Excuses & Metaphor Case

Excuses & Metaphor

All throughout history, many countries would take over a nation or province for the sake and benefit of their well-being. Many of these countries take over territories and conquer new lands to expand their nation and gain economic and social status throughout the known world. The United States is no exception to this taking over of smaller nations. Once the United States began gaining power and recognition throughout the world, they set their eyes on Cuba. In Louis Perez Jr., Cuba in the American Imagination Metaphor and the Imperial Ethos (The University of North Carolina Press, 2008), it describes how the U.S. tried to help out Cuba and creates excuses to justify their actions towards Cuba.

Since the 19th century, the United States has had its eyes on Cuba. The U.S. felt that they were destined to have Cuba. They went as far as to call it “manifest destiny,” a belief that the United States was destined to expand all throughout North America and enhance its economic and political influences (28). Secretary of State Hamilton Fish said that Americans could plausibly claim Cuba; he goes on and says, “Cuba was “by nature” connected with the United States” (28). Many U.S. senators use the excuse that because Cuba is so close to America theoretically it should belong to the United States. A metaphor that Louis Perez Jr. makes is he describes Cuba as a “ripe fruit” whose fate is to gravitate towards the Unite States (30). There is a political cartoon that shows this idea of Cuba as a “ripe fruit.” Uncle Sam is shown with a basket of apples on the ground. Each apple has a name of a U.S. state on it and Uncle Sam is standing looking up at an apple in the tree. The apple has the word Cuba on it and Uncle Sam is waiting for the apple to fall into the bin (31).

The Cuban war for independence between 1895 and 1898 provided a window of opportunity for America to try and gain control of Cuba. Cuba was fighting a war against Spain for its independence. During this time America knew that Cuba would no longer be a colony of Spain but a self-sovereign nation (44-45). Many U.S. senators urged America to help Cuba in fighting the war against Spain. John Daniel, a senator from Virginia, insisted that the U.S. had a “moral obligation” to help Cuba (47). Louis Perez Jr. uses the metaphor of the “good Samaritan” when describing the U.S.’s involvement with Cuba. In fact, Illinois senator William Mason used the term when he said, “We take Cuba as the good Samaritan did, and bind up her wounds, furnish her people with something to eat, and clothes to wear” (47). The United States used the term Good Samaritan to justify the military occupation of Cuba.

After Cuba had fought and won the war for independence against Spain, they were seen as children in the eyes of the United States. This idea of a colony being viewed as children was a common sight since