Rodo and Bolivar

The entirety of Bolivars letter reads and feels like a swift backhand to the United States and likens it to that of a viscous diseases destined to spread and plague others with its’s ideals. He as well on page 173 describes the U.S. as almost a bully who is envious of those around him and eager to take what they have. “I can almost foresee a general conspiracy against poor Columbia, already the target of excessive envy by all the American republics.” These sentiments do read similar to those found within Rodo’s article as well, however there are some differences. The biggest one to me is that while in Rodo does diminish and demoralize the U.S. he also does somewhat pay it homage and respect. Almost like how you would to a rival in a sport, he doesn’t love the U.S. but he can respect certain things. This can be seen on page 34 where he states “Subsequently, their history is characterized by a uniformity that, although it may lack diversity in skills and values, does possess the intellectual beauty of logic.” While this statement does still feel like a backhanded compliment it is a compliment none the less. Which is better than what Bolivar was willing to give. At the end of the day while these two sources do have some differences in their approach of describing the U.S. ,I believe that both of these articles do take pride in their dissection and disdain of North America and would rather insult it than give it credit.