"I was in Lidice"

1.      Why does the poet say that she has been to Lidice?

Julia Esquivel says that she was in Lidice because she saw what happened in Lidice, in her own country. The village of Lidice was not the only village that was experiencing the type of drastic deaths that is traumatic for most people.

2.      The poet comments on how strange it is to look through atrocity through windows at museums. How is this emotion unique from actually being involved in the atrocity?

Being in a massacre is much different then reliving through pictures and objects. I have never been in one obviously but I would imagine that there would be different emotions and your mind would be on different things. While living through a massacre you would be scared and worried about not only yourself but your family. You would feel confused and discombobulated in your own village. You would worry about the children and your loved ones. You would be devastated from seeing your loved ones die right in front of your face. You would have no time to think clearly because you would be crying and screaming uncontrollably. On the other hand if you were to look at it through a “window” you would be calm and be able to fully realize and understand your feelings. Personally I would be extremely sad and be able to grieve for those who lost their life. Living and experiencing something is very different from looking at it through a window.

3.      Why does she reference the Pentagon and “false Western democracy?”

The poets’ reference to the “Super-Nazis” is a way to describe the military in Guatemala. The Pentagon is a reference to the power source that controls the military. Then the reference to “false Western democracy” is what the military is supposedly fighting for. So for a summary I think that the poet is trying to say that when she thinks about these super powers (the military) that go through a power source she is sad because they are fighting these battles in the name of democracy, when she knows that is not their real goal.

4.      Include all relevant information about a massacre in Guatemala.

There were many massacres that happened during their Civil War but one in particular happened in the village of  Plan de Sánchez on July 18,1982 . The military picked this village in particular because of the assumption that they were “harboring and supporting” guerrillas. 250 (mostly women and children) died while those who survived had to dig their graves. The people of that village were threatened not to say anything but after the war they tried to speak up but it was only dismissed by America.