Literature
Cazuza or the primer of virtues
Antonio Roberto Fava
Thesis shows how the writer Viriato Corrêa transformed his character, protagonist of a book of the same name published in 1938, into the archetype of the “citizen of the new times”
UA boy narrates his bitter school experiences with an authoritarian teacher in the tiny town where he was born, tucked away at the bottom of Maranhão, until his days at school in the capital, São Luiz. This is the core of the book Cazuza, by Maranhão writer Viriato Corrêa, the subject of a master's thesis — Children's literature, history and education: A study of the work of Viriato Corrêa —, by Ana Elisa de Arruda Penteado, defended at the Faculty of Education (FE) from Unicamp.
Analyzing the relationship between children's literature, history and education, the researcher seeks to rescue from Cazuza's pages how issues such as homeland, work and education were being discussed, themes of great relevance in the construction of the ideology of the National State, which was intended to be architected at the time that the work was written. According to Ana Elisa, Viriato Corrêa certainly intended, when writing his greatest work, to go beyond a simple novel. Can be seen as a training book, the writer planned, with Cazuza, to constitute “the citizen of the new times”. In addition to writing a beautiful novel, he wanted to denounce abominable discipline practices in educational establishments at the time. Like the practice of “bolo”, punishment using paddles.
Published for the first time in 1938, in the midst of the Estado Novo regime, shortly after the coup of 37, “the book is part of the broad project committed to building the National State and the new citizen that suited it. A project that began to be outlined at the beginning of the Republic”, explains Ana Elisa. The country was going through a process of modernization, equipping itself to enter a new era of capitalist development and education was, obviously, an efficient instrument of social control and consolidation of an authoritarian regime, perpetrated by Getúlio Vargas.
Journalist, short story writer, novelist, playwright, playwright, author of a series of children's books, Viriato Corrêa was also a professor of theater history, history and geography in public education and a member of the Brazilian Academy of Letters. The researcher says that, with Cazuza, the writer criticizes the school at the beginning of the century, which still retained the staleness of the Empire. That is, the students, in class, only heard the teacher's voice, especially in village establishments, spread across the interior cities. “The teacher was the only person in the room with the absolute power of speech. Only he spoke and the children just listened and copied the lessons, in complete silence. If they answered incorrectly, the students would be beaten”, reveals the book.
The daily life of a classroom at the elementary school in the village was like a prison: “any movement, any sideways glance, any whisper was reason for the child to be frequently punished with physical punishment. The villain in Cazuza's story was Professor João Ricardo, a grim-faced, intractable and ferocious creature”, who used to hold students by the ears and vibrate the ruler on their heads. “The teacher walked around the room with his hands behind his back, watching them through his black glasses, with the terrible look of someone who wants to find an excuse to punish”, says the character Cazuza. The children offered their hands so that the teacher could hit them with the paddle.
Cazuza was once beaten so much by the teacher that his hands were swollen and bleeding; This angered his parents, who decided to remove him from the village school. “The issue of the 'cake' and the precariousness of the village school, as well as the teacher's hostility, portray a dark picture of education in the country at the end of the 19th century”, observes Ana Elisa. It is in this political and ideological context that the book Cazuza is created. Aimed at children, the work brings, in a strongly didactic tone, issues involving morals, the praise of virtues that must be followed at all costs. “Like tolerance, generosity, obedience, respect and piety, as well as the repudiation of vices — lies, pride, authoritarianism — the exaltation of love for the family, a cell to be maintained, as it is within that the formation of citizens begins, later refined by school”, believes Ana Elisa.
TRECHO
"Each pair copied the same excerpt of prose and the student with the most beautiful lyrics won. The prize given to him was to put the paddle in his hand so that he could punish the loser with a dozen “cakes”. The teacher called my name and Doca's name. We approached the large table. I was shaking. For three minutes the old man examined and compared the two writings. Then he said:
The two letters are very similar. It cannot be said that one is better than the other. Both are good.
And launched the judgment:
"A tie".
I breathed freely.
The teacher gave me the paddle.
“What’s that for?” I asked.
“What’s the point?” he said to me. Didn’t the two draw?” You give him six 'cakes', and he gives you six 'cakes'.”
I thought that was nonsense. I looked at the old man with surprise.
“What are you looking at?” he snorted harshly.
My tongue got stuck.
“I cannot understand this! I exclaimed. Why was there a tie? Because Doca has good lyrics and I have good lyrics. So whoever has good lyrics gets it?”
João Ricardo got up from his chair with a shout.
“I don’t want news! It has always and always been like this. Bold! Who is the teacher here?
And handed over the paddle to Dock.
