And the Kids Speak English

There is a 20-foot fence between Jimena and her papi

There is a 20-year wall of barriers and discrimination

And the kid in the corner is dumb, I think.

But a hole!

A tiny chink in the fence for 5-year-old eyes

Jimena’s fingers twinkle

on the same side of the fence as her father

She waits for connection

Like the kid in the corner waits for the words to come

“What pretty hands you have”

And the 5-year-old princess gleams,

“Es lonche ya?” the kid inquires

And the glass shatters.

“That’s not English!”

“Tampoco es español!”

‘TUUPIIIID

And the princess grows too tall to see the hole

And the princess will forget.

And the red writing on the wall begs for legal reform

The kid has

no father.

So he sprays his hope on the fences in red

There is espanish hate

And the kids speak English.

And the kids speak English.

The Fence of Guilt

This image represents Amir’s life struggle due to his lack of openness with his wife Soraya. The chain links represent the bond that Amir and Soraya have formed through their marriage and love, and how they hold each other together. Additionally, The fence as a whole represents that while Amir and Soraya hold each other together, in truth, Amir only creates a barrier between Soraya and his past. This is just like the barrier between the blurry landscape of Amir’s past and the other side of the fence, which represents Amir’s potential marital relationship of trust and openness. Even though Soraya attempts to instigate heartfelt communication with Amir in her initial openness about her past, Amir refuses to open up to Soraya and confess his secret about Hassan. Furthermore,  the fence represents a defense mechanism preventing Amir from possibly losing Soraya. When Amir first hears about Soraya’s disgraceful past, he says that he is not one to judge, but does not share his past stories. Due to this, Amir retains the guilt he has felt for so long, and rather than gaining someone to confide in, Soraya acts as another obstacle preventing him from true peace. The open landscape behind the fence represents what Amir’s life could be if he took a risk with Soraya, and opened his dark past to her without worrying about her opinion of him.

The Shortcomings of Schooling

Kate Griner

Ms. Bennett

2nd period WLH

March 2016

The Shortcomings of Schooling

A child who quits attending school is three times more likely to be HIV positive (Alyssa). Lack of education in Africa is a serious issue that has many negative ramifications. With so many uneducated, it is often quite difficult to find a job. And unemployment only exacerbates the problem.  The main repercussions of Africa’s lack of education is that the frustration at not finding jobs can lead people to drug abuse or adolescent pregnancies. This is a common scene across most of Africa.

It is estimated that about 133 million young people (more than 50 per cent of the youth population) in Africa are illiterate (Youth). And yet, Africa's youth represent over 75% of the population. The basic knowledge that comes with being educated helps children and young adults develop lifelong skills like good decision making skills and proper communication skills. Many young people have little to no skills and are therefore largely excluded from productive economic and social life. Even Africans with some education often only acquire skills that remain irrelevant to the recent demands in the job market. The current labor market increasingly requires education and collaboration skills taught in schools, resulting in millions of unemployed and underemployed youth. This unemployment only leads to further issues.

One researcher for the BBC News interviewed a group of drug users, another prevalent consequence of unemployment, “Others tell me that the frustration of not finding jobs led them to drugs. ‘It is a scene common across the country, affecting tens of thousands of young people.’” (Maseko). One of the consequences of a lack of education is precisely this: that the frustration of unemployment leads many Africans into drug abuse. Furthermore, Drug Abuse has also been shown to lead to HIV, through shared needles or drug-induced decisions to practice unprotected sex. One user, Nomsa Mahlangu says “‘I need help; I'm desperate to stop but it's just so hard,’ with tears rolling down her chapped cheeks (Maseko). Nomsa is a common example of someone who wants to better her life, but in Africa the access to rehabilitation centers is low - and also very costly. Clearly having a lack of education has many potentially unforeseen consequences.

