Romero
2. How does Oscar Romero change throughout the film? As you answer, please consider and describe the changes in :
a. his feelings/ attitudes towards himself
b. his way of relating to other people
c. his skills, abilities and interests
d. What events and people bring about this change?
In the beginning, Oscar Romero was ignorant of the events around him. For instance, when the bus was traveling to Aguilares, soldiers forced it to stop. The people on the bus evacuated because the soldiers told them that there are guerillas nearby. Afterwards, Father Grande and Oscar Romero came to rescue them. As Fr. Grande approached the bus to find out what happened, Oscar Romero stayed in the car. Only reason he left the car was because Lt. Carlo forced him to get out. While they were walking to Aguilares, the young priests said, Romero fiddles while Rome burns. It means that he is totally ignorant about what happened around him. Oscar did not care what the soldiers did to the bus.
However, later, after Fr. Grande's assassination, he changed in many ways. He gave a special funeral mass for Fr. Grande, a child who was assassinated with Fr. Grande and the child's father. He was beginning to think about the massacre. He realized what it did to his close friend Fr. Grande. He realized that the violence could cause bad things to those who are close to him. Anyway, he also changed after Rafael Selada's disappearance. When Rafael's body was found in the dump-yard, outside the city, one
priest was accused for Rafael's death and was tortured by electricity. He becomes more active and tried to do something to end it.
After this event, he changed into a different person and sacrificed himself. At the event of military take over of the church in Aguilares, he sacrifices himself by going into the church that was taken over by military force. So later he lets him to sacrifices himself and shows more interest to other things around him by being active and speaking more about his thoughts.
11. What does the Church in Aquilares (the church being held by the military) mean to Romero? Why was it important for Romero to risk his life and try to save the Eucharist reserved in the tabernacle? Why does he test fate and go back into the church and say mass?
The Church in Aguilares was somehow related to Fr. Grande, who was his special friend. The night before Fr. Grande was assassinated, he gave a speech and led the prayer in front of the Church of Aguilares. Since the church symbolized Fr. Grande, Romero wanted to protect the presence of the God and the soul of Fr. Grande by protecting the church. There are several reasons why he risked his life to save the Eucharist in the tabernacle. First, he is the highest of all Christian leaders in El Salvador. If he did not show this sacrifice, the military will look Christians as weak and not brave people. Then they will take more advantage of it. Second, he no longer wants to summit to military force. He also could have been extremely upset at the fact that they are using a holy place as their military barrack.
One of the leaders of the military force in the church shot at the tabernacle, which destroyed and ruined the Eucharist. This violence was extreme and violated the beliefs of Christians. Romero could not stand this violation, so he began to pick up the Eucharist on the floor and this showed the disrespect for the soldiers but great respect for the God.
Such a violation might have caused him to test fate. As he left the Church, he sees the people's faces. At his car he brought vestments for the mass and walked towards the Church wearing them. As he walked, people began to gather around him and followed him as he approached the Church. When they arrived at the entrance to the church, soldiers pointed guns at them but they followed Romero. The soldiers could not shoot at them so they let Romero and people to enter the church. Inside the church, he said, the Church is suffering together. He trusted people as they trusted him so that is why he was able to test fate. Such violence in such place can cause anyone to risk his or her lives to do what is right and wrong because no one should dare to challenge the God.
Bibliography
film Romero
Word Count: 753
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