Every year when September the 11th comes around,
we are all reminded of the terrible tragedy that took place here in America on
that awful day. I never knew that there was another country out there that felt
the solemnity of a historical tragedy on that day as well. On September 11th,
Chileans don’t think of twin towers or plane crashes but of the overthrow and
death of Allende. When I read about it in the book, I did not even realize how depressing
what happened in Chile was but watching the video in class and the heroic but
sad way that Allende died. It really made me think. I came across this picture
that says “Remember September 11th 1973”
There wasn’t really a description with the picture and I couldn’t
find out who made it so I have analyzed it and tried to interpret it myself. The
Year 1973 is much bigger than the rest of the date. I think that whoever made
this did that to emphasize that there is another “September 11th”
that most people don’t think about. Most people remember the Americans who died
that day but most don’t know that Chileans died too. I did some research and found out that there was
a controversy regarding how Allende died. The military said that he committed
suicide but some of his supporters argued that he was assassinated. Years after
his death, in 2011, international investigators concluded that he did indeed
shoot himself with a rifle. The picture has the quote of his last speech right
before he committed suicide. This is what he said, “Workers of my country, I
have faith in Chile and its destiny. Other men will overcome this dark and
bitter moment when treason seeks to prevail. Keep in mind that, much sooner
than later, the great avenues will again be opened through which will pass free
men to construct a better society. Long live Chile! Long live the people! Long
live the workers.” I think it summarizes what he stood for and what he was
trying to accomplish; a better society and a better life for all Chileans, but
especially for the workers who had been oppressed. When I first saw the picture, I thought the
man holding the gun was Pinochet. It looks more like Allende though. I don’t know
why they would show Allende holding a gun. Maybe they were trying to show that
he committed suicide? I am assuming that the red broken glasses are Allende’s
after he died. The background of the
picture is this photo. It shows the military on top of a building pointing their
guns at the presidential palace. After seeing these pictures and learning about
the history of Chile, I will remember two tragic historical events on September
11th.
Very interesting! The Remeber September 11 is spelled wrong... they forgot an "m". Random fact that bugs me now! :) Anyway, moving on... I like your analysis of the picture! I would add about Allende that if he was pointing the gun at himself, what would that show? Not much faith in what he stood for. Suicide is the easy way out, and you wouldn't want to proclaim that is what you did/what you would be doing to your supporters. I think the fact that he is aiming the gun shows he is at the "soldiers" and his supporters level. He too is fighting with them. He isn't just a leader that directs, but is one with the people, which goes quite well with his message! Great blog post!
ReplyDeleteThis is a very interesting blog post! It’s interesting to note, though, that the significance of the date September 11 differs for the 1973 events and the events of 2001. It has been speculated that the terrorists of the 2001 attacks chose September 11 because of the symbolism of the date: 9/11911. 911 is the number that we call in America to contact the police when there is an emergency, and thus the terrorists might have chosen this date to symbolically enhance the terror of the attack. In Chile, the fact that the overthrow of Allende happened on a September 11 was pretty random; it was just by chance that the referendum was to be held on September 12, so Allende had to be overthrown before then. (Also, this date could not have been symbolic beforehand for the same reason as the 2001 attack, because the emergency number in Chile was not 911, plus, as in Spanish-speaking countries, the date would be written 11/9.) Anyway, just thought I’d mention this! There’s no doubt that now the date September 11 is equally symbolic for Chileans and Americans, but I just thought that the difference in the symbolism of the date for the different attackers was interesting.
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