1. Colonial legacy: We have examined a partial history of the Amazon region that includes colonization, slavery and exploitation of resources through the lens of films and texts. Choose one very
specific historical aspect pertaining to the history of colonization and/or the colonial legacy to discuss through 2 examples from the materials studied in the course so far. Write an essay analyzing, in its
context, a moment related to colonialism or its legacy, and specifically how it is conveyed in the 2 works
analysed.
2. Extractivism: We have studied films and texts that comment on the long historical extraction of natural resources in the Amazon region. At what expense has this practice been conducted? What were and are the actual risks and dangers of regulated and mostly unregulated extractivism in the region? What is the human and the environmental cost? What are the implications of extractivism to indigenous populations of the Amazon? Answer a few of these questions with reference to very specific examples from 2 works studied in class so far. Be specific in your 2 examples and analysis.
List of eligible works studied for the 2 examples:
Werner Herzog- Aguirre, the Wrath of God (1972)
Gaspar de Carvajal- The Discovery of the Amazon (1542)
Werner Herzog- Fitzcarraldo (1982)
Les Blank- Burden of Dreams (1982)
John Boorman- The Emerald Forest (1985)
James Gray- The Lost City of Z (2016)
Ciro Guerra- Embrace of the Serpent (2015)
Euclides da Cunha The Amazon: Land without History (1909)
Chico MendesFight for the Forest (1992)
