Our Impressionable Eyes

Our Impressionable Eyes

To Natalie:

Cheeks that outweigh the rest of my face,

are my defining feature.

To Thomas:

Bright but heavy hazel eyes,

are my defining feature.

To Jacquii:

Million dollar lips that could wear any shade,

are my defining feature.

Defined by my features.

If I try too much...if I don’t try enough...if I don’t try at all...

Defined by my choices.

First impressions are so powerful.

Imprisoned in a labeled box,

by different people

who always see me

in different ways.

To each of them,

I am something else.

Yet I feel like nothing more than just an exterior.

In seconds,

they handpick

my physical qualities, sort them out,

and as if I were a puzzle,

put me back together

to see the image

they have decided for me.

There is not a single thing we look for,

but deep in the pit of our minds we know

the assumptions

are already prepackaged.

Defined by how hard I try

to make myself look

...feel...?

more appealing.

We are left to fend for ourselves

but we wither away

in the same hole as everyone else.

Each of us sees the easy resolution:

don’t judge, don’t let features define.

But those same daggers

that were used to cut out of all the judgement,

dare to come back at night and stab us in the back,

because social nature

has already been established.

I do it. You do it. We all do it.

My features make you decide who I am

before you ever really see me.

I am so much more than just a nose.

I am so much more than just a size.

I am so much more than just a pair of eyes.

I am so much more than just what you see.

Please,

please don’t let my defining feature

be what keeps you

from knowing me.

Don’t let your impressionable eyes

kill away any other possibility

of what I could be.

Sohrab's Guilt

This image represents the surfacing remorse Sohrab has felt since the fight with Assef. This overarching guilt was made when he injured Assef in the last few moments of the fight when his slingshot took one of Assef's eyes. Since then, his guilt has taken over his entire mood, believing that he had sinned because of the way that he hurt Assef, even if it was justified. The baby flower represents Sohrab, young and just beginning his life. It shows how something that was once so beautiful is now wilting and falling apart; a recollection of its former past. A flower that blooms compares to the amount of confidence Sohrab once had in himself, whereas now the continuous, constant guilt that he has sinned results in the "falling of petals" shown below. Almost as if he were looking down at his hands like he had done so many times in the book (which represented his sadness), the flower seems to hang over in dismay just like Sohrab.
 

South Africa Issue Article- Convict Voting Rights in South Africa

Modern South Africa and the Controversy Over Convict Voting Rights

Should we care about how convicts feel regarding their role in society? Is it important for us to still try and include them as much as possible in the decisions we make as a country, despite their decision to commit a crime? Professors Spates and Carlton recognized in their article concerning South African voting rights, “The right to vote is understood as a basic right of all citizens…” (Spates, Carlton). With that in mind, if we limited convicts from being able to vote, are we trying to send them the message that they aren’t considered citizens?

Since the post-apartheid Constitution of 1994 was created, South Africans have let their understanding of this new democracy guide and help them build a new foundation of knowledge for what rights they have and laws to follow (Convicts). Since then, all South African convicts have been granted the right to vote. Although, there is still a lot of controversy and dispute about whether felons should lose this right, to contribute as part of their punishment for whatever crime they committed. On that note, if South African convicts were to lose their right to vote, the citizen’s understanding of their constitutional democracy would be destroyed. Meaning, if the people were to change one thing in the constitution (such as convict voting rights), it could open a new door that would be used to decide what other rights/laws they would want to reduce, restrict or change (Convicts). Because of this reason, whether South African convicts should be allowed to vote or not remains a strong argument on both sides.

Prisoners are already lacking their natural born rights as it is and are limited on everything they do, granted with the fact that they are in prison for a reason. Nonetheless, on average, South African prisons are 68% overcrowded (Convicts). This means that each right they have the privilege of keeping, significantly impacts their quality of life.

One of South Africans’ fighting reasons why their convicts should be allowed to vote is because it gives them a link to the outside world and ensures that they are still a part of society. Co-founder and project coordinator of the CSPR, Lukas Muntingh, once said, "Inmates remain part of society, although temporarily segregated, and need to be treated as citizens” (Convicts). Lukas is making the point that because all citizens have the right to vote, convicts should have that same right too. However because of their isolation from society, convicts are broken off from the general public and are left behind as their world moves forward making new decisions. Although it is important for convicts to be able to have a say in what developments are made for their country’s future, the government needs to take crime as a serious offense, and enforce certain limits and regulations.

With that in mind, retaining convicts’ right to vote could potentially create a negative image of the government’s attitude towards crime. The media summary of the Constitutional Court in South Africa described, “...the public may misunderstand the government’s true attitude towards crime…”(Constitution). From this perspective, the argument is that if people decide to do something against the law and that results with them being imprisoned, part of their penalty should be losing their right to vote. Otherwise, the idea forms that the government doesn’t take crime as a serious offense, and treats it “softly”.

This brings us back to question whether we should care how convicts see their role in society. Because South African inmates currently do have the right to vote, the only way they will lose this right is if South Africa decides to change its constitution. Yet due to the strong arguments on both sides of the matter and equally wide spread opinion, convict voting rights continue to be a heavily controversial topic to this day.

Works Cited

"In the Constitutional Court of South Africa." Mar. 20014. Web. 8 Mar. 2016.

"Convicts Should Be Allowed to Vote - Opposing Viewpoints in Context." Web. 5 Mar. 2016.

Spates, Kamesha, and Carlton Mathis. "Preserving Dignity: Rethinking Voting Rights for U.S.  Prisoners, Lessons from South Africa." The Journal of Pan African Studies (2014): 16-18. Print.

Breaking Buffalo

"The buffalo was of medium size, but boasted an exceptionally long tail, which swung vigorously from side to side as though determined to splatter its timid, inexperienced master with as much filth as possible. For all his efforts to dodge the relentless lashes, one split second of inattention was enough for Four-Eyes to receive a blow to the face from the buffalo's tail, which sent his spectacles hurtling through the air. " (47)
"The slaughter was disguised by an accident; the perpetrator claimed that the beast had lost its footing on a tight bend and had plunged head first down a cliff...The buffalo was still alive. I will never forget how affected I was by its long drawn-out plaintive bellows." (93)

Sijie uses the symbol of the buffalo to demonstrate the effect of the village has had on Four Eyes, both physically and mentally. To Four Eyes, it represents how poor and inept the village is, and his resistance change. When the buffalo knocks off his glasses, it represents how the village is beginning to change its world view. 

Reaching Yourself

Reaching Yourself

Let the good guide you,

and the bad develop you.

Let life flow naturally,

so that you can experience the bad,

and appreciate the good.

Let yourself accept,

that you are bound to yin and yang.

Let your true being surface,

as you break away from useless thoughts.

Let yourself wander away from worries of the future,

and focus on whatever is thrown your way.

Let yourself fall into the ways of the Tao.

Changing Memories