Magical Realism

In class on Friday, the topic of Magical Realism was brought up. I thought it was interesting to think about how Painted Bird is magical realism. When looking up the definition, it seems that magical realism is based around having two polar opposites. For example, focusing on death and life. It seems like in painted bird, all of the people believe in very outdated superstitions, yet the time period is the 1950's during war. Everyone around them is using guns and grenades, yet a man has his eyes gauged out with a spoon and people believe spitting three times keeps a vampire away. The villages almost give off a medieval feel due to how the people act. Another way, is how this little boys life seems to be clouded with death everywhere he goes. Every new house, someone dies as this little boy struggles to survive. Kosinski seems to try to show the gap of life and death through magical realism.

http://english.emory.edu/Bahri/MagicalRealism.html heres just a website to look at different books that are magical realism and more in depth definitions and examples.

Holocaust Hoax

To many Americans, it's odd to think that the Holocaust didn't exist, considering that we begin learning about it in middle school. However, some people, even countries (such as Iran) believe that the Holocaust was a hoax. I think that The Painted Bird and it's magic realism and horrifically graphic events may lead people to think that the Holocaust didn't actually exist. For many 1st world cultures, the mixed religion conveyed by the book of Christianity and 'traditional' can come off as 'unreal' or 'fabricated'. Additionally, some of the scenes thus far in the book, such as the scene with the miller gouging the farmhand's eyes out with a spoon, are so descriptive and graphic they seem as if they could have only have come from the imagination. However, the 'evidence' that those whom don't believe in the Holocaust seem to be very circumstantial and conspiratorial. I feel as if this is some of the criticism Jerzy Kosinski had to deal with on top of plagiarism and fabrication.

http://www.takeourworldback.com/short/holohoax.htm

The Painted Bird: Why do they take care of the boy?

The way the people of the several villages are treating the boy is a little puzzling. One moment, they tolerate and sometimes protect him, and other times, they are as cruel as can be. The author seems to show this constant changing throughout the reading so far.

The boy goes from village to village. Most of the times, he is teased, abused, or seen as a demon that the villagers cannot be around. However, these people sometimes let him into their homes, some people hire him as a helping hand , and sometimes he is a companion. He is fed and cared for and he is not treated like a slave. They recognize him as a human friend like themselves, but they abuse him physically and mentally. These people view Gypsies almost like demons and unfit to be with them or be favored by God. If this is how they thought, they would treat him as a slave if they really needed him for work or they would get rid of him.

A few times, the villagers who house the boy either hide him or tell him to run away when the soldiers search the village. I did not understand if they did this because they cared for the boy or if they were protecting themselves from being punished for housing a Gypsy. The latter was explained in the italicized letters in the beginning, but i think that they did for both reasons because they could have thrown the boy to the soldiers claiming they had caught him for the soldiers. This would show an incomplete hatred for the Gypsies.

Also, the people do not like the Gypsy magic the boy is believed to possess, but they encourage the rituals and superstitions and magical medical practices. Then they treat the boy as a necessity for their fortune.

This is all put together becomes puzzling. These people are discriminatory but they are not completely. It is like they were told to behave a certain way but they are not those type of people. They may be violent, but they show their violence to anything and anybody, not just those they discriminate towards. They are more violent towards those they discriminate against because the rest of their society does and they do not get in trouble for it.

Here is a website for the psychology of discriminators:

http://www.cliffsnotes.com/study_guide/Prejudice-and-Discrimination.topicArticleId-26957,articleId-26886.html

Animalism in the Painted Bird

In The Painted Bird, we see many connections between the narrator and the animals. The very title of the bird is anamilistic; a man painted the birds and set them free, only to find that the other birds killed them because of there differences. Throughout the beginning of the novel, see this as the albino cat (the arians) tries to kill the black chicken (the gypsy narrator) the chickens do not accept the pigeon, even though a bird, because it is different, and the village boys kill the squirrel for their entertainment much like the narrator is whipped at the farm for the entertainment of others. We have seen many connections between the animals and the narrator in the story, and we can probably expect to see a great deal more.

http://www.directessays.com/viewpaper/19881.html

European Superstitions

Throughout The Painted Bird we see a very superstitious village. Olga caters to the many believers that are "cursed" and ill. The narrator is shown to be possessed by virtue of his eye color. Marta believes in a number of superstitions and remedies: she "cures" her pain by burying meat, she keeps the snakes dead skin, only bathes twice a year, and makes the narrator close his eyes so that he doesn't look at her. People are constantly spitting, turning, blessing themselves, and praying to avoid curses, jinxes, and bad luck.

In Europe, there are many common superstitions that I knew about, such as bad luck after breaking a mirror, knocking on wood, or opening an umbrella inside, but some interesting superstitions that I didn't know about are as follows:

1. Do not blow out a candle, if you do a sailor dies.

2. Do not store bread upside down.

3. If you whistle inside you will lose your money.

4. It is bad luck to prepare a nursery before the child's birth.

http://www.pitt.edu/~dash/superstition.html#cures

Judy Bernstein response

My Question: Hi Judy, We just finished reading They Poured Fire on us From the Sky
in our English class, and I thought it was a very good, heart-warming
story. However in our class discussion about the book many students
felt that the actual dialogue in the book was somewhat fabricated.
Many people brought up the fact that these boys were just 5 or 7 years
old at the time, and could not remember specific conversations they
had with other people. We were all sort of wondering how much input
you had in their writing and if some of the dialogue is just added to
help the book seem more real. This is in no way to diminish the
struggle and hardships these boys went through in their lives, it's
just to gain a better understanding of the experience they had.

Thank you.