Another repercussion of lack of education is premature pregnancies. Africa has the world’s highest rates of adolescent pregnancies, a factor that affects the health, education, and the earning potential of millions of African girls, according to a report released last month by the United Nations Population Fund (Yeboah). In Africa, a lack of education about how to practice safe sex and a lack of education in general has been shown to lead to misinformed decisions and early pregnancies. And yet, women account for 2/3 of Africa's smallholder farmers (Yeboah).

But the root of these issues, illiteracy and lack of education in Africa, is not purely an issue without help or hope. In 1990 the adult literacy rate in all of Africa was 53%. In 2015 it is estimated to be 63%.  In 1990 there were 133 million illiterate adults in sub-Saharan Africa, but by 2011 there were 182 million. (Annan). Clearly help is being given. It could be argued that what we have been doing to help is working. Now, the literacy rate is 70%.

Works Cited

Alyssa. "Facts About Education in Africa." Achieve in Africa.org. Wordpress, 28 Nov. 2012. Web. 09 Mar. 2016.

Annan, Kofi. "African Library Project - Africa Facts." The African Library Project. Africa Library Project, 06 Sept. 2012. Web. 15 Mar. 2016.

Maseko, Nomsa. "South African Townships' Addictive Drug Cocktail - BBC News." BBC News. BBC World - Delmas, Africa, 18 Mar. 2015. Web. 04 Mar. 2016.

Watkins, Kevin. "Too Little Access, Not Enough Learning: Africa's Twin Deficit in Education." The Brookings Institution. Brookings.edu, 16 Jan. 2013. Web. 08 Mar. 2016.

Yeboah, Stephen. "Africa Has World's Highest Rate of Adolescent Pregnancies, UNFPA SaysSharevar Addthis_config={"data_track_addressbar":false};." Africa Progress Panel. ©2016 Africa Progress Panel, 06 Nov. 2013. Web. 07 Mar. 2016.

"Youth Unemployment." - African Economic Outlook. © 2016 African Economic Outlook, 28 May 2015. Web. 04 Mar. 2016.

Sheepskin Coats and Choices of Your Own

The author uses the symbol of the sheepskin coat to signify the time the narrator felt a desire for literature. When the narrator decided to copy passages of a book onto the inside of his coat, it was the first time he made a decision truly for himself, not under the influence of his family, friends, or even Chairman Mao. To start making your own decisions is to genuinely come of age.

“Picture, if you will, a boy of nineteen, still slumbering in the limbo of adolescence, having heard nothing but revolutionary blather about patriotism, Communism, ideology, and propaganda all his life, falling headlong into a story of awakening desire, passion, impulsive action, love, all of the subjects that had, until then, been hidden from me”(p57).

Once the narrator caught his first glimpse of true literature, he was deeply affected by the new ideas he absorbed from his reading, and it caused an immediate change in the narrator, he felt the need to keep a record somehow, of the messages he learned, and the feelings he was feeling from these words of Balzac:  ”It was the first time in my life that I had felt any desire to copy sentences from a book. … I decided I would write directly onto the inside of my sheepskin coat”(58). The narrator’s decision to copy passages onto the inside of his coat was the first time that he kept something secret, and hidden from society, his community, and even his best friend Luo for the time being. Keeping this for himself was the first time he made a decision for himself: a true marker of his coming of age.

- by: Cassie, Max, Kate, and Amy

To learn the way of the Tao

To learn the way of the Tao,

 You must not study hard, or practice rituals. 

To learn the way of the Tao, 

You must observe all, and understand the flow of yin and yang

To learn the way of the Tao, 

You must be rooted and flexible as a willow, and flow in the wind

To learn the way of the Tao, 

You must be supple as a river, and let life take you where it takes you

To learn the way of the Tao, 

You must be accepting, that is the way it is

To learn the way of the Tao, 

You must let go of your goals and ambitions, for once you achieve them you will only begin again

To learn the way of the Tao, 

You must learn to let go,

To learn the way of the Tao.

Reeling in Radical Remembrance

Reeling in Radical Remembrance

Images: thenounproject.com