Question

3 the visits were a jolt to the country and its people. for almost a decade, cuba had lived in complete isolation from the western world. no one could get in; no one could get out. god and the beatles were forbidden, men with long hair were arrested, homosexuals and artists were sent to labor camps. anyone who expressed a desire to emigrate was immediately ostracized, harassed, and denied jobs and higher education. those who openly and defiantly disagreed with the government were jailed or executed. neighbors spied on neighbors, and everyone was expected to give up all allegiances for the good of the revolution, including obligations to the family and loyalty to friends.
4 in that milieu of angst and distrust, the government had surprised us all by welcoming back exiles. people were stunned and confused and began to look for a way to escape. embassy break-ins became everyday occurrences. by christmas of 1979, there were more than a hundred cubans sheltered in latin american embassies in havana. despondent that so many people seemed eager to abandon his socialist paradise, castro retaliated by using the only weapon he had: in a repeat of the 1965 camarioca boatlift, he threatened to flood south florida with refugees. in april 1980 he invited cuban exiles to return to the island to pick up their relatives at the port of mariel, west of havana. president carter, preoccupied with myriad domestic and international crises and a faltering reelection campaign, initially ignored the threat. but miami
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question 1
according to paragraph 3, how did it feel to host the return of so many exiled cubans? what revelations about culture and society surfaced and why? refer to the text to support your response.

Explanation:

To answer this, we analyze paragraph 3 (and surrounding context). First, for how it felt to host exiled Cubans: The milieu was one of "angst and distrust" (from the text about the government’s actions and the social climate). People were "stunned and confused" as embassy break - ins became common, showing a sense of unease and disorientation. Regarding revelations about culture and society: The text shows strict social control (e.g., "God and the Beatles were forbidden, men with long hair were arrested, homosexuals and artists were sent to labor camps", "those who openly and defiantly disagreed with the government were jailed or executed"). This reveals a repressive society where individual expression (in culture: music, art; in society: sexual orientation, dissenting views) was suppressed. The return of exiles, who were part of a different (Western - influenced, perhaps) cultural and social context, would clash with this repressive system, highlighting the regime's control over culture (banning Western cultural symbols like the Beatles) and society (persecuting groups like homosexuals, artists, and dissenters).

Answer:

• How it felt to host exiled Cubans: It felt like a situation filled with angst, distrust, stun, and confusion. The government’s repressive actions (jailing/executing dissenters, social control) created a climate where people were unsure, and embassy break - ins (as a way to escape) became common, showing the tension.
• Revelations about culture and society: The society was highly repressive. Culturally, Western cultural symbols (Beatles) were banned, and artistic expression (artists) was persecuted. Socially, sexual orientation (homosexuals) and dissenting views were suppressed (arrests, labor camps, jailing/executing dissenters). This shows a regime that tightly controlled culture and society to enforce its ideology, and the return of exiles (with different cultural/social backgrounds) highlighted this clash and the regime's control.