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

Historical Context It was first published in Neruda's Canto general in 1950. 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. Many of them dealt with his time underground in Chile, which is when he composed much of the poem.

The Dictators Lines 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.” Trujilo: Rafael Leónidas Trujillo Molina was a brutal dictator of the Dominican Republic. Tacho: Formed what was known as the ‘Somoza’ Dynasty in Nicaragua. Carias: Served as president of Honduras in 1924 and again from 1933-1949. Martines: Likely referring to Maximiliano Hernandez Martinez, who was president of El Salvador. Ubico: Jorge Ubico, served as the dictator of Guatemala from 1931 to 1944.

The Companies Coca 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 Effect 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. Marking Key: Red = Religious Allusions Orange: Irony Blue = Historical Allusions Green: Corruption Theme Purple: Sweetness theme

Stanza 1: Lines 1-9 When 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 U.S. companies that have large interests in South American industries and resources Irony of how the fruit company gave itself the “juiciest” land Allusion to the fact that the land was that of the indigenous people Theme of sweetness and its vulnerability

Stanza 2: Lines 10-19 It 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, Creates an arrogant tone that gives the companies a sense of divine right - False Crusade U.S. companies turned newly independent South American countries into “Banana Republics” It turned the work of many great revolutionaries into a joke Caesar was corrupted with from his power while ruling over the Roman Empire

Stanza 2: Lines 19-28 unsheathed 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 The sweetness of South American natural resources Fruit that eventually turns into alcohol and “corrupts” those who consume it

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 Figurative and literal sweetness of resources Trays as in the metaphor of South America as a free buffet of resources

Stanza 4: Lines 35-42 Meanwhile, 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. “Sweet” exports were very lucrative, which made business more “flexible” Labor conditions by U.S. companies were atrocious. There was a high rate of fatality by natives who worked for the companies Corruption causes fruit and human life to have the same value, which causes the continent as a whole to rot

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

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