Her Response::

That is a very good question and I am impressed that you and your classmates are interested in the process of memoir writing.

In the case of the dialogue, I used what they gave me. I coached them very little with their writing and they relayed it in different ways and each of them had their own style. I do believe they had a unique style, you could call it a "story telling" tradition perhaps, that differs a bit from ours. Then there was the second language to consider and their young age, both when they lived it and wrote it (ages 20 - 22).

Surely they could not in most cases remember exact conversations, but often they told me parts of their lives with the dialogue you see in the book. I wish I could make up dialogue that well! Many times the dialogue was the memorable part of the story, such as Benson remembering his encounter with the jeep, or times with their parents or friends.

There is another big issue to keep in mind. Traumatic events are burned into our brains and unfortunately for many, can never be forgotten. The only coaching I gave them was to write about what stood out in their minds because that was what would interest everyone. Then I asked a few things to bridge those events or fill in cultural background, like life in the village before the disaster.

Of course no one can remember the exact words in conversations throughout our lives. But we recall the essence of those conversations, at least from our own point-of-view. But just like events, someone else make recall it quite differently. But that is what memoir is, writing how one saw it themselves. And we the reader, want to walk in their shoes for that time.

All and all, I was astounded by the detail of some of their memories and in some cases it could not even all be included.

Please thank your class for reading our book. Judy

Unseen, Unheard

Despite the atrocities of war in Sudan and other African countries, the coverage of these events are drastically downplayed on the world stage. In the decades before the 21st century and up to the present Africa has had the highest death rate due to conflict and the highest number of displaced people. Sudan is an example of unimaginable horror and brutality that is lacking the attention that such events should command. Conflict is running throughout the continent, in Sudan, Uganda, Cote d'Ivoire, and Congo. These problems are mainly internal and exacerbated by political corruption and ethnic and tribal tensions but the root causes of these problems are in the long history of colonial imperialism in Africa by European powers.

They Poured Fire on Us From the Sky and similar literature serves to provide the world with some sort of account of the problems people face everyday in these conflicts. In class, we discussed the validity of certain aspects of the book such as exact quotes and other literary inconsistencies but that shouldn't take away from the social significance that books like this can have on the public.

http://www.globalissues.org/article/84/conflicts-in-africa-introduction

The Lost Boys in America

The “lost boys” from Sudan lost contact with their families and, as a result, became orphans. Some of the lucky ones who survived the journey found their way to America in order to start new lives. The United States agreed to allow 3600 of these boys to do this. In our country, some of these boys have had the opportunity to pursue a high school education and then continue their studies at colleges and universities. However, a problem arose. Neither the boys nor the schools had any way of knowing the age of these Sudanese refugees. The only solution they could find was to judge and make guesses as to which ones were still under the age of 18. The older men then had to find their way around by working or by attending school while working; this can be a difficult task. After arriving to the United States, these boys realized that living here wasn’t going to magically change everything. Hard work is still necessary in order for them to succeed in America. Most good jobs aren’t accessible to people who aren’t properly educated. These lost boys are now putting forth huge efforts to gain some peace in their lives and start anew.


For information on the lost boys in America, go to:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/3602724.stm

Details

After analyzing the validity or invalidity of the stories Bernstein tells of the Lost Boys I began to think about how well I remember the details of "tragic" things that happened to me as a child. I thought back to when I was in fifth grade and got into a car accident. I don't remember much about the accident in particular. But I remember, very vividly, the paramedics handing me a huge white teddy bear. I could explain this part of the accident easily but I don't think I could explain the accident itself as well. I think this is evident in the novel as well. Throughout the different events, Bernstein includes minor details that seem to be irrelevant or unneeded. But I think that because Bernstein includes these details, the stories become more believable and more intimate. For example, on page 191 Bernstein includes Benson's minor obsession with smokers. Although this has no major effect on the stories, including it makes the story specific to Benson and the other Lost Boys. I think by allowing Benson to speak about the little details he so vividly remembers, Bernstein allows him to make the story his own and unique to Benson only. In addition, the titles of each section are something to pay attention to as well. Rather than naming the sections that which sum up the main idea, Bernstein makes the titles corresponding to the minor details each boy vividly remembers. For example, Benson's section from pages 262-269 is labeled "Everybody Except Cats and Chickens" but the main details of this section are about the hardships in Kakuma. The instance where "Everybody except cats and chickens" comes up, is but a minor detail amongst the main idea. But I think that because Benson specifically remembers this detail, Bernstein allows it to be the title of the section because it stuck out to Benson the most. Thus, making this section more intimate for Benson.

So, although we ridiculed Bernstein for her tampering with each story, I think it's also important to recognize the little things she did to personalize the stories for the boys. I found that by including minuscule details, I connected with the stories on a more intimate level.

Initiation Rites in Africa

Throughout the story, we see the people in the tribes going through initiation rites into manhood, the boys must be circumcised, everyone has their bottom teeth removed, Benson and Alepho's mother has a mark on her forehead that shows her bravery. Tattooing, scabbing, scarification, and ritualistic battles are all parts of initiation in different African tribes. It got me thinking of what initiation rites we go through in our nation, and I think that though they are very different amongst us all, we all have them none the less. Examples include First communion, Bar Mitzvah's, Sweet Sixteen parties, getting your driver's licence, and graduation days all seem to be ritualistic initiation rites that can compare to those of the boys in Africa.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TRADJSibhNg

Refugees

Throughout almost the entire story, Alepho, Benson, and Benjamin were refugees. Luckily with the assistance of outside, peace-keeping forces they were able to escape their former lives and flee to America. However, even today many people aren't so lucky.

