LLE 7424 Literaturas de Lngua Inglesa IV Student: Fabio Augusto Prado Marques Final assignment

4. Both Jeannette Armstrong in Death Mummer and Cyril Dabydeen in For

Columbus address the issue colonization and its damages to native cultures. Make a comparison between the two poems. The speakers in both poems talk about the relation between Native American cultures and colonization in the Americas. However, they do it in slightly different ways; while Armstrongs poem addresses it from a more recent point of view 20th century regarding the Native Canadians (Thunderbird Park), Dabydeen concentrates on the Spanish colonization in America 16th century as regards to the effects it had on the Aztecs and Incas societies. The title Death Mummer, makes a reference to the totems present in Thunderbird Park the Mummer-, since one can see the monuments from aboriginal tribes in Canada. However, later in the poem, the speaker states that There are no Indians here None. Even in the museums, which have as main purpose to preserve culture, all you can see is objects, utensils, clothes they once used. So, people can see depictions from Indians, but not anybody from the tribes. The reason for the absence of them is the same as in other parts of the continent, extermination by the European settlers; hence the term Death in the title. Whereas in Dabydeens work, the title reference is to Columbus, whose expedition to the New World was the onset to the Spanish Colonization in the continent. In the first stanzas a number of nationalities are mentioned, probably as an allusion to the developing expeditions of the Europeans around the world, in search of new frontiers to explore (and also exploit). Additional references are made to Hernn Corts and Francisco Pizarro, Spanish Conquistadores. However, they were much more than only explorers looking for new lands; they were the executioners of the Aztecs and Incas, respectively. The speaker addresses this

fact very clearly in You too Corts, as Montezuma burns inside and also in Pizarro next, as I watch the Incas in silver mines living out a life, buried in sand. Despite the particular historical moments approached in the poems, they share this common theme associated to how the Europeans wiped out Native American populations. They came to these lands trying to quench their thirst for goods, in order to empower and enrich the metropolises from the 'old continent'. Since the aboriginal societies the explorers met were in possession of - or at least knew where to look for the riches they wanted or occupied the land to be claimed, the order was to extirpate (or enslave) and take as much as they could. Therefore, this was the way the European countries had to state their power to the other nations.

5. Comment on significant features of Brazilian society and culture present in Ricardo Sternbergs poetry. You may choose one or more poems to discuss.

The poem Peddler talks about a figure that had been common in Brazil for a long time. The merchant, door-to-door salesperson, who went to many places selling goods and knickknacks. This street vendor (mascate) figure brought novelties in terms of products to a wide range of places, especially in small towns, and farms in the countryside. Since they moved a lot due to not having a fixed commercial establishment they represented the coming of different things. This fact, associated with their selling skills, was used to attract the people towards their merchandise; as we can see in the excerpt below: When the women and children of the household gathered, he opened it with a flourish then cleaning his throat, chanted the merchandise

Another point worthy taking into account is that the mascate was a result from one of the many foreign migratory movements that helped forming the melting pot of Brazilian culture. This name was given to people who emigrated from some Middle East areas dominated by the Ottoman Empire. These people came to Brazil and settled by performing an activity in a particular fashion that has been very common their places of origin commercializing and bargaining goods: Scarves, belts and brooches,/ ribbons and tiny missals,/ lace, soap, ointments.... In the poem Ana-Louca Sternberg aims at another figure not difficult to find in many cities' in Brazil. The seemingly mentally deranged homeless person. A great deal of cities have this folkloric person or in some places there are many of this kind -, wandering on the streets babbling about nonsense or philosophizing about any kind of matter: Antic-prone and crazy breast-feeding her dolls through the streets or on Sundays marooned by herself in a pew, she offered her litany of curses and profanities to no one in particular This type of beggar is known by townspeople and even regarded as part of the place's cultural tradition. However, they can as well be treated as nothing, or even as human waste; being ignored by the common people, claiming that these people's situation is society's problem thus ending up being nobody's problem. In spite of the aforementioned, they go on living their lives in any spot they can fit in: A packing crate her bedroom

she slept by the docks. Amid rags and broken dolls, asleep and for once, quiet, a grizzled girl lulled by the ocean' rhythm as if cradled in its blue arm.