3. Takes place in Argentina 1976-1979
This time period is during the military coup
called “El Proceso” nicknamed the “Dirty
War”
Argentina has a history for military coups in
there country and this coup is considered
one of the countries worst
“Almost 30,000 Argentines “disappeared”
between 1976 and 1979…” (Partnoy)
4. Country was mostly divide into two groups
Peronists and Anti-Peronists
In 1975 the president, Peron, had died and
his wife, who was vice president, took over
His wife had a lack of concern for Argentina
and handed the government to the military
which triggered the military coup of 1976-
1983
5. Peronism had many
beliefs particularly with
an emphasis on
workers rights and
healthy living conditions
for the lower class
Peron believed that
labor workers were
necessary to the
success of the country
which drove his battle
for labor rights
6. Most artist were heavily censored
during this time
Most musical artists only had
instrumental songs during this time
because of the heavy censorship
A lot of art, even before the military
coup, was very graphic. They
depicted images of torture and tried
to express the feeling people had
when being tortured
*Image is of Seru Giran popular band in Argentina at that time
7. Active member and elected
representative in Peronist Youth
Movement at her university
Stopped attending University in1976
when she believed it was to dangerous
Coup angered her and started
becoming more active in rebelling
against the coup
Was captured and tortured in “The Little
School” January 1977- April 1978
8. The point of view of this book is mostly in first person sometimes switching to a third
person perspective
The mood is very gloomy, tense, and uncomfortable
The author herself is the protagonist of the book she does not change very much
throughout the story she stays very strong and maintains her beliefs but her mental
and physical health deplete throughout the novel.
The structure of the novel is episodic
The theme of the novel is used to describe the horrors of the military coup and what
happened to some of the disappeared
One of the main symbols in the book was her slipper with a daisy that changed
throughout the story showing her weakening at “The Little School” physically and
mentally from being tortured
9. I believe that Alicia wrote this book to show and depict the horrors of
the terror camps that the “disappeared” were held in. This book is very
unique in the fact that we get a first persons perspective of what
actually happened in those camps. Many people can assume the
events that occurred and imagine what happened and the effect it had,
but through this book Alicia gives enough detail to show the true
conditions but not to much to make it overly gruesome.
Alicia specifically chooses certain stories to display how the guards
could make such a simple task impossible such as using the bathroom
or to show you how she would hold on to hope with little things such as
a box of matches, her tooth and her daisy slipper.
10. Nouzeilles, Gabriela., and Montaldo, Graciela R. The Argentina Reader : History,
Culture, Politics . Duke University Press, 2002.
Partnoy, Alicia. The Little School : Tales of Disappearance & Survival . 2nd ed., Cleis
Press, 1998.
"Peronism." International Encyclopedia of the Social Sciences, edited by William A.
Darity, Jr., 2nd ed., vol. 6, Macmillan Reference USA, 2008, pp. 214-215. Gale
Virtual Reference Library,
http://ezproxy.pierce.ctc.edu:2085/apps/doc/CX3045301920/GVRL?u=puya65247&
sid=GVRL&xid=09d6c643. Accessed 6 June 2019.
Walsh, Roldofo. “Open Letter From a Writer to the Military Junta.” History Is a Weapon,
www.historyisaweapon.com/defcon1/walshopenletterargjunta.html.
