Blog: The blog contribution requires a small bit of additional reading in one of our texts, The House of the Spirits (HoS). This novel is essentially an historical autobiography. The character in the book named Alba is the author, Isabelle Allende, but Alba comes late in the book. The history covered in The House of the Sprits (HoS) runs from 1925 to 1975. Therefore, it begins at the tail end of the neocolonial period and runs into the heart of the Cold War.
I have an edition of the book published in 1993. You have an edition published more recently. Because of that, the page numbers in my edition may not correspond to those in yours. So, what I want you to do is find the last seven pages of chapter 4. In my edition those are pages 134-141. I want you to read those seven pages which begin with this sentence:
“Esteban Trueba entered a very prosperous period.”
That paragraph very quickly describes the way neocolonial wealth was made. The book is a history of Chile, one of the only countries in Latin America that traded in both temperate agricultural goods and minerals. Be sure to look back on the geography map to know where Chile lies. After you read that paragraph go back to MLAH, p. 129 and read the second paragraph. Note the following sentence:
“A sharp price rise on the international commodities markets triggered national euphoria; a sharp fall spelled national disaster.”
Then go on in HoS to read about the “exanthemic typhus” that struck Chile in the aftermath of a price drop in nitrates on the world market (1932). Keep reading about how the characters in the book cope with the disaster by consulting psychics. Clara and Blanca are the two main characters in this scene and they take to the streets to help the poor, sick and dying. Clara explains the following to Blanca,
“This is to assuage our conscience darling. But it doesn’t help the poor. They don’t need charity, they need justice.”
Read on from there to learn how the character Esteban Trueba reacts to the idea of justice. His argument corresponds to the notions of evolution and progress embraced by Latin American elites in this period as described by E. Bradford Burns in our Reading in MLAH pp. 134-140. These are the notions of Social Darwinism and Positivism that constituted the spine of white ideology in this time period. Keep the paragraph in HoS handy to better understand what Burns is talking about.
As you read the following five or so pages in HoS to the end of chapter 4, you will be introduced to the interplay of characters who favor justice and are called Socialists, Communists and Bolsheviks versus Esteban Trueba, the patron (Spanish for boss), who looks at justice from an elite perspective.
Go to the blog “Assignment 3” and post 100 words (or more) providing your interpretation of the story told at the end of chapter 4, HoS, about the fox and the chickens. The story is metaphorical. What is it about (not just chickens and a fox) and how do you feel about it? Post by 5 pm, Saturday March 17.
I believe that the hen and the fox story represents what happened to the natives in Latin America. In my opinion, the fox is the natives and the chickens are the people with the European way of thinking. As Latin America started to develop, so did the ideas of the people who were living there. The idea was that Europeans were the ultimate race and the natives of the countries were barbarians. So they started to find ways to either rid of their culture and make them more “European”, or they would just kill them and not have to worry about them. In Mexico the people who were supposedly the brilliant ones forced the natives into slavery. They lost their culture or died. Then in Guatemala the goal of the intellectuals was to force the natives into a European way. This meant they were to lose all of their culture and start to live as if they were immigrants from England or France. The final country that was talked about n the MLAH book was Argentina. In this country they just eliminated the “problem” all together. They went into the wilderness or wherever they had to go and killed every native that they saw. Few were able to survive, but it caused major damage to the Latin American native culture. This is why I believe they are the fox in the story because their culture barely made it out alive. The story started though about talking about the fox stealing eggs. I believe that was the opinion of the intellectuals and they were stealing progress that the immigrants believed that they deserved. And the chickens were all of the people who wanted a European society, and felt they needed to rid of the natives to fully accomplish that dream.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading the Hen and Fox story and trying to interpret the meaning behind it I came up with an idea. I believe that the hen and fox story is a representation of a powerful people (the fox) picking on weak people (the hen). The powerful people are the people who are taking advantage of the weak, or the tenant farmers; such as Esteban the Patron. In the story the fox would sneak into a chicken coop and eat the baby chicks and steal the eggs, and the hens couldn’t do anything about it. They decided they were going to stand up for themselves and weren’t going to let the fox do it anymore. Together they attacked the fox and scared him away—as long as they worked together they were able to save the baby chicks. Because of this story told by Pedro Garcia, Pedro Tercero sat and pondered on it, and knew they had to stick up for themselves just like the hens did to the fox.
