Why the Cocks (Roosters) Fight (Pages 1-51)

Summary:
    Why the Cocks Fight is a historical book that author Michele Wucker retells about the history behind the Dominican Republic and Haiti, and how although these two countries share the same island of Hispaniola, many things tear them apart. In the opening chapter, the author recounts the entire story behind a rooster fight: from the bets made to the winning roosters, the humiliation the owners face when their roosters lose, to their more "professional" rooster fights in arenas called "coliseum" (16). Throughout this chapter, Wucker intertwines the history and current rooster fights with political figures that have fought for Hispaniola and for the independence of each individual country. In this first chapter, Wucker brings up famous political figures such as Rafael Trujillo, who dictated in the Dominican Republic for more than thirty years. He was not exactly shed in a positive light because of all the tragic and horrific events that he made suffer not only to Dominicans, but also to the Haitians. Because of him, the relationship between these two countries was immensely affected.
    In the following chapter, Wucker goes way deeper into the connection of these two countries and their individual fight for independence. She started by mentioning the Massacre River (27). This river separates Haiti and the Dominican Republic in the border. This is the core of the chapter because here the author builds up for the rest of the historical information. Here, the author really digs into the essential
 details of Hispaniola's history. Going back to the Haitian Revolution, Haiti struggled to gain their independence. They had to fight off mother countries such as Spain, France, Britain, and even the United States to keep obtaining their freedom. They had revolutionary leaders that tried to do good, but things still stayed bad. The Dominican Republic became a separate country from Haiti when the island of Hispaniola was separated by mother countries Spain and France. They gained their independence when revolutionary leaders such as Juan Pablo Duarte Francisco de Rosario Sanchez fought for their country's indepence through forming a group called La Trinitaria.This Massacre River as previously stated has been the grief of many Haitians when they were massacred and thrown into this river by orders of Trujillo. The irony was that Trujillo's grandmother was Haitian, yet he continously offended them due to the color of their skin. The tensions and struggles of these two countries has injured their relationship due to this constant struggle for power and the never-ending discrimination.

Quote:
   "The rooster has come to represent all aspects of daily life in Hispaniola: politics, home, territory, courtship, healing, sustenance, the passage of time, and brotherhood. The cockfight is a symbol of both division and community, opposite sides of the same coin" (Wucker 12).

Reaction:
   While reading the beginning pages of this book, a lot of background history is given page by page. The first chapter mainly related to cockfights, and the connection this shared with both the Dominican Republic. For one part of the chapter, the author does a great job in explaining all the lingo that is said during these fight, such as a criador, which is someone who has, "Bred, brought up, and overseen  the training of a rooster" (Wucker 18). The author has done a great job thus far in connecting how these rooster fights relate to the strained relationship between Dominicans and Haitians. They have also connected it to other events in Haiti's and the Dominican Republic's history, such as the fight for independence for both these countries.  It's simplified to a form that is understood by everyone, and all Spanish words are translated.
   I chose this quote because it shows the strange relationship Haiti and the Dominican Republic share. This quote shares how, although these two countries have been separated by a lot of things men have done, at the same time they are brought together. For example, politics is something that majorly separates Hispaniola. At the same time, they are brought together because they bond over a rooster fight, which symbolically represents politics in the sense that they always go for the one that wins, or represents them well. I found it very interesting that these countries can be so strained, but at the same time, simple things make them bond and bring them together.