Children of the Sea

The story of Children of the Sea in Edwidge Danticat’s Krik?Krak! begins by describing the fact that the main character finds out the limitations of what he sees while floating in sea in a boat of escaped Hatians result of the escape from a military coup of his homeland. He narrates as he is writing a letter to his lost love with whom he became separated from in the rush with his family to find safety and a better life. With the 32 passengers aboard, he provides details of their daily living as to not only document his experiences but also to express his desires of hope. He describes the sails of the boat mentioning semen as to introduce the symbolism of rape, not only of a character for which he references later on in the continuation of his narrative, but the ideal of what has become of his nation.

The other type of narration seems to be that from the girl he professes his love for. It seems she too is writing to maintain a connection of what she is familiar with to possibly escape her traumatic reality. The mention of tapes for which his voice can be heard seems to indicate he must have been on the radio or perhaps he created a vocal history recorded. The image of the butterflies is the most prevalent describing one for hope and the other as death. She describes in detail about the military tyranny and her family hiding their political allegiance. She mentions the disapproval of her father’s view of their relationship, but the sacrifice he made throwing out their possessions to protect her.

The difference of visual type is effective in letting the reader keep up with who is narrating and picking up the pieces as it flows from one conversation to the next. The boy talks about the pregnant teen ager, Celianne, who had been raped by the soldiers and discovered she was with child. It seems there is an implied allegation he is a political member of the Youth Federation movement and therefore needed to escape or face being killed or tortured by the military. He speaks of land knowing what you can see however, the water, blended together like being lost not knowing where it begins or ends.

The female talks about her new home among the banyan trees, which she was told by her mother held holy spirits. She describes finding comfort where the trees branches reach the earth, not knowing where it begins or ends, as the mountains she can see. She knows the male is out in the sea, without being able to see the waters. She once again describes if a black butterfly land on her hand, it brings bad news. So whenever she sees them she throws rocks in an attempt to divert any possible bad news about the man she loves besides her father.

The current events narrated by the young man become more horrid with stories about the young pregnant girl who gives birth. The hope that the birth will provide hope yet it does not make a sound. The young girl has to make a decision and throws the baby overboard and jumps in after it, drowning. She became a victim of the brutality that struck her homeland even though she tried to escape. He mentions his hope is also ending, the fear of not making it to safety or being united with his love. As he writes in his notebook to record his thoughts in hopes the messages will reach her, he tells a man on the boat he is writing his will. This is when his hope is lost. Although he ends by talking about eternal life at sea, it is evident his visions of mermaid symbolizes his death, yet the girl is looking for a butterfly for good news. She eventually heard the news on the radio about another boat sunken in the sea, it is then she is able to see butterflies, yet they are black butterflies. It is then she realize her love is lost yet as he accepts death, he views it as joining his family, a rebirth.

Nineteen Thirty-Seven, Danticat

Nineteen Thirty-Seven

            In the book Krik ? Krak! By Edwidge Danticat, a short story narrated by daughter Josephine, who visits with her mother, Manmen, who is imprisoned in Haiti because she was accused of being a witch. In the beginning of the story, Josephine’s mother swam across a river of blood from Haiti to the Dominican Republic which is referenced as the Massacre River, just shortly before giving birth to her. This time coincides with the death of Manmen’s mother and her body brutally butchered in the Dominican Republic and thrown in the river which divides it from Haiti. In this story, Josephine begins to relate to the suffrage of women to include her mother, with hopes for a future but never forgetting the past which allows insight into her own make up.

“My Madonna cried…” is how the story begins. Josephine first meets an old woman who shows interest in the Madonna. The Madonna remains the center of this mother-daughter relationship and the silence of communication between the two. Whenever Josephine visits her mother, she could not speak but would faithfully bring the Madonna statue. The sorrow symbolized as a perfect tear from wax that would drip from the eyes melted from the heat. This spoke volumes without words to amplify the loss Josephine felt or the slow death her mother felt was upon her.

Josephine recalls rituals her mother performed with her at the river each year prior to her imprisonment. Josephine would expect to see the river to be crimson with blood, but when she saw it, it was the clearest water she had ever seen. The water could be seen as both an obstacle and a vessel for the escape from pain and death. The flight for which can be envisioned from the descriptive details of flames, not unlike the accusation that the women accused of being witches could strip their skins and rise in the night as birds of fire. Josephine’s first words to her mother were to ask if she could fly. Deep down it seems Josephine’s believed her mother could use her powers to escape, it would have to be through the river, where that had been hope once before.

