Elena Munk's Blog ASTU 100

The Readings from Rigoberta Menchu’s I, Rigoberta Menchu: An Indian Women in Guatemala takes place during a particularly horrifying and bloody period: Guatemala’s thirty-six year civil war. The civil war officially started in 1966, but disruption began when Colonol Castillo gained power with help from the CIA, overthrowing the president who was elected by the people: Jacobo Armenz, a supposed communist (Timeline: Guatemala’s Brutal Civil War). Ironically by dismissing a possible threat to the people’s freedom, it created a situation that offered little to no rights to the citizens especially the indigenous like Menchu (Menchu 158-160, 170-171). In William Blum’s ‘Guatemala, 1962-1980’s: A less publicized “final solution”‘ he describes the American presence throughout the 1960’s in which they trained troops and supported leaders they wanted to see in power. This outside involvement and influence gave way to a military dictatorship that led to a series of brutal leaders like General Garcia and General Montt who orchestrated the most killings and kidnappings (Guatemala CJA). Sadly, it seemed no other countries became involved until the rising death tolls from 1978-1981 gave notice to the “Inter-American Human Rights Commission” who accused the Guatemalan government of being the source (Guatemala CJA, “Timeline: Guatemala’s Brutal Civil War”).

As mentioned throughout Rigoberta Menchu’s book, most targets by the government were the Mayan people, who for years prior had faced discrimination and now genocide (Menchu 166-168). Among the many deaths of the indigenous people, her parents and a brother were included (Rigoberta Menchu Tum-Biographical). Menchu’s book was sold worldwide and educated many on the terrors in Guatemala (Rigoberta Menchu Tum-Biographical). In Malala Yousafzai’s I am Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban, she describes the many interviews and blogs she posted about her situation as a schoolgirl under the Taliban (Yousafzai 154-156, 159). This follows the same concept as Menchu’s book, of how a life narrative can inform the masses of a struggle or issue that many people are suffering through. It educates people on global conflict beyond their own nation or community. For Malala she had people calling her for even more interviews, among them a student in America (163), while the UN assisted in bringing about official peace in Guatemala (Guatemala “Silent Holocaust”). Their (Menchu and Yousafzai) works were not the sole reason for outside aid, but gave insight to the public, since they were uncensored accounts and real experiences. Life narrative works, especially about tragedy, particularly draw sympathy from readers. Menchu and Yousafzai  intrigue the reader because their information was shared while their and their country’s endeavours were still in the midst of conflict. This idea of gaining support and spreading knowledge is entirely applicable to today. For example, in regards to recent events, the world seems to need a life narrative from a Syrian refugee, which would hopefully begin worldwide support.

Works Cited

Blum, William. “Guatemala, 1962-1980’s: A Less Publicized “final Solution”” Killing Hope: U.S  Military and CIA Interventions since World War II. Monroe, Me.: Common Courage, 1995. N.  pag. Guatemala, 1962-1980’s: A Less Publicized Final Solution.                       williamblum.org/chapters/killing-hope/guatemala Web. 17 Sept. 2016.

“Guatemala | CJA.” CJA. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Sept. 2016. cja.org/where-we-work/guatemala

Menchú, Rigoberta. I, Rigoberta Menchú: An Indian Woman in Guatemala. Ed. Elisabeth Burgos- Debray. London: Verso, 1984.           Print.

Miller, Talea. “Timeline: Guatemala’s Brutal Civil War.” PBS. PBS, 7 Mar. 2011. Web. 17 Sept.                                                               2016. www.pbs.org/newshour/updates/latin_america-jan-june11-timeline_03-07/

“Rigoberta Menchú Tum – Biographical”. Nobelprize.org. Nobel Media AB 2014. Web. 17 Sep 2016. http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/1992/tum-bio.html

Yousafzai, Malala, and Christina Lamb. I Am Malala: The Girl Who Stood up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban. N.p.: Little, Brown, 2013. Print