Dipity link

http://www.dipity.com/sesmith828/Ernesto-Guevara

Write Your Own Do Dow

How has reading The Motorcycle Diaries changed your impression of Che Guevara? After hearing Che's account of the living conditions and oppressed people in South America, have you been able to justify any of his motives and/or actions? If everyone in the United States read this book, would Che still be viewed as one of South America's most infamous villains?

Colombia and Venezuela

"Revolution is impersonal; it will take their lives, even utilizing their memory as an example or as an instrument for domesticating the youth who follow them." (164)

You will die with a clenched fist and a tense jaw, the epitome of hatred and struggle..." (164)

"...the spirit of the beehive speaks through your mouth and motivates your actions." (164)

"I knew that when the great guiding spirit cleaves humanity into two antagonistic halves, I would be with the people." (164)

"I feel my nostrils dilate, savoring the acrid smell of gunpowder and blood, the enemy's death; I steel my boy, ready to do battle, and prepare myself to be a sacred space within which the bestial howl of the triumphant proletariat can resound with new energy and new hope." (165)



The picture above alludes to the first and last quotes because Che is very prepared to fight for his beliefs, just like the soldiers shown from the movie 300. Both the army in the movie and Che were very determined to protect their countries and their ways of life from being overtaken by invading groups of people. This image is parallel to these quotations for its depiction of determination and willingness to conserve a group of people.



The picture above is from the Dr. Seuss story The Sneetches in which there are two groups of Sneetches that live completely divided because the star-bellied sneetches feel that they are superior to the non-star bellied sneetches. This picture alludes to the fourth quotation in which Che talks about humanity being divided into two antagonistic halves. The Sneetches' greed clearly inhibits their development and further divides them as a species, which is parallel to the situation that Che tries to correct in Latin America.

Theme #6 Introduction

The first site (http://leo.stcloudstate.edu/acadwrite/thesistatement.html) was the most helpful in helping to develop a thesis statement. It included a specific outline of what a thesis should and should not include and provided examples of good and bad theses.

Theme 6 Potential thesis:
Che Guevara sought to become the leader of a Pan-American socialist movement that would result in international unity and emancipate the Latin American indigenous population and the third-world population from their state of oppression.

Peru Diction Quiz

Peru was probably the most unique country that Ernesto visited thus far, as it gave both Ernesto and Alberto a significant glimpse into the lives of the native people. Since much of Peru’s population is indigenous, the country is very clearly divided by language, culture, architecture, and history. Witnessing cultural division in Peru helped Ernesto to make a huge leap in his young life by ultimately leading to him coming very close to having his epiphany and realizing his life’s purpose.

Upon arriving in Peru, Ernesto and Alberto were confronted with great hospitality. Many of the Peruvians were curious about life in Argentina, and Ernesto described it as an ALLURING country, “where Peron lived with his wife Evita, where the poor have as much as the rich, and the Indian isn’t exploited…” (91). From the very moment that Ernesto arrived in Peru, it was evident that the poor state of the natives was DISQUIETING to Ernesto. By painting a wonderful picture of his country in their minds, he hoped to provide them with a shred of hope.

Arriving in Cuzco was one of the most important parts of Ernesto’s journey through Peru. Cuzco was once a city built as a fort by the Incas, simply to provide SUSTENANCE or preservation for a people in danger of invaders. Despite its original purpose as a fort, Cuzco was actually a very artfully crafted city, which contained several IDYLLIC walls and structures built by the Incas many years ago. Although the Incans proved their intelligence in their architecture, their empire was certainly not INTERMINABLE. Once the European settlers arrived, the Incans were BEREAVED of much of their land and many of their structures were RAZED. Ernesto states that the descendents of white settlers admire Cuzco because it was valiantly overtaken by their European ancestors. However, Ernesto’s narration contains several TIRADES about the unfairness and injustice that had BEFALLEN in this ancient city.

