Open Veins of Latin America Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Open Veins of Latin America - Term Paper Example On the other hand, Latin America existed in bondage and the significance of self-identity was not accessible to them (Galeano 12). In most cases, the colonizers seize the natural resources of the colonized nation, and they send to their own country. Earlier, the colonized people used to be sold out as slaves to other countries that used to liaise with the colonizers. Those who try to resist the rule of the colonies are tortured and jailed for long sentences without trial (Galeano 12). However, hard fighting, struggling and opposition to the rule of the colonizers and major revolts have led to the collapse of great colonizers. Therefore, the fall of colonizers is inevitable, and it cannot remain intact forever (Memmi 36). This write up will explore the relationship that exists between colonizers and the colonized, by looking at a typical example of colonizers and the colonized. Further, the paper will display the reasons that led to the downfall of some of the greatest colonizers. Thi s relationship will be explained in the context of colonialism. The basic argument in this essay is that, the objective situation that man finds himself in, determines his character, personality and behavior (Memmi 44). The cognitive map of then colonized and the colonizers, as well as their perceptions, influence the way they react to colonialism (Galeano 12). The behaviors of colonizers are characterized by brutality, bigotry, exploitation and oppression. Colonizers assume this behavior towards the colonized immediately a colony is established. The social rules and institutions that already influence this conduct in existence, in the colony. It is essential to note that, colonialism is chiefly driven by economic gain. The consciousness of the bondsman and the master oppose each other as the master works hard to maintain the status quo, while the slave strives to break the bondage. This results to a revolt that ends the era of oppression. However, the freed slaves experience many d ifficulties when reorienting themselves to live with abundant freedom. They were used to experiencing the harshness of their master to a point of thinking that that harshness is the best way of life. To reinforce this argument, this paper will look at the example of Italians who did not have any economic interests from their colonies (Galeano 22). The Italians maintained a close relationship with the colonized, almost to a point of forgetting that they were colonizing a nation. This is very different from what used to happen in Latin America, as her Europeans maintained a great distance between them and the Americans. Another reflection is on how the colonizers view the colonized. They judge the colonized using their own standards that are highly subjective. The portrait that colonizers carry about the colonized is mythical, and it lacks any objective truth in it (Galeano 31). Negative traits are incorporated in the attribution that colonizers have toward the colonized. These attrib utes include corruption, laziness and civilization deficiency in the eyes of the colonizers. Racism issue is central to this discussion as it undermines the struggle for fair treatment and justice among members of the human family (Galeano 44). Racism is characterized by imaginary expressions that are substantive towards an accused person by the accuser to their own benefit. Further, colonizers spread racism propaganda that turns the colonized to an