A person who is not aware of the date when the story “Our America” was written, will think that Jose Marti wrote the story, which is a speech in its format, in the 21st century. In the opening lines of the story, Marti writes that the villages have changed, that “there are not the times for sleeping in a nightcap, but with weapons for a pillow”. The story is undoubted of high relevance to the modern audience. Looking at the story written by Marti in 1891, it is possible to conclude that nothing has really changed since that time in America. Just like 118 years ago, there is no safety in the country – people buy guns to protect themselves and the United States of America is trying to prove its superiority over the rest of the world.
The style of writing is appealing to the audience. The story is easy to read and easy to understand. There is a direct call for action – to march together against oppression – and the writing in its essence is a speech propagating social movement. Marti succeeds in making his writing persuasive and supported with reasonable arguments. Nevertheless, the speech will not appeal to every reader. In particular, a teenager may not find it interesting because of patriotic tones. “Our America” is an attack on the American political system in general and the American government in particular. Marti expresses his concern that native populations, Indians, are deprived of their rights. Marti writes, “Those carpenter’s sons who ashamed that their fathers are carpenters!”
My impression of the speech is positive because Marti has made it emotional. He expresses his personal point of view without being afraid of criticism. His primary audience is oppressed social groups, those people who do not enjoy the protection of their rights. Nevertheless, the speech is also written for those Americans who have forgotten about their past, about their ethnic and cultural roots. Marti devotes a lot of attention to exploring the qualities of a true man, a person with dignity and respect for his own past.
If Marti lived today, he would be very disappointed with modern society. In his speech, Marti writes, “The peasant, the creator, turned in blind indignation against the disdainful city, against his own child”. Marti elevates the contribution of peasants calling them the creators. Nevertheless, modern societies are mostly urbanized and want to believe in being civilized.
Speech “Our America” shows that no real progress has been achieved since that time. Just like in the 1890s, minorities do not enjoy equality (even though they do from a legal perspective) and urbanization is unstoppable.
“Our America” by Jose Marti is an excellent speech written with the hope to make Americans think about themselves as children of their motherland. The speech will not leave its reader indifferent to the themes raised by Marti. It made me think about my identity, my origin, and my country. Americans study their history but they fail to recognize the importance of their ethnic background. As Marti noted, modern Americans are like sons of carpenters who are ashamed that their fathers are carpenters. “Our America” is an inspirational speech that cannot leave its readers indifferent. I would recommend every American citizen to read Marti’s speech to reconsider their attitude toward the United States of America.
References
Martí, J. (1977). Our America: Writings on Latin America and the struggle for Cuban independence. NYU Press.