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Valeria Saucedo Ojeda


Professor Gifford
English 114B at 8
February 17, 2014

Fidel Castros Domination

Fidel Castro might have retired in 2008, but his impact and control on Cuban society still
remains seen today. By 1959, Castro, leading the revolution, had effectively taken over Cuba
from former dictator Fulgencio Batista. People were yearning for a better change and with Castro
considering himself a communist, he succeeded in earning peoples trust and hope. His political
power demonstrated an erratic path of development for the state; from the missile crisis in 1962
to the Mariel boat lift during the 1980s, good relations with other countries has been difficult to
achieve. Fidel Castro overall has caused a deleterious outcome to Cubans due to his strong
ambition, persuading techniques, and controlling characteristic.
During the Mariel boat exodus in 1980, more than 125,000 Cubans migrated to the
United States because they were unsatisfied with the government. In the book, Finding Maana,
written by Mirta Ojita, the author herself provides an account of her life as well as important
figures that contributed to the journey of Cubans to the world of opportunity. Ojita states that
Castro himself manipulated the formula every day, balancing both Carters tolerance and
Miamis innocence against his own need to cleanse the country of scum (Ojita, 212). If the
U.S. president was not complaining about the number of prisoners sent, Castro would add more
on boats, but if President Carter was complaining, he would lower the amount of people. He kept
adjusting the formula depending on other peoples response to the mass exodus. Along with the
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people who wanted to leave, prisoners, homosexuals, prostitutes, drug users, and enemies of the
revolution were forcefully placed on boats heading to the U.S. This was because Castro wanted
to get rid of all the people that were not willing to obey his orders and accept his ideas of how
societies should behave.
Fidel Castros ideology persuaded Mirta for a short period of time but then she went
against societies expectations. Her beliefs were altered when she was young due to the constant
repetition of the expectations children had to learn at school. Focusing on children enabled the
government to have better control of them. Mirta recalls answering that she went to church when
one of her teachers, Tania, asked the class who believed in God. It was then that from the day
Tania discovered that I went to church, she began to make fun of my mother (Ojito, 21). Deeply
humiliating her in front of her peers, young Mirta felt the need to change her belief in God. Mirta
furiously told her parents that she did not want to attend church which resulting in the whole
family never bringing up God again. Being different from others was not praised from others but
instead turned into mockery and disrespect which caused children to quickly adapt to the rules in
fear of being bullied.
In Finding Maana, Mirta Ojitos family painful journey to freedom demonstrates how
Fidel Castro has created a controlling style of governing that does not adequately represent
communism. The Communist Manifesto, by political theorist Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels,
address the concern of class struggles and problems of capitalism; their solution is communism:
a classless society where everyone contributes equally to the economy and holds the same rights
in order to prevent competition (Marx 22). One day the Ojito family went to eat at an Italian
restaurant where they asked the waiter for orange sodas but were told that they ran out. Mirta
explained how a few minutes later, we saw another waiter carry a trayful of sodas to a
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curtained-off area (Ojito, 128). To demonstrate how there was in fact separation of classes, the
orange sodas were exclusively served to families that had political power and wealth. Mirtas
family was one of the many families who worked hard to maintain food on the table but in many
cases, they were very limited to the things they could enjoy. Instead of following communism,
Fidel Castro strictly controlled the lives of the people to such an extent, he formed his own set of
government.
The most used method of communication that was present in Cuba during time
when Castro reached full control was the newspaper and used it to make peoples lives more
miserable. People relied on the newspaper to find out about the latest news; Fidel Castro utilized
it to share his criticism and build himself to be seen as a trusting father or only leader.
During 1979, Cubans were escaping to the Peru embassy where they hoped to be safe and get a
visa allowing them to go to the United States. Ojita once again addresses this in her book by
saying that The unsigned editorial, which began and ended with the words This is Cubas
stance, accused Peru of protecting common criminals (Ojito, 116). Even though it was hopeful
families who wanted to have a better life trying to escape, they were being seen as traitors by
others for wanting to leave the society. By targeting Peru, Castro was not only influencing other
people to form hatred toward others but also suggesting that trying to escape Cuba was going to
have a consequence. As Mirta and her family was waiting for a boat to transport them to the next
stop from Cuba, angry mobs threatened and tried to kill her and her mother when they attempted
to walk in the streets to find a phone (Ojito 178). This hatred demonstrates the wicked influence
of Fidel Castro.
By the end of 2007, Fidel Castro had made it clear that he was retiring from office. He
had a plan to use nepotism which would allow him to still be actively in charge of Cuba. Fidel
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left many broken promises to the people such as a better economy and freedom. As of today, his
influence still remains seen in the streets of Cuba, where people still struggle to provide their
families with food and shelter. The article, Cuba after Fidel: the new leadership, by Victor
Bulmer-Thomas, identifies Cuba now as these days complaints are just as often about petty
restrictions on travel, lack of opportunities for self-employed, and the absence of jobs
commensurate with the level of education (Thomas, 4). Even though their economy has
improved due to the increase in foreign exchange, people still are having a difficult time getting
a job that fits their interest and level of education. Castro has left damage, particularly
economically, leaving his land with a slow path to stability.
As you can see, Fidel Castro managed to present himself as a man who was the hero at
the time when people were in need of a new government. Years in power, no one dared to
challenge him and take his position; his numerous techniques of reaching out to people may be
deceiving at times, causing many to forcefully follow his ideals for their own safety. In Finding
Maana, Mirta Ojito was one of the many people who witnessed how the countrys political
ideology drastically changed individuals belief system. As Mirta and her family held strong to
their beliefs, they had to go to great lengths to hide from being seen as an outcast of society. To
the people who have lived during Castros presence, either all their lives or a part, the emotional
impact will never be forgotten.






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Works Cited

Ojito, Mirta . Finding Maana: A Memoir of a Cuban Exodus. New York: Penguin, 2005.
Print.

Marx, Karl, and Friedrich Engels. The Communist Manifesto. N.p.: Swenson & Kemp, n.d.
Print.

Bulmer-Thomas, VIctor. "Cuba after Fidel: The New Leadership." Academic OneFile. Gale, 8
Feb. 2008. Web. 19 Feb. 2014.

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