After visiting Cuzco, Ernesto and Alberto move on to Machu Picchu, meaning “old Mountain” in Quechua. Machu Picchu is IRREFUTABLY the most glorified site of Incan ruins, and according to Ernesto, attracts many tourists that believe the country has nothing else to offer. During his visit to Machu Picchu, Ernesto finds it ENIGMATIC that European settlers could take a glorious native settlement and turn it into the towns that cover the countryside to day over the course of just a few hundred years. Machu Picchu was yet another indicator of a long history of an oppressed race.

The final stage of Ernesto and Alberto’s stay in Peru was their time in the leper colony. Ernesto sought to change the ways of the colony in which the lepers live in isolation from the doctors. By initiating in games of soccer with the patients and befriending them, Ernesto provided some much needed change for the staff and patients alike. Before they set off on the Mambo-Tango, Ernesto and Alberto were thrown a farewell party in which Ernesto made a toast to a “United Latin America,” which, according to Ernesto, was received with praise.

At the end of this section, Ernesto exposes that he is beginning to reach his epiphany through his desire to bridge the severe cultural gaps and live as one united country. Although Ernesto truly impacted many of the natives and patients he encountered in Peru, the impact that Peru left as a whole on him was still greater.

Essential Question #2

Ernesto wanted to become someone who could affect change in not only his own country, but in all of Latin America. He wanted the world around him to be more equal and for the gap in wealth between the rich and the poor to be eliminated. Che's journey helped him realize this goal by exposing him to other countries within South America and the various indigenous cultures. Once he realized that the same problems of oppression and exploitation existed within multiple countries, he made it his own goal to initiate change and bring the hope of a better life for the native people.
Che's sympathy for the natives first became noticeable in Chile, when he saw the dying asthma patient who could not survive due to her family's lack of money and whose poor health was a burden on her whole community. Despite Che's prior experience in medical school, he knew that no amount of medical training could alleviate conditions such as these that progress as a consequence of a poor financial state. Seeing the mines in Chile also impacted Che in a similar way. White settlers were not only destroying the landscape in their decision to utilize the mines, but they were also taking valuable land away from the natives, thus driving them further into poverty and a difficult state of living.

independent Reading Post #10: Truly a Sunburned Country (Prompt 18, Appendix)

(image source: http://www.chinadaily.com.cn)

The title In a Sunburned Country is both clever and fitting to the book. Throughout the book, Australia is said to contain both popular tourist destinations and vast expanses of arid land. Despite the variance in topography and popularity among the regions of Australia, the title of the book is well suited because it serves to equally describe both regions.

Australia's status as a growing tourist attraction is presented in the appendix. After the 2000 Sydney Olympics, which Bryson claims to be among the greatest Olympic Games in recent history (SEE CLIP AT BOTTOM OF PAGE!), Australia's economy was heavily boosted after tourists suddenly discovered the continent. When picturing a typical tourist destination, sandy beaches, heavily developed areas, and (of course) sunburn. The title is suited for the developing regions of the country whose economy is becoming centered around tourism. As more tourists come to experience Australia's sites and beaches, the continent is actually becoming more and more covered with sunburned countries. In addition, while Bryson visited some of the Australian beaches, his own sunburn made him clearly stand out as a tourist on a foreign continent.

Despite Australia's growing status as a tourist destination, Australia's expanses of desert still cover a majority of the continent. A few chapters back, when Bryson and Allan were visiting a town called Alice Springs, Bryson heavily emphasized the isolation of the town in his detailed description:

"And so the Doughty Mr. Sherwin and I proceeded through the hot and inexhaustible desert. As we proceeded south from Daly Waters, the landscape became more sparsely vegetated. It began to feel eerily as if we had left planet earth. The soil took on a reddish glow, more Martian than terrestrial, and the sunlight seemed to double in intensity, as if generated by a nearer, larger sun" (247).

