The Road Not Spared

The Road Not Spared

A golden sun once beamed over a clear blue sky,

Birds once chirped joyously in stoic, mighty oaks,

Salmon once swam freely through vast oceans, and

Mist and mystery once covered swaths of greenery, leaving forests cloaked.

Now, that world is no more.

Now, black banks

Roll over barren hills, and

Bring despair to a rotting land.

Proud redwood forests,

Strong enough to thrive for millennia,

Decimated in seconds, helpless in the face of human greed

The sacred silence of their realm shredded

Their screams of anguish drowned out by the

Cacophony of loud music, malicious machinery,

Like sharp metal knives ripping open a soft sheep’s coat.

Wise old giants murdered by the young and foolish.

Serene, clear lakes,

Disturbed only by the tongue

Of a graceful gazelle,

Causing small, beautiful ripples,

Now destroyed

By the dumping of filthy sludge

Coating fish in a new

Black skin, causing suffocation

Slowly bright light

Leaves now dull eyes.

While a few voices half heartedly mumble for change,

The masses enthusiastically continue

To brutally attack our one, universal mother,

Despite knowing that they owe her everything

Leaving her bruised and broken on the ground,

Blood gushing from her deep, jagged wounds,

Only to then be raped by her own children,

Yet still providing us with life and sustenance,

Her love for her monsters perennial.

Your nation finds pride in national birds, plants, flowers,

And yet you

Part of the supposed “most civilized, intelligent species”

Could, in reality, simply not care

About the outcome of this brutality

And its effect on our future.

The golden sun hidden by black smoke,

The birds choking on their own song, lungs filled with poison

The salmon lying belly-up in the water,

The mist and mystery of the forests replaced with murder and misery.

Deforestation, destruction, devastation,

The Earth screams with pain,

Yet we turn a blind eye,

Forgetting to cry,

As our Earth screams again.

Farid: the Dark World

When Amir first returns to Afghanistan, he is not respected by Farid. Farid is resentful towards all of the Afghans who left their country in a time of need. This is result of Farid's intense pride for his nation, a pride that often leads him to have prejudice towards others. In the video, the first image we see is of the one wilted flower. This represents Farid's outlook on Amir, and on Afghan Americans in general. However, just behind this flower, there is one in full bloom, representing Amir and his good intensions. This is out of focus - Farid only focuses on what he expects, and not on Amir's better characteristics. When the camera pans over to the plant, we see Amir's blurred and outdated view of Afghanistan. As Farid says, "You've always been a tourist here, you just didn't know it" (232). Once the video focuses, a gaping hole is revealed in the plant, signifying the destruction of Afghanistan by the Taliban. Farid is consumed by this destruction, leading him to assume the worst of Amir. However, the flowers on the outskirts of the image show that despite the devastation, the common people can still find a way to live.

The Abuse of Power

Arjun Singla

Ms. Bennett

World Lit Honors 1st Period

15 March 2016

The Abuse of Power

From their posts in DC, many of our senators and congressmen have been scorned by the common people, accused of being liars, manipulators, and above all, corrupt. But little do we realize that the scandals in Washington do not begin to rival those considered commonplace in the government of South Africa. While these incidents may not affect us directly, it is important to educate ourselves on corruption across the globe so that we can fully appreciate and improve our own government. Since taking office in 2009, South African President Jacob Zuma has rapidly added to his growing list of scandals, causing his people to question South Africa’s democracy.

