Summary & Analysis Poem United Fruit Co. [Company]

Summary & Analysis Poem United Fruit Co.

Introduction

“The United Fruit Company” by Pablo Neruda was published in Spanish in 1950 and later interpreted into English. The original name of the poem is “La United Fruit Co”. Neruda’s “United Fruit Company” is a reflection on the situation in Latin American countries during the early and mid 20th centuries. That follows a wave of imperialism exercised by the international corporations established in the Middle American countries.

These include the Coca-Cola Company, the Anaconda Mining Company, Ford Motors, and the United Fruit Company. Bucheli argues that the United Fruit Company was the American company that had established the most political and economic influence in the so-called ‘‘Banana Republics’’ 

That was a term coined by an American writer Henry, to refer to the backward Latin American countries, whose governments had been taken over by dictators, supported by the multinationals from the United States.

The multinationals had influenced the governments of these countries to the extent that the tyrant, who ruled in those days, suppressed workers' strikes using government bodies such as the military and the police in favour of the companies. The meaning of the poem ‘‘United Fruit Company’ stands out as relevant during those times in several ways.

“United Fruit Company” Poem: Critical Analysis

Considering the political situations during those times, Pablo Neruda’s ‘‘United Fruit Company’’ is relevant as far as timing is concerned since the people needed the information contained in the poem.

That is the satirical portrayal of the multinationals, who had invaded the countries rather than doing what they had disguised themselves as doing. They worsened the situation by exploiting the workers, bribing the dictators in power during those days, and manipulating the decisions of such leaders to their advantage. Those companies influenced the region since they rewarded the leaders who sacrificed their people in exchange for favours.

An excellent example is the Banana Massacres, where the military opened fire on a group of striking workers, killing an estimated 2000 workers and wounding others. In the poem, P.Neruda uses the metaphor of the flies to refer to the tyrants who benefited by killing their citizens to gain favours and resources from these dominating companies. The success of the poem The United Fruit Company does not fall in that it encouraged the people to take up arms against such companies as the ‘‘United Fruit Co’’.

It also gives a more in-depth insight into the situations with the banana countries under the influence of the tyrants such as Trujillo, Tacho, Martinez, and Ubico. Pablo Neruda uses biblical phrases in the poem to satirize the justification that imperialism received in comparison to the corruption and evil deeds committed by these companies.

This poem and other works by other artists of the time, such as Miguel Angel Asturias and Gabriel Garcia Marquez, are responsible for the rise of the rebellions and resistance that resulted in many revolutions in Latin America. Pablo Neruda’s United Fruits Company is timeless as far as the issue it sought to address remains. That includes the aspects of Neo-Colonialism and Imperialism, which were exercised in many developing nations by the developed countries.

United Fruit Co: Poem’s Significance in Today’s Context

The many multinational corporations established almost in every corner of the world are considered the quintessential representatives of the imperialist governments that they represent. In this regard, the aspects of these corporations, as addressed in Pablo Neruda’s poem, still hold.

These include worker exploitation and the habits of exercising control over decision making organs and promoting corruption in the countries where they establish their businesses rather than improve the economies. These companies are considered the major causes of increased corruption rates in developing countries.

They do this by influencing a minority of the key decision-makers to ensure that they are exempted from taxes and that they get significant profits at the expense of the workers who do the real work and at the same time promote poverty in that they deplete the country of its resources. “With the bloodthirsty flies, came the Fruit Company amassed coffee and fruit in ships which put to sea like overloaded trays with the treasures from our sunken lands” Here Pablo Neruda elaborates the notion held by most developing countries multinational cause commotions in these countries, almost causing civil wars and other political unrests and eventually leaving the countries torn by these and going back with the loot they take from these countries to their nations. This explains most of the perceivable actions of the multinationals involved in mining in mineral-rich countries such as the central African country of DRC.

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The Popularity of “The United Fruit Company”

Pablo Neruda, a great Spanish poet, and writer wrote ‘The United Fruit Company’. It is a narrative poem about anti-imperialism or capitalism. First published in Spanish in 1950 and later translated into English, the poem became a swan song in the dictatorial regimes for the freedom-loving people. The poem speaks about different companies and the reason behind their establishment. It illustrates how these companies have changed their titles with time; however, their manners of operation are still the same even after years of their establishment. The speaker effectively portrayed the historical context of the multinational companies.

“The United Fruit Company” As a Representative of Reality

This thought-provoking piece describes how the arrival of the United Fruit Company alters the fabric of Latin America. The poem begins with a biblical tone where the poet says that God has given the authority to the imperialists to rule his state. He states how the arrival of Coca-Cola, Ford Motors, Anaconda, and other companies has robbed the delicacy, innocence, and sweetness of Latin America. He compares the United Fruit Company with flies and illustrates how such companies have overshadowed the great sacrifices of our people. He laments how these blood-thirsty dictators have taken the valuable resources of America at the expense of the poor people. They ruthlessly kill and oppress poor people for the sake of their gain. Toward the end of the poem, the speaker draws our attention to the sufferings of the people, arguing that the destructive and oppressive operations of the United Fruit Company cast a dark shadow on the people living in Latin America. In short, the poem compares capitalists to colonials, who aim to use a place and people for their benefits, while the workers stay poor.

Major Themes in “The United Fruit Company”

Corruption, imperialism, the quest for wealth, and land are the major themes underlined in this poem. Throughout the text, the speaker tries to explain how the innocent people of Latin America suffer when the companies fool them and destroy their land and lifestyles in the name of modernity and prosperity. He points out the oppression, cruelty, and injustice brought by these companies, presenting vivid pictures of how the owners of the companies tend to manipulate the government as well as the local workers to force their will on the locals for their petty interests of reaping more profits. Their greedy nature has stained the fabric of Latin America, making the life of laymen miserable and meaningless.

Conclusion

In summary, Pablo Neruda’s United Fruit Company has a timeless significance as far as the elaboration of the operations of multinational corporations in developing countries is concerned. Though the poem was written more than 50 years ago, its meaning, theme, and message are clear for the people who live today. That is because the company names may have changed, but their objectives and manners of operation and exercising imperialism remain the same these days.

These companies engage the same strategies that they used to influence the rulers of those days. United Fruit Company poem can work with only the name of the company being replaced with another that is operating these days. Otherwise, it passes for an informative piece of masterwork.