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Analysis Of Jon Lee Anderson's 'The Distant Shore'

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Junot Diaz once said, “colonial power, patriarchal power, capitalist power must always and everywhere be battled, because they never, ever quit.” As humanity sustains an innovative aptitude for the future of diverse communities worldwide, conflict occurs when the ability to merge societies or unite toward a common goal becomes impaired. In “The Distant Shore” by Jon Lee Anderson, an indigenous Peruvian tribe known as the Mashco Piro sustain a paucity of basic necessities in order to encourage a safe and secure preservation of their autonomy. As a result, the lack of conventional interactive discipline among the Mashco Piro deprives them of social status and community representation, leading to dehumanization efforts and an aimless …show more content…

Upon seeking further research, Euclides de Cunha describes Carlos Fermín Fitzcarrald’s reaching out to the Mashco Piro, “muster[ing] his armed med to intimidate the natives into cooperating” (Anderson 17). Subsequent to swift interactions, Cunha describes how Fitzcarrald found error in the Mashco Piro’s assumption of superiority, proceeding to kill approximately one hundred tribal members. Although the Mashco Piro were not prepared for the execution of many of their members, the skill set to communicate appropriately was unavailable. In addition to the repercussions of an individualistic approach to the Mashco Piro, hostile behavior from themselves to neighboring tribes in the Madre de Dios region of Peru further deteriorates a hope for tranquility among the forest. Nena, a humble mother living in Diamante, gave proof to the poignant threat to her family via patterns of twins on her vegetable patch (Anderson 49). The playful nature within the presence of youth among Nena’s immediate family was halted since the Mashco Piro indirectly threatened the perseverance of Nena and her family’s daily life. While the majority of indigenous tribes will thrive upon their own excavation of natural resources and interaction with the immediate nature around them, the Mashco Piro have discovered alternate methods of flourishing

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