19th Century Latin America
Progress in late 19th century Latin America
“To develop to a higher, better, or more advanced stage” is how progress is defined in the Merriam-Webster dictionary. During the late 19th century, Latin America, in particular, was striving to do just what this definition states. From copying other countries ideas to living more luxurious lives, the majority of Latin America was ready to progress and thrive as a whole. However, in opposition, a number of people resisted progress because they were content with the lives they lived and did not see a reason for change. Gabriela, Clove and Cinnamon by Jorge Amado is a prime example of progress in the 19th century. While reading the novel, the reader can see the resistance, as well as the push for progress, and understand how different sectors within a town in Latin America reacted to change. This was an exciting time in Latin America, due to a flourishing economy, technological advances, roads being built, newspapers published, and much more. However, many people did not know how to change as quickly as society was changing. A good example of this is gender determination, which is defined as, “in the realm of work and employment, the way in which jobs and professions are determined based on the sex of those involved”. Men were in charge and as a wife, a woman obeyed. Men lived based off of a strong sense of masculine pride, power and strength, while women were seen as inferior, almost like a prize. Many men did not want this role to change, so as progress happened materially, some aspects of society did not progress as quickly. Even though sectors of society resisted change, progress was being discussed everywhere and anywhere. “Progress was the word heard most often in Ilhéus and Itabuna at the time. It was on everyone’s lips. It appeared constantly in the daily and weekly newspapers. It came up again and again in the discussions at the Model Stationary Store and in the bars and cabarets… ‘It’s
“To develop to a higher, better, or more advanced stage” is how progress is defined in the Merriam-Webster dictionary. During the late 19th century, Latin America, in particular, was striving to do just what this definition states. From copying other countries ideas to living more luxurious lives, the majority of Latin America was ready to progress and thrive as a whole. However, in opposition, a number of people resisted progress because they were content with the lives they lived and did not see a reason for change. Gabriela, Clove and Cinnamon by Jorge Amado is a prime example of progress in the 19th century. While reading the novel, the reader can see the resistance, as well as the push for progress, and understand how different sectors within a town in Latin America reacted to change. This was an exciting time in Latin America, due to a flourishing economy, technological advances, roads being built, newspapers published, and much more. However, many people did not know how to change as quickly as society was changing. A good example of this is gender determination, which is defined as, “in the realm of work and employment, the way in which jobs and professions are determined based on the sex of those involved”. Men were in charge and as a wife, a woman obeyed. Men lived based off of a strong sense of masculine pride, power and strength, while women were seen as inferior, almost like a prize. Many men did not want this role to change, so as progress happened materially, some aspects of society did not progress as quickly. Even though sectors of society resisted change, progress was being discussed everywhere and anywhere. “Progress was the word heard most often in Ilhéus and Itabuna at the time. It was on everyone’s lips. It appeared constantly in the daily and weekly newspapers. It came up again and again in the discussions at the Model Stationary Store and in the bars and cabarets… ‘It’s