Pond

Pond

Watching the ducks waddle around the pond

Makes me think

Where are they going and what do they have to do

I have three tests, two projects, and about ten million other things to do

Seeing the ducks cause ripples in the murky pond

The flies coming up from the pond just like I hope my grades will as well

All the while, watching ducks hobble about their seemingly simple lives

Maybe filled with small bits of action and even other bits of life

Where they have to get grades and go to college

But they don´t

And I do

And I have been watching the ducks for an hour

Trying to pull myself away from what was now

And hoping that I would be able to  what I want

Just succeed

All you have to do is get grades, test scores, outside activities

And seemingly endless lists.

But I don´t

And they don´t either

The ducks in the pond have to worry about finding the next crumb

Amir and Baba's Relationship

When Amir visits Rahim Khan in Pakistan, he is told that Hassan is actually his half-brother, making Baba Hassan's real father.  This image relates to Amir's changing feelings about his father.  Amir has looked up to Baba throughout his life as a full-grown, leafy tree, yet after learning about the sins Baba committed, Amir sees Baba as more of a sparse, hollow tree.  The shadow covering most of the tree illustrates the overwhelming guilt that both Amir and Baba have experienced throughout their lives.  The sunlit top of the tree represents the light that Amir sees when he realizes that his father, in the end, remained a good person as he constantly attempted to redeem himself for his sins by performing acts of good such as the building of the orphanage.  The tree itself represents the phases of Amir's life and his transition from shadow to sunlight as he gains understanding.  

The Poor Person´s Life of Crime

The death sentence. People don't usually think of this punishment for many crimes, but South Africa might be forced to enforce the sentence more often than not due to the amounts of crimes happening around the country. The poverty in South Africa has majorly been affecting the rates of crime, which in turn is causing South Africa to become even less cultured as it could be.

With nearly 46% of the population living in poverty,(BBC) almost half of South Africa is essentially at risk to become criminals, simply because their poor background and upbringing. These issues restricts South Africa´s abilities because it blackens a reputation that can be deemed respectable as it continues to dig itself out of the hole that is Apartheid. The black and white discrimination is not the only barrier that it faces, the schism between the poor and everyone else. This in turn leads crime to be strongly affected by the poverty of many.

In 2007, there were 18,545 murders, 54, 926 rapes, and 2,320 kidnappings in South Africa.(Biles) These staggering numbers shows the violence and lack of competent policing in the country. These being staggering numbers, the crime actually is in more impoverished communities. For many of those living in poorer communities, crime, gangs in this case, can be one of the only ways to acquire income because of how hard it is to obtain a better job. (Simpson) Many do not see an escape from their life as it is, so their turn to crime to try and provide for their families and themselves through this. When the general population was asked about this, three quarters of the two thousand asked, believed that crime was mainly caused by poverty(News 24). Though a majority see poverty as the root problem, some see the problem being a lack of education (SA Crime). This lack of education causes youth and others like that to not understand other choices and opportunities there are. To help with this issue SA Crime believes that there should be a stricter punishment for crimes, even going as far as to say the death sentence should be used more commonly.

Unfortunately, crime and poverty remain a large problem in South Africa. These two issues have a profound effect on the country as a whole. One case in a rural village describes the murder of a quiet, working man who had no connections with crime in the evening(Smith). This not only shows the lengths that people are willing to go in order to maintain a job or get money. These would strongly affect the daily life of many living in this environment. When many people live off a wage of 1.25$. This is not 1.25$ per hour even, it is 1.25$ per day (Otachi). This wage all but forces some to find other sources of income strongly influencing the lives of citizens living with this conditions.

Because of these glaring issues of poverty and crime, the South African people have been unable to accomplish what they have to experience on a diurnal routine. These problems force them to fall to places that shouldn't be fallen to and cause dangers to be found everywhere they look. The government has been pressured about this issue for years now, but only suggestions and ideas have been made to try and help solve these issues.(BBC) Where will this stop? How will it be fixed? These questions have to be continually asked to try and improve the people´s lives and as the days go on, more and more South African citizens will be afflicted with  these problems making them pass them on from one generation to the next.

'Poverty the Root Cause of Crime'" News24. 06 Oct. 2008. Web. 05 Mar. 2016

"Is Poverty the Cause of Crime?" Crime in South Africa. Web. 07 Mar. 2016.

Biles, Peter. "BBC NEWS | Africa | South Africa Debates Crime Rates." BBC News. BBC, 05 Feb. 2007. Web. 04 Mar. 2016.
"Urban Crime and Violence in South Africa." Urban Crime and Violence in South Africa. Web. 08 Mar. 2016.

Smith, David. "Calls for Inequality to Be Tackled in South Africa as Violent Crime Rises." The Guardian. Guardian News and Media, 01 Oct. 2015. Web. 07 Mar. 2016.

"The Truth About Crime In South Africa." The Truth About Crime In South Africa. Web. 07 Mar. 2016.

"ISS Africa | Monograph 14: Stolen Opportunities: The Impact of Crime on South Africa`s Poor, By Antoinette Louw and Mark Shaw."ISS Africa. Web. 05 Mar. 2016.

The Power of the Clock

The Phoenix Alarm Clock

Quotes:
1. "The alarm clock] became an object of veneration, almost. Everyone came to consult the clock, as though our house on stilts were a temple" (14).
2. "One morning when we woke, the thought of the back-buckets awaiting us was so disquieting that we could bring ourselves to get up...[so Luo] slid the hands of the clock back by one hour" (15).

Explanation: Because of their experiences in the city, their insight from the outside world helps them take full advantage of the villagers lack of experience with everything involved in it. As time passed and the two boys grew more aware of the world around them, they realized that they could control those who were less educated than them by turning the hands of the clock. This gave them power over the other workers and even the headman.

Accepting the Tao

To be one with the Tao

You must be one with yourself.

To be one with yourself

You must understand those close to you.

To be one with the Tao, you must let yourself free

Free yourself from the distractions of the world

and let yourself flow with the Tao.

Flow with the earth which is the Tao.

 Flow with the water which is the Tao.

Flow with the universe which is the Tao.

Accept the Tao to be one with yourself.