To My Parents

To My Parents

I am not a statistic

I am a person.

You tell me it's my illness talking,

That I am doing this on purpose

That I am stronger than my illness

So you punish me for acting disorderly.  

Depriving myself of a necessity used to be a choice

It makes me feel in control, powerful, strong

The devil and I are walking hand in hand

But “you’re just sick”.

The fictional voice in my head urges me:

“Don’t eat it, it’s poison. You’re letting them win”

The monster in my head fights back.

No one understands, I didn’t ask for this––

Or the nights I spend telling myself

“You’re okay”.

So, you put me in front of the mirror

And tell me

“You’re beautiful, please stop this”

“You’re ruining your future”

Mom, dad I’m fine.  

I try to escape

But the maze that is my mind is inescapable

And I am lost,

I’m lost with no sense of what I’ve done.

And you tell me over and over: it’s just the illness.

The tornado that blew through my life

Still wreaks havoc––

The mess that it’s wrath entailed

continues to persist.

It’s finally time to pick up the broken pieces

And learn how to live again.

So I tell you it’s not the illness,

I’m stronger than the devil.

Heavy Weight of Guilt

In this image, the leaf is being "weighed down by guilt [water]" which represents the guilt Amir feels for betraying Hassan years ago. Amir has lived with guilt for many years of his life after making a mistake that alters his friendship with Hassan. The leaf represents how guilt [water] will always be there and bring you down. The leaf is Amir, and Hassan is the water weighing him down. In a way guilt is weight on one's conscience, which leads to a longer lasting feeling because it's hard to get rid of the feeling. It is scientifically that when someone experiences emotional guilt, it can be felt through your body. So, guilt can physically weigh you down. Amir is longs to be freed of his guilt and take the weight of guilt off his back. 

Does Corruption Lead to Poverty?

Does corruption lead to poverty?

Frederick Douglass once said, “Where justice is denied, where poverty is enforced, where ignorance prevails, and where any one class is made to feel that society is an organized conspiracy to oppress them, neither persons nor property will be safe.” In Africa, poverty is the major cause of social tensions and threatens to divide a nation because of the issue of inequalities. This can happen when wealth in a country is poorly distributed among its citizens. In 2010, 414 million people were considered to be living in extreme cases of poverty across Africa (Packtor). Over the past few years, Africa has been struggling with the important issue of poverty and it is important to inform everyone of their corrupted government.

Corruption leads to higher poverty rates, as it allows for people with political power to live a lavish life while millions of Africans are deprived of their basic needs. Typically, most Africans earn the equivalent of a $1.25 in US dollars per day (Jaitner). This is typically not enough money to pay for food, clean water, clothing which is needed to live a healthy life. Poverties representative, Dario Barrebi states that, “Well-connected people don't have to pay the same taxes as everyone else; policemen and other junior officials seeking small bribes don't dare solicit cash from them. At the end of the day it is the poor and the weak who face the true brunt of corruption” (Barrebi). It is known that most Africans are separated by economic inequalities in which some have to pay bribes in order to pay for taxes. Residents of Africa are now having to bribe what little money they earned to attain little to nothing. So, not only are people living in poverty subjected to a lack of necessities, but they pay taxes that the rich don’t have to pay.

A corrupt government implies an imbalance in society, which leads to more poverty because powerful politicians oppress the poor. An advocate for rights in Africa shares her opinion that, “Corruption occurs in Africa when the governments do not use money responsibly and instead use it for themselves has the power to break trust between the government and its people in ensuring that money is used responsibly” (Wang). Therefore, proof that there is a lack of trust in the government and the people of Africa no longer feel protected under new restrictive laws. Impoverished people are now left feeling powerless when trying to stand up against a corrupt official or government because rich people are able to use their connections to avoid paying bribes (Veselinovic). Clearly, the government of Africa’s next step is to improve efficiency of providing basic necessities for impoverished people in Africa.

If changes are not made to the justice system, poverty and corruption combine to force people to make impossible choices like “Do I buy food for my family today or do I pay a bribe to get treated at the clinic?” (Hanson). The goal is to inform others about the issue and create equality between the government and all people of Africa. Currently, a team in Africa is trying to implement ways to give poor people more of a voice. There is a program in Africa that enables those who don’t have a voice to speak out and create dialogue between their government and other community members (Jaitner). Hopefully, by doing so, Africans no longer fear the harsh reality of poverty and the struggle to fight against a corrupt government. 

Works Cited:

Barrebi, Dario. "Effects of Poverty on Society: Why We Should All Care." Poverties.org. Poverties, May 2013. Web. 15 Mar. 2016.

Hanson, Stephanie. "Corruption in Sub-Saharan Africa." Council on Foreign Relations. Council on Foreign Relations, 06 Aug. 2009. Web. 10 Mar. 2016.

Jaitner, Annette. "Poverty and Corruption in Africa." Projects and Activities -. Transparency, Web. 10 Mar. 2016.

Packtor, Jordanna. "10 Poverty in Africa Facts - The Borgen Project." The Borgen Project RSS2. The Borgen Project, 07 Nov. 2014. Web. 08 Mar. 2016.

Veselinovic, Milena. "Why Corruption Is Holding Africa Back." CNN. Cable News Network, 8 Jan. 2016. Web. 05 Mar. 2016.

Wang, Melissa. "OurSpeeches: Share with the World." CAUSES OF POVERTY IN AFRICA. OurSpeeches, 2011.

Hidden Treasure

Sijie uses the symbol of the suitcase to express Luo’s and the narrator’s desire, yet previous inability to educate themselves. They constantly try to persuade Four Eyes to share the contents of his secret suitcase, but he always refuses, until Luo and the narrator decide to steal it themselves. This interaction with the suitcase represents Coming of Age because they yearn to take control of their education and future, but their plans are hindered by the Cultural Revolution. The narrator indulges in the book written by Balzac and falls in love with the idea of literature and storytelling. The suitcase full of books represents hidden treasure that brings them longing and desire, before turning into joy and fulfillment like treasure but was formerly unattainable.

“‘Are you weeping tears of joy?’ I said.

‘No, all I feel is loathing.’

‘Me too, loathing for everyone who kept these books from us’’” (99).

“We were beside ourselves. My head reeled, as if I’d had too much to drink. I took the novels out of the suitcase one by one, opened them, studied the portraits of the authors, and passed them on to Luo. Brushing them with the tips of my fingers made me feel as if my pale hands were in touch with human lives” (99).

The Good and The Bad

The Good and The Bad

There is no shadow without light

no day without night

no sweet without sour

or even life without death.

Representing darkness and light

negativity or positivity

the complementary forces combine.

One compliments the other

a negative and a positive

One needs the other to be complete.

Forces of energy gradually change

yin to yang and yang to yin

the balance of life.

A constant chase

seeking a new balance between the two

The Good and The Bad.

Holes of the Memory