Marxism

Marx was a philosopher who described the true nature of capitalism, which he recognised as a class based society. The ruling class, the bourgeoisie, exploit the labor power of the working class, the proletariat, in order to make profit. Without workers there is no profit...just raw materials waiting to be shaped and modelled into saleable commodities. Marx created what is known as the socialist theory that the government should control the economy.

http://www.nolanchart.com/article4246-socialism-and-capitalism.html

Picture Says 1000 words

Through this documentary, we have seen the power of pictures and how they can say so much about one moment in the fabric of time. The pictures that were taken at Abu Ghraib say many things, some of them were true, and some of them were not. The famous scarecrow picture seems as though he has electrical cables attached to him. However, we find out through explanation that these were not even plugged in and were merely used to scare the prisoner. Some of the photos do say exactly what they seem to say: the prisoners were being sexually harassed and abused to obtain information that many of them didn't have. It is a lesson to all of us to be careful of what we are taking pictures of and to be careful of how people may perceive what is happening. A picture can say a lot of things, the truth isn't always one of them.

http://www.medialit.org/reading-room/power-images-creating-myths-our-time

Forgiveness in Death and the Maiden

Forgiveness is a huge theme in Death and the Maiden, Gerardo is perhaps the most forgiving of them all, and manages to forgive Roberto, for the things that he may or may not have done to Paulina, but more importantly he forgives Paulina, for shooting Roberto, for her mental lapse and holding both men captive. Paulina doesn't seem capable of forgiveness, as she says to Gerardo that she will let Roberto go if he confesses, but after this she is still not satisfied. She wants revenge, not forgiveness. If a message can be found in this play, it would be that forgiveness is not something to dole out too readily like Gerardo, but should be something we are capable of unlike Paulina.

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/forgiveness/MH00131

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

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

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

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/

Respect for the Dead

Death and dying are important themes in "The Sorrow of War". In Vietnamese culture, ancestral respect is an important part of life. Respect for the dead, for parents, and for authority are all extremely important to the Vietnamese people. In the novel, we see Kien losing these highly important cultural values. He shows little respect for his father in life and in death. He only lightly respects the dead that we see throughout the novel, and most of them are not properly cared for or buried, either because of apathy on the soldiers' part, or the inability to bury them due to the manner in which they died (i.e. explosion, fire, etc.) Remembering the dead is also very important to them, and when some of the soldiers speak of Crazy Tung, Kien doesn't even remember him, though they worked together for a long time. I think Kien doesn't have great respect for the dead because he often times seems to envy them. He often wishes he were dead, or places himself intentionally in the midst of danger because he no longer respects his own life, let alone the life or death of those around him.

http://www.123helpme.com/view.asp?id=6925

Genocide in Rwanda

The Rwandan Genocide lasted only 100 days, but an estimated 800,000 people were killed during that short amount of time. The Hutu had grown tired of Tutsi rule and overthrew them from power. The Hutu then decided that to exterminate the Tutsi people all together was the best thing to do for society. Identity then plays an important role for people like the pygmy, who are glad to say that they want nothing to do with the Civil War in Rwanda. It leads people to believe that not only they but their race is inferior and effects the mindset and attitudes of generations to come. The following video shows pictures of the terrors of war and genocide that occurred in Rwanda. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PC6LAUu33DI