Us, not them.

Unmanned

The bombs drop above my head in the village miles away

The village with my family, my friends

But it is the village with the terrorists

The American Flag waves above me as the planes fly,

symbolizing freedom, safety, security

But the stars are carnage and the stripes are revenge

They are killing us; killing me

But they are trying to kill them, the ones who

crashed airplanes into buildings and shot people dead on the streets

But are our lives really more insignificant,

and are we just collateral damage?

Bombs dropped over my head again, and again

And as the shrapnel brushed against my skin I thought,

It’s ok, I am protecting the

Americans

They think they are helping us, but

my family is gone, my friends are gone,

and they aren’t the radical ones

So the flag didn’t symbolize freedom, it symbolized death

The death of the certain happiness that the marketplace once held

Before the stands were blown to pieces

The death of the laughter that used to fill the skies as the children ran,

happy

The bombs are killing us, not them

Soraya's Fight for Equality

This image illustrates Soraya's journey throughout the book and her struggle to overcome social boundaries. Soraya is represented by the blossoming flower, showing how she stands out amongst her oppressive culture. She is breaking the lock of social repression, by standing up to her father and speaking out about what she believes in. Throughout the novel, Soraya stood up for her freedoms to both her family and Amir. She explains how she ran away with an Afghan man, which goes against societal norms for women. The rusty chain and pole show the perpetuation of antiquated values that still persist within society.

The Roots of Collapse

The Roots of Collapse

A South African man sits on the side of the road, staring at the mines he used to work in. That was before he lost everything; before his wages were lowered and he didn’t have enough money to survive. That was before he gave up. With 51% of young men and 48% of young women jobless in South Africa, high unemployment rates have crippled the country’s economy (Devlin). Young citizens have immense potential to advance the economy, but their lack of opportunity to find work causes South Africa’s fiscal situation to deteriorate. A variety of programs have been put into action to improve the economy, but none have been effective enough to rebuild the financial crisis. The economic issues not only affect the citizens of South Africa, but the country’s overall economic abilities. The downfall of the South African economy, caused by increased debt and corruption, worsens unemployment and poverty for the already struggling citizens.

Corruption within businesses and corporations has overtaken what used to be a thriving economic system. Since 1996, the Growth, Employment, and Redistribution program has aimed to stimulate growth and introduce new jobs. However, the economy’s growth has drastically slowed down, and unemployment has risen since then (BBC). These issues endanger not only the African people, but many industries and companies that are the backbone of the economy. Strikes against South African mines, a major source of employment and wealth, have crippled the industry, which lowers Africa’s world status and incurs huge debts (AfricaCan). This destructive spike in unemployment also leads to societal and general economic issues. 35.9% of the African population lives below the poverty line, which is much higher than the 15% in the United States (BBC). Protests have risen in hundreds of towns that are homes to the poor black masses, who have suffered as a result of the unfavorable economy.

Unemployment is an additional component that contributes to the fiscal decline. This issue stems from corruption within the foundations of the country. At least half of the youth population lack foundational skills, including literacy and numeracy, because of their weak education (Global). This education deficiency results in a shortage of professional skills among grown workers, which leads to unemployment. Africa’s unemployment rates remain one of the highest in the world, which only serves to disable economic prosperity (BBC). Corporations do not produce enough income due to the scarcity of skilled workers. Because money- making corporations generate low revenue, they in turn cannot provide high enough wages for their workers. These workers find it hard to survive and eventually fall below the poverty line. This increasing poverty has come to be an unfortunate downside of ongoing unemployment, and is an added influence in South Africa’s economic collapse.
This constant repetition of low wages, unemployment, and poverty, results in a vicious cycle which ends up paralyzing the economy and preventing economic growth. South Africa is currently developing new programs, including the National Development Plan, which hopes to monitor economic performance and increase national development (BBC). Until a reliable solution solves this issue, the South African man on the side of the road, along with hundreds of other unemployed citizens, will continue dreaming about the day they will find a job.

Works Cited

Devlin, Kristen. "Reducing Youth Unemployment in Sub-Saharan Africa." Reducing Youth

Unemployment in Sub-Saharan Africa. Web. 08 Mar. 2016.

"South Africa's Economic Challenges - BBC News." BBC News. Web. 04 Mar. 2016.

"The Impact of the Financial Crisis on South Africa." AfricaCan End Poverty. Web. 07 Mar.

2016.

"South Africa Economy: Budget Aims to Avoid Ratings Downgrade" Global Issues in Context.

Economist Intelligence Unit: Country Views Wire, 26 Feb. 2016. Web. 7 Mar. 2016.

Locked In or Locked Out?

"For the first time in his life, he was suffused with happiness. He refused to go out to work in the fields. Instead, he threw himself heart and soul into the solitary search for mountain folk songs" (64.)

"'Me too. Loathing for everyone who kept these books from us.' Hearing myself utter this last sentence frightened me... Such a remark, casually dropped, could cost several years in prison" (99.)

Sijie uses this symbol of a locked suitcase to illustrate the nature of concealment and a repressive environment as well as hope for the future. The hidden books became a source of hope for Four-Eyes; they allowed him to take an opportunity to escape, but he had to conceal them to keep that hope and opportunity alive. When they read the books, Luo and the narrator grow angry at those who concealed the books from them, but they're not angry at Four-Eyes; they're angry at the government officials who burned and confiscated the world of literature from the eyes of the people.

The Energy

Aspire to succeed

and you will fail

Aspire to be a mystery

and you will be revealed

Aspire to be eternal

and you will die

The Tao is the energy

it controls our being

our actuality

When we give without receiving

live without possessing

be one with the universe

and go with the energy

The energy will return to us

The vibes will harmonize

and the Tao will return

Four Ways Your Mindset Changes Your World