Expository Essay

Camilla Zecker

Ms. Romano

4 AP English

16 March 2015

Evita

Eva Peron, born on May 7, 1919 in Los Toldos, Argentina is one of the most famous figures in Argentine history.  After her death her legacy has continued to live on, with no Argentine citizen forgetting the differences she made.  As First Lady of Argentina, Evita paved her own path in making change rather than watching her husband rule the country.  While the rich opposed her, the working class praised her and mourned the loss of their great leader after her passing.  While many have tried to become the “next Evita,” they have failed.  Evita was an extraordinary figure in history who possessed unique qualities that allowed her to be immortal.  Current leaders of Argentina lack these qualities. Evita’s ability to win the population over sprouted from her reliability and delivering what she promised. Her life story also inspired those she served to understand her and made it easier for them to relate to her.  Evita will be a name that will live on forever.

Known as the Spiritual Leader of the Nation, Argentines praised Evita almost as a saint.  Argentines, especially the working class, loved Evita because they saw themselves in her. She started out just as anyone else. As a teenager, her dream was to become a star.  As she grew older she self-created herself and worked to preserve her reputation by working as closely with the people as she could (Scarpa).  She did not distance herself from the people, and claimed to have understood their plight after experiencing some herself in her younger days. Evita is seen in photos stopping by crowds of the general public for hugs, and baptizing babies of strangers (Dail, 99). Rather than living in her husband’s shadow, she created her own name for herself.  Still, she did not allow herself to become a celebrity, if not a friend to her people.  In comparison, Argentina’s current president, Cristina Kirchner is never seen embracing her own people or letting them touch her or kiss her, as Evita allowed. Kirchner keeps herself on a different level, above her people, rather than treating them with understanding and equality.  Evita did many things in the public eye, and to show her dedication to the people she visited struggling slums (Scarpa) and visiting factories and hospitals (History Channel).  Kirchner, while trying to have a strong reputation with the people chooses to have “public appearances” where she will appear in front of the press, say a few words that have been written for her by someone else and leave.  Evita would meet in person with the people of the factories and hospitals, making plans to improve healthy policy and more.  Evita’s personal and intimate relationship with the class she worked for won their love.  Kirchner, who has tried to follow in her footsteps, does not posses the same abilities and willingness to interact with the people and dedicate herself directly to the work as Evita did.

As a result, Evita’s connection with the Argentine working class strengthened with her reliability and ability to deliver.  She was successful in creating the Maria Eva Duarte de Perón Welfare Foundation, with the goal of distributing money, food, and medicines to those most in need.  By the end of the 1940s, the foundation had become so successful that it was stronger than many departments of State. At its height, it had employed over 14,000 workers, purchased 500,000 sewing machines, 400,000 pairs of shoes and 200,000 cooking pots for distribution annually, had succeeded in building numerous new houses, schools, hospitals and orphanages, and had 300 billion pesos in funding (Taylor, 103).  Kirchner has been unable to produce such results that have succeeded with the people.  In addition, her efforts are usually insincere and carry hidden politics in the background, while Evita never let that control her efforts. She worked for the people and only them, stating “I just use the money for the poor. I can’t stop to count it” (History Channel). Evita was always humble, allowing the people to love her even more, rather than despise her, as many Argentines feel about Kirchner.  

While Eva Perón lived a short life, she will always be remembered, despite her thought that “my biggest fear in life is to be forgotten” (History Channel). Eva Peron and Cristina Kirchner, both leading women in the Argentine world, had drastically different effects on the country. There are many differences between these two women and their philosophies behind their power.  These differences are evident in how the people received them.  Evita is worshipped decades after her death, while Kirchner fails to have this type of love and respect.  The Argentines truly loved Evita, and it was because of her ability to relate to them on a personal level, and be one of them that she was so successful. She also carried through with her promises, doing whatever was necessary to help those in need. Kirchner, on the other hand, does many things only in the service of the media and money. Eva’s unmatched generosity and passion led her to be one of the most recognizable leaders in Argentine history.

