Alkabeer

05/10/2007
      Paper Assignment
      Romero and Motorcycle Diaries

      Experiencing humanity, and the injustices within it, could cause different individuals to change their perspective on life, furthermore motivating them to fight the inequalities and injustices around them, risking their lives for this cause. An even though governments try to cover up these things, they will always be exposed, and will affect certain people who will choose to fight it.
      Romero clearly shows the changing point of Archbishop Romero’s life after seeing the way people were treated and killed around him. The filmmaker purposely shows Romero’s life before the major change that causes him to start fighting. Later on he is chosen by the state officials of El Salvador to become the Archbishop because they needed a person that will not lead the people against them. And the film portrays him in the beginning as a person who doesn’t have any leadership or revolutionary qualities. This is seen in the beginning of the film, where the state official host a party for the Bishop’s inaugural, while at the same time the National Guard is shooting people who’re taking communion outside of the church.
      And the main reason for this was the racism present at that time, which was against the Natives living among the people with Spanish decent. As soon as the Archbishop’s friend who’s fighting against this prejudice and inequality is killed, Romero realizes the situation his people are in, and starts taking advantage of the position he’s in to reach out to the people and start fighting against the injustices.
      Archbishop Romero’s fights the government who’s against most of the Natives mixing with the people of Spanish decent, and at the same time he’s fighting the racism among himself and his friends. This is portrayed in the film when a friend asks him to give her son a private baptism, but he disagrees because he knows the only reason she’s doing it is because she doesn’t... [continues]

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