The United Fruit Co.By: Thiemo, Andrei, and Chris

Historical Context● It was first published in Neruda's Canto general in 1950.

o During 1948-1950’s Neruda was threatened with arrest and on the run.● It was during this time that the hired a Chilean singer named Matilde Urrutia to

take care of him, leading to their eventual marriage. ● Written not to long after the U.S. backed dictators in South America were ousted

from power, which is what this poem comments on

Themes of Canto General● It was a catalog of the history, geography, and flora and fauna of South America,

accompanied by Neruda's observations and experiences.o Many of them dealt with his time underground in Chile, which is when he

composed much of the poem.

The DictatorsLines 21-24: “attracted the dictatorship of the flies, Trujillo flies, Tacho flies, Carias flies, Martinez flies, Ubico flies, damp flies of modest blood and marmalade.”

o Trujilo: Rafael Leónidas Trujillo Molina was a brutal dictator of the Dominican Republic.

o Tacho: Formed what was known as the ‘Somoza’ Dynasty in Nicaragua.o Carias: Served as president of Honduras in 1924 and again from 1933-1949.o Martines: Likely referring to Maximiliano Hernandez Martinez, who was

president of El Salvador.o Ubico: Jorge Ubico, served as the dictator of Guatemala from 1931 to 1944.

The CompaniesCoca Cola: An American beverage company that has a bad track record with its bottling plants in Columbia

Anaconda: An American copper mining company that was deeply invested in the copper rich land of Chile

Ford Motors: An American automobile company that encountered being targeted by Argentinian terrorism because of its labor practices

The United Fruit Company: Now known as Chiquita, the United Fruit Company, faced labor violations throughout South America and is what really created the “Banana Republics”

U.S. Economic Imperialism• After WWII, the United States was

the undisputed world economic leader• Instead of land centered

imperialism the United States focused on economic imperialism

• The justification was the Monroe Doctrine as well as American intervention was for the best for the South American people

Dominant EffectNeruda uses sweetness as a metaphor to corruption and symbolizes South American dictators as fruit flies to create an allusion to how U.S. companies controlled South America.

Marking Key: Red = Religious Allusions Orange: IronyBlue = Historical Allusions

Green: Corruption ThemePurple: Sweetness theme

Stanza 1: Lines 1-9When the trumpet sounded, everything

on earth was prepared

and Jehovah distributed the world

to Coca-Cola Inc., Anaconda,

Ford Motors, and other entities:

The Fruit Company Inc.

reserved the juiciest for itself,

the central coast of my land,

the sweet waist of America.

Allusion to the genesis of the world and how the Earth was divided

Irony of how the fruit company gave itself the “juiciest” land

Allusion to the fact thatthe land was that of the indigenous people

U.S. companies that have large interests in South American industries and resources

Theme of sweetnessand its vulnerability

Stanza 2: Lines 10-19It re-baptized the lands

“Banana Republics”

and on the sleeping dead,

on the restless heroes

who’d conquered greatness,

liberty and flags,

it founded a comic opera:

it alienated free wills,

gave crowns of Caesar as gifts,

U.S. companies turned newly independent South American countries into “Banana Republics”

It turned the work of many great revolutionaries into a joke

Creates an arrogant tone that gives the companies a sense of divine right

- False Crusade

Caesar was corrupted with from his power while ruling over the Roman Empire

Stanza 2: Lines 19-28unsheathed jealousy, attracted

the dictatorship of the flies,

Trujillo flies, Tachos flies,

Carias flies, Martinez flies,

Ubico flies, flies soppy

with humble blood and marmalade,

drunken flies that buzz

around common graves,

circus flies, learned flies

adept at tyranny.

Theme of sweetness and how it attracts corruption

U.S. backed dictators/ puppets who are dehumanized into fruit flies

Fruit that eventually turns into alcohol and “corrupts” those who consume it

The sweetness of South American natural resources

Stanza 3: Lines 29-34

The Company disembarks

among the bloodthirsty flies,

brim-filling their boats that slide

with the coffee and fruit treasure

of our submerged lands like trays.

Reference to the United Fruit Company in a “He who must not be named” sense

Boats/ transportation methods were used to export resources and leave natives to starve

Trays as in the metaphor of South America as a free buffet of resources

Figurative and literal sweetness of resources

Stanza 4: Lines 35-42Meanwhile, along the sugared-up

abysms of the ports,

indians fall over, buried

in the morning mist:

a body rolls, a thing

without a name, a fallen number,

a bunch of dead fruit

spills into the pile of rot. Corruption causes fruit and human life to have the same value, which causes the continent as a whole to rot

Labor conditions by U.S. companies were atrocious. There was a high rate of fatality by natives who worked for the companies

“Sweet” exports were very lucrative, which made business more “flexible”

Important Allusions/Summary● Bannana Republics● American companies that had large stakes in South American industries● False divine right and the fight against the indigenous population● U.S. backed South American dictators allusion as flies● Relation between themes of sweetness and corruption

DE: Neruda uses sweetness as a metaphor to corruption and symbolizes South American dictators as fruit flies to create an allusion to how U.S. companies controlled South America.

Conclusion

Works Cited"Butte Montana Mining History." Montana Mining History. Mining History Association, n.d. Web. 18 Nov. 2014.Fischer, Brendan. "A Banana Republic Once Again?" PR Watch. Center for Media and Democracy, 27 Dec. 2010. Web. 17 Nov. 2014."International Labor Rights Forum." The 14 Worst Corporate Evildoers. Internation Labor Rights Forum, n.d. Web. 15 Nov. 2014."Monroe Doctrine, 1823 - 1801–1829 - Milestones - Office of the Historian."Monroe Doctrine, 1823 - 1801–1829 - Milestones - Office of the Historian. Office of the Historian, n.d. Web. 16 Nov. 2014."Pablo Neruda." Poetry Foundation. Poetry Foundation, n.d. Web. 15 Nov. 2014."Pablo Neruda." University of Chile. University of Chile, n.d. Web. 17 Nov. 2014."United Fruit Historical Society." United Fruit Historical Society. United Fruit Historical Society, n.d. Web. 17 Nov. 2014.