What to Wear?

When I wake up in the morning I feel

So tired.

And when it comes to the choice,

Of what I’ll wear today,

Well

It just seems to me that I could be

Really quite free.

It doesn’t matter so much

What I look like and see?

It’s not like I’m a portly polished man

So I slip on some clothes

Without much worry to how it “flows”

I drag myself to the mirror

And see my face

Oh dear

Well I guess I shouldn’t try

I say to myself with a sigh

I would be lying if I said

That I tried to fix my head

Now that that’s all done

I step out the door

Shoot.

I haven’t shaved.

Oh, what a chore.

But it’s too late now

So I continue on my way

I’ll figure it out tomorrow, I say

And just let it be today

Baba's personality

This tree represents Baba's personality in several ways. The sturdy trunk represents how stubborn Baba is and his unwillingness to give in no matter the challenge. For example, When Baba was riding in the truck towards the border, he refused to let the Russian soldier touch the young woman, even in the face of death. Another aspect of how the treee represents Baba is the roots of the tree because Baba has very strong, cultural and national feelings towards Afghanistan. Even while in America he continues to follow the cultural tradition such as when Amir asked to marry Soraya.  Finally, the fence represents the mental wall that Baba places when it comes to other cultures and new things. For example, In America Baba refuses to change his ways and learn with the new culture. This is shown when Baba is at the gas station and he refuses to pay.

Foreign Aid or 21st-century Imperialism?

Foreign Aid or 21st-century Imperialism?

In 1885 the Berlin Conference concluded, and the European superpowers divided up African territories amongst themselves. One of their motivations was the “white man’s burden”, the belief that white man has a duty to civilize the savage, barbarian natives of Africa and abroad. They used this mantra as justification for their actions, colonizing and conquering Africa in the pursuit of this “moral mission”. In much the same way that Europeans felt obligated to civilize the native Africans, developed countries today feel obliged to pour money and support into African countries to help them develop more quickly and rise out of the worst poverty in the world. The foreign aid, while intended for good use, has had a variety of effects on African society, ranging from benefits in education and health to inefficient and disconnected governments. The question becomes, what is the role of international aid in Africa, and should countries continue to provide the support that they are now?

On one hand, international aid provides useful and necessary support to African countries in need.  BBC News acknowledges that African residents are being provided with medical care, water, and education as a result of the foreign aid coming in from the U.N. and individual countries (Akwagyiram). This aid is helping those in poverty live longer and have the opportunity to escape poverty through education.  Additionally, the Spectator claims that aid works to improve physical infrastructure in Africa, with roads being a primary example of development (Acemoglu-Robinson).  According to the MCC, a group responsible for foreign aid in the U.S., a U.S.-sponsored aid program has helped over 5 million Tanzanians with their roads, water, and sanitation projects (Glassman).  Infrastructure, health care, and education all represent important branches of government and society, and the aid that is being supplied to these areas is having a positive impact on many Africans.

On the other hand, foreign aid is having a large negative impact on African countries, as it makes their governments inefficient and too dependent on support. The Washington Post reports that African governments are not accountable to their citizens any more, because instead of having to tax their citizens for income, they get billions in aid from foreign governments (Swanson).  As a result, the aid is not reaching those who it is intended for, the citizens.  A writer on CNN insists that with every promise of aid, “the development challenge was always on somebody else's shoulders and governments have been eager receivers, rather than clear-headed managers of Western generosity”(Calderisi).  Because of the deluge of foreign aid coming in from all over the world, leaders of African countries are becoming too dependent on the aid to function independently, and rather than work on building better infrastructure or a better economy, leaders would instead depend on foreign aid to buoy them through their financial problems.

As these adverse effects are becoming more apparent, organizations that supply aid are beginning to question their involvement in African affairs. Countries such as the U.K. have cut foreign aid to particular African nations, as they have seen that the money is not being used for its intended purpose(Acemoglu-Robinson). In fact, there are a variety of proposed solutions to this issue, yet none of them have gathered much support from governments that provide aid  Countries need to reevaluate their aid initiatives if they want the aid to used appropriately, and in this way, they make strides towards solving the situation in Africa.  The truth is that this a pressing issue that demands our attention now, lest more money be poured into the sinkhole of Africa.  

