Turbulence

A typical conversation

Between me and someone new

Goes something like

Yes, I am half asian

Yes, I lived in China

no I’m not Chinese

Im half korean

Half white….

When life was bright

but the clouds bleak

when I struggled to find my identity

Being asian was

Desirable

Practically all my friends were Korean

Forget that half white part of me

I was Korean too

I was unique and part of the few

Asians at a white populated school

But i was still white

And was reminded of that every time

I stared at the porcelain girl

Whose freckles populated her face

and outlined her facial structure she inherited from her

White dad   

Back then when life was free

but the clouds polluted

when I struggled to learn chinese

Being white was

Desirable

As the blend in-barely existing-who again?

Being white was less a part of my identity

And instead a game

I played whenever i grasped for

Uniqueness

At our asian majority school

I was

Cool

I had lived in

America

Practically all my friends were white

And popular

And no longer was I a nobody

But a white girl who hung out with few other

White kids

Yet I confined myself into separate circles

Playing a game of would you rather

Would you rather fit in the white stereotype

Or fit in the asian stereotype

Would you rather be seen as social dumb butterfly

Or a no life studier  

Continuously these tangled struggles strangled my balance

“But i can be both right?

Im wasian”.

Now life is a mystery

but the clouds are fluffy

I am still struggling to learn chinese

And sometimes I struggle to find myself

But when i look in the mirror

I now see a girl whose porcelain white skin is a turbulent blend inherited from her

parents

Amir and Baba's Relationship

This image shown represents Baba as the green net. Though Baba is portrayed as a strong character, inside he is conflicted and holds many secrets that he doesn't share with Amir, and protects these secrets by alienating Amir. This stronghold is represented by the metal fence that protects Baba and his secrets. However once Baba and Amir arrive in America, Baba starts to depend on Amir. This is shown by the hole and the fraying edges in the net because although Baba is not directly telling Amir his secrets, he starts to respect Amir and let him form the father/son relationship both of them had been deprived of for so long. Outside of the hole, is green grass showing a better life they are living and enjoying because Amir has a father to rely on and look up to, while Baba also has a someone to rely on and trust, and a son to be proud of.

 

A Look at Egypt’s Sexual Abuse Situation

Cairo, Egypt— A study conducted by the UN reports that in 2013 99.3% of women experienced some sort of sexual harassment (El-Rifae). For so many women in Egypt, sexual assault is a reality. Recently, activists have been fighting back to eliminate sexual abuse.  

Why is sexual abuse so prevalent in Egypt, and what measures have been adopted to prevent it? It is key to first understand how women were being sexually assaulted in the past. This article will also look at what measures have already been taken to prevent sexual abuse. Rape is a violation of human rights and a violation of one’s body. Rape affects a person not only physically, but psychologically, and is a form of asserting power and dominance by the abuser over the victim.  

Sexual abuse is the effect of gender inequality deeply rooted in Egypt’s society. Roger Anis, a photojournalist based in Cairo says, that sexual abuse is caused by a, “combination of factors including political turmoil, poverty, a low standard of education, and religious restrictions”. (Tse) During the 2011 Tahrir Square protests, uprisings against then president, Hosni Mubarak, women were susceptible to “Circles of Hell”. A woman would be surrounded by about one hundred men who would harass the woman by stripping her naked and beating her with belts, knives, and sticks. (Circles) The frequency and the amount of men involved became too overwhelming that law enforcement stopped protecting those subjected to the sexual violence. In fact, police officers contributed to the violence instead of preventing it. (Egypt) “Riot police officers beat me, broke my left arm and my right hand and sexually assaulted me; their supervising officer threatened me with gang rape”, said Mona Eltahawy, a reporter from the New York Times. (Eltahawy) Husbands are also known to frequently torment their wives. Genital mutilations are very common and are used as a repeated form of punishment.