ReplyDeleteOne way to interpret the story of the Hen and Fox, is to see the fox in the same way we see Esteban Trueba in the book. He was living a prosperous and powerful life. He was succeeding in the neocolonial period, while others were suffering unimaginable crisis from it. The fox was succeeding in eating the baby chicks, and the hens were weak. Trueba was untouched by the economic crisis that convulsed the rest of the country. The hens were weak and vulnerable, comparable to the Northern provinces because of the collapse of the nitrate fields that left thousands of workers in absolute destitute. They were unable to provide for and protect their children, just like the hens. The hens needed a plan to stop the fox from continuing to display his power. They needed justice. In the book Esteban and Blanca argue over this very topic. Esteban states that “It’s not a matter of rich and poor, it’s a matter of strong and weak.” With the help of people like Blanca, they were able to provide for these suffering people and provide some sort of justice. At the end of the story, the hens come together and devise a plan to stop the fox once and for all. They leave it beaten, and never to return again. I guess what I got out of the story is that if enough weak and unfortunate people come together for one common cause, sometime it is enough to take down one very powerful person.
ReplyDeleteThe metaphorical story of the fox and chickens is symbolic of the neocolonial period and comparable to Esteban Trueba's prosperity over the others who were significantly suffering during this time. Though his wife was an advocate of helping those less fortunate, Esteban Trueba made the claim that justice has nothing to do with the needs of the poor and that, "it's not a matter of rich and poor, it's a matter of strong and weak." In the metaphor the fox comes every night to steal eggs and eat baby chicks, this is symbolic of the "strong" and those in power. The hens remained passive until one day they finally decided they would not allow this to happen anymore when they conspired against the fox. They attacked him together and successfully took him down. Though the hens are symbolic of the "weak" and less powerful, the story proves that those who epitomize an individual of "power" are only powerful if one allows it. The weak joined forces and overthrow the strong. This story is symbolic of social and political issues during the neocolonial period.
ReplyDeleteI believe the story of the fox and the chickens has to do with political/elite leaders that impose their power on individuals they govern (whether correctly or not). Furthermore, I feel it deals with the fact that, like in the case of South America/Chile and the beggars, the elite hold all the power and “lower” status people are basically helpless to the matters of the elite. Furthermore, with the decline/crash in the nitrate fields, which kept much of the north stable economically, the individuals affected by it were left in shambles. I agree with the metaphor because I believe that no matter how poor, helpless, weak, or distraught someone is, they can stand up for what they believe in and fight back against their opposition, as is the case of the chickens against the fox. If someone is determined and feels strongly enough about something, they can definitely make a difference. No one is too helpless or too weak (as Blanca thought the chickens were compared to the fox) to make a difference in their own life situations and the lives of others. Ultimately, the metaphor of the chicken and the fox deals with the overall situation in South America with the decline in economical affairs and how Pedro Tercero believes individuals can stand up against any situation they encounter.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading through the hen and the fox story, I believe the story is symbolic of the neocolonial period in Latin America. The foxes, which I think are the prosperous and powerful people, have control over the hens, which I think are the peasants and native people of Latin America. The powerful people are taking advantage of the week. Esteban Trueba (fox) not only believes that justice has nothing to do with the needs of the lower people (hens), but believes that people are "strong and weak" not "rich or poor". At the end of the story, the "weak" take over the "strong" and we can take from the story that just because one individual is weak (or one hen) does not mean that the entire group is weak.
ReplyDeleteThe metaphor articulated in this selection represents the ongoing class struggle in Latin America. Thematic throughout the history of virtually every country, there has been turmoil between the landowners and the peasants, the haves and have-nots. The Garcias are the hens; indigenous natives who have very little. The opportunity to better themselves is available, but it is something inherent that will inevitably prevail in keeping them down: genealogy. Esteban Trubea, the patron, is the fox. He has wealth and prosperity but more importantly he has the blood of a Spaniard and not an Indian. Having money is one distinguishing factor between classes, the hens and foxes, but more important still is their ancestors. A Latin American of European decent was intrinsically better than an Indian, and having money simply broadened the social gap. The hens in the story realize their worth as animals too and come together to overpower the lone fox though he is deemed superior. Much like an uprising described by Karl Marx the proletariats overcome the bourgeoisie as the hens do the fox. Rich with themes of class struggle, human rights, and exploitation of labor this metaphor propounds the ever present fight of the weak against the strong.
