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Comparative Study

Destruction of the Indies

The literary work details the atrocities committed against indigenous people of the

Americas by Spaniards, whose initial intent was to convert the natives to Christianity but ended

up committing genocide and slave trade in their greedy pursuit of gold. Major themes observed

include death and dying, vulnerability of the meek, cultural transformation and racial

discrimination. Killings of the natives are pervasive in the plot as depicted in the scene, “The

cause for which the Christians have slain and destroyed so many and such infinite number of

souls…” (Casas 7). Natives were humble and complaisant hence vulnerable to external attacks

from the superior Europeans. “The implications of all the American host societies of the arrival

of Europeans proved transcendental” (Casas 3). “The biological and cultural consequences were

incurable after 1492” depicts the cultural transformation that occurred. The arrival of the

Europeans in the western hemisphere sparked bigotry from the Spaniards. “…Europeans

tendered to homogenize the Indians and treat them as one large inferior community”. The above-

illustrated themes relate to the integration of different cultural beliefs and practices, for instance,

the distinct behavioral practices between the different races in the play.
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Peyote Hunt as an Event

The plot illustrates a religious journey to the sacred land of Wirikuta led by Ramon, the

Huichol Indian shaman in hunt of peyote, a hallucinogenic drug found in certain types of cactus.

The literary work emphasizes the theme of cultural continuity and religious integration, unity

between the participants who set for the religious journey, embodiment and death. Francisco,

despite his advanced age, had decided to be part of the journey to Wirikuta in an endeavor to

please Tatewari in response to a disaster that had stricken him the previous year. This posits

cultural continuity upheld by the community, despite the community’s religiosity. Those who

were part of the pilgrimage were unified for a common goal, penetrating beyond the surface of

Huichol religion. Embodiment is evidenced by the act of pilgrims assuming the roles of gods in

their cultures. The eventual death of Ramon in 1971 through shooting at his home signifies the

theme of death. The anthropologists Myerhoff and Furst's participation in the peyote hunt

impacted on their behavioral transformation to unearthing the religious practices of the Huichols.

Harlem is nowhere

In Sharifa Rhode's literal work, Harlem is nowhere, several significant themes are

uncovered, including social discrimination, economic and political exploitation, cultural revival

and riots. Most Americans of the Negro origin are depicted as desperately searching for an

identity in the society they find themselves in, that hardly recognizes their social beliefs and

behaviors. Social discrimination is demonstrated through being Individuals of the Negro origin

being accorded the second-class status (Rhodes 297). Harlem symbolizes a long-lasting

alienation of Negron’s from the land of their birth. Over four hundred thousand Negro-

Americans are affected homogenously through poor political and economic implementations,

directed towards a particular racial group. Notably, cultural transformation as evidenced by the
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transition from slavery to the industrial man by the American Negros strengthens and facilitates

the transition to the economic wellbeing of the population (Rhodes 299). As a result of the free-

floating hostility that Negro nationals were subjected to, Harlem riots emerged in 1935 and 1943

following the national’s ill-treatment. The distinct cultural differences between races propagate

the social, political and economic evils evident across the globe, which impacts development and

thoughts.

Sonny’s Blues

Major recurring ideas portrayed in the plot sonny’s blues by James Baldwin involve art,

suffering, racism and segregation and anger. The two alienated brothers fail to communicate

properly, evidenced by sonny’s inability to express his thoughts and the narrator’s unwillingness

to listen. Thus, sonny is only able to express himself through music, which he adores. Through

the music, the narrator finally discovers himself along with understanding his brother (Baldwin

112). The play epitomes various scenes of suffering, for instance, the death of Grace, the

narrator’s young daughter, and sonny’s drug addiction in an endeavor to cope with suffering that

had encroached him. Racism is symbolized by the narrator’s anxiety, indicating discrimination in

Harlem. The narrator’s students are filled with rage, as portrayed in the play. Additionally, the

narrator’s mother explains to the narrator how the death of his uncle stirred up rage in his father

against the white men. According to Baldwin (118), the cross-cultural perspective sets a platform

for differences evidenced in the cultural and social aspects of the behavior and development of

individuals.
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Robert Johnson’s plot

Themes depicted by Robert Johnson include art, which is more prevalent than any other

racial confusion and failure. The author communicates his message to his audience through a

specific channel, songwriting, which is a major attribute of art. Johnson communicates to the

audience and the world at large through exploiting his talent in songwriting and manages to

effectively put across his message. According to Johnson (20), racial confusion is depicted in the

plot when Frank and Presley introduce styles that reveal the American life at an angle different

from any ever introduced before (Johnson 18). Johnson’s music career is instrumental in guiding

the understanding of the limits the industry at the time had on other musicians of his time. In

America, failure is not simple and is accompanied by the betrayal of shared hopes. Johnson’s

failures made him fear the extreme requirements and desires he had to fulfill to ensure success in

music. The themes represent a different perspective concerning cross-cultural perspective,

particularly in art, which embodies music, which is distinct from different cultures.
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Works Cited

Casas, B. D. (n.d.). Destruction of the indies. Cambridge: Hacket publishing company, Inc. pp.
1-13
Rhodes, S. (n.d.). Harlem is nowhere.pp 224-295
Baldwin, J. (n.d.). Sonny's Blues. In Going to meet the man pp. 103-141.
Johnson, R. (n.d.). Love in Vain. In Lead me on pp. 18-34.