Riki

The distance between us

joint by an Arial plane

If only I could

see you say the words in that Facebook chat window

If only I could

pull you through the screen of our Skype call

If only I could

spend one more day with you

Where the Pacific would part

To make way for our bond

Where we would laugh into the afternoon

Sweating our worries away in the summer sun

Feeling as light as helium balloons

Up and down just like our lungs

I miss the old days

And I don’t know if they’ll ever come back

But I’m waiting

Over distanced texts

Over laggy video chats

I’ll be waiting

my friend

Waiting for another day

A day much brighter

than today

In n Out

This picture represents several key aspects of the dynamic relationship between Amir, Hassan, and Baba. Hassan and Amir are half brothers, but Hassan was illegitimate because he was a Hazara. Amir was the only socially acceptable son. The three classrooms collectively represent all three of them Amir on the left, Baba in the middle and Hassan on the right. Amir is closest to us in the picture because he is the socially acceptable son and the face of Baba's posterity. Amir and Baba's doors are closer because they appear to be closer to the rest of society. But on the inside, they are actually quite distant which is represented through the separation of the classroom. Hassan's bravery and strong character in the face of adversity.  This is shown through the shared space between the two classrooms on the right that represent Baba and Hassan. On the inside, Baba is closer to Hassan but on the outside, he is closer to Amir because of the Afghan society.

Save a Life: (Don’t) Donate to Africa

In 2012, the United States donated $12 billion in foreign aid to Africa, and this number was projected to increase. (Acemoglu, Daron, Robinson) Despite these large donations, more than a quarter of the countries in Africa are poorer now than in 1960, with no sign that foreign aid will bring an end to poverty. Foreign aid has helped pull other countries out of poverty, but Africa faces political corruption and a stagnant, overly dependent society that prevents them from escaping the vicious cycle known as aid dependency.

Political corruption in Africa has caused foreign aid to fail, and even become counter intuitive. To better understand the political corruption in Africa, consider the Angolan president’s daughter, the richest woman in Africa. She is a billionaire that makes fortunes by taking chunks of companies or simply through the signature of her father. She lives this extravagant life while only a quarter of Angolans had access to electricity in 2009 and a third are living on incomes of less than $2 a day. (Acemoglu, Daron, Robinson) Monetary aid to Africa is plagued by corrupt political leaders, because aid to these countries will more likely help the president’s children rather than other citizens. Because of these unbalanced opportunities, the citizens of Africa are divested of basic necessities. Thus, the poor do not have the capability to pull themselves out of poverty because the basic ability to do so is denied them. (Acemoglu, Daron, Robinson) The economic impediments the common citizens face derive from the way political power is exercised and monopolised by the corrupt government of Africa.

With the constant supply of aid, societal progress is stagnant, and people tend to get trapped in the cycle of aid dependency. Food aid is particularly criticised for this, because the increased dependency on food imports stifles the incentive for local food production because of the reduced market demand. This idea is shown in the situation of Haiti, which relies on cheap US imports for over 80% of grain stocks after the US aided the country with food exports. (Stanford) To counteract this trend of aid dependency, experts say that Trump’s foreign policy of “America First,” withdrawing from support in Africa, is an example of how Africa can climb out of the financial trouble it is facing. (Mutiga, Murithi) The Democratic Republic of Congo has a reported $24 trillion of untapped resources under the ground, yet it is still one of the poorest countries on earth. (Mutiga, Murithi) The continent has huge potential that has been left unexploited due to its tendency to rely on the West for its sustenance. Africa should see this new foreign policy as an opportunity to end the culture of dependency and attempt to reshape its future. Experts suggest that in order for Africa to grow in a sustained way, foreign aid will have to be dramatically reduced over time, forcing countries to adopt more transparent strategies for finance development. (Moyo)

An old Chinese proverb once said, “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.” Foreign aid is by all means a great benefit to those in need, but when it comes to Africa, monetary donations have not lifted the country out of poverty. Political justice, equal opportunities, and a sense of national pride and innovation can be the hand that pulls Africa to its feet again. 

Works Cited

Acemoglu, Daron, and James A. Robinson. "Why Foreign Aid Fails - and How to Really Help Africa." The Spectator. The Spectator, 27 Jan. 2014. Web. 06 Mar. 2017.

Moyo, Dambisa."Aid dependency blights Africa. The cure is in the credit crisis could be the cure." Independent [London, England] 2 Feb. 2009: 28. Global Issues in Context. Web. 8 Mar. 2017.

