Rigoberta Menchú is an activist who fought and became a significant symbol of human rights, and she received the Nobel Prize in 1992. Her book, Rigoberta Menchú: An Indian Woman in Guatemala, is about Indian women living and working in Guatemala. As a female, this book is outrageously sorrowful and leaves me feeling quite distraught.
Rigoberta had no formal schooling and worked at such a young age in a finca, a large plantation growing cotton and coffee, and later as a maid. She witnessed the inhumanity and discrimination by the Ladinos against the Indians, leading her and her family to become activists and revolutionaries. Nevertheless, she saw her younger brother and father tortured and killed; her mother was kidnapped, raped, and left to rot. She blames the Ladinos, especially the Spanish Conquistadors, for all the killings and violence by saying, "...we don't like killing. There is no violence in the Indian community" (417). It is to no surprise, indicated by her experiences, why she despises the Ladinos.
Amidst her upbringing, Rigoberta would experience a difficult life; her parents told her that she "… would have many ambitions but I wouldn't have the opportunity to realize them. They said my wouldn't change, it would go on the same -- work, poverty and suffering" (125). It is incredibly sad that she would continue to suffer. We must ask whether there was any hope for her? The answer is, yes.
In conclusion, Rigoberta Menchú tells a powerful story, which is extremely painful to read, yet always full of hope and strength, echoing that of Indian people all across the South American continent. Rigoberta Menchú: An Indian Woman in Guatemala is a very moving story that deserves the Nobel Peace Prize. I cried as she told her story and felt a strong attachment to the Indian women; therefore, I felt a bit betrayed as a lecture stated she had exaggerated and overstated events that did not actually take place. It is very concerning that her work is seen as a "tarnished laureate", yet it does not change the fact that Indian people struggled immensely. Most importantly, slavery has not disappeared today, so I believe this is still an exemplary piece on the struggles individuals face when they are enslaved.
Questions:
Now you are aware this book is considered a "tarnished laureate". If some events are lies, does that change your whole perspective on content? Would you consider the author a liar, or would you still have a strong attachment to her?
"Rigoberta had no formal schooling"
ReplyDeleteHey Chico, did you note what I said in the lecture about this? Also "ladinos" are not exactly the same as "Spanish Conquistadors": they are mostly mestizos, though some may be ethnically indigenous, but have abandoned indigenous languages and way of life etc. Finally, we should be careful about the use of words such as "enslavement." Rigoberta and her family (and many others) may have been forced, for economic and ultimately political reasons, to do work that they would not have chosen to do, but that is not exactly slavery.
But I'm particularly interested in your "concerns" about her account. Can you say more?
If there was some fiction in this testimonio, for myself, I would say it isn't the worst thing that could of happened. Especially, if it was tactical, then it adds a whole other layer of investigation and empathy. But I could also argue that though it may not all have been true, I would challenge that somewhere in the history of those lands, people had those injustices exposed to their lives and families. So writing about it those possible atrocities through a non-lived experience isn't the worst thing, even if she had to say that it was true in order for people focus their attention to it.
ReplyDelete