Last post:

Hello everybody,

This last post means that we have almost finished this course. At this time I have been writting about the Spanish bullfighting which is one of the most important and popular spectacle in Spain. I wrote about some themes that could be interesting for you to understand the meaning of this event, like the history, the terms of the spectacle, the most important day in a bullfighter's life and so on. I also wrote about some opinions and different points of view about the event. As you know there are many different opinions about it but after that I think that you may be prepared to have your own opinion about bullfighting.

There are many people who doesn't understand how important is that event for the Spanish culture, the effects on the Spanish society and the profitability of it. We know that the tourism is one of the most important incomes in Spain after construction and we noticed that the bullfight help Spain to grow up so why people are against this spectacle? As we have see during all the post, the people have diffrerent opinions about it and it has to be respected.

Thank you very much and I hope that you have enjoyed and learnt at the same time with the topic I proposed.

This is a website that I found. It's a discussion about bullfighting. If it is a murder or not and the people who participate on it makes their own opinions about the fact.

http://www.freewebspace.net/forums/archive/index.php/t-21313.html

There you'll find all kind of opinions and they demostrate the facts that they are defending.

It is a very interesting view of what does the bullfighting means for some people.

Why some people think that bullfighting is important to Spain's culture?

People has to know that this sport, job or whatever is part of the history of Spain. It is one of the most traditional spectacles in the world. Almost everybody has heard something about it and people know that it is a very dangerous event that can cause the bullfighter's death. It is an interesting spectacle that enjoy the people and nowadays it is impossible to be cancelled by anyone.

Also, the bullfights are so popular and move a lot of money. I have just talked about it in other posts. Many people live because of this sport.

These are some reasons why people think that bullfighting...

More opinions and feelings of this spectacle:

Bullfighting . . . Some think that it is an art form and a very important part of Spanish culture. They say that if weren't for bullfighting, Spain wouldn't be the country it is today. They believe that it is beautiful. Fans feel that the bullfighter's movements are graceful and athletic, like a basketball player going for a perfect lay-up or a dancer performing a ballet. In fact, one of Spain's most famous dances, el paso doble, is an imitation of a corrida or bullfight, with all its moves and footwork. One of the most famous pieces of music of all time, an opera called Carmen, has lots of bullfighting music in it. Many people think that if Spain lost bullfighting, it would lose a part of its history, its culture, and its excitement.

Others disagree. They say that even though bullfighting is exciting, it is too cruel and dangerous. People who look out for the rights of animals feel that it is not even a fair contest, that the bullfighter always has the advantage over the bull. After all, he has other people on horses in the ring to help him confuse the bull. They even stick sharp objects into the bull's body to deaden his senses. Still other people feel that it is too dangerous for the bullfighter, that the bull can still cause very serious injuries and even death. Because of this, many fans do not like the fact that women are starting to choose bullfighting as a career. They think that women are weaker than men and could get hurt more easily in the ring. They think that if bullfighting is going to continue, it should be a man's world.

As I said in all of the post I've written before, there are many opinions about this spectacle and all of them has to be respected

A website for anybody who want to know more about Andalusia and its culture

Everybody is able to know the impact that this spectacle has around the world. As you can see is part of the Spanish culture so a big amount of tourism like to see the event. Sometimes they don´t know how to find tickets, what are the best bullfighters, best bullrings or whatever...!!!

www.andalucia.com is a website which help people to solve all this problems. There people can find everything that can be necessary if someone who arrive to Spain and in particularly Andalusia, doesn't know what they can do to enjoy in each region of Andalusia.

There are many websites but I think that the best and the ones which can solve the problems better is this one.

The Crowd:

Everybody notice that the most important character talking about this spectacle is the bullfighter but it is important to mention others like the bull or the crowd.

The audience makes this sport interesting and profitable. This sport is part of the history of Spain and its culture.

The audience looks for the bullfighter to display an appropiate level of style and courage and for the bull to display aggression and determination.For the bullfighter, this means performing skillfully in front of the bull demonstrating his mastery over the animal. The skill with which he delivers the fatal blow is another major point to look for. A skillful bullfighter will achieve it in one stroke. Two is barely acceptable, while more than two is usually regarded as a botched job.

Depending on the bullring the requirements to reach the prize (ears and tail) are higher in ones or another. So, the audience is very important. Bullfighters begin in regular bullrings and when they are becoming more and more interesting and they are improving their skills as a bullfighter, they can have the opportunity to bullfights in better bullrings. That decision is coming from the audience. The crowd and the bullfighter's manager decide if you are prepared or not to do the best actuation.

Finally, they are the ones who decide the ranking of all bullfighters. That's why they are so important at this spectacle.

The meaning:

Ernest Hemingway said of it in his 1932 non-fiction book "Death in the afternoon":

"Bullfighting is the only art in which the artist is in danger of death and in which the degree of brilliance in the performance is left to the fighter's honour." Bullfighting is seen as a symbol of Spanish Culture.

The bullfight is above all about the demonstration of style, technique and courage by its participants. While there is usually no doubt about the outcome, the bull is not viewed as a sacrificial victim — it is instead seen by the audience as a worthy adversary, deserving of respect in its own right. Bulls learn fast and their capacity to do so should never be underestimated. It is another point which explain the riskiness of this sport. Indeed, a bullfight may be viewed as a race against time for the matador, who must display his bullfighting skills before the animal learns what is going on and begins to thrust its horns at something other than the cape.

A bullfighter is like a gladiator. Both of them fights against something that they don't know and that's why it is so beautiful because each day can be the last of their life.