Not only is the land in this region of Australia completely arid, vacant, and desert-like, but it actually had a reddish glow, due to the type of soil that exists near Daly Waters. As if a sparsely vegetated desert land does not give enough of an allusion to to a scorching sun or sunburn, the land outside of Daly Waters was actually the color of severely sunburned skin. In this way, the land that does not experience a constant influx of tourists can also be included in the "sunburned" description. Obviously I would consider this title to be a perfect fit for this book, and I don't think that any other title could describe the book in a more clever or suitable way.

The 2000 Sydney Olympics opening ceremony (as discussed in the appendix):

Independent Reading Post #9: "The Loss is Entirely Ours" (Prompt 14, Ch 18-19)

(image source: http://www.indagare.com)

"Life in Australia would go on, and I would hear nothing, because once you leave Australia, Australia ceases to be. What a strange, sad thought that is. I can understand it, of course. Australia is mostly empty and a long way away. Its population is small and its role in the world consequently peripheral. It doesn't have coups, recklessly overfish, arm disagreeable despots, grow coca in provocative quantities, or throw its weight around in a brash and unseemly manner. It is stable and peaceful and good. It doesn't need watching, and so we don't. But I will tell you this: the loss is entirely ours" (Bryson, 304).

This quotation found at the end of chapter 19 (the last chapter before the appendix) summarizes Bryson's take on the Australian continent, connects the book back to the beginning, and exemplifies Bryson's informative yet humorous writing style that he maintains consistently throughout the entire book.

In the beginning of the book, Bryson explains that although Australia is a rather large country full of history and home to 18 million people with whom we share a common language, Australia is the subject of an extremely small fraction of our news headlines. In fact, the United States reports Australian news with about the same frequency as news from Belarus or Burundi is reported. For these reason, Americans know an incredibly small amount about such a large country. Bryson, having known this going into his journey, made every effort to truly discover the country for himself. By placing this quotation at the end of this book, Bryson indicates that he has not only achieved his goal, but he has become passionate about his journey and the discoveries that he has made. This quotation also suggests that Bryson still views Australia as a mysterious continent with several customs that he has still yet to understand.

Throughout the book, it was completely evident that Bryson grew to like the country that defied so many of his expectations. He pictured a much more tourist-centered, glamorous Australia, and instead, he discovered a continent that has not yet been thoroughly scoured by foreigners seeking to discover its many marvels. Bryson also became astonished at the country's history and how virtually all of Australian society today was built up in the past few generations. Bryson's admiration of the Australian people is evident in this quote, as he commends the society for being one of the most peaceful and problem-free on the planet. However, he takes this one step further in criticizing our whole nation for ignoring this entire continent simply because it is peaceful. From Bryson's entire account of his travels and his fascination for the country as a whole, we as the readers can now believe Bryson's claim that "the loss is entirely ours."

Finally, this quotation manages to summarize Australia in enough seriousness to convey to the reader that this continent is truly worth recognizing and discovering, yet it has enough humor to keep the reader happy and engaged. This writing style is what has kept the 304 pages of the book that I have read so far entertaining, regardless of whether Bryson was in a major Australian city or on a vacant desert highway. No matter what the reader's opinion of Australia itself, the humor and description with which the book is written make it enjoyable.

Independent Reading Post #8: Intrusions and Invisibility (Prompt 5, Ch 16-17)

A few sections ago, Bryson wrote about how both the United States and England have influenced Australian history and Australian customs today. However, this section makes more clear the role that Americans have played in recent years in shaping Australian cities.

While Bryson and Allan are searching for their next destination, Bryson notices many plazas full of American businesses, especially McDonalds and KMart. Observing this in such a remote, otherwise vacant area of the country, Bryson comments, "In the 2 million or more square miles that is the Australian outback, I don't suppose there is a more unfortunate juxtaposition" (250). Allan, clearly thinking the same thing, looks at Bryson and says, "You Yanks have a lot to answer for, you know." Bryson ponders Allan's comment and writes in the following paragraph, "We have created a philosophy of retail that is totally without aesthetics and totally irresistible. And now we box these places up and ship them to the far corners of the world... [the shoppers of Alice Springs] were no doubt delighted to get lots of free parking and a crack at Martha Stewart towels and shower curtains. What a sad and curious age we live in" (250).

