Walk the Line

I think authors include powerful, shocking, and/ or disturbing events in their texts to set the mood of the story. I think these events trigger the reader's emotions and they really feel emotionally attached to the characters. I think they are necessary to add because it makes the reader a part of the action and plot. I also thinks it takes the story to a whole new level once you become attached to the characters. I think society has a large impact on the events that occur. Amir and Hassan are raised very differently, yet they are all the generation of the coup and the republic. Societal acceptance towards characters is really what makes these situations occur.

Dipity Timeline

This timeline details Ernesto "Che" Guevara's life. It includes the places he went, parts of his journey from the book The Motorcycle Diaries, and the documentary about hi titled El Che.

Dipity

IR # 10 (Prompt 3, Chapter 10)

The final chapter of the book depicts the filming of the infamous Moneda Palace. Miguel and one of the crews are finally allowed to film inside Pinochet's office, and in doing so; they actually manage to see Pinochet himself. After this final shoot, Frankie and Miguel spend a few more days in Chile while the five crews drop their footage off in Madrid. Towards the end of those days, Frankie is under great suspicion and they leave the next morning. This chapter is ironic because they rush onto the plane to see officers checking passports. The flight attendant explains that someone is on the plane with an illegal passport, and once they hear this news, Miguel and Frankie sit back and cheers for having done the same thing.

Over the course of the journey, Miguel Littin changed a lot. When he departed for Chile in the first chapter, he was very apprehensive and he was very scared of the troubles to come. As the trip progressed, he became more comfortable with being clandestine, and therefore he let his disguise down a little. Later in the novel, he reveals to more and more people who he really is. I think that two months was too long of a time to stay in Chile because it made him want to break his new Uruguayan identity. Having the people and places surround him that had once been a part of him was too much for him to forget. By the end of the chapter, he is very relaxed and finds entertainment in the other passenger trying to do what they had done. Surprisingly, Miguel was never caught and I think the situations he encountered really helped him because he was able to show his intelligence and utilize it quickly to basically "out-smart" the police. I was happy at the end to know that Miguel left all his suits and disguises in Chile so that he could revert back to who he really is. It was important that he returned to his old self and not let the new identity overtake him. It was very interesting to see Miguel's transformation and he is an inspiration to the world even today.

IR #9 (Prompt 15, Chapter 9)

This chapter was very inspiring and very hopeful. Miguel heads into Argentina to shoot with the Chilean crew for the first time. After they shoot, they realize that it is after curfew and they must find somewhere to stay immediately. They end up driving to the nearest dirt road and they follow it until they reach a small house. As they pulled up, Miguel realizes that it was his childhood house and his mother still lived there. At the start of his journey, he was forbidden to see his mother because he would endanger her, but this was an exception according to him. At first, she did not recognize him, but after he let her in on his new identity, she was ecstatic. They talked all night and early the next morning she took Littin outside where he saw a small hut. It was an exact replica of Miguel's study house where he lived the day of the exile. Miguel says "I couldn't be sure whether my mother had created that painstaking reconstruction so that I would not miss my former home if I were to return one day, or whether it was left as to remember me by, should I die in exile" (Marquez 101).

I chose the picture above because I thought it really summed up the chapter and more so his mother's dream of his return. She never lost hope that one day her son would return again, and her optimistic attitude was very beneficial and her dreams became a reality. I think the girl in the picture is reaching for hope. The balloon is the hope that she is trying to hold on to just like Miguel's mother did for twelve long and painful years. On the wall in the picture, it says there is always hope, and that was the attitude of Miguel' mother.

