6 Words of America

Promise of hope, better America tomorrow?

My Personal Ideology

I certainly have values, ideals, and standards with which I base my life . I perhaps haven't defined my ideology before, yet I supposed it's helpful to consider it before I go off to college next year. A very important value for me is accountability. I believe everyone should understand their responsibilities in a given situation and give 100% to make sure that they are fulfilled. If everyone tried to exert their best effort in all aspects of their lives we would live in a far more productive and beneficial society. This is not to say that downtime and relaxation are not critical, for they are. However, there is a time and a place for everything, and if someone says they'll take care of a specific task, they should be accountable for completing it.

Che in Bolivia vs. Pakistan

As always, Americans are trying to stick their foot in another country to attempt to salvage it from some terrible force. We did this with Che Guevara in Bolivia, and now we are doing the same in Pakistan. Che was considered a revolutionary socialist trying to uproot the Bolivian government. The Taliban and Al Qaeda are now trying to reek havoc in Pakistan. In both cases, Americans step in to intervene. I believe this is a fair comparison between the two.

Che's Voice

"The full moon is silhouetted against the sea, smothering the waves with silver reflections. Sitting on a dune, we watch the continuous ebb and flow, each of us with our own thoughts. For me, the sea has always been a confidant, a friend absorbing all it is told and never revealing those secrets; always giving the best advice - its meaningful noises can be interpreted any way you choose" (34).
This excerpt displays imagery as it personifies the sea and details images of the picture Che sees around himself. This shows a softer side to Che, that even though he grows up to be associated with mass executions, at one point he was a real human being with the sea as his confidant.

"I now know, by an almost fatalistic conformity with the facts, that my destiny is to travel, or perhaps it's better to say that traveling is our destiny, because Alberto feels the same... Perhaps one day, tired of cycling the world, I'll return to Argentina and settle in the Andean lakes, if not indefinitely then at least for a pause while I shift from one understanding of the world to another" (45).
Although Che clearly does not have the eloquence of an English major, he certainly chooses his words particularly, as exemplified in this excerpt. His diction is very specific and to the point, choosing words such as "fatalistic conformity", "destiny", "shift... understanding". All in all, it creates a powerful message of Che's final destination and purpose for this wandering.

Che's Death

Based on the movie so far and our various insight into Che Guevara, his life and his enemies, I believe the CIA or Fidel Castro had him killed. I think I remember hearing somewhere that the CIA was responsible, but it makes more sense that Castro would do it. Once he was finished using him, he wanted him to be gone and completely out of the picture. The United States was probably not a big Che fan because of his link to so many killings and his passionate speeches against imperialism and for socialism. During the Cold War, this isn’t exactly the message the United States wants spread throughout their country.

Creativity Inspired by Intro.

Adventure:
Feel the crisp wind in your face,
The bristling leaves blowing in the breeze,
The trees swaying as you pass by.
You leave the world behind you,
As you embrace the journeys yet to come.
You set out on a purpose:
A purpose, one purpose only,
To seek your purpose in life.
What does it all mean?
Why are we here?
Where am I going?
The quest is to find the answers
To your questions and more.
Yet, you do it alone.
By yourself, with only you in mind.
For,
There is nothing lonelier than adventure.

Che's Ideology

At this point in the movie, we have discovered that Che is a fairly radical socialist. Other socialist leaders around the world, especially the leaders of China and Russia, heavily influenced him throughout his worldwide journeys. He clearly believes in hard work, determination, and a passionate strength for following one’s goals to the end. This fortitude has guaranteed numerous promotions throughout his career with Castro and both the fear and respect of the people of Cuba. Che’s personal mission is to inspire these people to work as hard as he does and work together for the common goal of a socialist revolution.

My Documentary

If I could make a documentary of anyone in the word, it would definitely be about Jeffrey Adam Becker. Clearly, he is the exemplary high school student of Wissahickon High School. A documentary centering around Jeff would inspire high school students around the nation to become brighter, more motivated people who are actively involved in their community. This would be an especially interesting documentary for me because Jeff has personally inspired me to become a better citizen and pay closer attention to politics and potentially life changing current events. The Wissahickon School District would not be the same dynamic and exciting community that it is without this inspirational young man, and this is why his life needs to be highlighted for all to see.

Che Documentary

If I were to make a documentary about Che's life, there are a few major aspects I would have to include. The main focus I would consider to be the point where he changed his ideals and started to be considered the mass murderer that Glen Beck obviously thinks he is. I'd like to include his original goals and show how they changed throughout time, ultimately including the man he became. The two sides of his life must be included, as well as, the legacy he left behind. Who is this man? How did he become the man people remember him to be? Who or what inspired him? How did he discover himself? This is the course each of us must also take, the path to figure out who we truly are, and we would not want to steer astray, like it seems Che may have done.

My Road Trip

I guess you could say that my one and only road trip occurred when I was in grade school driving down to Florida to visit my grandparents with my family. It was a two-day adventure in our minivan with my three siblings and two parents. Especially for the car ride, we got a mini television and watched movie after movie after movie. My extremely organized mother packed special snack packs for each of us that we nibbled on throughout the trip. The first day we drove to Durham and visited by mom’s alma matter, Duke University. We spent the night in a hotel near the university and awoke early the next morning to continue the seemingly never-ending car ride. Many hours of movies, reading, and munching later, we finally arrived in Vero Beach just after dinnertime. The week in Florida was well worth the road trip and the saved money on airfare.

Motorcycle Diaries Preview

The Motorcycle Diaries should be an interesting read. From what I have gathered from the Book Preview Activity, the book is a collection of Guevara’s notes from his journey across Latin America. Presumably, he will face various obstacles and overcome them to reach his goals. I am more interested to see how this journey affected the life that Glen Beck basically bashed on the segment we watched yesterday. This journey most likely affected the “blood thirsty imbecile” that he became. It will be an adventure to see how this trip shaped the person he became, and I look forward to the discovery.

Judging a Book by its Cover

Clever marketing of a book usually catches my attention before reading it: flashy titles, colorful covers, interesting images, and even the size of a book. Usually a book will need to grab my attention early in order for me to continue reading it. A book I read this summer, Bel Canto, certainly caught my attention within the first chapter, as it opened with an incredibly lavish party being overtaken by hostages. I was hooked from the first few pages and stayed that way for the remainder of the book. I am hoping that Motorcycle Diaries will be the same way.

Che & Beck

Glen Beck’s excerpt on Che Guevara surely is provocative and even disturbing, as far as material content is considered. However, as a professional television anchor, I did not appreciate the extremely obnoxious tone he took on as he described the situation with Che. I am sure that a majority of his claims are justified. He did provide a fair amount of evidence and a substantial second source to back him up on points he made. It is indeed appalling that so many kids walk around in tee shirts supporting someone linked so closely with Fidel Castro and not even understand “the ideals” with which he is connected. Nevertheless, I found the manner that Beck portrayed the excerpt to be borderline offensive and unnecessarily rude. He or his colleague called Che “a blood thirsty imbecile” and consistently mocked the “idiots of Hollywood”. Clearly, he is not a biased third party reporting the news here. The extent of his mockery and name calling made me believe that he over exaggerated some of his claims to make himself seem all the more authoritative on the subject. Perhaps, this is his particular style of getting his point across to his audience, but I, for one, was not a fan.