I couldn't agree more with this opinion that American businesses have been dispersed too far into some of the more remote regions of the world, thus completely disrupting the life and culture of the area. Residents and tourists alike would probably prefer to experience the Australian Outback without being bothered with obnoxious McDonalds signs raised 100 feet in the air. In fact, the Australian Outback would be one of the last places that I would expect to see American enterprises, as I would have thought that even the greediest of businessmen would have enough respect to leave a natural area uncontaminated with the smell of hamburgers and french fries. Having seen hundreds of American fast food chains and businesses scattered throughout the otherwise lush green areas in Costa Rica, it was saddening to read in this section that there are many other parts of the world that have experienced an identical path of American development.

The treatment of the Aboriginee people was another saddening issue that was brought up yet again in this section of the book. From 1910 to the 1970s, Australians instituted a program in which Aboriginee children were taken from their parents, educated, and brought up in the city in an attempt to reduce their prosperity and well-being. Despite the fact that Aboriginees have the highest hospitalization rates, suicide rates, child mortality rate, imprisonment rates, and unemployment rates in the country, the way that the white Australians sought to combat this problem was unethical and heartless. These children were often told that their parents had died, and upon reaching the age of sixteen or seventeen, the children were told that it was time for them to establish their own lives, either in the city where they would forever be outsiders because of their culture or in the traditional communities that they were town away from at a very young age.

Although this section contains many somber details, Bryson's reflective view on Australia in this section is important, as it informs the reader of several issues of which even many Australians are blissfully unaware.

Independent Reading Post #7: Danger Zone (Prompt 2, Ch 14-15)

(Image source: http://www.smh.com.au)

The Great Barrier Reef: a Snorkeler's Paradise, a tourist's Mecca, and a city brimming with thousands of species

As Bryson was making his way north to Cooktown, he and his friend Allen stop to spend a day in a town along the shore of the Great Barrier Reef. After already having a close encounter with a Portuguese Man of War, Bryson was likely expecting this popular destination to be a bit safer and more absent of the array of deadly species that call Australia home. However, this section brought several surprises that obviously came as a shock to Bryson and surprised me, as the reader, no less.

Shortly after Bryson arrived in Cooktown, there was a torrential downpour that flooded the streets and made the water in the bay extremely rough. Despite the horrible and potentially dangerous weather conditions, Bryson was told that most people with tickets to see the Great Barrier Reef do so regardless of the rain or the rough waves. Fortunately, by the time Bryson and his friend made the trip out to sea, the rain had stopped; however, the improved weather certainly did not eliminate the danger from the trip.

On the bus trip to the reef, the driver was giving a run down of marine stingers, "with vivid descriptions of people who had failed to their cost to heed the warning signs" (213). As if this wasn't enough to scare everyone on the bus, Bryson also mentions several other harmful creatures that exist there, including reef sharks, boxfish, scorpion fish, stinging corals, sea snakes, or "the fat and infamous grouper, a nine-hundred pound monster that occasionally, through a combination of testiness and stupidity, chomps off a swimmer's arm, then remembers that it doesn't like the taste of human flesh" (213). Throughout the entire book, it is made very clear that Australians are accustomed to occasional shark attacks, so it obviously came as a shock to me when I heard that despite the presence of sharks living at the reef, tourists still swim in the deep channel waters regardless.

As if this weren't already enough, Bryson tells the story of a couple who went out on a boat to the reef with a group of tourists, decided to go for a swim, and realized soon after that the boat had left without them. No one realized they were missing until two days later, by which time it is believed that they were eaten by sharks. Although many cases of deaths at sea remain subtle stories in Australia, this one somehow caused a bit more commotion. When Bryson asked one of the locals what she thought about the story, she replied, "They always blow these things out of proportion down south" (219).

Although I never really thought of the Great Barrier Reef as much of a danger zone prior to this section of the book, Bryson's account of his trip there has convinced me that it can actually be, and has been, a perilous destination.

