"Puerto Rico: The Four Storied Country"

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses Jose Luis Gonzalez book "Puerto Rico: The Four Storied Country" and looks at why he calls Puerto Rico a four storied country. In particular, the paper explains that Gonzalez creates an implied critique of how the story of the island is usually told, which, according to Gonzalez, is a singular, narrow tale of the ascent of European, Spanish-speaking nationals who strove to win independence for the nation and spoke with one voice for the entire Hispanic population of Puerto Rico. The paper then examines how Gonzalez contends that this storyline undervalues the more significant contribution of Indian-African, mestizo natives in formulating a unique Puerto Rican identity and culture.

From the Paper:

"This story exhibited a great deal of cultural intermixture as well as intermarriage, except for the few, white residents who dominated the political life of the island. Blacks, mulattos, and poor whites had no say in the government or church as members of the working classes and despised races, but they influenced the island's development in other ways. There is a long-standing myth that the white jibaros, these working class people, were the first 'pure' Puerto Ricans. However really if there were ever substantial numbers of white jibaros, their culture was a mix of slave and native cultures, not a direct descendent Hispanic or European culture. The fact remains first true Puerto Rican culture, regardless of the exact racial composition of the individual, was at least partially made up of the cultures of the enslaved, runaway, or formerly enslaved Africans who had been owned by early Spanish colonists."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Gonzalez, Jose Luis. Puerto Rico: The Four Storied Country. M. Wiener Pub., 1993.

More papers on "Puerto Rico: The Four Storied Country":

• Analytical Essay # 144351 : "Eugenics in Puerto Rico: Choice Or Coercion?"
• Term Paper # 121923 : "Puerto Rico Culture"
• Essay # 71902 : "Banco Popular De Puerto Rico"

APA Citation:

MLA Citation: