Ode to My Laptop

Ode to my Laptop

A glossy square of metal

Containing an ocean of information

So large

And so diverse

I could spend a lifetime engulfed in its depths.

One tap of a button,

And I am immersed into another world,

With characters and language

Unlike any I have ever seen.

Your ever changing screen can provide

endless enjoyable hours of entertainment

At will.

Your soothing hum

Like that of a content cat

Warms both my lap,

And my heart.

Oh Laptop,

You are a faithful companion,

A knowledgeable seer,

And an unbeatable bard.

But above all,

You are a chance for me to escape the real world

And fall into
a sea of satisfaction.

South Africa: The Stay at Home Parents of the World

South Africa: The Stay at Home Parents of the World

In America, unemployment has long been regarded as a serious and pressing issue, even though only 4.7% of all Americans are unemployed (United). In South Africa, nearly 30% of all citizens are unemployed, and the percentage is still increasing (FIN24).  Although many attempts have been made to repair this problem, the unemployment rate in South Africa is only going up.

Many factors lead to the prevalence of unemployment in South Africa. Two of the main catalysts are the high rates of unemployment among young people and the lack of diversity in the job market. These factors, combined with the rampant poverty that many citizens are already living in, affect around 8.9 million people, which is nearly a quarter of the South African population (Holodny).

First of all, for the youth of South Africa, the struggle of finding work continues to intensify as the rate of unemployment rises. Of the population of people from ages 15 to 34, 45% are unemployed (Sowetan).One of the leading causes of this issue is the job market’s general distrust of young people (Cameron). Many companies are unwilling to hire South African youth and raise numerous requirements to prevent the youth from applying (Sowetan). Furthermore, the majority of young South Africans are being born into impoverished rural areas. This economic and geographic position hinders their ability to get access to information and the internet more readily found in the cities (Sowetan). Without internet, many people have limited choices, because they cannot look online for jobs or knowledge to help them (Cameron). This cycle of poverty and unemployment will only grow worse as the children of this generation are born into poverty as well (Cameron).

Another significant issue is the specialization of South Africa’s job market. South Africa does not offer many jobs that involve manual labor, and instead the market prefers higher paying and more advanced jobs. This excludes a large majority of the population because the education system in many parts of the country does not provide a meaningful degree for people looking for jobs (Solution). Additionally, the government does not permit private companies to employ people for temporary and low wage jobs. This continues to limit the job opportunities of many people, according to numerous experts (Cameron).

Many experts on this issue have provided a short term, as well as a long term solution. Laurie Graham, a Senior Researcher at the Social Development Center for Africa, explains that the most effective short term solution would be to have companies focus on hiring younger people (Cameron). Also, lowering wages and allowing private companies to hire people for short amounts of time would give much more people the opportunity to find a job (Sowetan). Over time, Laurie Graham believes that by following a “fundamentally new approach that is urban-led, private sector-driven, enabled by a capable state, and aimed at mass employment”, South Africa can reduce unemployment drastically.

Although the issue of unemployment is currently very serious in South Africa, there are many solutions being offered to fix it. Many experts advocate that South Africa must become realistic in its industry opportunities, and work to provide lower paying jobs for the majority of its citizens (Solution). Without change, the problem of unemployment will continue to grow.

Works Cited

Bernstein, Ann. "South Africa's Unemployment Crisis the Worst in the World." Sowetan LIVE. N.p., 13 Apr. 2016. Web. 06 Mar. 2017.

Cameron, Jackie. "Scary Truth about SA Unemployment: Half of Young Adults Can't Find Jobs - New Research." BizNews.com. N.p., 14 Feb. 2017. Web. 08 Mar. 2017.

"Double Trouble for SA over Soaring Unemployment." Fin24. Fin24, 11 May 2016. Web. 06 Mar. 2017.

Graham, Lauren. "What South Africa Can Do about Youth Unemployment in the Short Run."Sowetan Live. N.p., 17 Feb. 2017. Web. 7 Mar. 2017.

Holodny, Elena. "South Africa's Unemployment Rate Just Surged to a 12-year High."Business Insider Australia. N.p., 09 May 2016. Web. 10 Mar. 2017.

"The Solution to South Africa’s Unemployment Problem: Pay People Less." BusinessTech. N.p., 29 Sept. 2016. Web. 10 Mar. 2017.

"United States Unemployment Rate | 1948-2017 | Data | Chart | Calendar." United States Unemployment Rate | 1948-2017 | Data | Chart | Calendar. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Mar. 2017.

Restrained Wisdom

Thesis Statement: Sijie uses the symbols of “jade dumplings” and the “suitcase” to illustrate how there was almost no intellectual liberty in the time of the Cultural Revolution, downgrading intellectuals to peasants, who in contrast, lived a very simple lifestyle completely unaffected by the Revolution. The peasants lived in a life of poverty, which is exemplified by the miller’s love of jade dumplings, or rocks in saltwater. The burgoise class had their intellectual liberty seriously restricted by the Cultural Revolution and most of the bergoise class was desperate to maintain their intellectual liberty, which is evident in the boys’ desperation to hide and obtain the suitcase and its contents.

Pg 72 - Jade dumplings

“He took his chopsticks, picked up a pebble from the dish and slowly dipped it in the sauce as if perfoming a ritual. Then he raised the pebble to his lips and sucked it with relish” (72).  

“‘Pebbles!... He dips them in salty water, puts them in his mouth, rolls them around and spits them out again. He says the dish is called ‘jade dumplings with miller sauce’” (64).

This represents how intellectual liberty, or lack therof, can be interpreted differently based on one’s social class. This showed how simple the Old Miller’s lifestyle was. He thinks it is a speciality to offer his infamous “jade dumplings” to guests. He is virtually unaffected by the Cultural Revolution. The lives of those living in the cities is very different from the peasants in the village. Luo and the narrator are disgusted at the fact of sucking a “pebble” which was “dipped in the sauce”.  However, the boys realize that they have to respect the Old Miller’s ways, thus joining him in his special meal. Their reactions were quick and well thought out, being polite to the Old Miller’s offer of jade dumplings, showing how they were growing up. Also, they are shown the real world outside of the cities.  They are shockingly shown the poverty that most peasants live in, and realize just how different the two worlds are.

Pg 49 - suitcase

“‘I expect they’re books,’ he said. ‘The way you keep your suitcase locked up and hidden away is enough to betray your secret: you’ve got a stash of forbidden books’”(49).

“Inside, piles of books shone in the light of our torch: a company of great Western writers welcomed us with open arms” (99).

This quote showed how there was limited intellectual liberty. Four Eyes was acting as a symbol of the cultural revolution, changing authentic mountain songs to become pro-revolutionary poems and hiding “forbidden books” in a suitcase. The government burned books that contradicted Mao’s beliefs. Books are a great collection of perspectives and information. By confiscating them, people are not open to new ideas and become close-minded. Without any books to read, excluding the ones Mao wrote himself, people have no freedom of expression and are made to obey Mao’s ways, whether they agree with them or not. The fact that Four Eyes was keeping banned books in his suitcase illustrates how intellectual liberty was “locked up” during the Cultural Revolution and educated people tried to sneak bourgeois items, representing their knowledge, into their relocated settlement.