Essay On “The Motorcycle Diaries”
The Motorcycle Diaries is a film that narrates the tale of the journey of the youthful Che Guevara and one of his friends through South America. Che, along with his best friend who goes by the name Alberto Granado, begins the journey in Buenos Aires where they voyage the Andes then into Chile, via the Peru Atacama Desert. They eventually reach Venezuela. This essay aims to connect the events in the diary with the geography, history, and culture of Latin American.
Geography
I observed that the great scenes of landscape display diversity in the geography of Latin America. From the dense forests displayed to the mountains with snow. Brussat (2004) claimed that the duo travels through arid deserts such as the Atacama Desert to the thick woods. Additionally, I noted that they move from the wild to the rural areas, and end up in the urban areas. In all the geographical sites they journey across, they feel connected to the inhabitants, to its history, and also to the land.
History
As the duo visits the ruins of the Inca city that had once been splendid in Machu Picchu, they contrast it to the vast slums found in Lima in Peru which was developed by the conquerors. In that instance, Che ponders on the might of guns and how such a magnificent and beautiful civilization could have been ruined by the establishers of a city that is so rotten and polluted in Lima. He directly quoted that a revolution in the absence of guns could never work.
Culture
In the areas they journey through, there is oppression and poverty of the individuals living in Latin America. The duo offers to help the suffering people in Latin America. The two realize that poverty and abuse characterize not just the individuals in Latin America but the entire continent. The connection of Ernesto to the needy people continues to augment. After the journey, and after his visit to the leper colony, the equal of Che and the anti-authority viewpoint cultivate in him. In Che, it represents his obstinate and ferocious yearning to assist the browbeaten in Latin America.
Conclusion
To sum up, the film narrates the journey of Che and his best friend Granado through Latin America. The duo journeys through all sorts of landscapes and weather such as the Atacama Desert and the thick jungles. The ruins in Inca city remind them of the slums in Lima, Peru. In the areas they travel, they observe poor and oppressed people, and they offer to help the people especially the lepers.
References
Brussat, F. (2004, September 26). The Motorcycle Diaries | Film Reviews | Films. Retrieved from https://www.spiritualityandpractice.com/films/reviews/view/9212/the-motorcycle-diaries
