Tascha Shahriari-Parsa Cuban Book Burnings of 2003 Cuba is a nation that has been merited for having stood

up for communist values, and not tumbling down to international pressure. Stranded on its own with little trade or communication, the government has built an iron wall around itself, and washed away any opposition. In 2003, Fidel Castro called for the incineration of thousands of books, documents, and other informative content, as independent librarians were put on trial, whose books were often ordered to be destroyed by the court. These included documents such as the U.S. Constitution and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, as well as books including those of Martin Luther King, many journalism materials, and a book called Fidels Secret Wars. Even works written by Jose Marti, who was considered to be a Cuban national hero at the time of the revolution, were burned. Interestingly, Ray Bradbury, the author of Fahrenheit 451, officially stated his condemnation of the Cuban book burnings, asking the Cuban government to release all imprisoned librarians, and to send them back into Cuban culture to inform their people. He said that he stands against any library or librarian anywhere in the world being imprisoned or punished in any way for the books that they circulate. In 1971, 32 years before the book burnings, Fidel Castro himself said that, Sometimes certain books have been published, the number does not matter. But as a matter of principle not a single book of such kind should be printed, not a single chapter, not a single page, not a single letter! It is apparent, of course, that the Cuban book burnings occurred similarly to those in Fahrenheit 451. The book burnings are a result of fear present in the establishment, a struggle to maintain power and control over the Cuban people. I have to disagree with Castro on his statements. He argues that its a matter of principle in other words, if anything defies his principle, it must be burnt and blocked away. I disagree with Castro, because by setting fire to the knowledge of his people, he is blocking away the sparks of intelligence that in fact allowed him to reach his stance in society. He is shafting the imperative free thought and freedom that he was struggling for when he overthrew the Spanish power in Cuba. He introduced communism in an effort to diminish the capital unfairness and poverty that was present in his nation. He fought a revolution for his people, who in turn were given what may arguably be the best health care in the world, free education on all levels, and shelter and food as an inalienable right. Now, by burning books and suppressing free thought and deliberation, he is complacently ignoring the potential for development and reform in his nation. Instead, Cuba has become internationally recognized not for its positive traits, but for its human rights abuses and oppression over its people. The book burnings of 2003 represent the dangers of power, and the totalitarian mindset that became present in far too many political ideologists in the 1900s. It shows that even a true communist one who is struggling for the precedential rise of the working class and the equality of their people can become entangled in a struggle for power; whether by torturing political prisoners, murdering rebels, or burning books.