Even though North and South Sudan are now separate, there is still a lot of violence going on. Just like Benson, many Sudanese are fleeing to Ethiopia. Just as the Lost Boys, there are promises of education and a better life, but those seem to be non-existent. Thousands of people had to evacuate their homes in order to just survive but the climate of Ethiopia described to us in the book is fighting against many of these people. Organizations such as the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) are doing their best, but not only do they have the vast quantity of people working against them, but also the 'leaders' controlling the refugees. Although the people in the article below were fortunate enough to be able to move to a safer location, many Sudanese are not so lucky.

http://www.unhcr.org/refworld/country,,,,SDN,456d621e2,4ea165e52,0.html

True Story or Not

We discussed a little bit in class on Friday how this book "They Poured Fire on Us From the Sky" seems to not be the complete truth. The author Judy A. Bernstein makes it sound like the boys just handed her their stories on sheets of paper and she just put them together and published them. We have realized that she fails to mentioned that it is obvious that she put her own details into the stories to make them more interesting. We compared this to "The Road of Lost Innocence" because Somaly seemed to tell more of all the truth and didn't try to make it more interesting she just told it like it was. The point I would like to get here however is how we have not rose a large amount of controversy about the fact that Bernstein obviously didn't just stick to the complete truth of these boys stories but when the world found out James Frey's book "A Million Little Pieces" was published controversy rose so quickly and even ended up on the Oprah show. My best guess that this occurred was because Bernstein's book was about these poor boys touching, heartfelt story from africa while Frey's story involves drug and drinking problems when really they are still doing the same thing.

The following website gives some information on "A Million Pieces" and how the controversy arouse.

http://www.oprah.com/showinfo/James-Frey-and-the-A-Million-Little-Pieces-Controversy

South Sudan today

After reading They Poured Fire on Us From the Sky I was really curious as to what was being done in Sudan today, and I was sure hoping some things has changed. In the epilogue Judy Bernstein talked about what the International Rescue Committee was doing. So I went to their website hoping to see what was occurring in Sudan. In January of this year South Sudan seceded from Sudan and became its own country. In 2005 a peace agreement was signed and that brought and end to one of Africa's longest wars. I was so glad to read this. Its hard to read about these horrible stories of these young boys walking for years and nearly starving to death, but I'm so glad something is now being done. Since South Sudan has become its own country they are completely rebuilding themselves, and the IRC is trying to help out in the efforts as much as possible. So there is light at the end of this dark dark tunnel!

I also saw that the IRC is helping so many other nations in the world who are going through some of the same struggles.

http://www.rescue.org/where/South_Sudan

Post Traumatic Stress

Judy Bernstein describes the boys much happier in their current life in America despite some confusion of the developed world; however, while Judy does not diminish the hardships the boys faced during their journey and time in the refugee camp, she does downplay any trouble they may have in America. Like the other characters we have read about in class. Its safe to assume that some of the boys have some form of post traumatic stress disorder from their uncoventional childhood experiences. America is not the final solution for these boys considering it is not a cure all for the stress they faced. I included a link about post traumatic stress symptoms and effects on children. The children in this article faced normal degrees of stress though, its safe to assume that despite how strong these boys are they must be dealing with a much larger ordeal of emotions.

http://www.apa.org/pi/families/resources/children-trauma-update.aspx

Lost Girls

The only group more heart wrenching than the lost boys in They Poured Fire on Us From the Sky is the lost girls of Sudan. Despite a much smaller number ,1,000 to 3,000 of girls out of the 20,000 children, these girls who followed a similar journey were left in the care of foster homes which provided even less support than the boys' homes. Judy Bernstein only devotes a paragraph of the book to the lost girls, but the internet has far more information about their struggle and how they were not offered the same psychological therapy the boys were.

http://prezi.com/ixrpmgxfka2b/present/?auth_key=5jyjgkd&follow=dnf6y5@mizzou.edu

Hardships faced

Death for people of any age is without a doubt a traumatic ordeal, but in They Poured Fire on us From the Sky these kids are just 5 through 7 years of age and must deal with it on there own. These kids are so mentally strong, that when someone does die they have the ability to move on and continue on their journey. Along with death, they must also deal with the fact that they are on this journey pretty much by themselves. The do have the soldiers guiding them and helping them a little along the way, but not with the same love or care that a parent would provide. It is unfathomable to me how these boys were able to keep their minds off there parents, off death, and really just keep their eyes on the prize to continue on their journey to freedom. As we discussed in class I doubt any of us would be able to do what these boys at the age we are now, let alone when we were 5 years old. Throughout there journey they also faced hunger and weather issues, making their journey even more impressive. Whether some of the dialogue in the book was fabricated is really irrelevant to the hardships and difficult circumstances these boys went through and endured.

Below is a link to a video that shows a very similar experience to the ones shared by Alepho, Benson and Benjamin
http://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/player/movies/god-grew-tired/from-sudan-ggtu.html

Kakuma Today

The story of "The Lost Boys" is to me, the most heart wrenching story we've read so far. Imagining these boys just trying to stay alive and being treated so horribly is almost physically painful to read. The section we were assigned for tomorrow has the boys wanting to live in Kakuma. A refugee camp in Kenya. They get tricked into living in Natinkga which is a camp that they eventually find out is for raising soldiers. They so badly want to continue onto Kakuma but are forced to live in Natinkga.