Independent Reading Post #6: "Two Lives Running Parallel for a While" (Prompt 16, Ch 11-13)

This section of the book summarized Bryson's travels away from Melbourne into a more quaint town called Macksville. On his way to Macksville, Bryson writes about several topics that relate to The Motorcycle Diaries and the topics we are discussing in class.

At the beginning of the section, Bryson gives a brief history of Ned Kelly, an Australian outlaw who had a few similarities to Che Guevara. Although Che was an upper class medical student from Buenos Aires and Kelly come from a family of Irish squatters who survived by stealing livestock, both made it their mission in life to become "heroes of the oppressed." Bryson tells the story by stating the popular belief that Kelly's deeds were in no way noble and that Kelly's victims were often killed for no apparent reason. Despite these claims, in many regions of Australia, Kelly is still seen as a hero who "had taken down the mighty from their seat and driven the rich empty away." Kelly's legend is remarkably similar to that of Guevara. The opinions held about Che and Ned vary widely by region can range from infamous murderers and heroes worthy of glorification. Regardless of which opinion is held about either hero, both are undoubtedly iconic and have been permanently engrained into their respective cultures.

The abuse of the Aboriginees was another topic presented in this section that relates to The Motorcycle Diaries, especially to the section in which Ernesto and Alberto are traveling through Peru. The Australian Aboriginee people lived without disturbance from European invaders for an extremely large portion of their existence before the arrival of the British settlers and Captain James Cook. The British immigrants viewed the Aboriginees as a primitive and vastly inferior people, and thus initiated mass murder against them while continuously escaping punishment for their abuse and killing. Although the treatment of the Aboriginees has obviously improved significantly since these times, there is still a cultural boundary dividing the Aboriginees from those of European descent. A similar scenario is seen in the relationship between the indigenous Incans of Peru and the rest of the population. Although the Incans were not murdered in mass numbers like the Australian Aboriginees, they were, and are still to this day, exploited and oppressed. The same type of cultural boundary exists in Peru because most of the indigenous people cannot live under the conditions that the European settlers have established.

Bryson also mentions how once peaceful areas have become disgracefully built up with businesses and other sites meant to attract potential residents and tourists. This is similar to Ernesto's thoughts on how the Incan Empire was transformed into the current Peruvian towns that exist today. SEE CLIP BELOW.

Independent Reading Post #5: Hanging America on a British Framework (Prompt 3, Ch 9-10)

As soon as he arrives in Melbourne, Bryson decides that he very much likes the fusion of America and Britain that occurs in this Australian city. His reaction to Melbourne in general reveals a lot about himself and how his view of Australia, although consistently positive, has changed since the beginning of the book.

"Something about [Melbourne] just agreed with me. I suppose it helped that I had spent half my life in America and half in Britain, because Australia was such a beguiling fusion of the two. It had casualness and vivacity - a lack of reserve, a comfortableness with strangers - that felt distinctly American, but hung on a British framework. In their optimism and informality, Australians could pass at a glance for Americans, but they drove on the left, drank tea, played cricket, adorned their public places with statues of Queen Victoria, dressed their children in the sort of school uniforms that only a Britannic people could wear without conspicuous regret" (Bryson, 146).

Not only does the above quotation speak loudly about Bryson's background and character, but it also speaks about the culture of the Australian people. Until this point in the book, the Australian people have been described as very happy, friendly, welcoming, unafraid of the multitude of dangerous species that live there, full of interesting (and often outrageous) stories, and slightly bashful of their continent's past existence as a prison. This is the first preview that we as the reader have had of the Australian way of life. This quotation changed the way that I pictured the Australian people in the book. Before this point, I did not connect the Australian way of life much with that of the British. This is also the reader's first insight into Bryson's past and how the fusion of cultures may be his "ideal" way of life.