Josephine is met by a character Jacqueline, who was a performer of similar rituals as her mother had done. It is Jacqueline who takes Josephine to see her mother’s body burned. They traveled to the prison where Manmen was quartered, and were told by the inmates of the gruesome demise. Clutching the pillow made of her mother’s hair, Josephine then recalls the tales from her mother, the story about how the life of her mother lost yet the birth of her daughter as a symbol of hope. Then Jacqueline tells her, “life is never lost, another one always comes up to replace the last.” The year was nineteen hundred and thirty-seven; her mother took flight in Josephine’s mind, envisioning her leap from the Dominican soil into the water arriving on the Haitian side. Where the clear river water seemed to glow red, and her body covered in blood, looked as though it were covered in flames. The sorrowful moment disrupted by a glimmer of hope that the flights would be joyful.

Toughest Indian in the World

            Sherman Alexie provided an insight into searching for your identity when one may feel like an outsider to those with whom they feel like they belong and also from those they look like they belong. In The Toughest Indian in the World, the main character is of Spokane Indian decent living Seattle, Washington, and works as a features writer for the local newspaper. The main character by all accounts has the dark hair and eyes, along with the complexion of an Indian. He also is a suburban white-collared man who dates outside of his ethnicity and drives a 1998 Toyota Camry, which he boasts that it was named Consumer Reports as the most reliable family sedan. With these causal inference of the way he actually looks depends on who is looking at him and the fact that they see what he is searching for, his true identity.

            In the story, the main character references salmon, which signify the bountiful salmon which once flowed in their rivers, are just ghosts, extinct as his father has instilled in him what the white man wants to do with the Indians. As a boy, he learned that the “ghosts of the salmon rise from the water to the sky and become constellations. For most Indians, stars are nothing more than white tombstones scattered across a dark graveyard.” He also learned from his father of a tradition of being able to pick out who was an Indian while walking along the roadside hitchhiking. He stated that his father “wanted to break open their hearts and see the future in their blood.” He would pick up three to four mostly male hitchhikers a week and described their journey to be on their way back to the reservation if they were near one, but never asked them for the reasons why they were hitchhiking.

            The main character feels displaced as he describes many events in this short story. The first that comes to mind is how he described intercourse with Cindy who is by all accounts a good catch because she is employed, cute, smart, and funny. He then changes his tone by stating that something must be wrong with her because she is this white woman who only has relations with “brown-skinned men”. The feeling of exhaustion from her erotic vocabulary, she stated that he “would fall asleep before his orgasm, continue pumping away as if I were awake” seems to validate his distance from his reality which he has chosen for himself. He does end his portion of describing Cindy with divulging she left him for a bi-racial man who left her “dizzy with the interracial possibilities”. Was this an inference that he thought his place was one of her possibilities? This was never discussed again in this story, however with the nest story; there is a direction that his search for his identity continued.

            He had not been on the reservation for twelve years, and although he does not live far from there, he hardly goes home. His parents still live in the same house in which he grew up, including his siblings. He calls once or twice a week, but he does not touch on his connection with his family as where he belongs, nor does he mention he misses being on the reservation. The hitchhiker he picks up was a large man who seemed muscular and a bit weathered by experiences he could only imagine. He in intrigued by his physical presence and made it seem as if that embodied what an Indian was supposed to look like. He is fascinated that the Indian is a fighter who travels from one reservation to another in search of a fight for money which may be illegal but did not care. The fighter described a story of his last fight with supposedly the Toughest Indian in the World, whom he could have killed but this large brute would not submit and he did not want to kill him so he gave in. This was possibly what the whites in his outside world imagined him to be, the women he chooses to be intimate with may fancy the underlying danger. This could not be farther than the truth, but what was the truth?

            At the end of the story, he describes an encounter for which he invites the hitchhiker to room with him since it was late and they had not reached their destination. The evening began with the hitchhiker curled up on the floor and the main character uncomfortable in the bed at this motel with motif that was ironic and cynical with scenes of the U.S. Cavalry fighting a band of Indians. In the middle of the night, he realizes that the hitchhiker has curled up behind him in bed, he was naked and although this was a strange thing for him, he did not fight it. Going along with the oddity of this encounter, it did not satisfy a desire nor was he feeling sexual. He was still detached, searching for his identity. He only realized how he felt, and it was as if the salmon his father had warned him about was what consumed him and had he lost what he wanted to find all along.

Plagiarism and the Web

In “It wasn’t me, was it?” Plagiarism and the Web, article in Computers and Composition which were authored by Danielle DeVoss and Annette C. Rosati, they dealt with the definition of plagiarism to first year composition and literary students based on their shared experiences and the effects of plagiarism with regards to research and writing with using the internet. The steps involved with writing a paper includes research of the topic at hand and learning to reference the information or ideas used, this includes research that is done on the World Wide Web. This article describes stories they have either personally encountered and/or shared from their colleagues regarding plagiarism and its effects of reproduced information and the ever changes in research spaces.

