Video 1 above - homework on Tuesday March 24th - watch, take notes and post short comment.
Video 2 below for background knowledge:
Isabel Allende daughter of President Allende became a refugee and then citizen in America.
Somewhat ironic given alleged CIA involvement in the coup against her father.
She is a famous novelist. Check "House of Spirits"
This documentary highlighted the brutal way in which the people of Chile were treated at that time. They were tortured, beaten to death. One man, Victor Jara was brutally murdered because of the poems that he composed. I think Allende was a political leader who tried to make the world a better place for the most disadvantaged of his country's citizens. He was a decent man and was never a dictator.
ReplyDeleteI developed a keen interest in the Chilean coup of the 1970's after we were introduced to it in class while studying Ariel Dorfman's play 'Death and the Maiden'.Strangely, I always tried to put myself in the position of a military prisoner but knew I'd never be able to imagine what the victims of the coup went through. Listening to real life experiences of Chileans that fell Prey to General Augusto Pinochet's dictatorial regime was eye opening as well as heart wrenching. In my opinion creating art is therapy and I think I believe in this notion even more after learning of the singer who created music to relieve the tortured in the stadium turned concentration camp in Santiago. The aspect of the coup that deals with American intervention still baffles me as it goes beyond me as to how a country can nearly destroy another for selfish economic reasons. All in all, the video gives one a great insight to the sufferings and opinions of various sects of people during the coup.
ReplyDeleteIn this video, apart from giving us facts about Chile and the military coup, the interviewer talks to people who were actually there and experienced it. That portrays and brings out the event in a different light. It's suddenly not just facts but also emotions. You see these people who have grown older and wonder how they dealt with the suffering. Have they gotten over it? What kind of lives do they live now? It reminds you of Paulina from Death and the Maiden.
ReplyDeleteThe ex-head of the CIA is also interviewed and he is surprisingly and astonishingly blunt. We hear of bad people and inhuman ideas and acts but when you actually hear someone say those things and believe in them, it's always shocking. Allende's daughter also reminded me of Ariel Dorfman.
What struck out to me in this video was the way that Victor Jara and Salvadore Allende gave up their lives for their country. Allende refused to leave the Presidential Palace when it was being bombed and broadcasted words of encouragement to the Chilean people before shooting himself and living up to his promise of not surrendering. Jara played music for the prisoners in the concentration camp until his hands were crushed and he was beaten till death. On one hand, we see kind people who try to help others and alleviate their pain. On the other hand, we see people like Pinochet who are willing to take thousands of lives and show apathy to human suffering. As Roberto Neverette stated, the soldiers in the concentration camp tried to make people seem as objects. They dehumanized people so that they would not feel pity towards them or feel remorse for their actions. It was really inspiring to see the way Roberto Neverette and Sara de Witt, both torture victims, managed to pick their lives up despite the brutal crimes committed against them. A parallel can be drawn between them and Paulina Salas from Death and the Maiden who eventually forgave the man who raped her. Was it fair for thousands of people to be tortured and killed so that others could remain in luxury? “A Latin-American elite was delighted to be rescued by Fascism.” Listening to the way she spoke just made me wonder how people could be so heartless and emotionless to others’ suffering.
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ReplyDeleteThis video focuses mainly on the torturous treatment meted out to the followers of Salvador Allende. It exposes the implacable nature of Augustus Pinochet and his militants as well as the unrelenting way in which they treated their hostages. The involvement of the US President Nixon in the military coup of 1973 is also mentioned in this video. It exposed his intentions to destroy Chile’s economy and replace Salvador Allende with a fascist.
Roberto Navarrete was one of the many men taken to the concentration camp at the National Stadium. He spoke about the disregard for human dignity and how the victims were treated like objects and not living beings. He mentioned Victor Jarra, a musician who died a martyr for his country just like Allende did. He also gave us an insight into the living conditions in these concentration camps which were extremely harrowing. The one thing that he stated which really caught my attention was that fear was a constant companion. This made me draw a parallel to Paulina Salas, a character from the play ‘Death and the Maiden,’ who is constantly living in fear due to post-traumatic stress disorder. She is one of the female victims that were raped and tortured at Parquet Por la pas Villa Grimaldi. What happens to her, as stated in the book, is what happened to many others. Sara De Witt, a survivor of this torture, speaks about it in detail. She says that pregnant women were no exception to this torment. She tries to imagine the pain and the feeling of isolation that these other woman would have felt just before they were brutally murdered.
This video helped me with the understanding of this play because it had victims of Pinochet’s rule itself speaking about the conditions they were subjected to. Living proof is always the best way you can gather evidence on any account. Also, the fact that they explain it in the way of a story makes you remember it and link it to the text you are studying.
In this video, we are exposed to different sides of human nature. Victor Jara was a man who used his art as a way to try to pacify the pain and sufferings of the prisoners. He died martyr, putting others before himself. This shows us the selfless good in human nature that shines through in dark times. Pinochet brutally killed and captured many people. His heartless actions against the human race were simply to gain more power. This shows us the evil that takes control. From this, I can draw a parallel to the play 'Death and the Maiden'. Paulina Salas and Roberto are two contrasting charatcers in the play. Eventhough the play has only three characters, they represent different aspects of human nature.
ReplyDeleteThe play 'Death and the Maiden' has a rich cultural background. While watching the video, I could compare it to the pain Paulina Salas might have gone through. I can never truly relate to the atrocities that she endured because of how horrific they were. This video aided me to understand the meaning of the play and it's background. It also made me think that maybe all that was required was a strong voice for the downtrodden to help make things right.
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ReplyDeleteI need to to thank you for this very good read!! I absolutely loved every bit of it. I've got you saved as a favorite to look at new stuff you post.casio
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