Hmm.. Wrapping Loose Ends And A Last Minute Connection

The Soccer War
Pgs. 205-234

September 18, 2007
3:33 P.M.

....Not so long ago, the Berlin wall divided the city of Berlin into two different cities, East Germany and West Germany. This wall was put up in 1961 due to the tensions caused by the Cold War. However, the marked divisions by the two cities had begun right after World War II ended. West Germany was controlled by the United States, while East Germany was controlled by the Soviet Union. West Germany flourished with a capitalist economy, while East Germany lagged behind (it was rich compared to other Eastern Bloc states, however, never as much as West Germany). As people began to migrate to West Germany because of its prosperity, the Berlin Wall was erected. But how does this connect with The Soccer War?

....During this last section, I made a strong connection to the events taking place in Nicosia, Cyprus to the events that ocurred in Berlin, Germany. Nicosia is divided into two parts, the Greek and the Turkish sides. The border crossing is guarded by one Greek and one Turkish soldier, and the flags of each country stand on its respective side. When I read his narration, I immediately made a connection with the Berlin Wall. What's so shocking about these two events is how discord between two countries could rip apart neighbors, communities, and citizens. They were two parallel events taking place in very similar times. I mean why are these two alien countries deciding what to do in another one. It just wasn't fair to the citizens of Berlin or Nicosia.The people of the city should be the ones deciding whether they want to be two cities or one.

....This last part ties back to the question asked in class: Who is supposed to be political responsible? Who should make political decisions concerning the people? No one should make your own decisions; we need to opiniate and decide for ourselves. The people are the ones that vote, and we need to take that responsibility seriously. Citizens have the biggest political responsability; they are the ones that are supposed make the calls. Many people disagree with this argument, because we don't take that responsability seriously. People don't use this responsability to their maximum advantage, or don't use it all. Just because a politician is rich, doesn't mean that people can't stand up against him. If everyone practiced political responsability, then people would feel that what they have to say counts for something. People would be heard because bonded together they could overthrow a government and corruption. They could make their ideas come true!

....The Soccer War is a novel that clearly depicts the lack of practiced political responsability in Third World countries (I'm not saying developped countries practice it fully, however; Kapuscinski only talks about the Third World in his novel). If the citizens cared more about their political role, then there wouldn't have been so many revolutions constantly affecting them. If the citizens of the countries mentioned had stood up for the opinions and what they believed was right, then they could have prevented much bloodshed. The citizens of a country need to let their government know what they want and what they expect to be done; a government can't have the freedom to do as it pleases. If a government is allowed this freedom, then it will exploit it for its own interest, forgetting completely about the needs of the people they rule.

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.....So I finished reading The Soccer War I really liked the novel. I loved Kapuscinski's writing style, easy going yet complex. He wanted the reader to convey everything that he lived through, and to come up with their own conclusions about the Third World. He presented the novel in a journalistic way, yet, throughout the book he was able to separate opinion from fact. It was so shocking to see the crude reality drowing Third World countries. It was really shocking to me how war and poverty are a cycle which maintains the Third World struggling to survive; it's as if they will never be able to escape their fate.