Plagiarism occurs to varying degrees in practice and the lack of knowledge to commit intentional fraud was encountered by the first story where Annette approached the topic by introducing what plagiarism was and by the design of the assignments to encourage original ideas and multiple drafts. With the topic in King Lear, she discovered by curiosity that there were at least three that were verified plagiarized from the internet. She provided an opportunity to the students to meet her in her office to avoid getting into trouble, and it was at that time she realized by the 14 students who visited her, they did not have a clear understanding of what plagiarism was and that many of them feared they had done something wrong, unintentionally.

Danielle spoke about a time where she met with a student after assuming due to his prior academic experience he would be familiar with the resources in the library and he understood about what plagiarism was and its consequences. She soon realized that he only utilized the internet and the sources he cited were not credible let alone be the basis for which he should have completed his assignment. She proceeded to show him in person at the library the proper way to search databases for credibility in starting electronic research, and then checking on the credibility of the author, the manner for which they were published and being able to create the correct bibliography for a proper credible citing for academic reference.

Then the example was given about a foreign student for which English was not the first the main language spoken. Although the student had great ideas and the writing was decent, however, it lacked flow and certain academic style. The student wanting to please his teacher and not realizing it was wrong, copied a paper found on line. The student ultimately knew it was unacceptable for students to copy one’s paper in its entirety and turn it in as their own. There were two beliefs from the examples in this article, one, students adapting to the web when it comes to their research, reading and learning to write. And secondly, these first year composition and literary instructors have a key role in teaching and molding the students into this space of the World Wide Web but also to encourage them to do proper research to include validating the credibility of sources they choose to cite or reference.

Educators take plagiarism personally. They ask students for their insights but their original ideas may not be correct as in the correct intellectual shared discourse for the purpose of the writing assignment. It is difficult to conduct research on the web and some are used to cutting and pasting that it is almost natural, however, it should not be done without the acknowledgment to the original author and to merely copy and paste and turn it in as our own work. The teachers must help the students to be effective searchers of the Web and the ability to evaluate the information they find for their academic writing progression. Not only is it important for the students to learn the function of academic writing, they must also be able to be fully engaged in appropriate academic processes, such as research and writing spaces since there are temptations students face on line and the complications they face in adapting their literacy, research, and writing skills to the virtual space.

Hans Roslng, Let My Dataset Change Your Mindset

SOlsen             Let My Dataset Change Your Mindset

            Hans Rosling is a professor of global heath at Sweden’s Karolinska Institute, and his current work is to dispel myths about the developing world and how they are no longer far away from the West. Professor Rosling uses data-bubble software to analyze how Third World countries are on the same trajectory toward health and prosperity and that many of the countries are moving at a much faster pace than the US has. He provides statistics from the United Nations databank and he developed the software for his he utilizes during his illustration. The bubbles have a purpose to enable us to make clear of the global trends.

            Professor Rosling shows how we may view a Third World country such as Afghanistan compared to the United States a little over 100 years ago, the population information of life expectancy with earnings are similar. However the speed in which they are growing is at a much faster rate for which the United States has grown. He indicates it is due to the funding the United States provides worldwide for which we did not have such assistance, with monetary aid to organizational services. Therefore with the resources of well-established countries such as the United States, China Mexico and other global communities in parts of Europe can assist the globalization and the united fight towards education to assist with the known crippling effects of not having wealth in countries in places like Afghanistan, parts of Central America and in the continent of Africa.

            The situation in Kenya with HIV and sexual education with regards to sexual habits and diseases to be compared to world wide data configurations coincide with the fast processed toxic roots in the roof of the huts which it affects the poor, and is an epidemic. Over the last few years, thousands of people in Angola have been affected by devastation for an area which is widely known for diamonds and the income data is incomplete with the existing mindset we have. The new mindset has a crucial role for the world and the technical term of State Department which should be referred to as the world Department, and the hopes for a global effort in changing the mindset that the growth and prosperity is not purely an economic issue, but a health and welfare issue as a while.

Solsen  Analyzing Literary Pieces “Class”

            The short story, “Class” from Sherman Alexie’s “The Toughest Indian In The World” illustrates his feelings towards diversity in ethnic class and social class. There appears to be a theme of substance behind one’s desires and attempting to become satisfied when you reach what you thought were goals, instead finding dissatisfaction and a sense of not belonging. The comparison of being biracial is difficult in finding oneself in not only identifying with a culture, but in the basic ways in which one looks and behaves in accordance with societies ideals and with your desire of appearing accepting.