Bryson continues in the following paragraph, "Almost at once I became acutely, and in an odd way delightedly, aware of how little I knew about the place" (146). This quotation makes it evident that Bryson's fascination of the continent is growing. Although he has already shared a great deal of knowledge with the reader about Australian history and culture, he is always desiring to learn more by reading books, local newspapers, and by fully immersing himself in the native way of life. Shortly after this passage, Bryson talks about sitting in a coffee shop, sampling the local drinks, eavesdropping on a nearby conversation, and asking questions to complete strangers about the local jargon he encounters in the newspaper.

This section of the book also talks a lot about how many alien species have been introduced to Australia and are now thriving without any natural predators. For this reason, thousands of rabbits now call the Australian countryside home. In December, 2006, NPR reported a story of how the Australians are coping with the presence of wild camels, an introduced species that now populates the outback with numbers in the thousands. LISTEN HERE -> http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=6599903

Independent Reading Post #4: Australia, 1950s Style (Prompt 4, Ch 7-8)

(image source: http://www.foothilltech.org)

Recognize the book above? If you had lived in Australia prior to the 1950s, it would have been completely unfamiliar to you.

The biggest shock for me in this book so far came in chapter eight, when Bryson mentioned that prior to the 1950s, over five-thousand titles were forbidden to be imported into the country, including Catcher in the Rye, A Farewell to Arms, Animal Farm, Peyton's Place, and (as pictured above) Brave New World. After 1950, only a few hundred books were banned from being imported. As if banning famous, classic books wasn't drastic enough, the Australians had no way of knowing what books they could not access because the list of banned books was kept secret. However, the titles of the books banned before 1950 were definitely the biggest shock, as I cannot picture our society without some of these major titles. This policy doesn't even make complete sense to me, as books like Brave New World seem relatively harmless and do not strike me as worthy of banning across an entire continent.

The other part of the chapter that came as a shock to me was Bryson's reaction to the pictures in the books that he found in a library that he visited. The pictures were of people living in Southern Australia throughout the 1950s and 1970s. From Bryson's description, their lifestyles seemed carefree, full of (as Bryson phrases it) "snazzy outfits," and in an ideal location: the developing Australian countryside. Bryson describes his reaction to the people as "There was something so marvelously innocent, so irretrievably lost, about the world back then... These people were happy. ...I wouldn't suggest for an instant that Australians are unhappy people now - anything but, in fact - but they don't have that happiness in their faces anymore. I don't think anybody does" (122). This photograph forced Bryson to make a comparison of the people's lifestyle and emotions between two different time zones that, to an extent, could probably apply to many other places in the world. I had never considered that the general demeanor of any society could be slightly less enthusiastic in present day, but after hearing Bryon's reaction to the photographs, I can definitely believe it.

Chile

(image source: http://www.studyabroadinternational.com)

In Vaparaiso, Chile (shown above), Che sees a dying asthma patient that clearly has an impact on his outlook on life. He describes her as having been in a pitiful state and weezing, yet doing everything in her power to maintain her dignity. Instead of believing that this was simply an unfortunate disease that anyone could have been afflicted with, Che presumes that this woman's condition is partially a result of her family's poor financial state. After observing her condition, Che comments, "...individuals in poor families who can't pay their way become surrounded by an atmosphere of barely disguised acrimony... and become a purely negative factor in the struggle for life" (Guevara, 70). Che believes that not only does her family's lack of money prevent her from getting proper care, but it deems her as a very costly liability and too much of a burden on those who are still living healthy lives. Che goes on to say that "It is there, in the final moments, for people whose farthest horizon has always been tomorrow, that one comprehends the profound tragedy circumscribing the life of the proletariat the world over" (70). This passage suggests that this same scenario exists not only in Chile or South America, but in the lower classes all over the world. Che's last comments about his visit with this patient revoke the "absurd idea of caste" and indicate that it is time for the government to spend much more money funding socially useful works.

This is the first event in the book that Che uses great detail to describe his sympathy for the oppressed lower classes and his anger that poor families appear to be in the same oppressed situations regardless of the country or region of the world. After his visit with this woman, Che took his anger one step further to criticize the government, claiming that it spends too much time publicizing its own virtues instead of using its money to prevent situations like these. These situations that provoked Che's criticism of governments would eventually lead to the determined revolutionary reader he would become.