Works Cited

Works Cited

Taylor, J.M. Eva Peron: The Myths of a Woman. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 1979. Print.

Dail, Laura. Evita: In My Own Words. New York: The New Press, 1996. Print.

Scarpa, Anna. Uncovering the Megalomania Behind Evita Perón. New York University, Dec. 2000. Web. 18 May 2015.

Evita. The History Channel, 2014. Web. 18 May 2015.

Dear Reader

Dear Reader,

The following is a series of works surrounding Eva Peron, or Evita, the First Lady of Argentina who served from 1946-1952.  Out of my curiosity behind her fame, I read Eva Peron: The Myths of a Woman by J.M. Taylor.  After discovering the many thoughts and misconceptions about Evita from this book, I decided to tackle the question: What made Evita immortal?  Evita died very young, at age 32 and after not very many years of serving the country. However, she is regarded as one of the highest figures in Argentine history, even to this day--almost 70 years later.  Everyone in Argentina knows the name Evita, and they will continue to know it.  While her work was special to the country, I found that Evita had two interesting qualities that made her stand out against other figures in Argentine history. Evita kept her word. When she said she was going to do something, she did it.  And when she did it, she did it well. She avoided corruption from the rest of the government and ran her own show in regards to her acts of service and helping the people. Secondly, Evita remained close to the people, forming more of a personal relationship with them, rather than a ruler/follower type of relationship. Evita was many Argentine people’s friend.  She did not create an image of herself that separated her from the general public and/or put her at a higher level above them.  She also was able to understand the people’s struggles because of her humble beginnings.  It is because of this and her outstanding contribution to the working class and more that she is still remembered today.

My golden thread, or connected idea between all four of my genres is a quote by Evita, that goes, “My biggest fear in life is to be forgotten.”  All of my genres incorporate the idea of her spirit and energy living on beyond her death, and people reassuring her that they won’t forget her. It is this reason that led me to research her, so I found it fitting to incorporate this very important aspect of her legacy into each piece. The first genre is a series of haikus, each to or from Evita.  While simple, they show the grief that people had after her death, and the sadness behind her absence.  The three different haikus from different points of view show the different ways that Evita was remembered, what they thought of her, and how they promised to never forget her, along with one stating Evita’s fear explicitly.  There is a sad but strong message between the three that show that Evita’s fear never became true.

The second genre is a letter that someone wrote to Evita while sitting by her grave.  This genre is both in Spanish and English, to create a better sense of reality, and what real Argentines would have said in the mourning process.  The letter also gives examples of the contributions she made to the struggling character and again, reassure her that she could never be forgotten. This genre was fun to write and I especially liked getting to write one in Spanish and being able to share that side of the story.  I included a picture of Evita’s tomb in the Recoleta Cemetery in Buenos Aires, Argentina, to give some sense of setting and awareness of where this letter is taking place.

The third genre is an obituary, giving a more professional sense of Evita’s immortality.  She is described in all her greatness and shows how much the people loved her by warning them to stay safe during the transfer of her body (when in reality 8 people were killed during this event), and that her body was going to be available for public viewing, so that the Argentines could say goodbye to their friend, and Spiritual Leader of the Nation.  The updates at the bottom of the obituary follow along in history, stating the whereabouts of the corpse (it went missing) and its return, stating that no matter where or what she was, she was never going to be less remembered.  

The final genre is a journal entry written by Evita, expressing some of her true thoughts on being in the public eye. She expresses wanting to simply help people, and resents a lot of the fluff that comes along with being First Lady. This genre represents both Evita’s caring and dedicated nature, but also her explicit fear.  The entry quotes her quote mentioned above that inspired the golden thread, and shows her reasoning behind such a fear and wanting to be able to overcome it. The other three genres show that Evita had nothing to worry about, and prove that she will never be forgotten in many different ways.

