The Structures of Class by Amado Hernandez When a few men establish a government to rule the life of many, they lay down rules, choose leaders, pass laws, construct machines to implement their power; embody their principles in a constitution, decide on the balance of power, the values and the                         scales. All this is devised and ordered in accord with their own                             interests, as they control everyone’s comings and goings. Although it would be rational to suppose that the wisest policy is justice— equality for all in an association of brothers— what happens is the very opposite and to the man who sees clearly, the world is upside                             down. The few who organized these institutions take care to reserve the privilege for their class, signing                     away the heritage of all others. “There you are, and here we are”—a king’s decree proclaims the boundary lines, the limits of class. In time, cities arise, places of learning hold up a golden torch, he who would gather knowledge must enter these                         doors, but few can pass without a loaded purse, and once inside, their minds will be exposed to those who, void of warmth, in all their arrogance, will try to warp even the purest heart, and burn incense to their own brand of dubious hero. They build a place of worship, a temple “dedicated to God,” setting up an image with a woman’s face, a lion’s body; whoever fails to worship and pay her tribute, will never                         get to heaven. Men are completely terrorized, made to believe there was no heaven on earth, only                         crosses to bear. Those who long for mysterious redemption must give riches and land to Mammon, must buy even immortality with prayers and gold. For those who are determined to be absolute rulers, good faith, tradition, a people’s history are not needed. Courthouses are built, judges and officials with no             semblance of heart are chosen. The character of the defendant is no part of judgment; while biased justice says that equal punishment will be                 meted out, according to law, it casts a net from which the big fish escape, in which                     the little fish are caught, and mercy can be bought with silver. The crowning infamy of this law of “tooth for tooth” is prison—that desolate cavern, that living grave for men of health and courage—             equally with villains and imbeciles— here the vengeance, the fear and hatred of society, is centered in all its ferocity, here one without guilt toward man or God is tortured, and prison is a fortress of horror where hangmen wreak havoc in the dark and                 undermine reason. Now, when the day of judgment comes, and the mighty have been leveled; (but only if the persecuted open their eyes, only if they arise and sweep away the few) the edifice of privilege will crumble, and in the ashes a new temple will arise; a new rampart, a new flag, a trumpet of promise that the nation will grow, out of the people’s hope, out                 of their faith in their own leaders.