While the allegations against Zuma’s long list of wrongdoings includes everything from being linked to an arms deal to a rape charge (Independent), one event eclipses the outrageousness of every other: Jacob Zuma spent 20 million rand (about $1.25 million) of taxpayers’ money on upgrades for his private mansion, including, among other things, a swimming pool. This is especially shocking when considering that the average black household in South Africa earns a mere 5,051 rands a month (about $320) (Smith). Officials from the African National Congress, the political party backing Zuma, say the expenses were justified, as they were essential to provide Zuma’s home with the necessary security upgrades befitting the head of State (Smith). This is true; South African presidents have always received security upgrades to their private residences. However, since Zuma took office, 215 million rand have been spent on his home for these so called security upgrades, which is in stark contrast to the amount spent on the residences of previous presidents. During the presidency of FW de Klerk, who left office in 1994, 236,000 rand was spent, while 32 million rand was spent for Nelson Mandela (Smith). Officials say that the swimming pool was in reality a “fire pool,” which would provide a reservoir of water in case of emergency (Njani). However, this does not justify the other upgrades Zuma's private mansion received, which included a “visitors’ center, amphitheatre, cattle enclosure, marquee area, extensive paving, [and] new houses for relocated relatives” (Njani). While some of these expenses may be necessary, spending taxpayers’ money to build a marquee area in a private residence is definitely excessive.

Despite the corruption prevalent in South African government, free speech of the people has not been affected, and these incidences have not gone unnoticed. South Africans everywhere are doing all they can to end this type of spending. Some political leaders, like Thabo Leshilo, have called for reform, saying “President Zuma should pay back every rand of public money improperly spent on making him live like the monarchy he fancies himself to be” (Smith). In addition, thousands of South Africans took to the streets, marching in Cape Town, Pretoria, and Johannesburg as part of a “#ZumaMustFall” campaign (Independent). In light of these scandals, Zuma is becoming more and more unpopular among his people, including members of his own party. In fact, Zuma’s approval ratings have dropped sharply over the years, going from 64% in 2011 to a mere 36% today (Independent). Branches of the South African government have also acted, one of which released a scathing report entitled “Opulence on a Grand Scale” in light of the allegations. Clearly, South Africans are continuing their century old fight for democracy.

Jacob Zuma, President of South Africa, has been spending taxpayers’ money on luxuries for his private mansion. While the majority of South Africans have been protesting this in anger, the situation leaves many simply sad and disappointed. As Zwelinzima Vavi, former general secretary of Cosatu, says, “This is not what Mandela spent twenty-seven years in jail for,” (Independent). The journey to true democracy in South Africa continues since its independence from white rule, slowly but surely. It is our duty to learn from these events so that we can appreciate our own government and take measures to improve it. Hopefully, in our lifetime, South Africa will witness the rise of a government Mandela could look upon and smile.

Works Cited

The Independent. Independent Digital News and Media. Web. 08 Mar. 2016.

Njanji, Susan. Yahoo! News. Yahoo! Web. 10 Mar. 2016.

Smith, David. "Jacob Zuma Accused of Corruption 'on a Grand Scale' in South Africa." The Guardian. Guardian News and Media, 29 Nov. 2013. Web. 08 Mar. 2016.

The Sole Truth

Sijie uses the symbol of the Little Chinese Seamstress' pale pink shoes to illustrate the personality of the Little Chinese Seamstress, namely her openness, determination, and her purity of mind. The shoes, described as homemade and simple yet sturdy and eye catching directly reflects upon the character of the Little Chinese Seamstress. As she grows and matures, she will grow out of both her shoes and the values and beliefs attached to them.

"The princess of Phoenix mountain wore pale pink canvas shoes, which were both sturdy and supple"(21).

"There was nothing out of the ordinary about the cheap, homemade shoes, and yet, in a place where nearly everyone went barefoot, they caught the eye, seeming delicate and sophisticated" (21).

Buckets

Many people today

resemble buckets.

They try to catch and hold onto everything within their reach.

Many people today

resemble knifes.

They cut through their enemies and conflicting ideas.

Many people today

resemble walls.

They keep out those they don’t like.

This is not the way of the Tao.

The Tao is in everything, and yet it is shut out by many.

Those who buckets must have holes in the bottom

Those who are knives must have the blades cut off

Those who are walls must have replace it with nothingness.

For the Tao is in everything,

and this is the way of the Tao.

Propaganda: What are you told to believe?