Islands

Islands

There’s an island in the Pacific

called Nauru,

over 2000 miles

from the nearest coast.

A picturesque paradise

of palm trees,

coconuts,

equatorial sunlight,

and, regrettably,

phosphate.

Sold to a strip mine in 1906

Savings squandered

on a hotel, an airline,

thousands of cars

just an island no larger than 8 square miles.

Screwed out of their fortune by a few greedy bastards on the mainland.

Nothing to show for the fact that

80 percent of paradise

now uninhabitable,

nothing more than gray limestone

and dust.

There’s an island in the Pacific

called Pinta,

600 miles off Ecuador’s coast,

in the Galapagos.

The only home to

noble, majestic

Pinta island tortoise.

They’re gone now,

starved to death,

all their food eaten

because explorers thought it was a good idea

to introduce goats to the island.

Their branch

hacked off the great evolutionary tree,

never to regrow.

There’s an island in the Pacific,

fourth largest in the world,

uninhabited.

Over 250 thousand square miles

of Kraft and Hostess and Aquafina.

An island of plastic,

The Great Pacific Garbage Patch.

Our islands are dying and nothing’s being done about it.

We’re trading our tropics for trash

And we aren’t stopping.

I know when we look out from the coast,

the ocean seems vast

and untouchable

and endless,

But I just want to remind you.

There are islands in the Pacific.

Baba's Redemption

This image demonstrates how Baba tries to redeem himself through good actions. After he betrays Ali, Baba feels guilt and dishonor, and helps others in an attempt to make up for this. First, the stones on the ground represent Baba's good acts, such as donating to the poor or building an orphanage. He uses these as an attempt to rebuild himself in addition to helping others. He tries to reclaim his honor through helping others, and with each action, big or small, he places another stone. Over time, he is able to almost cover the area, meaning he is close to redemption. However, he is never able to entirely fill in all the gaps between the stones. This represents how there are still chinks in the new armor Baba has built for himself and how his guilt will always be with him no matter how many stones he places. The benches represent how much Baba truly relies on his honor and reputation in this way. He rests upon his good acts, the only thing that stops him from seeing himself as a bad person. However, the cracks prevent him from ever feeling truly stable. As a result, he constantly tries to do more good, attempting to further stabilize the ground and his bench. Baba brought himself great dishonor with his previous actions, something he is constantly trying to make up for. This continuous struggle to make up for his bad by doing good allows him to redeem himself enough to at least have stable ground.

The Fight Against Boko Haram

Reese Toomre

Ms. Bennett

World Lit Honors Second Period

15 March 2016

The Fight Against Boko Haram

Bring Back Our Girls!  This was a popular slogan that circulated in 2014.  The purpose of this was to show solidarity with the families of over 300 schoolgirls kidnapped by Boko Haram (Adefarakan).  This was a rare example of the outside world understanding and appreciating the gravity of the threat Boko Haram poses to northern Nigeria.  Otherwise, the outside world, especially people in western nations know almost nothing about the continued conflict in the region.

Many people may be surprised to learn Boko Haram is the most violent terrorist group in the world.  One of the major this is surprising is because it is covered so little in the media.  As a result, many Americans have little idea as to the extent of the devastation Boko Haram causes.  The group is a terrorist organization based out of Northern Nigeria promotes of a version of Islam with a “haram” or ban on followers partaking in any activity perceived as Western.  They attempt to spread and enforce this idea through violent attacks and suicide bombings.  The New York Times reports that Boko Haram was responsible for over 6,500 deaths in 2014, more than ISIS, al-Qaeda, or any other single terrorist group (Searcey and Schmitt).  

However, recently the Nigerian government has been making military progress against Boko Haram. At the end of last year, government officials released information about how recent military operations have been able to push back Boko Haram, as well as detailing the arrests of people they believed to be supplying the group with fuel (Premium Times).  A large part of this is due to increased efforts by Nigeria’s newly elected president, Muhammadu Buhari.  This is also reflected in nearby Cameroon, where, according to The Guardian, anti-Boko Haram forces have killed nearly 100 militants and freed 850 captives from the group’s control (Guardian).  This demonstrates that there have been major strides to combat Boko Haram’s progress.  Unfortunately, these victories have not translated to an end to the conflict, and may even have harmed the lives of many people in the area.  
Despite losing ground, Boko Haram is just as dangerous as before, if not more so.  As Boko Haram has lost territory, they have been forced to shift tactics, and have actually increased terrorist attacks and suicide bombings.  Just four days after President Buhari told reporters, “technically we have won the war,” a suicide bomber killed 50 people in Maiduguri (Searcey and Schmitt). Military might alone will not be enough to end this conflict.  Although troops and weapons can be effective at fighting the insurgents, a comprehensive and robust intelligence system will be necessary to put and end to the group’s suicide bombing attacks.  

This fight between Boko Haram and regional governments has been a bloody, brutal 14 year conflict that has wrecked havoc on the people of Nigeria, Cameroon, and surrounding countries.  Recent government victories show promise for the future, but an end to the terrorism as a whole is still a long way off.  Truly solving this issue will require a highly concerted effort between regional governments, the development of effective intelligence and anti-terrorism infrastructure, and above all a commitment to the people within these nations.

Adefarakan, Temitope. "To save Kidnapped Girls, Talk with Boko Haram." Global Issues in Context. 28 May 2014. Web. 15 Mar. 2016.

"Cameroon Says 92 Boko Haram Militants Killed and 850 Captives Freed." The Guardian. Guardian News and Media, 26 Feb. 2016. Web. 08 Mar. 2016.

"Nigerian Troops in Steady Progress against Boko Haram in Sambisa Forest - Army - Premium Times Nigeria.” Premium Times Nigeria. 09 Sept. 2015. Web. 09 Mar. 2016.

Searcey, Dionne, and Marc Santora. "Boko Haram Ranked Ahead of ISIS for Deadliest Terror Group." The New York Times. The New York Times, 18 Nov. 2015. Web. 06 Mar. 2016.

Searcey, Dionne, and Eric Schmitt. "Military Victories Over Boko Haram Mean Little to Nigerians." The New York Times. The New York Times, 15 Jan. 2016. Web. 09 Mar. 2016.

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).

Only Through the Tao

Only when you let go of who you are,
of your innermost desires,
and your ambitions and goals,
can you truly be yourself.

Only through acceptance
of the world around you,
of the good and the bad,
can you truly understand.

Only through being lost,
through wandering in the dark,
through following the sound of silence,
can you truly find your way.

Only through the way,
through balance and acceptance;
only through the Tao
can you truly be at peace.

Is Your Memory Lying to You?

https://infograph.venngage.com/publish/71038f0f-8459-4ec5-942a-886b0f306963