88 pages 2 hours read

Che Guevara

The Motorcycle Diaries

Nonfiction | Autobiography / Memoir | Adult | Published in 1992

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Essay Topics

1.

At the beginning of The Motorcycle Diaries, Guevara speaks little about politics or revolution; by the end he declares himself ready to die for the victory of the proletariat. Drawing on his account of his journey, give some examples of experiences and observations that might have contributed to Guevara's newfound convictions and explain how they might have had such an effect.

2.

In The Motorcycle Diaries, Guevara and Granado encounter people belonging to a number of ethnic groups: Indigenous people (referred to as “Indians” in the text), mestizos, Black people, and others. Characterize Guevara's attitudes toward these groups. Does he treat them as equals? Seem to favor some and disfavor others? Exhibit a mixed or contradictory set of attitudes toward them?

3.

If you knew nothing about Che Guevara beyond The Motorcycle Diaries, how would you expect the rest of his life to unfold based on this text alone? Describe his career, family life, middle age, and old age as you imagine them based on this text alone, and explain what in the text led you to make these predictions.