Independent Reading Post #3: Canberra, Australia vs. Gardiner, Montana (Prompt 10, Ch 5-6)

For a majority of this section of the book, Bryson spends his time in the Australian capital, Canberra, which he describes as "interesting, parklike, and curiously much scorned" (67). Bryson's account of his experiences in Canberra remind me of my own experiences in Montana in several ways.


^^^^^^ Canberra, Australia (image source: http://images.realtravel.com)


^^^^^^^ Gardiner, Montana (image source: http://api.ning.com)

From the way that Bryson describes the location and geography of Canberra, some obvious parallels can be drawn to the small town/city of Gardiner, Montana. Both Gardiner and Canberra are remote residential areas that are both reached by highways that roll through a mountainous landscape. Bryson describes the highway ride to Canberra as unusually enjoyable because of the two lane highways that put the drivers face-to-face with the vast landscape that surrounds them. Gardiner, being about about two hours away from the closest major airport, is also reached through a long highway ride through the rockies. To add to the cities' geographical commonalities, both Gardiner and Canberra were built with a river snaking right through them.

Both cities are trapped in the interior of their country, which gives them a dated feeling, as described by Bryson, who upon leaving Sydney felt immediately drawn back into his childhood. His description of his surroundings on the way to Canberra made it sound as though everything there was much simpler than typical city life. Part of what took Bryson aback was the atypical lighting that he describes as "the kind of pure, undiffused light that can come only from a really hot blue sky" (69-70). In Gardner, Montana, the light and the big blue sky are the very first things that any tourist will notice.

One thing that Bryson mentions that I could immediately relate to was his description of reading the morning paper in Canberra. After picking up the paper in a local cafe, Bryson says, "I can think of nothing more exciting... than to read newspapers from a part of the world you know almost nothing about" (71). Gardiner, Montana was so drastically different than the Philadelphia life that I am so accustomed to that reading their local newspaper and being in the middle of the Rockies felt like a different part of the world, and even the content of the newspaper was incredibly different than that of the Inquirer or the New York Times. Going to Gardiner certainly gave me an appreciation for how different newspapers of different regions are, so I can definitely say that I share Bryson's fascination for news sources outside of my own paper.

Neither Gardiner nor Canberra come anywhere close to being a significant tourist attraction, yet both towns still hold plenty to see. Gardiner holds the entrance to Yellowstone National Park, and Canberra is home to Australia's most important political establishments. When Bryson was searching for some of Canberra's more exciting historical sites, it was shocking to the inhabitants of the city that someone actually came to the museum or to some of the political sites, as visitors are very infrequent. As a tourist in Gardiner, I had exactly the same feeling that the people living there couldn't help but ask themselves what a family of five was doing vacationing in such a small, random place.

Lastly, I can also relate to Bryson's feelings of isolation in Canberra. Bryson indicated that aside from a local pub, Canberra had almost nowhere to go, which is the same feeling that anyone who travels to Gardiner will get. Both towns have remained very isolated and have not appeared to age much over the past fifty or so years. Although they are thousands of miles away from each other, Canberra and Gardiner hold many similarities and seem to be incredibly alike.

Independent Reading Post #2: Succeeding Captain Cook (Prompt 1, Ch 3-4)

This section of the book was unique because not only was it Bryson's first experience in one of Australia's more populated regions, but it also gave a good overview of the origins of residential Australia and Sydney.

