Tuesday, March 21, 2017
Week 9 (blog 8)
This past week in Latin America Civilization and Culture we watched The Motorcycle Diaries which was about the story of Che Guevara before he was the political activist that he is known for being. I enjoyed this movie quite a bit. I think that it's easy to forget that the popular figure we see are real people that had lives and friends. Seeing this movie reminded me that Che Guevara was more than a figure. He was a man whose heart-broke at the sight of all the people who were hurt by poverty that he saw while traveling around South America. It was also interesting to see the origin of a man who is so polarized in the eyes of the world. To many in South America he is revered as a hero of the people but in the U.S. he is regarded as a violent communist, or at least that was the impression I got growing up. Having been born in the United States, I was raised to fear communism and was told that Cuba was a place of distress and poverty because of its corrupt and evil leaders. Taking this class, it has been incredibly interesting to see these figures and these countries from a different perspective. Watching The Motorcycle Diaries really reminded me that the people who fought for these ideas weren't evil monsters out to destroy the world, they were just people who were willing to give up their lives for what they believed was right. I think this sentiment is truly encapsulated in a video clip I saw of Fidel Castro recently when he was swarmed with newscasters. I can't remember the exact words that were said but I remember one of the newscasters asking him something about wearing a bulletproof vest and in response Castro unbuttoned his shirt exposing his bare chest and saying something along the lines of, "I have a moral vest." That statement really stuck with me. This was a man who wasn't fighting to win for himself, he was fighting because it was what he believed was right.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
I also enjoyed this movie, it was very interesting and helped me understand the story of Che Guevara before he became a political leader. I agree that it is very easy to forget that famous people were actually people. They all have friends and families that have shaped them from the beginning. I also understand the ways that we grow up learning about the so called tyranny of the leaders of the Cuban revolution. Through this class I've begun to see the ways they were revered by their people. Che Guevara and Fidel Castro did not take over Cuba for selfish reasons. Instead, they wanted to make a difference for the people who had been suffering at the hands of a corrupt government. The reforms that were implemented through Fidel's political career helped improve the quality of life for the peasants. He opened up equal access to both healthcare and education, which led to Cuba being the most literate country in Latin America at the time. I agree with your final statement. Fidel and Che were not fighting for themselves, but for what they believed was right.
ReplyDeleteI find it very interesting that you mentioned revolutionaries as being humans who have similar experiences as the rest of us. Whenever I hear the word revolutionary, I automatically think of men who are violent and have little importance for their families and friends. However, in The Motorcycle Diaries, I got the chance to experience aspects of a revolutionary’s life which I would not think of. Seeing Che Guevara’s connection with his family and friends gave a more human feel to this character. The images of him laughing and enjoying his time with others evoked the polar opposite image of a revolutionary for me. This makes me wonder if all of us have a hidden revolutionary inside of us which hasn’t gotten the experiences or chance in life to emerge. Just like Che Guevara, who through his experiences got the chance to reveal his revolutionary ideas about changing the world around him, do we have revolutionary ideas about changing aspects of life which we find unjust or unfair?
ReplyDelete