Catalonia Essays

Homage to Catalonia is George Orwell’s first person narrative about his experiences as a solider. The narrative takes place during the Spanish Civil War which began July 1936 and continued until April 1, 1939. George Orwell first came to Barcelona on December 1936 as a writer. Orwell was greatly fascinated by the amount of revolutionary sprit though he was never interested in the political issue occurring. The Spanish Civil war was a very important war that many people took part in including George

Music and Culture are factors that identify and make up Catalonia today. Some of us may know a lot about Catalan Music and some know nothing at all and that’s the reason I am writing this essay today. In this written piece, I will explore and give you an insight into the development and significance of some popular Catalan music genres in the 20th Century. The genres I will be discussing are: Nova Canco, Catalan rumba and Catalan Rock. Each of these genres have developed and are significant in their

The vote was a symbolic move as it is nonbinding and holds no power of law. Sofia Perez; a political scientist at Boston University, states that this is being used more as a bargaining chip during negotiations. (NPR) These negotiations could see Catalonia maintaining more of its tax revenue for its region, rather than sending it to Madrid. (NPR) There was also a potential scare as the Spanish officials

Derived from Catalan Nationalism which supports the independence of Catalonia or Catalan countries from Spain and France, the Catalan independence movement or Catalan separatist movement is a political one. Towards the end of the 15th century Spain was born from the union of the crowns of Castile and Aragon, being a costal territory of the crown of Aragon Catalonia has shared Spain’s monarch. In 1714 following the end of the war of Spanish succession as a result of the Nueva Planeta decrees rules

On December 6, 1978, the Constitution of Spain was ratified, the old regime of Franco dissolved, and the region of Catalonia granted a statute of autonomy. Such began the modern era of separatism in Catalonia that had lasted centuries, dating as far back as the War of Spanish Succession in the early eighteenth century, and tracing its routes to Charlemagne’s capture of the region from the Muslims at the turn of the ninth century. Even before the new constitution, the separatist movement began to

To be or not to be? This is said to be the ultimate question, but maybe that’s not true. What is the outcome if it comes to be? This should be the ultimate question. Catalonia, a wealthy autonomous community located in the northeastern region of Spain, wants to become an independent sovereign state. Most recently, Catalonia made an attempt to stage an independent referendum on October 1, 2017. The referendum passed by a 90% majority, but what is to happen if the Catalans ultimately voted to succeed

Aruba When you land at the Reins Beatrice International airport, you might be tempted to think you are not in the Caribbean due to the ruggedness of the terrain. Despite the miniature size of Aruba, the island is a bundle of contrasting landscapes. You find chiseled cliffs and salt-sprayed headlands along the east coast with sand dunes and cacti groves dotting the landscape in other places, instead of the rainforest as is common with the other islands in the vicinity. You can visit the island of

How to Follow Your Stomach through Barcelona Barcelona is world renowned for its creativity that dates back to Gaudi and even earlier. Tourists flock to the city to bear witness to its artistic side through architecture, fashion, art, and music. Much of that creativity also bleeds over to Barcelona’s food scene. From avant-garde Michelin star restaurants to neighborhood cava bars, Barcelona’s creative soul can be tasted through its food. The following is a guide on how to follow your stomach through

In Homage to Catalonia (1938), author George Orwell was able to capture a unique perspective of the Spanish Civil War that has allowed it to remain a classic today. Orwell’s narrative on the war is examined through the lens of two historical scholars, Tom Buchanan and James Fountain, in the essays “Three Lives of Homage to Catalonia” and “The notion of crusade in British and American literary responses to the Spanish Civil War”, respectively. Buchanan examines secondary sources, whereas Fountain

but the other soldiers as well. One of the facts he mostly observed was how “All the war-propaganda, all the screaming and lies and hatred, comes invariably from people who are not fighting” (Orwell, George), as he wrote in his novel “Homage to Catalonia”. Some might think of it as a moral support, the fact of creating propaganda, screaming and lying. In the contrary citizens who don’t participate in the fighting of the war will creat propaganda believing they are convincing others on joining the

Catalonia is a land of mountains and seashores in the northeastern corner of Spain. The northern Pyrenees and the western Sierra de Cadi create the mountainous profile visible from the eastern stretch of the Mediterranean coast. Also Catalonia population is 7.523 million, which is 4.357 million more than Spain’s capital Madrid. Catalonia should have independence because Catalonia has a different language and also a different culture. Catalonia should get independence from Spain because they speak

Spain near the end of 1936, which was only month after the Spanish Civil War had started. After having arrived in the main are of the revolutionary Spain in one of the regions of Spain called Catalonia, Orwell began to record what he experiences in what he would later title Homage to Catalonia. Homage to Catalonia provides a first-hand account of what was more than a war, but a

means to be “Spanish” is very complicated. In one region in north eastern Spain called Catalonia, the people here deny the unity of Spain and accuse Castile, another region where the people do accept Spain as one nation, and so to Madrid, of social and political imperialism. Indeed, it is through this belief and many others that the Catalans base their ongoing fight for independence on to this day. Catalonia

and Jose both persevere through challenges in order to try and live a better life. Murad gets arrested trying to get into Spain. “He thinks of Aziz, probably already on a truck headed to Catalonia and he wonders if Aziz can make it, why not him?”. (Lalami, 37) If one person can make it to

The Spanish Civil war broke out on July 17th 1936, when there was a revolt by the right-wing Spanish military officers, along with the monarchists, conservatives, and fascists paramilitary against the left-wing Republican government. The causes of the civil war were many, and there were both long term and short term causes. There was political instability in Spain. Politically, Spain had been a constitutional monarchy, which implies that it was “democratically ruled”. The Cortes was elected to

brutality of Spain as leverage to recruit more potential voters. If Catalonia does achieve its separation goal, many say its government will quickly collapse, as it does not have a strong or organized government. Spain has met the situation of protests by sending more police officers and law enforcement to the area. The protesters are stating that Spain is not exercising its democratic ideals, and almost all of the citizens of Catalonia are voting for independence. Although these articles are diverse

part of a country or be self-determined. Instead of being tormented with the possible social, economic, political, aggression, and cultural issues that could potentially come from imperialism. To begin with, an example of an economic burden lies in Catalonia who distributes their wealth to other regions of the European country Spain. Economically advantaged regions agitate for secession

A nation is defined as a large group of people that associate with a particular territory and is united in seeking to form a government of that area. The United States, in the Revolutionary War, fought for independence, just as many other nation-states have done so over the years. The history of a formal Scotland can be traced back to the 9th century, or earlier by some accounts. On September 18, 2014, the people of Scotland, after a very long and intense campaign, voted to stay as a part of the

During the 1930s, The Spanish Civil War (1936-1939) was a significant event that alarmed the Church. In Spain, the Spanish Church was under constant problems from the Second Republic and the Spanish radicals of the left and right. Throughout Spain, members of the church faced constant violence or they fled to neighboring countries as refugees or exiles. During the war, they were constantly put in a situation where they had to pick a side. Meanwhile in France, French Catholics, along with the French

reality of the poor. Like society at the time, Picasso portrayed, but never explicitly acknowledged, the utmost problem that Barcelona was facing which was the apathy surrounding poverty and the working class. Picasso comments on the social life of Catalonia by desensitizing viewers first. He anesthetizes our emotions with faint blues, bleached greys, and deadening peasant costumes also colored in haggard and equivalent shades. He utilizes the stigma surrounding these palettes and diverts us from a narrative