When I first began reading this section of the book, it was full of information of the history of Australia and I immediately thought that the next thirty pages were going to seem extremely long and boring. However, the section quickly picked up, and I began to like it for several reasons:

1) Bryson's writing style makes the book much more upbeat and comical. Not very many authors can turn the history of Australia and the voyage of Captain James Cook into entertaining reading material. For example, after telling about how French captain Jean-Francois de La Perouse arrived on the Austalian continent, only to find that the British had already established a prison there, Bryson adds, "La Perouse's expression when it was explained to him that Phillip and his crew had just sailed fifteen thousand miles to establish a prison for people who had stolen lace and ribbons, some cucumber plants, and a book on Tobago must have been one of the great looks in history, but alas there is no record of it" (Bryson, 49). Through occasional clever remarks such as this one, Bryson makes a topic as dry as the voyage of Cook's Endeavor bearable to read about.

2) The fact that Bryson even takes the time to explain the origins of Australia's residential areas is admirable because it equips the reader with knowledge that makes Bryson's traveling experiences more significant. Also, in the beginning of the book, Bryson mentions that Americans know shockingly little about Australia due to its virtual absence in our headlines. By incorporating some basic knowledge of Australia's history into his bestselling novel, Bryson is certainly doing his part in combatting our ignorance toward another nation, which I think is definitely admirable.

3) Bryson's interest in his travels and admiration for the Australian society is clearly evident in his writing. He frequently talks about his amazement at the society that was built on a continent that began as just a prison, his interest in how the Aboriginee people live, and his willingness to learn about every destination he visits.

4) Bryson's description of his paranoia over the multitude of uniquely Australian insects and creatures is hilarious and is definitely my favorite part of the book so far. When Bryson first arrives in Sydney, he studies every variety of poisonous spider and snake that inhabit the area, and after beginning to take detailed notes on their anatomical features, he says "it occurred to me that if I were to awake to find any large, furry creature advancing crablike across the sheets, I was unlikely to note any of its anatomical features, however singular and telling. So I put away my notebook and went off to look at minerals, which aren't so exciting but do have the compensating virtue that almost never will they attack you" (59).

There weren't very many aspects of this section that I didn't like, but if I had to pick something to change, I would have broken up the account of Cook's voyage into smaller sections instead of taking a ten plus page hiatus from Bryson's travels to tell inform the reader about Cook. Overall, I really enjoyed this section and look forward to writing about Bryson's continued adventures in Sydney.

Independent Reading Post #1: American tourist, Australian continent, Portuguese Man of War (Prompt 15, Ch. 1-2)

^^^^ Bluebottle or Portuguese Man of War

One of Bryson's first Australian experiences involves going boogie-boarding with his guides, Dierdre and Glenn. Bryson is immediately frightened when he is informed that there have been no shark attacks in "ages... a couple of months at least." When Bryson finally attempts boogie boarding, he enhances his status as a frightened outsider by miraculously making the boogie board sink on his every attempt to ride the waves. Dierdre suddenly takes on a more serious demeaner when she notices a "bluey" in the water. When Bryson asks if it is dangerous, she responds, "Dangerous, no... but don't brush against it."

Later, Dierdre publishes an article in the Herald's weekender magazine:
"Bryson... didn't read the warning sign on the beach. Nor does he know about the bluebottle being blown in his direction - now less than a meter away - a swollen stinger that could give him twenty minutes of agony, and, if he's unlucky, an unsightly allergic reaction to carry on his torso for life."

This scene in the book completely embodies Bryson's status as an isolated outsider at the beginning of the book. Although he is aware of his general ignorance of the land and is brushing up on his Australian history in an attempt to learn more about the continent, his American habits are still extremely evident and make him stand out. Toward the end of the book, it is likely that Bryson will assimilate more into the Australian culture, become much more knowledgeable of his surroundings, and describe several scenes that contrast greatly from this one in the way that he handles himself as an American tourist.

image source: http://amonline.net.au

Intro to Independent Reading

The independent reading book I have chosen to read this marking period is In a Sunburned Country, by Bill Bryson. This non-fiction book is Bill Bryson's travel memoir of his journey through the continent of Australia. I have heard that this book is a very comical yet holistic portrayal of Australia's people, land, and customs.

Since the book is a little over 300 pages, I will be reading in thirty page increments and writing new blog posts every 2-3 days.

(image source: http://www.audiobooksonline.com)