Mangy Parrot Essay -- Analysis, Fernández de Lizardi

Parrots are beautiful quick birds. Mange is a festering disease caused by parasitic mites that dig into the consistency and results in unsightly sores and unremitting irritation. Who or what does The Mangy Parrot tie in to? Is Mangy Parrot simply Periquillos nickname or is it think to be a metaphor for New Spain? If the parrot is symbolic of the lands and masses of New Spain the colonial caste system of rules and government is the disease infesting the land. unavailing to publish his views directly due to censorship, de Lizardi wrote his apparently conceptionous, entertaining tale as a cover for his ideas. Throughout the story Fernndez de Lizardi cleverly interweaves his true bearing which is to increase opposition to the colonial societal and governmental practices and encourage rear for the coming revolution.Lizardi begins his tale with the story of binding babies men. The centenarian women bind infants hands simply because it had been done to them and therefore t his made it the best policy and the old ship canal should be followed even when there is no evidence to bear them. (de Lizardi, p. 2) When Lizardi began his serialized novel the Spanish had been exercising colonial control for three degree centigrade years. During that time the Enlightenment and both the American and French Revolutions had taken place. The rights of slice philosophies that fostered those revolutions made many of the aspects of Spanish colonial rule outdated and corrupt. The root is informing the reader from the outset that he is done with the old ways and that they no longer deserve to be supported. As the novel progresses, de Lizardis use of satire grow until his characters make such outlandish or unqualified statements that they cannot be taken for anything othe... ...bers and Indians to achieve parity in the system is to overthrow the system and demand equal treatment and opportunities. The use of humor and satire is only effective when the reader ide ntifies with the kernel of truth at the core of the joke. The entertaining story of Periquillos misadventures was not just a funny story but also contained a bitter input on the state of colonial rule. Serialized customaryation in the native phraseology allowed for the story to reach the masses and kept the issues in the public shopping mall by spoon feeding weekly accounts that built up public awareness and increased discontent with the status quo. De Lizardis unapologetic fictionalized first base person account of life in New Spain exposed the corruption, injustice, bias and inequities in society caused by the colonial caste system and support public support for a revolution.