With that said, let's jump all the way back to class two weeks ago. We were told to watch the film Motorcycle Diaries. This film was really interesting to me, and I didn't know anything about the background of the story before I watched it, so it was cool to learn something new. It was about Che Guevara and his friend Alberto as they went on a journey across South America. On this journey they witnessed a lot of eye opening situations. One of these involved poor people being suppressed and forced to work in very harsh conditions in the mining industry. In another part of the film, they saw how the poor people were being oppressed and were under attack by those with more power. He also saw that the sick were treated like animals and were sent to live on another island in order to quarantine them. All of these things and more led Che to have a change of heart and the film showed that he desired for all people to be treated equally. Therefore, this movie depicted the making of Che and how he formed his communist views.
Image #2Then we went to class and discussed who Che Guevara was in real life. He began his life exactly how the movie described him, in a wealthy family. However when he went on his journey, his views did change and he was consumed with a desire to spread his ideas. It started out as a mission, but it quickly overpowered him as he began to want to spread communism at all costs. He was willing to kill anyone who got in his way, and he did just that. He alone killed hundreds of people who got in his way. Since he was so committed to spreading communism, he became a threat to the US since they were trying to prevent the spread of communism. Therefore, he was captured and killed by the CIA in Bolivia in 1967. He is still seen as a revolutionary figure, and his image remains a sign for change and violence today.
Image #3In class, Avery and I discussed his life and if we thought he was guilty or not. We both decided that he initially had good intentions, but they were quickly replaced by the motivation to attain power and influence. Therefore, we concluded that he was a threat to all people because while he fought for change, if you didn't believe what he did he thought you should be dealt with by death. Because of this we both viewed him as guilty and that he was not a good man.
What do you think about Che? Do you agree or disagree with my opinions? Thanks for reading my blog!
As depicted by the movie, he was a kind, generous man, always wanting to help people. But after his first-hand experience with how the sick were treated, his ideas became quite radical. He believed what he was doing was the right thing, however, his sheer determination and stubborn will-power to spread his ideas and communism led to his controversial infamy.
ReplyDeleteBut Che's merch still racks up $$$.