The Motorcycle Diaries Deconstruction of Introduction By Jackson Collett and Joshua Zucconi

Introduction to the Introduction Various themes of discovery can be encompassed within the introduction of the text. discoveries Cintio Vitier, a Cuban poet, gives the audience insight into Che’s journey through South America and the various discoveries he makes as well as the revelation of previously hidden truths within this journey. In this powerpoint we shall examine the social, political, historical, personal, and cultural contexts of the discoveries that Che encounters on his journey through Southern America.

The relevance of Cintio Vitier This renowned Cuban poet (often referred to as the greatest writer of propaganda of his generation) was the sole writer of the introduction to this book. Throughout this introduction, several contextual aspects of Vitier’s writing are portrayed. These being his historical views regarding propaganda and his South American heritage.

Historical Context of Vitier Vitier’s poetry took on a different turn after the advent of Fidel Castro’s revolution. Encyclopaedia Britannica states… “With the advent of Fidel Castro’s revolution, Vitier radically changed his poetic style. His poems became direct, clear, and accessible to most readers.” This revolution, led by Castro and Che, may have been the reasoning behind Cintio’s decision to write the introduction to “The Motorcycle Diaries”, as Cintio very much idolised Che as a freer of his people.

Cultural Context of Cintio Vitier The Cuban poet Cintio Vitier was born in Florida, USA (NOT CUBA- Just sayin). In spite of this he spent most of his life in Cuba. According to Encyclopaedia Britannica “Vitier compiled three anthologies of Cuban poetry, and his study Lo cubano en la poesía (1958; “The Cuban in Poetry”) reveals the depth of his critical intuition.” Within this study, you see an obvious change in his style of writing due to age and contextual surroundings.In the early stages of his life, his writing was more fluid and more erratic, being very unclear and psychedelic, but soon after (around the time of the Fidel Castro Revolution) his writing became less poetic and more of a propaganda. As he lived (but was not born) in Cuba, the revolution had a significant impact on his life.

Good Ole ‘Che’ (and his sidekick Cintio) With Vitier being a writer of propaganda, the introduction of “The Motorcycle Diaries” is very much bias towards Che’s point of view. Despite the bias, the so called ‘Cuban’ poet gives us a deep insight into the richness of Guevara’s journey in terms of discovery. There are various elements of discovery that give the reader an in depth knowledge into the social disruptions of the time and the innate discoveries that Che inevitably makes on his journey.

Introduction Deconstruction A large majority of the introduction to “The Motorcycle Diaries” is very much inspired by Cintio’s background. The writing takes on a propaganda-esque feel, and leans very much in favour towards Che’s way of thinking. As previously mentioned, this could be because of Cintio’s abject bias as a writer of propaganda, or could just be a way of thinking based of his Cuban heritage. Most of the Cuban people saw Che Guevara and Fidel Castro as messiahs of the Cuban people (who at the time were being oppressed by the Batista, or president, of Cuba.) The bias present in the introduction of Motorcycle Diaries is abjectly present as a result of this “messiah ideology” based around Che and Fidel.

Conclusion of Introduction Deconstruction Much of the introduction of “The Motorcycle Diaries” is written in a propaganda style, very much touting the deeds Che had committed, and elevating them to an almost “saviour” level. The introduction of “The Motorcycle Diaries” does a very adequate job of easing you into the book, even if it does so on a very bias level. Cintio Vitier very much bases his writing around a mid-point between abject propaganda and actually storytelling, thus making the introduction very unique to the Cuban way of thinking.