Write Your Own Do Now

After reading the Motorcycle Diaries, and watching the documentary, do you think Che made the right decision in joining the Cuban revolution? If not, write an alternative to what Che should have done after his experiences in South America. Also, comment on why you think people (primarily Latin American) idolize him.

I chose this topic because, as a reader, I was forced to think about the person Che became during his adventures in South America. After reading detailed descriptions about his experiences, I constantly questioned the route he took in terms of helping these people afterwards.

March 17- Columbia & Venezuela

ether, howling like one possessed, acrid smell of gunpowder

In this section, Che is essentially explaining how he is changing and what he is going to become. Ethers are chemical compounds that are known to be very pleasant smelling. The change is very attractive when it starts - maybe this trip lured him. z
"I don't know how to explain it - as if everything solid melted away into the ether..."

At the end of this chapter, Che uses vocabulary such as "howling like one possessed" and "acrid smell of gunpowder". It is evident that he wants to fight for change. He ends this section with references to war and wolves. He says he has a new sense of energy and hope. the little paragraph that describes this change has a very socialistic attitude.

Theme #6 Introduction

I found the sdst very helpful because it begins with the attributes of a thesis statement. Then it has a checklist of questions you can test with your thesis to see if it is on the right track.

After leaving medical school to go on a great expedition throughout Latin America, Ernesto saw many aspects of society relating to poverty and government that dismayed him, which eventually encouraged him to become a contentious revolutionary figure - Che.

Peru Diction Quiz

Che begins his journey in Peru by attempting to get rides on various trucks. They almost get into a TIRADE with one of the drivers when he requires them to pay after they loaded all their belongings on. They are also upset by the way the MESTIZOS are treated. Che makes reference to how they are carried in the truck like cattle on the INERMINABLE truck rides. After getting off a truck, they are forced to walk in the cold, SWATHING themselves with thin blankets. Che then enters Manchu Picchu, where he describes the unique architecture and IDYLLIC setting. They eventually get to the ancient town of Cuzco, where Che admires the ingenuity of the people that once lived there. For example, the fortress of Cuzco, a RELIC of this civilization, was built so that it could control the two steep valleys. It was also designed very well to protect from invaders. After leaving Cuzco, they decide they would like to visit a leper colony. They wanted to discover the disease that is BEFALLING these people. When they arrive in the colony, it is obvious that the lepers are not receiving adequate medical attention, and are living in ABHORRENT conditions. They simply do not have the tools to perform surgery that could help the lepers, which EXACERBATES the situation. They leave this leper colony and go to a town and see a bull competition. Towards the end of Peru they see another leper colony. The INDGENCE here is similar to the other leper colony. He gets to know both a doctor and a dentist there. Alberto, Che’s friend on the journey who is also a biochemist, proclaims himself a doctor and an expert in leper colonies. He is a bold INTERLOCUTOR. During this part of the journey, Che is suffering from his athsma due to the massive amount of mosquitoes that bite him.

March 9 - Essential Question #2

While Ernesto was living in Argentina, before he left on his trip, he had a goal of becoming a physician. He did not become a physician before he left on his trip. Throughout the book so far, Ernesto has made it clear that he wants to help people that are suffering due to the government. For example, when he meets the woman who has severe athsma, he feels very frustrated that this woman has to suffer when prior to her illness she was very hard-working. He makes it clear that he would make changes if he were in charge of the government. In the documentary we watched, Ernesto goes as far to help cause this change by leading a revolution in Cuba. In his journey so far in the book, Che has little impact on the people compared to what he does later in his life.

Chile

"It is at these times like this, when a doctor is conscious of his complete powerlessness, that he longs for change: a change to prevent the injustice of a system..."

This is Che's reaction to the condition of a woman he is treating in Chile for asthma. He feels very strongly about how this should not be allowed to happen. She was previously a waitress who earned enough money to live, now she is "surrounded by an atmosphere of barely disguised acrimony."I think this had a tremendous impact on the person he was to become in terms of shaping his political ideals. He wants to change life in a way so that a woman like this would not have to suffer and would be able to receive sufficient medical treatment.

Apples to Apples

Although the two examples are similar, I feel there are important differences. When Che wanted to start his revolution, he was fighting against the existing government. Once in power, however he killed many people connected to the previous government. What threat did they pose to Che? The U.S. is trying to defend there country from those would could destroy it.

Argentina - graded blog post

"sitting on the dune, we watch the continuous ebb and flow, each with our own thoughts...the sea has always been a confidant, a friend absorbing all it is told and never revealing those secrets; always giving the best advice." (pg 34)

This is a combination of detail and imagery. Che describes a deep connection he has with the sea, and how this differs with other people (like his fellow traveler Alberto). Alberto does not sea the sea as a thing beyond beauty. I think that the sea simply represents, for Che, adventure. He is intrigued by the vastness and greatness of the sea. He later states that there are an endless amount of paths you can take in the sea to any end of the earth. This only makes the sea more attractive and irresistible to him. Che obviously is fascinated by adventure.

The letter that Che wrote to his mother was also very interesting. Up until that point, Che's writing was very descriptive and full of life. Che's letter, however, is very basic and only describes the significant things that have occurred. He refers mostly to medical things, such as when he got sick, and how he diagnosed a tumor in somebody else. This brings up the question of how many of the stories Che embellished.