ReplyDeleteThe story of fox and hen represents the neocolonial period in Latin America. The fox represents the elite/government and all the people with power. The hens represent lower class poor people that had no say in anything the elite/government did. The fox would go the hens and eat their babies and it seemed as if there was nothing the hens could do because they were powerless against the fox. However, once the hens came together they realized they could take on the fox. The moral of the story was that one hen seemed powerless, but if the hens gathered together to take on the fox they could defeat him. Therefore, if the powerless/ poor people would gather together they could over the elite/government.
ReplyDeleteI believe the story about the fox and the chicken is a representation of the rich and strong people against the weak and poor people. The fox is representative of the wealthy, strong people that have everything they want and more than they need. The chickens are a weak animal therefor they are representative of the weak poor people. Like the strong people the fox uses his smarts and strength to take what he wants without a care of what is going to happen to the weak people (the chicken). The weak are begging for jobs and food while the rich have large haciendas and food is plentiful. Esteban Trueba felt the poor need to get jobs, but the rich were no hiring because the economy was not doing well so it was not so easy for the poor to get the jobs they wanted. I think Esteban the fox needed to be more compassionate with the chickens, the poor because if it had not been for the work the poor had done for him in the first place he would not have been the fox.
ReplyDeleteWhen reading about the story of the fox and the hen, I think that I would have to agree with the meaning that I feel is behind it. In this passage, I believe that it deals with the powerful or wealthy against the poor or unfortunate. In any situation, even in the world today, there is always the one person (the stronger, smarter, tougher), that who usually can also be betrayed as a bully, that will do whatever they can and want in order to get ahead. They do not care if they hurt or trample on anyone along the way, and they usually always go against the weakest first. But when the weaker forces join together as one, they are able to fight against, outsmart, and beat that one strong bully/person. Another way that I could relate it to my life is through basketball. An example is if there is one team that is really good and has an amazing player; the other team is weaker and doesn’t win as many games. If they would go head to head, the team that is weaker (can also be known as the underdog) could definitely win. Just because the good team has an amazing player, he does not match up against 5 players playing together as a whole. When it comes to this story, I think it is more against the wealthy against the poor who want the justice. The poor are dying and the wealthy do not want to help, especially because they don’t believe in the idea of justice. But after the story, Pedro knows that if he keeps fighting and they all come together, they will be able to take on their idea of justice and go ahead and prevail.
ReplyDeleteThe story of the fox and the chickens is a classic story of someone powerful abusing their powers and paying for it in the end. The fox is a perfect example of Esteban. He lives in luxury in a poverty stricken town. The rest of the town was living in squalor, sickness, and had no jobs. All the while, Esteban feels no effects of this and is living in health and prosperity. He looks down upon the rest of the people of the town and at one time even says, “It’s not a matter of rich and poor, it’s a matter of strong and weak.” The weak townspeople, being the chickens of the story, can band together and make a difference for themselves just like the chickens. No matter how poor and how large the opponent may seem.
ReplyDeleteIn the reading in The House of Spirits, a tale about a man, Esteban Trueba, his wife Clara, and kids is told. Esteban seems to be one of the very few people able to escape poverty, as he is very rich. He exports fruits, opened one of the most successful haciendas in town and does more too. He seems to be caught up in that as his wife Clara, more humble, helps those who are less fortunate, and also those who are succumbing to the disease that is killing so many. Esteban even sends his sons away to ‘keep them away from that nonsense’. However the fox and the hen story is then told to Pedro Tercero Garcia, a man that Esteban compared his wife to. Pedro did similar things and met with world leaders trying to create world peace and also agreements over things like the economy. He was later shot between the eyes. But the story of the fox and the hen is a simple metaphor. The fox is the wealthy, Esteban in this instance. He doesn’t go in the coop and kill the chicks and steal the eggs, however he does hoard the money to himself while others die of sickness and are not able to buy any food. So the hens, or the poor people, decide they have had enough of the injustice. They decide to peck the fox half to death next time he tries. I think this can simply translate into one thing, revolution.
