Six Word Memoir America

Leader of the world fails miserably.

Apples to Apples

I don't think that this is an example of hypocrisy because the Americans have a right to be working with the Pakistanis to combat Al Qaeda and the Taliban because those are the terrorist groups that reign the world. They are behind the September 11th attacks of America and behind the recent Mumbai, India terrorist attacks. When Che was working with the Cubans there was no group that was terrorizing the world, he was simply working to overthrow an existing government. However, today America is trying to help rid the world of terrorists. America has the right to do this because they are simply helping the Pakistanis, not taking over the whole take down of the terrorist groups. The terrorist groups, as stated in the article, are destabilizing Pakistan so there really is a need to weed out Al Qaeda and the Taliban, not like in Che's situation in Cuba when it was a choice to start a revolution not a necessity.

Argentina

"In any photographic manual you'll come across the strikingly clear image of a landscape, apparently taken by night, in the light of a full moon. The secret behind this magical vision of 'darkness at noon' is usually revealed in the accompanying text. Readers of this book will not be well versed about the sensitivity of my retina-I can hardly sense it myself." (page 32)
This excerpt from the Motorcycle Diaries is a very good example of Ernesto's voice. His tone and diction are made clear through this short passage. The way that he phrases his words, such as "readers of this book will not be well versed about the sensitivity of my retina", convey his attitude as that he really doesn't care if the readers don't believe him, and he will describe the way that he saw it, not the way others saw it. He goes about it in a somewhat snotty yet familiar way by saying "I can hardly see it myself". This excerpt helps the reader gain a better understanding of Ernesto because it shows the aspects of his personality through the words he chooses to use.

"After an eternity of trekking through deep mud we recognized the stream flowing out into the Carrue, and almost immediately the trees disappeared and we reached the flat. The huge figure of a stag dashed like a quick breath across the stream and his body, silver by the light of the rising moon, disappeared into the undergrowth. This tremor of nature cut straight to our hearts. We walked slowly so as not to disturb the peace of the wild sanctuary with which we were now communing." (page 49)
This excerpt clearly displays the aspects of diction, detail, and imagery. He uses phrases such as "the peace of the wild sanctuary" and "silver by the light of the moon" to display his love for nature and for adventure and for life in general. He paints a picture that is easy to see in your head, which makes his experiences seem all that more real.

Theme #5 Introduction

"For Sale. Baby Shoes. Never Worn."

With these 6 words Hemingway could be telling many different stories. The first thing that came to my mind was that the baby died, which is why the shoes were never worn. Another possibility would be that the baby's shoes never fit, which is why they are for sale.

Essential Question

Truthfully I don't really know exactly what I want to become. I just want to be happy. Whatever path takes me towards the final destination of happiness is fine, as long as I get there. I want to be someone who is loved by my family and friends alike. I also want to travel the world and see everything that I can. I want to impact the world by enhancing understanding between cultures, both by learning about other cultures but also by teaching others about my culture.

TMD Introduction

The adventure was like one I had never been on before. The adrenaline pumped through my body like it was blood pumping through my heart. The places we would see, the people we would meet, the experiences we would have. I couldn't help but think of how much fun I was going to have. The consequences were irrelevant at the time. I didn't care how it would affect my career, my parents, or my friends. At that time I knew that this is what I needed to do for me. I needed to be selfish for my own good. The enormity of our endeavor escaped us in those moments; all we could see was the dust on the road ahead and ourselves on the bike, devouring kilometers in our flight.

Ideology

One thing that I would go to great lengths to defend would be my family and friends. If anyone tried to ever hurt any of my family or friends they would regret it. My family and friends are the people that get me through each day, and define my life. So, if someone tried to hurt them either emotionally or physically it would be just like hurting me. Another thing that I would go to great lengths to protect would be my rights. I believe that everyone has the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Therefore, if anyone tried to take away those basic human rights from me, it would be something that I would defend to the death.

El Che Reaction #1

One thing that stood out to me while watching El Che was the fact that the journey of Motorcycle Diaries is what started Che on his journey to join the Cuban revolution. Another thing that jumped out at me was the fact that Castro was looked up upon as a revolutionary and people wanted him to take power, while now it is the total opposite. It was also interesting to see that Castro and Che were such good friends. There was one random story about a lady sewing Che's pants that didn't really fit, so it was peculiar that it was incorporated into the documentary.

TMD Timeline

If Motorcycle Diaries is described as a mix between Das Kapital and Easy Rider, then I think we can expect to read about a trip of rebels moving across the continent in order to change the people and the way they think. Das Kapital was about Marxism and socialism which is essentially Communism while Easy Rider was about a bunch of fun-loving hippies traveling across the country in search of a good time. So, a conclusion about Motorcycle Diaries that could be made from the merger of these two sources would be that the main characters (including Che) will be traveling in search of themselves, fun, but also to make people conform to their beliefs.

TMD Bio & Intro Post

Since this book is considered to be a travel diary I expect a lot of descriptive passages that describe people, places, landscape, social experiences, etc. I think that the writing style will be focused yet descriptive. One other travel narrative that I have read is Bill Bryson's Walk In The Woods, which was about a man's journey through the Appalacian Trail. What stuck out were the long descriptions of landscape that were both informative and descriptive. This book will definitely be different than the last two books we have read because it won't so much be about individual self realization, but will now be more about the narrator realizing his place in the world, which will then help him find himself. The two prefaces to the book were completely different. The one by his daughter was filled with passion for her admirable father, while the one by his second wife was simply a synopsis of the book.

TMD Preface Comparison

The type of information that I found most helpful in gaining a deeper understanding of the books that we have studied is the information about the life and times of the author. I think that every author has a deeper meaning for writing their book/novel and there is always some piece of autobiographical information in their books. While they may not write directly about their lives, their own experiences almost always come into their works. It is interesting, and highly useful in understanding the book further, to see where the author was coming from when they wrote the novel.

TMD Preview Post

An epiphany, according to dictionary.com, is a sudden, intuitive perception of or insight into the reality or essential meaning of something, usually initiated by some simple, homely, or commonplace occurrence or experience. An epiphany seems to be a moment in your life that can change the rest of your life and the way you live. It may change the way you live through your morals, your feelings, or the way you act. An epiphany would impact your life because as stated earlier it would change the way you go about life and the way you look at things. It can change your whole perspective as to the meaning of life, why your here, and what your meant to do.

Glenn Beck Video

Since I don't know very much about Che Guevara, I can't comment much on whether I agree with Glenn Beck, but he does make a great argument. Apparently people idolize Che and Beck's argument that he should not be looked up to that way because he was essentially worse or on an equal level to Stalin, Hitler, and Castro. Based on the argument that Beck and Humberto Fontova make, it angers me that Che is idolized when he killed and executed so many people. Beck's style is very interesting. He is forceful and uses words that appeal to the senses such as "Stalin wannabe, cold blooded killer" and "heartless and clueless". Although Beck is forceful he seems to go about the conversation and persuasion with a sort of style that make you want to think that he is trying to be your friend. It's not a very casual tone/style but something about it is friendly. Overall his tone is very forceful, and he seems to be attacking Hollywood not Che himself.