I didn't know what I wanted to write about really in this blog post so I googled different searches like "kenya lost boys" and eventually googled "kakuma". I came upon youtube videos that are very recent images of the Kakuma refugee camp. There were plenty of videos to find on prostitution in Kakuma. It seems prostitution is the most popular form of employment for women during war time in these countries. Here are two links to videos on Kakuma. The first one is an overview and the second one is about prostitution in the camp.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gWW4ov-zr9Q

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZGrQFgRzPE&NR=1

Children and Pathos

They Poured Fire on Us From the Sky seems so much more depressing and evil than the other novels we've read about similar unbelievably traumatic experiences. I believe this is because all of the horror, death, and torture is happening to children in kindergarten. It's impossible for me to believe that 20,000 plus little boys had to trek hundreds of miles through snake and lion infested lands and scorching deserts and only to get to more grief, all without knowing what's happened to their families. Many of these little boys are all on their own, starving and waiting alone to die.

In The Sorrow of War, many terrible images and memories overtook Kien's life, but even though that was tragic to read, this book is almost unbearable because these boys aren't even involved; they are completely and utterly innocent. They are receiving the effects of war and have no idea why. The African Proverb in the very front of the novel, "When two elephants fight, it is the ground that gets trampled," is the perfect summary of the entity of the novel. This is a war about religion and greed, which is the elephants. The little boys that are stripped from their happy lives and families are the grass, being trampled to death by the elephants.

As I said in class, my little brother is only eight. He needs help doing very menial tasks, and I don't even think he would be able to walk more than five miles at one time. It sickens me to read this book because I put my brother in Benson's place. I see him starving and struggling to survive without myself or the rest of my family. This book shows the true evil of the world by putting innocent, very small children through hell and back.

This link is full of quotes from the Incredibles, but there is one that struck me the most that Mrs. Incredible says while they are in the cave. She says, "Remember the bad guys on the shows you used to watch on Saturday mornings? Well, these guys aren't like those guys. They won't exercise restraint because you are children. They *will* kill you if they get the chance. Do *not* give them that chance."

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0317705/quotesThis quotes emphasizes how it doesn't matter if you are a child in Sudan at this time. If you are a Dinka, you deserve to die. The same as in the Rwandan Genocide, the Holocaust, and many other catastrophes.

Starvation

As if walking thousands of miles wouldn’t be hard enough, imagine trying to do it with minimal to no food or water. That is exactly what Benson, Alepho, and Benjamin had to do during their years traveling across Africa during the war just two decades ago. These boys were still so young I cannot imagine how they survived. In their memoir, They Poured Fire on us From the Sky, they describe instances of starvation. While the boys were moving between Juol, Yirol, Natinga, Palataka, and many other places, they had to survive with almost no water or food. It is not surprise that many boys developed serious side effects to starvation.

According to the article The Side Effects of Starvation by Julie Boehlke on www.livestrong.com, weight loss, dehydration, electrolyte imbalance, muscle atrophy, and hypotension are several major side effects. Weight loss and dehydration are two of the most obvious ones in They Poured Fire on us From the Sky. Although not explicitly described, electrolyte imbalance and hypotension are two other side effects portrayed in the book. Low blood sugar levels and low blood pressure characterize these side effects that ultimately lead to the death of many boys and young men during their treks through Africa. Muscle atrophy is another side effect that led to many deaths. Intense weakness and paralysis cause muscles to not function properly. This is seen in the story when boys lay down underneath trees for shade and are never able to get back up, leading to their death.

It’s impossible to understand how Benson, Alepho, and Benjamin survived. They each experienced starvation but were fortunate enough to survive, unlike many of their friends and family.

http://www.livestrong.com/article/35040-side-effects-starvation/

Road of Lost Innocence

I found an interesting PBS interview online with Somaly Mam, author of the book, "The Road of Lost Innocence." The interview took place about a year after the book was written, although the book isn't mentioned anywhere in the newscast. This seems strange; wouldn't a newscast on such a well-known station as PBS be an opportunity to advertise the book to increase royalty earnings and get more money for the shelter?

Something I found intriguing about the interview was the way Somaly described her relationship to men. She claims that she doesn't hate men, but after getting married she realized she could never love a man. Something else she mentions in the interview but not the book is that she teaches her girls to forgive the men who caused their trauma. "Forgive them," she says. "It's not for them, but for yourself." This struck me as a very different image of Somaly than what I had gotten from the book; in the book she seems extremely angry and bitter about what has happened to her, and even while writing the book, particularly horrible memories still make her want to vomit. I also didn't get the idea that Somaly had forgiven the men who had done those terrible things to her. The fact that she now teaches her young girls to forgive their perpetrators does not make her a hypocrite, but it does somewhat downplay how deeply Somaly has been affected by her life's experiences. I think this shows that despite how much Somaly resents Cambodian culture, it has in some ways allowed her to keep up her work. Instead of focusing on how bad her life has been and retreating in self-pity, she sees herself as only one of many, many victims and focuses instead on how to help whoever she possibly can to the best of her ability.

Another thing I noticed was that in the interview, the media somewhat randomly mentions Buddhism, a religion that "the vast majority of citizens embrace." I don't remember reading anything about Buddhism or karma in Somaly's book; I got the feeling that families sold children into prostitution because of economic reasons, not because of anything to do with a person's "past life." Why was this included in the news report? Was karma mentioned because it "fit," or is this actually a significant cultural phenomenon that contributes to the problem? It's hard to say.

One more thing- I thought about when Somaly said that human rights organizations are bad because all they do is talk. What were her intentions when she wrote, "Lost Innocence"? It is clearly written for a Western audience, the very group she is frustrated with because they don't take action often enough. Yet her goals with the book seem a bit open-ended and vague; the book doesn't seem to be a rallying cry to oppress the people who are exploiting thousands of young girls. She does say (in the interview) that organized crime is extremely organized, whereas those who fight it are often scattered and inactive; however, she offers no potential solution for this problem for the people who read the book or watch the interview. She almost seems to be saying, "I'm doing my part. Now it's your turn to step up."

