Imagination

Paolo Del Pielago

5/25/17

Imagination

Imagine a world free of conflict a world where there’s no crime.

A world where everyone is equal with each other,

A world where no one stands on top of others.

A world that doesn’t create chaos and despair,

But one that gives hope and gives off peace.

You always have the power to envision it

You can imagine a perfect world just for you

Or, the perfect place in the world that’s for you

Imagine a place  where the view is just right,

where the colors are vivid and so lifelike.

A place where the sunshine isn’t too hot or too cold.

Where the air is nothing but a cool breeze.

A place where you can sit back and relax

Without a worry in the world a place

where you can feel nothing but peace.

Can you imagine it the perfect world?

Somewhere where nothing can go wrong.

What allows us to do this is our imagination

We all have our own mind and thoughts.

Different dreams, Different paradises

That keeps people thinking, makes people change.

It makes people think to create their paradise

Using their imagination, and past experience

My imagination is what helps me to escape.

To escape from everything whenever I get down.

Just using my imagination I truly become free

I go and use my head.

It’s always there when I need it

After a long day of school, I can go to the pool

Whether real or just all in my head.

I can enjoy it as if I was really there.

Even if it never really happened.

It’s somewhere where I can always go

There aren’t any limits, the only limit is just

How creative I can be using my head

It’s an infinite amount of possibilities

I can be a hero with supernatural abilities

Or just be no one special like everyday life

I can be in a world where dogs walk people

Or where structures can talk to people

The world could be a barren wasteland

Or it could be a beautiful utopia

My mind is the best place I can be.

As long as I have my imagination,

I can always relax myself.

Every time I go to this world,

All that’s left after is just

A lingering feeling of guilt and sadness

It’s only until reality brings me back

That I realize that it’s all just in my head.

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.

Poverty Spares no one in Nigeria

Poverty spares no one in Nigeria

Nigeria is being overtaken by poverty causing people to be unable to raise their families. It’s said by May Bulman on Independent.co.uk that, “90,000 children could die of Severe Acute Malnutrition in the coming year”. The government is unable to help Nigerians out of poverty with their millions because of the fight against corruption. The CIA shows that over 70% of Nigerians are suffering from issues because of poverty and has remained that way for the past 10 years.

Some people may read this without giving it a second thought, but there are families suffering because of this. This leads to one of the issues that poverty is causing in Nigeria and it is health problems. So many people are suffering from malnutrition because of what little money they have. Unicef shows that nigerians are so deep in poverty, that 70% of people live on less than 1 dollar a day and try to live through the hell they’re forced to live in. It may not seem like much but, this nutrition that they’re missing out on really affects them which is shown by WFP (World Food Programme) who fights hunger worldwide. They show that every 1 out of 3 children are stunted which affects their growth. Hunger is also the main cause of death in Nigeria. Even though the situation of their hunger has been increasing since 1990, they still remain in a serious crisis for hunger because of the many people living in poverty. Even though that Nigeria isn’t the deepest in poverty it’s still so bad that even after 20 years it’s situation has still remained serious. They have also been missing out on the micronutrients that they need which will cause a much greater risk of chronic diseases such as cancer. All of this is being caused by one thing, poverty.

Another issue that poverty causes the people of Nigeria is, health and society issues. It’s shown just how bad the poverty is hitting the people of Nigeria but, it’s much worse when you actually see what poverty causes these people to do. Many people are having difficulty even living because that many Nigerians don’t have the money for medicine or to go to the doctor and, because of that many children born soon die because they aren’t immunized. Society is affected because many parents are unable to afford school supplies or clothing to send their child to school and they end up staying illiterate for the rest of their lives. Many people also remain unemployed because of their education and in turn, this causes the economy to continue to drop. The poverty is also causing many people to become homeless and increases theft because of the people who are unable to support themselves as the rich get richer, and the poor get poorer. This really shows just how far down poverty has caused Nigeria to fall. It turns people into thieves, makes people sick, makes people hungry and so much more.

Nigeria seems doomed to fall further into this cycle as the government is rich enough to decrease the 60% of people in poverty greatly but it’s stuck fighting corruption leaving Nigerians all on their own. Nigerians have suffered so much much because they’re lacking what humans need to survive on their own. They suffer from hunger, from society and, from poverty. The source of all this tragedy began with poverty and it’ll continue until something is done to change Nigeria and help them out. After all the poor need others to be their light in these bleak times all around the world.

Works cited

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/nigerian-children-starve-to-death-2017-nigeria-africa-help-unicef-international-community-aid-a7546176.html

https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ni.html

https://www.wfp.org/stories/10-fact-about-food-and-nutrition-nigeria

https://www.unicef.org/wcaro/Countries_1320.html

http://nigerianfinder.com/causes-of-poverty-in-nigeria/

https://ask.naij.com/economics/causes-of-poverty-in-nigeria-i23669.html

Chains

Symbolism is present throughout the story in the form of two objects: the suitcase and movies. Both objects show the extent to which intellectual liberty was limited during the time of the Cultural revolution. 

Dai SiJie uses movies to show the propaganda during the Cultural Revolution. The movies show how conformed to Mao’s propaganda,  the intellect of the population were during the Cultural Revolution. Dai SiJie writes, “There were still showing the old North Korean Film The Little Flower Girl, which had moved the four sorceresses in the Little Seamstress’ house to tears (81).” By using the word ‘still’ the author portrays how limited the scope of movies they played in public theatres. The government had ready control over public media and was able to maintain control over the people using specifically controlled movie propaganda. The narrator further details, “By now we had seen three films at the basketball court in Yong Jing. By far the most popular was North Korean melodrama with a heroine called “the Flower Girl”(35). The fact that they have only seen three movies, throughout this extended period, displays the control that the government has over lives of its people. All of the movies contain content which either supports or agrees with Mao’s vision. These two quotes shows the limiting nature of China through the propaganda films. 

The suitcase is symbolizing the locking up of knowledge from western society held in the books, which goes against the popular consensus. Dai SiJie writes, “It was only after an hour’s headlong flight along the mountain path that we finally dared stop.  Luo opened the suitcase. On top of the neatly stacked books lay the buffalo tail: black, with a tufted end, and stained with dark blood”(105). As Luo and the narrator open the books, they were able to freely receive knowledge and information which was banned under the Mao’s regime. Symbolically breaking the chains that held them away from the riches and knowledge trapped inside the suitcase. This idea is further continued as the narrator suggests, “ We’ll help you carry your hod to the rice station, and when we get back you can lend us some of those books you’ve got hidden in your suitcase. How’s that for a deal”(54). This quote shows the extent to which people would go to obtain knowledge. It also further shows the extent to which someone would go to protect their new founded intellect from others. 

Perspective poem

Do we really think we’re the best

That we’re all powerful standing over others

Do you think that your answer is better than another's

Do you think that your ideas are better than others

Do you think that the way you see things

Are better than someone else’s

The way you think is better than someone else

Well we’re not the best

People who start at the bottom can still make their way up

People don’t need to stand on top of others

We will stand with othe

All our ideas can be essential and helpful

Yours answers may be as good as the common man

The way that we see things may be different

Yets we all look in the same direction

Towards the future

It’s all about our perspective