Mutiga, Murithi. "Trump Offers Africa Chance to Kick Aid Addiction and Chart Its Own Path." Daily Nation. N.p., 22 Jan. 2017. Web. 7 Mar. 2017.

Stanford, Victoria. "Aid Dependency: The Damage of Donation." This Week in Global Health. Twigh, 31 July 2015. Web. 06 Mar. 2017.

Broken Spectacles, Broken Buffalo

Buffalo

Main Ideas/ Argument

The buffalo in the books is a symbol representing Four-Eyes depriving his “friends” of their intellectual liberty. When the buffalo is present, Four- Eyes’ true influence over Luo and the narrator is revealed. We constantly see that Four- Eyes’ has something that makes him more powerful than the other boys. The first time we see the buffalo, Four- Eyes’ glasses break and it is revealed that he holds a object of influence and power: the books. The next time we see the buffalo, it is when Four- Eyes is leaving the village. We see that when the buffalo is present, Four- Eyes gains power over his friends because of the intellectual liberty he holds. This means that the buffalo is a symbol of the fact that intellectual liberty is power.

Quotes

“The buffalo was still alive. I will never forget how affected I was by its long drawn-out, plaintive blows. Under normal circumstances the bellow of a buffalo is disagreeably harsh, but on this calm late summer’s day the sound echoing through the rocky mountains was imposing and sonorous, like the roaring of a lion in a cage.” (93)

“The poetess was nowhere to be seen. What would she have thought if she had been there with us to watch her son bury his face in his cupped hands and slurp the clotted buffalo blood, like a swine rooting in the mire? When he had finished he sucked his fingers one by one, to make sure not a drop was wasted. As he made his way up the steep incline I noted he was still smacking his lips to prolong the taste.” (94)

“They sat side by side, hunched over the bamboo-leaf hat filled with buffalo blood.

“What are they doing down there?” I asked the man standing next to me. “They’re waiting for the blood to congeal,” he replied. “It’s a remedy against cowardice. To gain courage, you must swallow it when it’s still lukewarm and frothy” (93-94).

Four-Eyes’ Glasses

Main Ideas/ Arguments

Four-Eyes’ glasses represent the coming of age during this novel. We can see that as the boys come of age as they begin to be motivated by their loss, rather than simply sulk about it. As soon as we see that Four-Eyes loses something, the boys begin to manipulate each other in order to get what they want: intellectual liberty. We can also observe the fact that as the boys come of age their motives become more clear and they have more to lose and gain.

The loss of Four-Eyes’ glasses could also represent him losing his humility and revealing his true nature. At first, when Four-Eyes’ glasses fall and he begins to search for them, the narrator immediately enters the area intent on assisting Four-Eyes. However, the narrator describes, “Four-Eyes was not eager for me to help search for his spectacles, fearing that I would be a hindrance,” which reveals a great deal about Four-Eyes’ character. His wanting to search by himself and not have the help of others shows that he is solely focused on himself, and he does not want others to get in the way of him being able to eventually go back to the city. After the narrator unintentionally steps on Four-Eyes glasses, he states, “Fortunately they were still in one piece,” which shows how the narrator had truly had good intentions and it glad that he did not make Four-Eyes’ life more difficult by causing his glasses to be even more destroyed.

Four Eyes’ glasses also end up showing the power he has. While the narrator and Luo are unable to contact their families, Four-Eyes has been able to write to his mother, who is sending him new glasses. This shows that he has more power in their community than the narrator and Luo have because while the narrator and Luo only have each other to rely on for support in their harsh situation, Four-Eyes is able to have support from his mother back at home which gives him an advantage in the situation.

Quotes

“I took off my shoes, rolled up my trousers and stepped into the paddy field, leaving Luo seated by the wayside. Four-Eyes was not eager for me to help search for his spectacles, fearing that I would be a hindrance, but in the end it was I who stepped on them inadvertently as I groped in the mud. Fortunately they were still in one piece.” (47)

“I’ve written to my mother. She’s going to send me a new pair as soon as possible, but I can’t sit and do nothing until they arrive. I’ve got to work, that’s what I’m here for. At least that’s what the headman says.” (53)

困难 (Difficulty)

In order to know all, you must forget everything.

In order to fly, you must fall.

In order to live, you must die.

The path to success is littered with defeat.

The path to prosperity is destitute.

The path to accomplishment is full of failures.

True wisdom seems foolish.

True success seems like defeat.

True happiness seems onerous.

Everything you will do will seem pointless.

Everything you will do will seem tedious.

Everything you will do will seem difficult.

Thus be reborn,

Live life according to your purpose,

Push past difficulty.