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.