A genuine Leader

Martí's call in Our America for the countries of the South America to step forward with their own ideas is the sign of a strong leader. A leader who recognizes the importance of unity. I am so impressed by Martí because he was not a big talker but a real doer. He is a national hero in Cuba. He fought for the independence of his country. He was the one with Máximo Gómez who published the Manifesto of Montecristi proclaiming the independence of Cuba and an end to all legal distinction between the races. He was not the leader of a special group. He supported the emancipation of all the races in Cuba. What a great leader he was? He is considered by many as the father of the Modernismo movement. Surely he is. Is he not the one who calls for creation? Listen! Modernismo was the first real literary movement created by the writers of the Latin America. Mordernismo is a real creation that the Latin Americans can proudly call their own. Yes, Martí is a great example of a true genuine leader. He wanted a South America free. He died in battle trying to free his own country, so others will always say: he talks the talk and he walks the walk.

Where do we draw the line?

Many argue that it is presumptuous to believe that we can write about the reality of a certain period. Reality in itself is relative. What one considers as reality can be a fiction for another. If it is so difficult to represent reality, can we ever know the truth about a period? How can someone determine what is reality in a literary work? Maybe the reality is what those writers are not saying to the readers. If they are, how we will ever know the truth. I have a feeling that the real is false. Does Flaubert in Sentimental Education present the reality of his period? I don’t know. Maybe the reality is there, but it is tinted by Flaubert’s subjectivity. What do you think?