Interview link: http://www.pbs.org/wnet/religionandethics/episodes/february-12-2010/rescuing-child-sex-workers/5684/

Not Ready For Economy

In "The Road to Lost Innocence" Somaly talks about how in the forrest where she lived before she was sold into slavery, they had no money. They only had goods that they shared. She says when someone needed cabbage and didn't have any, that they would go to their neighbors and simply ask for it. She makes it seem like the forrest did not have any money or corruption, yet she was sold from that same forrest. Also, she does say that the adults would make trips into the city. We had talked in other classes about how some countries that are used to being in a state of war, aren't ready for democracy when it is first introduced to them, or maybe just unsure how to use it. While reading "Road to Lost Innocence" it almost seemed like the small villages and forrest villages were not ready for capitalism or having an economy in general. Maybe that is why they went so quickly to such awful things like selling people because their currency isn't what it should be and they don't know how to use money effectively.

http://www.humantrafficking.org/countries/cambodia

This site has interesting facts about prostitution in Cambodia but also, specifically for my topic, the "Causes" section is interesting because it says some of the main reasons are an imbalance between urban and rural economies, also poverty and socio-economic factors play a huge roll in the growing problem of prostitution.

UNHCR

The UNHCR was a group of people that wanted to try and help the many poor refugees such as the "lost boys". These three boys lives began to consist of only trying to survive. They had to move from town to town trying to find a safe place but being disrupted by the war. They faced things such as starvation, disease, and the attack of animals. The UNHCR came to help the group of people Benson was stationed with. People arrived walked around and the women in the group even cried not even being able to believe what was seen before their eyes. Its hard for people like us who are so blessed to have all we do to even began to think what others are going through in other parts of the world while we sit in our nice furnished homes, with clothing, food and anything we want. The following website shows exactly what the UHCR does and how it has helped refugees already and what they are trying to do to continue this process and how we can help as people today.

http://www.unhcr.org/cgi-bin/texis/vtx/home

Tribal Markings

In They Poured Fire on Us From the Sky, Benson has to go through a horrible event in Dinka culture. As part of this tribe's culture the people had to have their lower six teeth removed. They didn't necessarily have to but the girls who didn't have them removed weren't allowed to marry a man with a lot of cattle. And the boys who didn't have them removed were unattractive to the girls. They would say, "You aren't a man. You haven't endured the pain of manhood," (pg. 42). This was a main part of the Dinka culture and Benson was required to go through this painful process. He describes it in great detail and it is very disturbing. They pull out the children's teeth at a very young age, usually between six and twelve, because it is said to be easier and less painful.

The Dinka performed the removal of their teeth not only for their own benefit, but also to distinguish themselves from the other tribes, who would bear different marks and scars on their body (pg. 42). I found this very interesting so I found a website talking about the different scars that the tribes in Ghana had. They weren't only for differentiation but some were for beauty and others for medical purposes. These seem like very painful processes but are a very important part of African culture.

http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Ghana/Northern/Tamale/blog-243868.html

Children's Responsibilities

Though the adult's in "They Poured Fire on us From the Sky" seem to be much kinder towards children than the adults in "The Road of Lost Innocence", being a child in the village of Juol seems very difficult. The boys in the story are very young, seemingly ages 4 to 6, and yet they are caring for livestock out in a dangerous environment filled with lions, hyenas, and large snakes. They are also expected to be very mature and respectful. At age 6, they have their teeth removed, and sometime during early childhood they are circumcised. Though treated with love and compassion, they are also taught responsibility, respect, and discipline at a very young age.

Compare this with our society where often times children are expected to do very little and are excused for bad behavior because of their age. According to leading psychologists, the previous of the two methods of child care is better for the child's growth. Children can be taught to help out around the house, clean up and look after themselves, and be polite and respectful by age four. When given the opportunity, children prefer this and it helps them to grow into independent and healthy members of society.

I'm not saying that children should have their teeth knocked out or tend to goats in the jungle, but they can certainly be held to higher expectations than many Americans hold them to.

http://www.theparentlink.ca/articles/?s=100&a=174

Different Than the Rest

The Road to Lost Innocence is different than most of the books we have read for many reasons. In other blog posts, people have pointed out that it is non-fiction and that it's from a woman's point of view. However, I think the most important difference than the other works in the course so far is the quality and quantity of violence in the book that isn't in the context of war. Granted war was a huge factor that led to environment that exists in the book but the violence isn't in combat or battle. Paul had to kill someone but that was in a desperate attempt to stay alive. Kien cleans up bodies and other grotesque miscellaneous body parts but that was from a war zone. Somaly, however, is a civilian that is repeatedly beaten and raped in peacetime.

The life of a prostitute is a life of pain and suffering and the book exposes this in the same fashion that prior books in the course exposes the lives of soldiers. They have certain things in common. Both resort to addiction and abuse, suffer physical, mental, and emotional damage and are misunderstood by a portion of society. They are also both the oldest jobs in history. However, the soldier seems to be more inclined to have a sense of duty while the prostitute is held against her will by either abductors and pimps or by her own economic limitations. This is the main difference that sets this book apart.

The following link shows research and statistics that show the problems prostitutes face. http://www.uri.edu/artsci/wms/hughes/mhvhealt.htm

Women Awareness

Before reading "The Road of Lost Innocence", I was unaware of any of the prostitution activity happening around the world especially in Cambodia. Most of the western countries ignore foreign problems such as prostitution. This autobiography has so many unbelievable tragedies that it is hard to believe that is a true story. I learned a little more on the internet and found out that there are about 10,000 to 20,000 women who are prostitutes in Cambodia. An amazing fact is that 35% of them are under the age of eighteen. Also about 87% of men in Cambodia are consumers of prostitution.

