Bullfighting :: essays research papers

tauromachyThe spectacle of corridaing pits a man against a charging talk through superstars hat. The bulls eyefighter, called a matador, faces the bull in a large dirt-filled arena thatis usually surrounded by spectators. aided by a group of apprentices, calledthe cuadrilla, the matador goads the bull into charging at him. A bullfightusually features three matadors, each of whom fights two bulls. The bulls are ofa intelligibly savage breed especially trained to attack humans. A bullfight isrelentless. If a matador is injured, another replaces him, and the bull iskilled at the end of each match. To followers of bullfighting the contestbetween man and beast demonstrates human cleverness and courage as does no othersport. However, many people regard bullfighting is barbaric and inhumane.The contest begins with a colorful grand approach by the participants.The actual fight starts when the picadors, who are horse-mounted members of thecuadrilla. They fend off the bulls charges w ith cracking steel-tipped pikes,called pics. They weaken and anger the bull by piercing its neck and bring ups. so come the banderilleros, named after their banderillas, or decorated barbed brings. Clutching a stick in each hand, they rush the bull on foot and correctthe barbs in the animals neck, weakening and angering the beast even more.Finally the matador comes in for the kill. bright dressed, he uses asword draped with a cloth, called muleta. After a number of intricate passeswith the muleta, during which the matador must work extremely close to the bull,the matador sights the bull along his sword, runs forward, and plunges it in,aiming for the half-dollar-size spot between the shoulders. If the sword enterscorrectly between the shoulder blades, it severs the aorta, or great artery, andthe animal dies almost instantly.A crowd-pleasing matador may be awarded one or both of the bulls earsor its ears and tail. An exceptionally fierce bull may be honored by having itsbody parad ed around the arena. The one thing that sets the Spanish apart frommost Europeans living beyond the Pyrenees mountains is their guinea pig spectacleof bullfighting. Every city and most towns of any size boast a bullring, wherethe crowds cheer their favorite but jeer the inept matador, or bullfighter, ashe faces his large-horned adversary.