环球英语—1182:Healer or Fighter?

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Welcome to Spotlight. I’m Liz Waid.
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And I’m Joshua Leo. Spotlight uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand - no matter where in the world they live.
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“Above all, always be able to feel deeply any injustice towards anyone, anywhere in the world. This is the most beautiful quality in a revolutionary.”
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These words are from a letter written by Che Guevara. He wrote this letter to his children before he died. Che Guevara was a powerful and famous Latin American revolutionary. He worked to defeat many established governments and change social systems. He fought for the rights of the oppressed. Some people greatly respect the work of Che, and other people hate him. Today’s Spotlight is on Che Guevara.
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Ernesto “Che” Guevara was born in Argentina in 1928. His family was large and wealthy. He had a good education. And he grew up reading many books. Che enjoyed many kinds of books - poetry, philosophy, fiction, and political writing. These books shaped his ideas about the world. They also encouraged him to work for what he believed was right and just.
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In 1948 Che started medical school in Buenos Aires, Argentina. He was studying to become a doctor. During his studies, Che left for one year to travel through South America. He and his friend Alberto Granado traveled 8,000 kilometers total.
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This trip was very important for young Che. In fact, he later wrote a book called “Motorcycle Diaries” about this time. On this trip, Che saw many things that angered him.
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For example, Che visited a copper mine in Chile. The worker’s conditions were terrible. They were forced to work long hard hours for little pay. The work was dangerous. And many of the workers became sick from the conditions in the mines.
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Che also visited the famous ruins of Machu Picchu in Peru. High in the Andes mountains, he saw many poor farmers. These farmers farmed the land of rich land owners. They had to pay the landowners to rent the land. And they made little money for their hard work.
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Near the end of his trip, Che and Alberto visited San Pablo Leper colony in Peru. The people who lived in this area had the disease leprosy. Healthy people in this town feared getting the disease. So, they forced the people with leprosy to live away from town - in the leper colony. While staying at the leper colony, Che began to understand how the lepers were pushed away from society. They were forced to live in poverty - they had little clothes, food or medicine. The lepers had a difficult life. But Che saw the love and respect they had for each other. Che remembered this experience for many years.
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On Che’s 9 month trip, he saw many people that society had forgotten. This trip made him believe that he needed to help make a change for all of Latin America. He wrote that he now saw Latinos as,
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A "family of 200 million brothers who suffer the same miseries."
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After this trip, Che returned to Buenos Aires. He finished his education and became a doctor. Soon after, he decided to help the poor and forgotten - but not just as a doctor.
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In 1955, Che met Fidel and Raúl Castro in Mexico City. These men were political revolutionaries. They were planning to violently defeat the government of Cuba. They were Marxists, or Communists. They wanted a new government that gave everyone equal money, property, land, and education. Che agreed with and supported this idea of equality for all people. So, he decided to help them.
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In 1956, Che, the Castros and a group of rebels sailed to Cuba. They attacked the Cuban military. Their attempt to defeat the government failed. And many of the rebels were killed. But during this attack, Che experienced an important change.
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As a doctor, Che’s job was to care for wounded fighters. During the attack, many of his friends were hurt. People were shooting at Che as he tried to help his friends. Finally, Che set down his medical supplies and reached for a gun. This act was an important symbol for Che. It represented a change in his life. He was not a doctor now. He was a fighter and a revolutionary.
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After this experience, Che became more violent. He became a very strong and hard leader. He trained his men to follow his rules. If they did not, he treated them badly. However, many men were still willing to follow Che. His ideas about equality and care for all people were powerful.
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In 1958, Che and a larger group of rebels again attacked the Cuban government. This time, they were successful. Che became a Cuban citizen and a leader in the new government. During the change in government, Che showed his violent side. Che did not give trials to his political enemies. Instead, he let angry crowds choose whether the enemies would live or die. Many people were executed with no chance to defend themselves. After the revolution, the new Cuban government took control of all the land. Then they gave equal parts of land to each citizen. This angered many wealthy landowners.
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Che also organized the “year of education” in 1961. He gathered groups of teachers. And he sent them to poor country areas to teach. Many people who had never had an education learned to read. After just this one year, 20% more Cubans could read.
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For many years after this revolution, Che traveled around the world - in Latin America, Africa and Asia. He visited politicians and world leaders. He helped rebel groups in other countries who also wanted a Marxist government.
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Che also had many enemies around the world. The many rebel groups he helped took power from governments, and made big changes in countries. Many government leaders did not like this. Some leaders even wanted him dead.
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In 1967, Che went to Bolivia. He hoped to start a revolution there. However, he had little support from the Bolivian people. The revolution failed and Che’s enemies found him. Che was captured and killed on October 9th, 1967.
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Today, Che Guevara is loved by many people. They see him as someone who fought for the poor. They remember him as a kind and loving healer. However, many other people remember Che as a violent man. They cannot forget his unkindness. Many other people do not agree with his political ideas. However, no matter what people think of Che Guevara, everyone agrees that he changed history and Latin America forever!
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The writer of this program was Johanna Poole. The producer was Michio Ozaki. All quotes were adapted and voiced by Spotlight. You can find our programs on the Internet at http://www.radioenglish.net This .program is called ‘Healer or Fighter?’ We hope you can join us again for the next Spotlight program. Goodbye.