ReplyDeleteIn the excerpt from The House of the Spirits, the fox and the hens story is metaphorically representative of the difference between the elite and poor of the neocolonial time period in Chile. The fox represents the elite, and possibly Esteban Garcia, whom control the lower class and look down upon them. The elite of Chile, just like the fox, look down on the poor people, the hens, and life favors them. The elite made all of the decisions and had all of the power while the poor remained ignored and were naturally thought to be inferior to the upper class. Also, the poor were present in greater number than the elite, but still faced hardship without any help. However, power is attainable if many people are involved. For instance, the hens, or the poor, unite to overthrow the fox, or the elite. The story of the fox and hens is symbolic for the hope that the people in Chile had at the time. Their hope was that the poor would join together and overthrow the elite to change their lifestyles and to gain justice. The story teaches the classic lesson to not under estimate the so called "weak." Also, the story may represent the relationship between the powerful countries and Latin America. For instance, the fox could represent the U.S. which got many resources from Latin America but were a stronger and a more powerful country. The hens represent Latin America whom was thought of as beneath the U.S. or the fox. The story shows that if the Latin American countries came together, they could possess the potential to become just as powerful and successful as other areas of the world.
ReplyDeleteI believe in the story between the fox and the hens that there was really a different story being told. As it says in the story, Pedro Garcia told the story of the hens and the fox to Blanca and Pedro Tercero. This story of how the fox would eat the baby chicks in the middle of the night signifies how the rich in the society would basically take all that they wanted without regard for what it did to the poor. However, the end of Pedro Garcia’s story signifies that the rich can only take from the poor for so long. In the end of the story, the hens defeat the fox by cornering and outnumbering him. This signifies that when the poor have had enough of their suffering from the rich, the rich will be outnumbered and the tyranny ends. The poor always outnumber the rich, and in time, the poor are always fed.
ReplyDeleteThe story of the hens coming together to peck at the fox is obviously a metaphor of the workers on the hacienda uniting to end the 'injustice' of the patron, who is seen as the fox, stealing the wealth of their labor. In a less myopic view, the metaphor could also serve to illustrate Latin American countries uniting to end the injustice of neocolonialism. However, I think that the metaphor fails.
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, a fox doesn't have, or recognize property rights that come about through contractual agreements; the fox is not the owner of the chicken coop. The fox never entered into an agreement with the hens. Therefore, when the fox steals the hens, or the eggs, the fox is an outright thief. Also, unlike Esteban, the fox did not pour his own life and energy and wealth into building the chicken coop. Therefore, the fox is not only a thief, but a lazy one at that.
Secondly, neither the fox, nor the hen, is capable of entering into a verbal, contractual agreement with each other. Esteban promised that if his workers CHOSE to stay and work the plantation, he could only promise them that they would not go hungry, and that they would have shelter. Unlike the fox, Esteban did provide something in return for the efforts of his workers' labor. His workers knew the terms of the agreement up front and chose to work under those terms.
So, who is greedier? The employer, who uses what wealth he has to make more by hiring workers for less than what he could possibly afford? Or, the workers who, after agreeing to work for shelter and food, plot to overthrow the employer, who has kept the terms of the contract, and even gone beyond the terms of the contract, because they want more?
By the way, I think that the author’s portrayal of Esteban as a rapist clouds the discussion at hand, and I want to make it perfectly clear that in no way did Esteban have the right to rape his plantation workers.
I feel the fox and the hens story could be representing any number of reasons that divides a social class. The fox represents Esteban. He lives in a very poor town that is filled with sicknes. He feels no remorse of this as he lives rich and in good health. He looks down on the poor by calling them lazy and saying its easy to hold a hand out rather than to work. The hen represents the poor and weak or as Esteban would call them the less intelligent. The story could be saying that if enough people come together, they could become just as strong and take over the rich and powerful.
ReplyDeleteThe fox and the hen story is a classic way to describe differences in social class and economical status. Obviously the fox is Esteban who is this rich person living an extravagant life style while, who controls the chickens. The chickens are the poor and sick, or as Esteban describe them as unintelligent workers of his plantation. The fox controls his chickens by telling them that if they work for him they are guaranteed food and shelter that is it. They have no chance to improve their own life style and will always be chickens. Until these chickens can come together and create a unified front they will always be poor and weak. When I look at this story I see the U.S as a fox we all work for a greater good which makes us powerful. When looking at Latin America I see a bunch of individual states trying to make a name for themselves but if they were to band together they could be just as strong as the other power houses of the world.
ReplyDeleteI think the fox and hen story in chapter four illustrates a symbol of power. In a way, when talking about how at night the mean old fox would creep into the cool and steal the chicken's eggs, this could be metaphorically be referring to weak and powerful people. The fox being the "powerful" one. They story said that the chickens got together and pecked the crap out of the fox the next time. If the "weak" people work together they can over throw the powerful ones. After interpreting this, thinking of how latin america is considered one of the poorer countries, if they work how this story says to they being the weak could come together like the hens and become as (or more) powerful like the fox.
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