughout Latin America. Although most of Central America’s countries followed similar paths in regards to power struggle between working poor and a wealthy class.

Kurt Vonnegut’s personal experiences of World War II and the firebombing of Dresden were important factors in determining his writing style and the political and philosophical views that it conveyed. Throughout his works, the overarching message that Vonnegut delivers is the need for love and compassion in a world where humans are helpless against an indifferent fate.