This project was very enjoyable to create, as I am genuinely interested in the topic and enjoyed being able to share some of the information I found interesting with my peers. This was a great project to end on, and I feel that I made some true discoveries. I learned a lot about Evita and history, but also about creative writing styles and experimenting with foreign ideas and formats. Being able to try these different formats was a great way to piece all of our work together.  I hope that it has become evident why Evita is remembered so well, and that the genres are a way to testify that Evita’s fear of being forgotten was irrational.  I hope you enjoyed!

Camilla Zecker

Evita Journal Entry

April 1, 1950

Dear Diary,

Today started off just as any other. I woke up in the presidential residence, had tea in the parlor, was later served breakfast and then taken off to get measured for a dress I am wearing at an event next month.  Sometimes I wonder if these activities are really made out for me. Sure, it’s nice getting taken care of, but not for every second of your day. That’s why I find relief in going out and interacting with the people. It makes me feel like a real person. I feel like their friend, and I hope they consider me one.  I get frustrated being kept in this house, gated off and blocked to the public.  Why is it that I must be so separated? Sometimes I have doubt about marrying into this life.  I was just an ordinary girl, and sometimes thats all I wish I still was.  However, I recognize the power that I have in my position and the ability to effect change. Remembering how much I can help people keeps me going when I have doubts. I feel a connection to the people, as I once stood where they stand. I want them to know that I feel their pain, and that is my motivation to better their lives.  When I wake up in the morning, I automatically start thinking of new plans I can put into effect, what changes I can make, where I want to visit, who I want to help, and more.  Getting my measurements taken distracts me from this and seems like such an unnecessary task when there are so many bigger things out there to do. It is these dreams that I hope will outlive me. My greatest fear in life is to be forgotten, and wasting my mornings drinking tea and having extravagant breakfasts take time away from doing something worthy of being remembered by.  I want to change the world, and show the people that others do care, and that I want them to have the best life they can.  While the world can be unfair, I think it is my job to better the lives of those suffering.  I wish every minute of my day could be dedicated to this, but unfortunately it can’t.  There are far more important things out there than how my makeup looks for an interview.  I hope that one day, all of the fake things going around can be eliminated, and those things that really matter brought to light. Perhaps I will wake up feeling better tomorrow and be able to start thinking about solutions to my many dilemmas.

Love,

Evita

Evita Obituary

Eva Peron of the presidential residence, died Tuesday at 8:25 p.m.  Eva was born in Los Toldos, Argentina in 1919.  She suffered from cervical cancer, and was the first Argentine to undergo chemotherapy treatment. The country is mourning the death of the Spiritual Leader of the Nation. All ordinary activities were stopped, movies stopped playing, and restaurants closed in her honor.  First lady and loving wife of President Juan Peron is being honored by having all official activities cancelled and flags have been ordered at half-staff for the next ten days. Crowds have formed outside of the presidential residence, where she passed, and are as thick as ten blocks long.  

Remembered for her dedication to the people, nationwide grief is ever-present at this time. Creator of the Eva Peron Welfare Foundation, Eva made strides in improving the lives of the lower working class by providing health care, housing, suffrage, and more improvements. The foundation will be carried on in her memory, as many are dependent upon it.

Eva’s body will be moved to the Ministry of Labour building for public viewing. It is asked that as Eva’s body is being transferred, civilians refrain from fighting to get close to her body, out of concern of the public’s safety. It will then be moved to the Congress Building for another day of public viewing and a formal funeral service for the Argentine legislative body. There is speculation of the construction of a monument to honor her.

Update: The military coup Revolucion Libertadora has taken power and overthrown Peron. In his efforts to flee the country he was unable to make sure that Eva’s body (being stored waiting for the monument to be finished) was protected.  The corpse’s whereabouts are unknown at this time. Although her body is not present at this time, her work and efforts will remain immortal and never will the Argentine people forget such an accomplished woman.

Update: (1971) Eva’s body has been found in Italy and it will be flown back to Argentina and buried in the Duarte family tomb in the Recoleta Cemetery.  The public may visit and pay their respects, and her legacy will live on for years as people continue to remember her here.

