José Julián Martí Pérez (January 28, 1853 – May 19, 1895) was a Cuban national hero and an important figure in Latin American literature. he was a journalist, a revolutionary philosopher, a poet, an essayist a translator, a professor, a publisher, and a political theorist. He was an important symbol for Cuba's fight against Spain in the 19th century. Due to this he is referred to as the "Apostle of Cuban Independence”.

He was against the Spanish rule of Cuba and said that Cubans have a different way of living which is very different from the Spaniards and therefor he wanted them to leave their country. He wished for Cuba to be a democratic republic and not ruled by a foreign country. He wanted to establish a “patria” which means fatherland, with a good government where Cubans of all social classes and colours could unite and live in harmony. In 1889 there were talks of Cuba being purchased from Spain by the United States but Martí wanted full independence or nothing.  He also established the The Cuban Revolutionary Party which secretly organized the anti - Spain war. He was anti – American but he did recognize and admired the work ethic, education, agricultural advancement, right of speech and development of the Americans. He felt that the Latin Americans should consider imitating/mimicing the ways of the Americans to develop and better themselves. However he did not want them to imitate them politically as he felt they were ‘carnivorous’. Still, he did not want Cuba to be ruled by the Spanish or purchased by the Americans.

In his poem “I Dream Awake” he dreams of Cuba breaking free from the rule of the Spanish and being a free country. He sees a child calling out to him for help. The people of Cuba were treated cruelly by the government of Spain. This child symbolizes the children or the people of Cuba who are calling out for someone to give them independence from Spain and its cruelty. They are calling to him for help and therefore he feels that it is his responsibility to fight for his country, Cuba.

He gave importance to creating a Latin American identity, knowing the reality of their history and having their own national literature. He took upon himself the task of building national identity. We see this in his poem I Have a White Rose to Tend (Verse XXXIX) in which he shows his social and political hopes for his country. A white rose is a symbol of peace. He wants all the people of Cuba, irrespective of personal, ethnic, racial or any such differences to unite and live in peace. He wanted to establish a sense of national identity and a feeling of oneness and belonging amoung the people of Cuba. The act of giving a white rose to an enemy as well as a friend shows how the people should give up their personal differences and come together to unite as a nation against Spain. One should treat their enemy just as one treats their friend as they are all children of the same country.