Mam's autobiography has a different view of what the other novels in the class have had. This is the first time us readers are able to look into the eyes of women. In the other novels we see what value women have to men. Somaly Mam let's the reader see what it is like to be a woman who is manipulated by man. Also unlike the other novels, this novel shows the main character triumphing from oppression. In the other novels the characters go through war and some of the worst conditions of mankind but are not able to recondition after war. Even though Somaly was traumatized, she is the only character out of all the novels who has not dwelled on her past. She made something out of her hard past and helped others who are just like her and also built awareness around the world.

http://www.uri.edu/artsci/wms/hughes/cambodia.htm

Selfish Monetary Value

I have noticed that a reoccurring theme throughout The Road of Lost Innocence, is the importance of monetary value and selfishness in it. Since Cambodia is in such economic despair being poor and lacking money to buy essential living accommodations is very common. People end up resorting to human sex trafficking as an income of money. This business that was created ruins the lives of many little girls in Cambodia and Thailand, and for what? Parents end up selling their daughters to the brothels just to keep themselves alive. This form of selfishness is what corrupts any nation. An example of this selfishness displayed follows, "A while back, I met a mother who would go to a brothel to get the money her ten-year-old daughter earned for her. [...] she retorted, 'She's my daughter. I carried her for nine months; I suffer to give birth to her.' [...] Another time we were talking to a man who had raped his own daughter. 'Her mother is beautiful and she attracts all the cooks in the village. So to hurt her, I raped her daughter, who's pretty too'" (167-68, Mam). This moral fiber that influences the men, and women of Cambodia, is the corruption. In this book, a lot of personnels that are supposed to be a method of help and comfort are corrupt. Government officers, religious figures, parents and officers tend to be the most common clients to each brothel. The corruption destroys any faith in Cambodian women and children. The only person in this book that isn't selfish, in any way, is Somaly. She gives away money that was given to her to her parents and friends, and isn't worried about herself. Somaly endangers her life for the safety and future of these little girls. She collect charity money and donations just for the sake of others. The problem of human trafficking isn't only present in Cambodia, it is present in every country. Here is some knowledge about statistics over Cambodia's human trafficking problem.

http://www.catwinternational.org/factbook/Cambodia.php

Why Prostitutes do not Leave

It's easy to be someone on the outside of a situation to tell someone what to do but it is so much more difficult to do it. While reading the book, I'm thinking, 'Leave! Don't go back! You are already gone! All you need to do is to build another life.' Then I remembered that Somaly is only a teenager who has little skill and little knowledge and she repeatedly goes back to the horrible people she was with because she has nowhere else to go. She tried to go, but her trust in the people of the outside world disappeared when she found they were like all the other abusive people she knew except they did not care for her because she did not cost them money.

All Somaly needed was a little boost. Dietrich and then Pierre were her boosts that showed her how to get a better, more respected life. From her experience, Somaly helps these girls how she was helped: with money, care, and encouragement. I really like that she tells the girls that there is a fulfilling life outside the brothel. If you think about it, these girls are terrified to leave because they think they will be tracked down and killed, they are sick and tired so they cannot leave, and they are so young that they have not lived much of a life besides the brothels. Also, making the prostitutes addicted to drugs is a common way to make them stay. They drugs not only make them weak and less resistant, it also makes them want to stay to get their drugs.

Story (interesting enough to share): I watched a video in my Contemporary Issues class of a girl who went out with this hot guy from her new high school. He raped her and then threatened to show her catholic family the video of the rape. Then he made her come out every night to be raped and sodomized until dawn. They later threatened that if she did not come, they would kill her family. One night she left the place where she was raped and went to a diner where a woman asked her if she needed help. The girl said that she did and they went to the police. Unfortunately, when her family found out, they practically disowned her. Then, she did not go to the place one night and they killed her dog.

I thought this was a good example of a girl having a tough time getting out of her situation. I wish I could find the video.

Website: (For those of you interested, this is a simple website. This link is related more to my blog but the other parts of the website are also relevant)

http://stoppinghumantrafficking.weebly.com/effect-on-women.html

Cambodia compared to America

Before reading The Road of Lost Innocence I truly didn't know much about sex trafficking or even prostitution for that matter. All that I really knew was that it was a horrible thing and I never thought sex trafficking was such a big deal in America. Whenever a subject like this was brought up it was usually always talking about it occurring in a different country. So I was doing some research about what is going on here in America and found some interesting things.

In many ways the same things are occurring in both countries. The average age of girls going into sex slavery is between 12 and 14. Many of the girls in the U.S. meet a guy who then convinces them that life with him would be much better than their life now. This is where the sex trafficking begins, unlike in The Road of Lost Innocence where they are enslaved because they must pay off a debt. In both Cambodia and America, there are manipulative men who find these girls and do horrible things to them that will change their life forever. The lasting effects these situations have on the girls, are incomprehensible, and the girls will never feel the same or even trust anyone again.

