Horacio Vásquez

“Chucha shakes me awake. Sunlight is streaming in through the jalousie windows. Before I can ask her what’s the matter, gangster men in their dark glasses storm into the room, thrusting their guns here and there in the corners of the closet and under my bed, in search of something they can not find. Chucha and I clutch each other and watch the men pulling open drawers, throwing my clothes into the floor. Soon another bunch of men come into the room, pushing Mami in her nightgown before them. “Traitors!” they shout. Mami rushes to me and holds me so tight, I can hear her heart pounding in my head. I’m too terrified even to cry.” The following is a quote from my historical fiction novel, “ Before We Were Free”. It sets a prime example of the horror caused by Rafael Trujillo, the Dominican Republic’s dictator in the 1930’s-60’s, and his unsuspecting secret police service, it’s acronym being S.I.M. This duo struck fear in the hearts of his subjects and the people who encompassed him, and, mainly the president, swindled them from the people 's money and their right to leading the country by employing intimidation. Which leads me to my review over the compare and contrast of my novel and reality. On October 24, 1891, Rafael Trujillo was born. He was birthed into a middle class family, their bloodline being from the Spanish, Haitian, and Dominican descent, with 10 other siblings who all lived in a rural home. Although education was readily supplied to him by small, individual…

Life experiences are a very good way to present an argument especially political arguments. It gives the speaker more credibility, appeals to the emotions of the audience, and makes his/her argument more logical. Using a life experience as evidence in a political argument is known as an “autobiographical political argument.” Doron Taussig analyzes the use of this type of argument in a series of blogs entitled We are the 99 percent and We are the 53 percent. From his readings it would seem that…

A Carnival of Revolution: Central Europe 1989 A carnival is full of boisterous activities, a time for merriment, joy, and perhaps fear. This carnival that Padraic Kenney describes is full of many roller coasters, the carnival of revolution in Central Europe that would help culminate to form the end of the Soviet Union. Indeed, the times of the 1988-1989 became a circus, with three countries in particular that Kenney specifically visits. The countries of Czechoslovakia, Hungary, and Poland each…

If the Green Grocer decide to take action by taking the sign down and stops doing what was expected of him by the system. He starts doing what he sees fit for himself and his family, he would have broken the rules of the game, that action alone will lead to a chain of events where everyone will be able to see the difference between the world of appearances and the world of realities which makes it easier for everyone to follow and live within the truth. Charter 77 was an example of people being…

The Kama Sutra is one of the most popular ancient Indian texts today, known widely for its erotic content and plethora of sexual positions. Contrary to western popular perception, the Kama Sutra is not exclusively a sex manual; it presents itself as a guide to a virtuous and gracious living that discusses the nature of love, family, life, and other aspects pertaining to pleasure-oriented faculties of human life. The Kama Sutra, an ancient Indian text compiled by Vatsyayana, is a guide to all…