IR #8 (Prompt 7, Chapter 8)

This chapter begins with Miguel meeting up with one of his good political friends, Eloisa. He uses his alias name of Antonio when he sends her a message asking to meet with her. She is shocked when she sees him and his new identity. The two of them then head out to see Clemencia Isaura, Eloisa’s grandmother. Littin asks both of them for their help in gathering five people that had been in resistance channels since the exile. After three days, one of the crew members of the French crew, Jean-Claude, shows Miguel an article published that day that said Italian crew under suspicion. At the beginning of the novel, Littin made it absolutely mandatory that the three crews are all independent of each other and that no one would know that the others exist. So, Jean Claude believed that they might be arrested too and wants to end the documentary. However, Miguel says they can take a few days break and he would see them later in the week. Immediately afterwards, Littin rushes to see Grazia one of the Italian crew members and asks her what happened. Grazia explains that an officer had been following them and they were caught without a permit. They are sent home after being arrested and now Miguel is left to worry about his own safety. The article published in the Italian newspapers revealed their names and their mission, which could be very risky if Chileans see it. Miguel is very fearful at this point and stays awake all night just to make sure he was alive in the morning. As soon as the sun rises, he dashes for the church and remains there.

At the beginning of the book, Miguel and Elena had difficulty getting through customs at the airport. After they finally got through, Miguel questioned his intentions for the journey and wanted to scream out his real name. I made the prediction that the journey would be very dangerous to begin with. I also said that as the trip progresses, the chance of getting caught will increase. Finally I believed that the police in Chile would suspect them after awhile and their disguises would begin to peel off. My predictions were correct and this chapter proved that. They have already stayed in Chile longer than they originally intended so they are going to be more recognized by police. Also, it was vital that the crew and Miguel always carried their identification, but the crew was caught without it and was sent home. Miguel needs to wrap up this adventure before he, too, joins his crew. I also think that Littin is becoming more comfortable in his old Chilean environment, and it is making him forget his disguise. When he met with Eloisa, he told her who he really was and his mission. He also reverted back to his old laugh just to prove that it was indeed he. I am getting nervous for him, and I think that after that scare, it is time to shoot the ending and get on a flight back to Europe.

IR #7 (Prompt 2, Chapter 7)

This whole chapter confused me. It starts out with Miguel returning to Santiago with Elena. Once he arrives, Elena scolds him repeatedly for leaving without telling her where he was going. She then gives him the good news that she set up an interview with the leader of the Patriotic Front. The Manuel Rodriguez Patriotic Front was a cult formed by men who were only in elementary school when the coup occurred. The leader tells Miguel and his crew to board the truck with him and the front. They were to ask no questions and everyone was to keep their eyes shut until they reached the destination. I was really confused at this part because the driver even made his men cover their eyes when they had most likely been to the destination before. I was puzzled by his actions. As the chapter progressed, they arrive and the leader orders them to open their eyes. They are standing in a clandestine hospital for Patriotic Front members and lying before them is Manuel Rodriguez. Apparently, he was the most wanted person in Chile and was shot in the head and arm a few days before. After they leave the hospital, Miguel separates from the Italian film crew and they return home. Miguel is so confused that he decides to go to the movies which is the only place he believes is safe. The movie turns out to be some kind of naked club and a woman begins to question him. After a long time, he is able to escape and dashes back to the hotel. Honestly, this chapter was very chaotic and overwhelming. I was not sure why the Patriotic Front took Miguel to see Rodriguez in the first place. Also, the whole seen with the women at the end was way over my head. I was confused how he ended up in there. I was more confused however of whom the woman was.

IR #6 (Prompt 1, Chapter 6)

President Allende was elected by democracy in Chile, and was killed in the Coup of 1973. After his tragic death, Pinochet took power and the world of dictatorship began. This chapter of the book depicted Allende's rule and also the death of writer and politician Pablo Neruda. Basically, this chapter serves as a tribute to their lives and their aide and devotion to Chile.














Although the chapter was significant to Littin and his past, I disliked it. I felt like most parts if not the entire entire chapter was unnecessary and it lost focus on Miguel's journey through Valparaiso. They discuss the coup and how Allende spent his last days. Littin then discusses Pablo's poetry. Miguel describes the cults in Chile today that focus on Neruda and Allende. The chapter also mentions that many people visit their graves and pay their respects to the men that fought for their freedom. I thought the chapter was interesting when it described their lives; however it really was not crucial to the story line.