I found this article interesting. Its by a woman who went through this as well, and she hits on a lot of the topics we talked about while reading The Road of Lost Innocence, for example addressing why they just didn't escape.

http://www.womensfundingnetwork.org/resource/past-articles/enslaved-in-america-sex-trafficking-in-the-united-states

Children's Loss of Innocence

Somaly shows us how trafficking effects the lives of the young girls in the story. It is interesting to note how these children, even at such a young age, compartmentalize their lives and learn to forget the terrible things that have happened to them. Sry Mach on page 149 was one example of such a thing where the psychologist told Somaly not to ask her any questions about what had happened. At the age of 6 these girls lives are being destroyed so that someone else can make a little bit of money. Trafficking ruins the hopes and dreams of these young girls and wipes out most of their emotional, mental, and physical health. Many of them are afraid to talk to men, as we see with Tom Dy when Claude is trying to interview her. Many others are terrified of their families and do not want to ever see them again. Their physical health is obviously destroyed through STD's and many of them die because of these illnesses. This horrible problem needs to be stopped and, STOP TRAFFICKING, the organization is having a fundraiser Thursday, October 20 from 4-11 at Yogoluv. Stop by and proceeds will go to help this great organization.

http://sctnow.org/

Effects of Trafficking

In The Road of Lost Innocence, Somaly Mam exhibits many traits that are common among women who have endured sex trafficking. According to Soroptomist, an international women’s organization, there are mental, emotional, and physical effects of trafficking. These effects include fear, shame, distrust, insomnia, and much more. All of these can be seen in Mam’s personal story. Even years after she escaped the brothels, Mam still struggles to trust people, especially men. If I were Mam, I would feel the same way too. At one point Mam says, “I felt I could never really trust Pierre again. Barang or not, all men are alike,” (89). Regardless of how men treat her, Mam will never be able to get past her time in the brothel, nor would I in her situation. Trust is a very difficult thing to fix. Fear is another traits Mam exhibits while traveling with Pierre. Mam is exposed to many new things when she goes to France. Airplanes, escalators, vacuum cleaners, and French food are a few things that are a myster to Mam. She is very hesitant to experience these new things, although to most people they are quite common. It is as if being a prostitute has forever prohibited Mam from being able to keep an open mind about life. As Mam was growing up, she feared for her life and struggled to live from day to day. Now that Mam has grown into a woman, she still cannot accept new experiences and is always skeptical of ulterior motives. For example, she fears the vacuum cleaner might suck up her leg. A third trait Mam possesses is shame. She does not think of herself as beautiful because she was told from a very young age that she wasn’t. This would be very difficult for any girl. Constant negative reinforcement can have lasting, if not permanent, effects on girls as they grow and develop. Enduring sex trafficking is a horrible experience that most people can never understand; yet it has a lasting impact on those who have survived, like Somaly Mam.

http://www.soroptimist.org/trafficking/faq.html#6

Education

Although it's not a major theme of the novel, Somaly Mam proves the importance of education to be able to be independent and break out of the chains of slavery. Somaly's ignorance is evident in numerous parts of the story and it continues to hold her back from her true potential because she has no capability of knowing what she can do without being educated about the world around her. One part that I found small but had a huge impact on me was when she was at the hotel with Dietrich and didn't know what a shower, toilet, sink, etc... was. To be that uneducated and cut off from the world in the 80s and 90s is thoroughly unbelievable. Another example was when Somaly talked about the lack of sexual education of her and the girls from her town. They believed, because adults told them, that if a boy held your hand or merely touched you, you would become pregnant. The ignorance of these people holds them back from the world because their small, small world is all they know. They only know what is told to them.

Once Somaly began schooling with the Alliance with the help of Pierre, quite immediately her whole life changes. In France, she gets jobs that pay good money for her to keep for the first time. She begins to learn French and, because of that language barrier being broken, she is able to wait tables and earn money. Whenever she learns, she excels and distances herself farther and farther away from the prisoner of ignorance she once was. When she returns to her village where her town once saw her as a savage, her education and marriage to Pierre transform her into a powerful, respected woman instead of a dark-skinned nobody. Education is the key to open up the eyes of people to the world they know nothing about.

This link gives information about Cambodia's education system, or lack-thereof due to the Khmer rouge abolishment of education. Although they have somewhat of an education system again, it's a very poor one that needs improvement.

http://www.culturalprofiles.net/cambodia/Directories/Cambodia_Cultural_Profile/-36.html

Saving the lives of thousands

Back in 2009 Somaly Mam was nominated as one of the 100 most influential people in the world. This path of heroism, as been long and dangerous, but rewarding for many. As Ayaan Hirsi Ali states in the Introduction to The Road of Lost Innocence, "Somaly Mam's story is an account of the lowest kind of human depravity, but it is also a testimony to resistance, and to hope. [...] She is living proof that one woman can change the fate of others" (xv). She endured a lot of horrendous events as a teenager, but has kept her head high throughout these events and has prevailed in our current world. I believe if she had never left Cambodia to live with Pierre, in France, she would not be where she is right now. Pierre supported her throughout her goals when they returned to Cambodia. His employers were educated about the surroundings many young girls where living in, ones that were almost identical to what Somaly had experienced. Her path of inspiration and knowledge continues to impact the lives of many as she runs her own non-for-profit organization to educate and save many from human trafficking.

http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,1894410_1894289_1894268,00.html

I believe that it is stories, like Somaly Mam's that inspire many to reach out and make a difference. Non-for-profit organizations such as Somaly's give a second chance to many, they range from animals to human in all kinds of unethical surroundings. They also give the chance for inspired listeners to make a difference in this world of ours.

http://www.facebook.com/somalymamfoundation

Human Trafficking

After reading beginning The Road of Lost Innocence a very disturbing thing is happening in Cambodia. The people mostly women and young girls are being put through a system of human trafficking. Somaly Mam is sold multiple times, raped, tricked, and beaten all within this process and she has come to find that this is simply her way of life. I wanted to know the cause of why this was happening in Cambodia and the following article does a good job of describing reasons for why this takes place. A brief description of why it takes place is due to including poverty, socio-economic imbalance between rural and urban areas, increased tourism, and lack of unemployment, education, and safe migration. Women would even be used as a way to repay debts that their husbands had built up. Human trafficking is a terrible thing and Somaly even says in her book it causes her to feel ill just thinking about it.