Recently there has been action to prevent sexual assault. On the federal level, after the election of President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi, the government took immediate action and implemented laws that punish the sexual assaulter. (El-Rifae) In fact, Sissi had personally brought flowers to a victim of sexual assault in the hospital. (Farouk) After staying silent for so many years people are relieved that the government has finally taken steps to declare sexual assault a crime and be more stringent when enforcing the law. However, for many women and human rights groups, the new legislation does not go far enough to protect their rights. For example, the definition of harassment, stated in the law, does not encompass all forms of harassment, technically making it legal for men to be sexually abused. (El-Rifae). However, women are taking measures towards sexual abuse prevention. Female police officers have been employed by the Interior Ministry and regulate the streets over holidays. Women are starting to carry small, portable, cheap weapons like pepper spray for protection. (Farouk) The purpose of these activist groups is to empower, help women become more confident, and learn self defense mechanisms.

Almost 100% of Egypt’s women have been sexually harassed or assaulted due to the accepted idea that men have more power than women and they have a right to exercise this. To this day, women are still being abused, but human and women's rights groups, with support from the government, are tackling this issue to eradicate sexual abuse completely. Experts agree that the first step in defeating sexual assault is to first recognize the problem is real and to be properly educated on the topic.

Work cited

"Circles of Hell:" Domestic, Public and State Violence Against Women in Egypt." Amnesty International USA. Amnesty International USA, 20 Jan. 2015. Web. 7 Mar. 2017.

"Egypt: Epidemic of Sexual Violence." Human Rights Watch. Human Rights Watch, 17 Apr. 2015. Web. 8 Mar. 2017.

Eltahawy, Mona. "Egypt Has a Sexual Violence Problem." The New York Times. The New York Times, 20 June 2014. Web. 08 Mar. 2017.

El-Rifae, Yasmin. "Egypt's Sexual Harassment Law: An Insufficient Measure to End Sexual Violence." Middle East Institute. Middle East Institute, 17 July 2014. Web. 6 Mar. 2017.

Farouk, Menna A. "Egypt's Women Find Their Voice against Sexual Harassment." Middle East. Deutsche Welle, 28 Dec. 2016. Web. 12 Mar. 2017.

"Surge in sexual abuse by Egypt authorities, report says." Al Jazeera America, 19 May 2015. Global Issues in Context. Accessed 5 Mar. 2017.

Tse, Jen. "Inside Egypt's Sexual Harassment Crisis." Time. Time, 3 Aug. 2015. Web. 16 Mar. 2017.

Dissecting Loss

Dissecting Loss

Violin
   "'It's a toy,' said the headman solemnly.
     This verdict left us speechless. Luo and I exchanged furtive, anxious glances. Things were not looking good" (4).

"All music by Mozart or indeed by any other Western composer had been banned years ago. In my sodden shoes my feet turned to ice. I shivered as the cold tightened its grip on me" (5).





Alarm Clock
"Throughout the years of our re-education the house on stilts remained almost entirely unfurnished. There was not even a table or chair...Nonetheless, our home soon became the focal point of the village, thanks to another phoenix, a smaller version, miniature almost, and rather more earthbound, whose master was my friend Luo" (13).

"It was a tiny clock, and it was no doubt thanks to its size that it had escaped the notice of the village headman when we arrived. It fitted in the palm of your hand, and tinkled prettily when the alarm went off" (13-14).




     Sijie uses the symbols of the violin and the alarm clock to illustrate the idea of loss in the book, Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress. During the story, it is evident to the reader that Luo and the narrator have very few personal items to remind them of home. Because of the Cultural Revolution, most of their belongings have been confiscated because they are labeled as "Reactionary Items". The violin represents their old life in the city and the luxuries they were fortunate enough to have before they were all ripped from their grasp. In the new town they are living in, Luo and the narrator have close to nothing to furnish their make-shift home. The alarm clock acts as a similar symbol to the violin in the way that it is the one item that connects this new lifestyle to their old home. Although these objects are not physically lost, both items are used to remind the main characters of what they have lost.

Quietly Alone

Quietly alone, he plays by himself

Others reach for attention

grasping at empty space

Quietly alone, he sits still

Others are innovating together

Quietly alone, he sits there

quietly alone

Others shine bright like the sun

Quietly alone, he is like the moon,

only a reflection of their brightness

Others follow one another

copy machines, duplicating

Quietly alone, he builds his own characters

constructing the pieces

one by one by one

Others accumulate more material objects

Quietly alone, he is collecting knowledge,

gaining intellectual wealth

Though there are millions of others, he by himself is bigger

stronger, more powerful

Why?

Tao Te Ching resides in his soul