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Velia Hernandez
English 114B
Professor Gifford
6 May 2014
Impact of Fidel Castro
Fidel Castros impact on Cuba was immense. Fidel Castro not only instilled fear into the
Cubans but on many occasions he also instilled obedience. Because he had complete control of
the island, Castro did as he pleased, and when he pleased. Although numerous Cubans were
against his principles and were not pleased with their way of living, they still did not plan on
leaving Cuba and obeyed Castro entirely because they feared him. In the novel Finding Maana
written by Mirta Ojito, she discusses her experiences in Cuba as well as her familys struggle to
leave the island. During her time in Cuba, Ojito had to tolerate her familys ideology versus her
own belief system. Despite the differences in ideologies between Ojito and her parents, Fidel
Castro had an impact on all their lives. Fidel Castros impact on poor Cuban families was
immense because he controlled them completely, and drew global attention.
Born in southeast Cuba and son of a Spanish immigrant, Fidel Castro spent most of his
childhood in his fathers farm as well as Catholic boarding schools. In the year 1945, Castro
became enrolled at the University of Havana. In 1947 he joined the Caribbean Legion and a year
later he went to Colombia with the intention of disturbing the Pan-American Union Conference
due to the riots that were going on because of the assassination of Jorge Eliecer Gaitan. After
many years of riots and fighting, Fidel Castro took over Cuba on July 1959. Beginning his
dictatorship, Castro drew global attention by making Cuba the first communist state in the
western hemisphere.
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As communist leader of Cuba, Fidel Castro controlled the will and mind of his people.
Although various people benefited from the educational and land reforms Castro had created,
many others suffered due to food shortages and no personal freedom. Due to all these hard times,
many Cubans made the decision to go to the United States as soon as they had the opportunity to
leave the country, in search for a better future. The novel explains and provides examples of how
the people in Cuba had little or no freedom at all. The novel Finding Maana by Mirta Ojito
states that most young men had served jail time in Cuba, though their crimes ranged from
attempting to leave the country illegally to having long hair or punching someone at a bar (240).
Although most of these would not be considered crimes in the U.S.A., Cubans still had to serve
time for this. They did not have the freedom to express who they were or how they felt.
Everything they did had to be approved by Castro and his government or else they would end up
being bullied by friends and neighbors or even arrested.
Since Castro did not give his people any freedom, many longed to leave the island in
search of freedom and a better state of living. As hundreds of people waited at the Peruvian
embassy for an opportunity to leave, they were willing to suffer inhumane conditions eating
pets and shrubbery to survive, then live in a communist paradise (117). This shows that Castro
had made a negative impact in their lives because for the people anything was better than being
manipulated by him one more day. Cubans were willing to wait as long as they had to in order to
get an opportunity to leave the country. Parents were even willing to watch their children cry and
suffer for a few days without food or proper shelter, then watch them suffer for the rest of their
lives. They wanted their children to have the freedom they were not able to have while they lived
in Cuba, even if this meant risking their own lives to come to the U.S. or any other country who
took in refugees.
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Though not everyone agreed with the political ideology of Cuba, there were still
countless individuals who did as the government said because they were afraid of being
incarcerated or attacked by the their own neighbors. Although their neighbors knew they were
good people, they still obeyed Castro and were against those who tried to leave the country
whether or not Castro allowed them to leave the country or not. As people got tired of waiting at
the Peruvian embassy for an opportunity to leave the country, many were terrified of going back
to their homes because they knew they would be attacked by their neighbors. Others were brain
washed by Castro when he said that Inside the revolution, all is possible; outside, nothing (79).
They believed him and followed his every step even though it was against their own beliefs.
Since he had instilled so much fear into them, they preferred to do what he said then try to find a
way out. The majority of the people had only lived under Castros regime and had never known
what it was like to have freedom or to make decisions on their own and for this reason they were
afraid to leave Cuba even though Castro approved of it.
A view on Castros dictatorship can be seen with Mirta Ojito and her family. In the novel
we learn that her and her family had a different perspective on Castro and different goals for
their lives. While living in Cuba Mirtas family did not obey everything Castro demanded of
them. Although there was fear towards Castro, her family fought for what they wanted and never
gave up despite the circumstances they were presented with. When the time for the March of the
Combatant People arrived, her father made them hush and they all hid in her parents bedroom.
When the march was about to begin, neighbors were calling them but they did not respond and
remained hidden until it all ended. Mirtas parents had always longed for exit papers to leave
Cuba but Mirta didnt because she did not want to lose her friends and her remaining family
members.
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By the time Mirta was six years old most of her relatives and family friends had left to
the U.S. She did not want to lose more people in her life especially because she loved them and
had grown up with them her entire life. But despite of that, her parents were still anxious for the
day they would finally leave Cuba. They were longing for the freedom they knew they would
never receive if they stayed in their natal country.
When she had first arrived to the U.S., Mirta wanted to go back to Cuba but as the years
progressed she no longer longed to go back and was thankful for what she had in this country.
Many refugees did not know how to manage all the freedom they now had because for years
Castro and his government controlled their everyday life and decided what they did and didnt
do. Some made the decision to go back to Cuba others killed themselves and others chose crime.
Despite of this there were still refugees who made the correct decisions just like Mirta and her
family and found employment in factories and went straight to work to fulfill their American
dream. Although Mirta was young and maybe even inexperienced, she was able to realize that
her parents had made the correct decision for her and her family. Even though it took her time,
Mirta was able to notice this and made something great out of her parents bravery to leave the
country. She no longer longed to return to Cuba and no longer thought the way she had thought
before arriving to the United States. She had finally received her freedom and she was not going
to allow anyone to take that from her.
As dictator of Cuba, Castro made a huge difference in the lives of many Cubans. He
manipulated every single one of them and even though thousands left, the ideology Castro had
implemented in them and stayed with them and that is why many chose to return after being
liberated. Mirta and her family are one of the exceptions because although they struggled with
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their new way of life and although they left family and friends behind, they managed to learn the
American way of living and learn to sustain themselves on their own.

















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Works Cited
"Fidel Castro Born." History.com. A&E Television Networks, 2014. Web. 24 Feb. 2014.
Ojito. Mirta A. Hector Sanyustiz: A Way Out. Finding Maana: A Memoir of a Cuban
Exodus. New York: Penguin, 2005.79. Print.
Ojito. Mirta A. Tempest-Tost. Finding Maana: A Memoir of a Cuban Exodus. New York:
Penguin, 2005.117. Print.
Ojito. Mirta A. Teeming Shore. Finding Maana: A Memoir of a Cuban Exodus. New York:
Penguin, 2005.240. Print.

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