http://www.humantrafficking.org/countries/cambodia

Sex Trafficking

I personally didn't know much about human trafficking and much less sex trafficking before I read either "Fattening for Gabon" or "The Road of Lost Innocence." After reading these I have become very interested on how it all takes place and why it was such a popular thing to do. Especially after reading the first part of "The Road of Lost Innocence" I was completely shocked at how everything happens and what horrible situations the author, Somaly Mam, is put through. It makes it so much horrible knowing that this is a true story and that this has happened and is continuing to happen to girls today. It really hit me after reading this sentence in the story, "Imagine how many girls have been raped and hit since you started to read this book," (60). I was extremely interested in learning more about this sex trafficking and the different things that happen to the girls, and even what is done today in order to protect girls from having to go through this torture.

In Cambodia it seems like there is still a huge problem with prostitution. There have been a few laws laid out but like the article I found says, many government officials are involved in prostitution and brothels so not much is being done. This is causing an increase in diseases and many other problems within the country.

http://www.uri.edu/artsci/wms/hughes/cambodia.htm

Hierarchy

In The Road to Lost Innocence, the issue of rank of class plays a significant part. Somaly says at one point, "People seem to think to think it was normal that i should be beaten, since I was this small black savage, the lowest person in the village." (15). In Cambodia, the main religion is Theravada Buddhism. It is from Buddhism, similar to Hinduism that the Caste System arises. Although religion plays a seemingly minor role in the autobiography, its affects on society are important. Because Somaly is poor, dark, thin, and an orphan, her rank is probably the lowest one could get, thus making her an easy target to be taken advantage of which is why she is taken, enslaved, beaten, sold, raped, sold again to be continued to be raped and beaten. Not only the source of her problems, but the hierarchy in Cambodia makes her feel like "[m]y body was nothing, of no value" (62). Also, in a sense, it made her feel helpless. Especially whenever her grandfather takes her, since he is her elder and he 'took her in', she feels as if she owes him, even though he beats her and sells her. Thus far in the story, she wants to get away, and tries several times but because of her misfortune and her class, she is stuck at the brothel with seemingly no way out.

http://www.kwintessential.co.uk/resources/global-etiquette/cambodia.html

No Place in the World

First off, I would like to say that this story is truly moving and gives depth in the experiences and horrors that may be faced under the circumstances of what Mam Somaly has went through. I have developed many emotions of anger, sadness, and utter disgust while reading and have yet gotten halfway through the book. I agree that she has definitely been through a lot.

Somaly Mam had surpassed many turmoils so far in the story. I wouldn't say that her journey was full of positive impacts, but at least she is still alive at this point. Since the beginning, she has never really had a place to call home. What she thought was her home and family as a young child, soon abandoned her without notice and left her to fend for herself. Trying to stabilize her well being on her own was not really fulfilling, especially during rainy nights, which led her to befriend people for kind support. She mentioned in the story, "I lived like a little savage. I slept here or there, and ate where I could. I was at home everywhere and nowhere" (pg.4) But being transported from place to place like she endured, i'm sure she didn't feel like everywhere truly felt like home later after being sold back and forth as a prostitute.

During times like this, people would begin to lose hope and give up on struggles to survive. They have nothing and the pain and suffering they have endured will cause them to no longer see themselves as anything. They don't have stability within relationships with people. No trust. No place in the world. Situations like these make it difficult for people to have what we call a normal life.

http://abcnews.go.com/Primetime/story?id=1596778&page=2

Suspense

The other day in class, we talked about how the author used suspense in the story "Fattening for Gabon". We were discussing how the first line gives the story away and "kills" the suspense. Yet, as I was reading I found this story to be the most gripping we've read so far and definitely the story I needed to keep reading. Even in Sorrow of War, when the story was incredibly mysterious and left many questions unanswered throughout, I was still more focused on Kien's internal struggle whereas in Fattening for Gabon, I wanted to know what was going to happen next in the story. I think this related to another topic we discussed, which was the narrator not putting any reflective element on the story. There was one line however, towards the end, where the narrator says "If I only I had known what was to come". It's really the first indication of the him reflecting at all.

In the beginning when the narrator gives away the ending, it's almost like a prologue. I found this website that talks about the use of a prologue. It refers to Romeo and Juliet which is interesting because both give away the great tragedy of the story.

http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-a-prologue.htm

How He Told It

At the start of reading Fattening for Gabon, I was a bit confused by what the reading’s purpose was all about. I didn’t realize until the middle of the story was when I noticed that there were a lot of important things that were happening behind the scenes. At the beginning of the story, for example, I dismissed the part when he mentioned it was more difficult trying to sell your child or nephew than other children because after the paragraph the author simply went on to tell the story. The authors’ way of secreting the authenticity of events that was taking place in the story reflected the same feelings of what the characters experienced throughout. He tells his story as if the audience are their own character- as if we are also to memorize such names and relations besides discovering the truths to the lies that which they are telling. In addition to this being a definite sign of manipulation and persuasion, I personally gave in to some of the tactics used to induce the young children as well, for instance, believing that the "Mrs." was there to lead Kotchipka and Yewa towards a healthier life.

As convincing as this story was that things were going to take a turn for the better, you sense the similarities that are a result of people or children that have fallen straight into the life of human trafficking and slave trade. The authors’ way of revealing the children’s fate is extremely related to how unknowingly we engage or are forced into certain situations that may change our way of life forever.

Here is a link to a description and trailer of a movie that I have seen that reflects how convinced people can get entangled into the life of slave trade..

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0936501/