Prejudice in Brazil

Essay by mrballin18University, Bachelor'sA-, April 2004

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Prejudice in Brazil

The dictionary defines prejudice as narrow-mindedness. It also defines it as

assimilation, absorption or digestion. The story of Gaspar Pereira Reboucas and Rita

Brasilia dos Santos is very interesting and is a testament of how important race and

education is in not only Brazil, but the world in general. Their struggles would only

become a motivating tool in their advancement into the White World.

Reboucas and dos Santos are typical of many marriages and couplings in

Brazil,Their different backgrounds, cultures, and class served as a melting pot for

Brazilian society. Their offspring would only grow to become the new faces of Brazilian

culture. While assimilating to the dominant White Brazilian culture, one will lose all

respect for his lower-class heritage and eventually become the ugly beast that he

desperately fought against.

Gaspar Pereira Reboucas and Rita Brasilia dos Santos were two very different

people. Reboucas was a white Portuguese who immigrated to Brazil to look for a better

life. Rita dos Santos was a freed mulatto woman who found interest in Gaspar. Brazilian

culture in those day's was and still is based on skin color. Men in Brazil found Black and

mulatto women more appealing. Leon Spitzer states, " For Gaspar Pereiera Reboucas,

Rita's race and physical appearance may in themselves have been attractive forces, and

consciously or unconsciously she may have taken advantage of this attraction." P 106

Rita knew that Gaspar was attracted to her and she knew that he would do anything for

her.

Rita and Gaspars relationship grew and they eventually had numerous kids, but

the relationship may have been calculated and was not based on love. Spitzer say's, " In

order to bring about her marriage to Gaspar Periera Reboucas, Rita Brasilia dos Santos no

doubt took advantage of a means of...