[精品]Portrayal of History Dr. Sarah E. King.pdf

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Essay 2
Portrayal of History: Looking at Political Influences in Dreaming in Cuba, Paula,
and La Historia Oficial
Writing about history often leaves the audience questioning the work’s
legitimacy. Personal beliefs, pictures, eyewitness accounts, and many other types of
documentation contribute to the way that we interpret and depict an event. For non-
fiction writers, it is important to use clear facts and reliable resources. On the other hand,
fiction writers are free to twist and change history according to what fits their storyline
best. Still, a lot of position aims towards making statements about history and
therefore there may be more partiality than events reinvented. But how accurate are these
embedded opinions and how well do plement the plot or setting of a novel?
How do similar references to pare in nonfiction writing and in film? In
Dreaming in Cuban, Cristina Garcia describes one family’s attitude towards the
dictatorship munist Fidel Castro. In her memoir Paula, Isabel Allende portrays
numerous historical facts about her native country, Chile, during the infamous military
coup of 1973 and some debatable details about politics in her family. Finally, in the
movie “La Historia Oficial,” director Luis Puenzo presents a more specific and personal
view of a political conflict in Argentina that was influenced by Chile’s military coup.
After looking at these three pieces, we can judge how politics influence different types of
writing and film and we can see the benefits of including historical data in these works.
Political unrest in Cuba marks the lives of three generations of women - Celia,
Lourdes, and Pilar - in Dreaming in Cuban. The novel’s plot unfolds under the rule of
Fidel Castro, known most frequently as “El Lider,” who rules Cuba after leading a
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socialist revolution and overthrowing the government in 1959. After gaining the support
of the peasants, Castro quickly earned the love of national