Works Cited

Acemoglu, Daron and Robinson, A. James. "Why Foreign Aid Fails - and How to Really Help Africa." The Spectator. The Spectator, 27 Jan. 2014. Web. 17 Mar. 2017.

Akwagyiram, Alexis. "How Can Africa Move Away from Aid Dependence?" BBC News. BBC, 01 May 2013. Web. 07 Mar. 2017.

Calderisi, Robert. "Why Foreign Aid and Africa Don't Mix." CNN. Cable News Network, 18 Aug. 2010. Web. 06 Mar. 2017.

Glassman, James K. "Foreign Aid: The Good And Bad." Forbes. Forbes Magazine, 30 May 2011. Web. 06 Mar. 2017.

Swanson, Ana."Why Trying to Help Poor Countries Might Actually Hurt Them." The Washington Post. WP Company, 13 Oct. 2015. Web. 08 Mar. 2017.

Unlocking your Inner Knowledge

"I rubbed the nail against a rock until it became too hot to handle, after which I wiped it on my mud-encrusted trousers, and polished it vigorously until the metal shone like new. When I held it up for inspection it sparkled so brightly I thought I could see my eyes and the late summer sky reflected in it" (91).

"Luo took the rusty nail now transformed into a master-key and moistened it between his lips. The key slid noiselessly into place, turned to the left, then the right, left again and a fraction the other way... there was a dry metallic click, and the copper padlock yielded at last" (98).

KEY ANALYSIS: This quote represents the “key” to the boy’s intellectual liberty, because Luo and the Narrator are creating this key as path to getting their desired books. Their key, which unlocks the padlock, represents the nation’s close mindedness and restrictions of foreign literature, and so by unlocking Four Eye’s door (the symbol of forbidden literature), they are opening themselves up to gain unlimited access to all of these Western classics. In the boy's eyes, when the key “sparkled so brightly,” it corresponds to how they view these Western books; a beacon of light for freedom.

____________________________________________________________________________

"'What is it with you two, always going for stuff that's forbidden?'

'Don't exaggerate,' Luo said.

'You think I'm exaggerating? You want me to show this to the commune authorities? Your old miller would be accused of spreading erotic material. He might even go to prison. I'm serious'" (77).

“‘How could you waste all that precious time writing down this drivel? I can’t believe it. Do you seriously think an official journal would even consider publishing this shit? That they’d give me a job on the strength of this? You must be out of your minds’” (77).

FOLK SONG ANALYSIS: These two quotes summarize Four Eye’s lack of intellectual liberty, as he feels that the Old man’s folk song is essentially garbage, and forbidden. His fear of publishing this song reveals the little range of freedom he believes he has. This lack of intellectual freedom is a response to the Old man’s authentic, playful mountain song, which is a symbol of freedom of expression. The “forbidden” aspect that Four Eyes is talking about correlates to China at the time, and how they felt about songs in general. Songs symbolize expression and emotion, and aren’t always used for propaganda purposes, like Four Eyes hoped. This song in particular, expressed humor, innocence, and the open  essence of country life, and Four Eye’s backlash to the old man’s song shows the intolerance of intellectual freedom present in China at the time.

The Lessons on Goals

The Lessons on Goals

How does one complete a task?

Finishing a task is not enough,

The true lesson is in how you achieved that goal.

What is achieving a goal?

Is it doing all that is required

And then stopping?

Is it doing your best

And accepting the result?

No.

It is so much more than that.

Achieving a goal is like growing from a child to an adult.

It is a caterpillar becoming a butterfly.

It is a seed becoming a mighty tree.

This is the lesson of achieving a goal.
What you can gain and what you can learn from the task

is the only true purpose of accomplishing a goal.