“A thousand cubs of the Spanish lion are roaming free” -- Ruben Dario

Ruben Dario’s “To Roosevelt” is a rebellious piece that challenges the United States government. Dario states, “You think that life is a fire, / that progress is an irruption, / that the future is wherever / your bullet strikes” (15-18). In these lines Dario points out the violent and arrogant attitude that the United States has about the rest of the world. Dario also states, “O men with Saxon eyes and barbarous souls, / our America lives. And dreams. And loves. / And it is the daughter of the Sun. Be careful. / Long live Spanish America! / A thousand cubs of the Spanish lion are roaming free. / Roosevelt, you must become, by God’s own will, / the deadly Rifleman and the dreadful Hunter / before you can clutch us in your iron claws. / And though you have everything, you are lacking one thing: / God!” (43-52). These lines represent the Latin American’s resistance to the United States violent means.

Even though I am American, I really enjoyed this poem, and I slightly agreed with it (not meaning to sound unpatriotic by any means). I agreed with this poem because my entire life I have grown up hearing about some war that is going on. I have also grown up to understand that Americans have a nasty reputation as spoiled and stupid brats, and I believe that we as Americans (not just our government) are arrogant and think that we are entitled to certain privileges. I never really understood this, however, until I befriended a person from South Korea and learned just how differently we were raised. For example, during my high school years, I always felt that I was entitled to free time because that’s just the way American teenagers think, but Ha Young (my friend from Korea) never had any leisure time to just be a kid until she moved to the United States; she went to a Christian boarding school and was in school from 8:00 am to 10:00 pm, seven days a week. That is so much different than how the American education system is, and it is just one example of how I (along with many other Americans) feel like I am entitled to something for the reason of just because.

Like I said, I really enjoyed this poem. I think it was very creatively put together, and it was easy to read, but it made me think as well. My favorite line was “A thousand cubs of the Spanish lion are roaming free” (47). I loved this line because it just had so much imagery, and it evoked a strong sense of rebellion, ferociousness, and power (because lions always remind me of power). In my opinion, this was the best poem we read in the entire class!