            The details from the physical appearance of Alexie’s characters in this story to the ways the audience can identify with the simple yet powerful descriptions of the various social classes demonstrates the struggles the main character, Edgar Eagle Runner, has. The story begins with the smallest of details full of actions, emotions and language used among the various characters became evident of the comparison of the multiple social classes. The comparison first starts with his view on his appearance and what his equal would be, that is why he always approached the tenth most beautiful woman at any gathering, because as he stated, “I’d always made sure to play ball only with my equal.” Then the comparison was with heat and cold with love and affection. The wedding symbolized the happiest times and it leading straight into an affair in just one year. Ending in the story with a comparison of what he thought he was looking for and what he actually had the entire time.

            Edgar is a modern middle-class American Indian who definitely struggles with his heritage, not only his ethnicity. There are parts of the story for which he seems proud of his physical difference from the mainstream of his professional legal office in a predominately white suburb in Washington State. Then he expresses he may seem to have everything one would want, a nice home, a nice job, nice car, lots of events and outings; however, this could not be further from the truth. Was his sorrow in the fact he had an absentee father who was an alcoholic, a mother who was proud he had married a blonde haired blue eyed white woman in hopes that continual breeding would eventually erase all of the appearance of the brown skinned Indian? Could he be looking for something else with the search for an Indian prostitute or attempting to have sex with an Indian bartender a way to find him ethnically, or was he looking for a place to belong since the marriage for which he believed was ideal for him a sham once discovering the infidelity of his wife?

            This story expressed the multiple differences in being biracial and bicultural. The diversity was never the weakness, as the main character discovered, it was the strength. Though one may think the grass is greener on the other side of the pasture, having the choice is the ultimate prize, and once he realized this, he was able to be content and rejoin his wife and continue with his life.

Language and Identity Politics (Ramsdell)

Lea Ramsdell began with the phrase, “Language is identity and identity is political.” This was the assumption she formed after researching three autobiographical writings from Richard Rodriguez, Ariel Dorfman, and Gloria Anzaldua. After reading the chosen works by all three, she realized that the described language heritage was brought together by their family and each ethnic history. She asserted that the chosen language choice for each writer was a political act for which they were using for self empowerment. For each writer, the language they identified best with is what they chose to write, therefore a means to inform anyone who reads their works that this is who they are regardless if you agree or not.

For Richard Rodriguez, he chose to write in English as a means for what he expects would bring him success in America. Out of the three writers, he is the one that is farthest removed from his original Spanish speaking culture. In his writing, he described his origins as a happy memory with his Spanish language and total immersion into that culture. The change for him came when school officials informed his parents that if he did not master English, his education would be shortchanged. This caused his parents to encourage English, rarely speaking their native Spanish, which caused for some sadness for the comforting language and culture he had known his whole life. This sadness went away when after a few weeks of not speaking Spanish, he had volunteered an answer in class, which to his surprise created a sense of him finally belonging in that environment, which was told to him and his family would indeed be the best for his future. This was the cause for his writings in English.

Ariel Dorfman whose maternal grandparents fled the Ukraine in the early twentieth century settled in Argentina, where his mother eventually forgot their native Yiddish for Spanish. His paternal grandmother was multilingual for which she spoke Russian, German, and French fluently and worked as a translator; although his father never forgot his native Russian and was able to grasp and recall the Spanish he learned as a child. Dorfman has been influenced by multiple languages as a child and came to the realization if it were not for Spanish, his parent would not have been able to communicate when they met, for his mother of a Jewish background and his father Russian. He was a displaced European in South America. He heard English for the first time while he was hospitalized briefly for a few weeks in New York. It was then when he came to the conclusion that you speak the native language of where you are. This realization caused him to not want to speak Spanish while they were in New York, and he did not have the desire until he was a teenager when his family relocated to another South American country. This enforced his believe that it is only proper that you speak the language of where you are for acceptance, therefore his love and developed respect for Spanish, although knowing English is the preferred language .

Gloria Anzaldua is vastly different from both the previous writers. She never hesitates to take pride in both her language and heritage. She expressly never diverts from her means to invoke a message to anyone who reads her works, that she is not one to conform. She finds a home with her Chicano style and writes in a mixed hybrid of both English and Spanish which can be termed as Spanglish. She maintains compartmentalization of a language will only limit from the variety of expression only hybrid languages have to offer. She believes it gives language legitimacy, and does not agree with academia dictating what her expressed language should be, and her message is that she will not surrender to pressures by a dominant group to use a language that suits them.

The works by the three authors read by Ramsdell, all highlighted how critical a role of language is. The purpose not only to express themselves in their true fashion, but to identify their political stance of various forms of displacement, yet avenues of communication for which they each identify with and are free to choose in the language which resonates with their self-hood.