Dear Evita

Querida Evita,

No te puedo decir cuanto has cambiado mi vida.  No puedo creer te he has hido, y estoy esperando hasta que vuelvas.  Si no viene ese dia, te escribo para tratar de expresar mi gracias.  Pienso que este pais necesitaba alguien como vos mas que nada. No es todos los dias que gente como vos entran a nuestras vidas y nos ayudan como usted nos ayudaste.  My vida esta cambiada para siempre. He visitado tu tumba muchos das, tratando de explicar lo que ha pasado.  Aqui me siento ahora, tratando de comunicarme con vos, pero no puedo encontrar las palabras.  Te admiro en todo lo que has hecho y quiero contarte un cuento de cuando yo sabia que siempre estare eternamente agradecido.  En 1947, visitaste a mi pueblo, Villa Soldati.  No era un dia regular.  Ese dia, habias aprendido de nuestras dificuldades. Era el 20 de enero, 1947 y viniste a visitarnos.  Personalmente, ese dia, empezaste un plan de la cuida de nuestra salud y viviendas para nosotros quienes no teniamos bien lugar para vivir.  No esperaste hasta que alguien te ayudaba hacerlo.  Lo hiciste lo mas pronto que podias y te agradezco.  Mis ninos y yo pudimos vivir mas tranquilos.  Unos meses despues, econtre trabajo, gracias a tus esfuerzas tambien y pude mantener mi familia, con la tranquilidad que mis ninos tendrian buen salud y un lugar para dormir.  Te queria decir cuanto esto cambio mi vida y sin ti, no se donde estare hoy.  Siempre estabas humilde, y dedicaste lo maximo de tu tiempo que podias para ayudarnos.  No fuiste una figura famosa, fuiste nuestra amiga.  Trato de no llorar mientras escribo esto, y espero que nuestro mundo se pueda mantener sin tu presencia.  Aunque nadie te puede replazar, vamos a hacer todo lo que podemos y nunca te olvidaremos.  

Sinceramente,

Lucia Fernandez

Dear Evita,

I cannot express to you how much you changed my life.  I can’t believe that you are gone and I am waiting for the day that I wake up from this nightmare and you come back.  If that day never comes, I want you to be aware of just a fraction of my gratitude.  I believe that our country needed someone like you more than anyone.  It is not every day in this world that someone like you enters our lives and affects us in the way you did.  My life has been changed forever.  I come to visit your tomb as often as I can, as many others do, trying to understand this loss.  I sit here now, next to the hundreds of flowers that people have left, completely blocking the walkway.  As I sit here I try to think of how to communicate my feelings and can’t find many words.  I admire everything you have done for us and would like to share a story with you, in the hopes that it shows you how directly your efforts affected the people.  In 1947, you visited my little town, really a slum, called Villa Soldati.  It wasn’t just any day.  It was January 20th, 1947 and you had just learned that day of the hardships and struggles my community had.  That same day, you personally began working to provide us with better health care and housing arrangements, as many of us didn’t have this, and were struggling to get by.  You didn’t wait for other people to help you, or worry about support and funds.  You saw our condition and you helped us as soon as you could.  Not many people can say they have done that.  My kids and I could finally have some peace, knowing that life was going to get better.  A few months later I was able to find work, also thanks to your efforts, and provide for my family. If you had never come in to my life, I don’t know where I would be.  You were always humble, and dedicated the maximum time you could to others, not yourself or your fame.  You weren’t a celebrity we couldn’t touch, you were our friend.  As I try not to cry as I write this, I hope that our world can survive without your presence. No one will ever be able to replace you, and we will never forget you.

Sincerely,

Lucia Fernandez

Evita Haikus

From the people

How could you leave us

How could we ever thank you

How could we forget

From Juan

To my dearest love,

You paved the way for the rest

No one will forget

Evita from the dead

My only true fear

Was to have been forgotten

Now I know I’m not