Compass

Compass

By Sarah Bodmer

Her silver arrow mindlessly wanders

Slowing down

Coated in frost

From spending too much time outside

She was lost

Met with a frigid impasse

Her pulse the only definite thing

Quickening as the walls close around her

She has no way to go

Shivering, falling to her knees

Surrendering to the unknown

Her compass completely frozen

The wintry silence is only thawed when a window opens

The light creating sunspots in her vision

Clearing slightly to see a calloused hand held out

Pulling her up to her feet

The warmth rekindled her compass

She found her way again

Finding her direction

Finding herself

Pressure by: Alexis & Sarah

The flower represents Amir and the rock represents the pressure brought on by his peers. Amir always wanted to major in English, but was prevented by his father who wanted him to go to "medical school, law school, and [do] 'real work'"(134). The flower like Amir is unable to show his full potential. He was never allowed to do what he loved without feeling guilt for not being the perfect son in his father's eyes. The flower is cut off from the bush like Amir is cut off from his past, and he is left alone and isolated. He went to America with his father to forget his past, but was constantly reminded of his father not supporting him.

Help : Can't Find A Job

It is fair enough to say that a lot of students in America don't enjoy going to school because of tests and stress (Almeda). However, they are privileged enough to be provided with an education and to be surrounded by numerous job opportunities. This is a different case for the world’s youngest continent, Africa, where kids are not provided with a good education and struggle to find jobs. Unemployment has been a general problem for all of Africa, but for South Africa, the region’s most developed country, it is a bit more troublesome (Afful). Despite the fact that South Africa’s economy performed well over the past years, unemployment rates have relentlessly climbed to 27.1% in 2016, the highest over the last decade (Taborda). In fact, South Africa has one of the highest unemployment rates in the world (Unemployment Statistics). Poverty and crime rate are interlinked with the issue of unemployment, plaguing South Africa, negatively impacting people socially and economically.

The issue of unemployment seems to be a chronic one, affecting the youth population the most. About 48% of South Africans between ages fifteen and thirty four were unemployed last year (De Lannoy). As a result to little improvement in unemployment, the number of unemployed youth is predicted to increase. Furthermore, reports show that job opportunities for young graduates are at record low (Chutel). The biggest factors to this issue is the mismatch of the skills taught in schools and what is required in the market. In addition, employers have “raised the bar for entry into low level jobs” due to their wariness of the education system (De Lannoy). By doing this, the employers are missing out on potentially good youth workers.

Unemployment not only affects those unemployed but also the whole economy. Though many people who are unemployed lack education and training, their skills are not properly utilized in the market (Malakwane). This is a loss for the whole economy as employers are shutting out capable young employees. As a matter of fact, a government published research paper discovered that a large portion of the people unemployed are women (Zuma). In 2014, 27.6% of the female labor force was unemployed and since then, those numbers have increased (Unemployment Female). The economy is not making good use of the skills offered by women and other unemployed people. Therefore, experts state that by improving the quality of work available and also offering equal job opportunities to both genders, South Africa can help their unemployment figures and boost the economy (Malakwane).

It is unquestionable that unemployment is a challenge that needs to be overcome quickly, but it is easier said than done. The Guardian once wrote, “Fixing Africa’s failing education systems should be seen as a top economic policy priority” (Afful). Many organizations can agree that reforming education systems will boost chances of graduates finding jobs. Another way to get people out of the unemployment situation is the “creation of employment” while also increasing economic activity (Malakwane). Those who have given up searching for work, broadly defined as unemployed, will have more chances to find a suitable job.

Alex Tabarrok, Canadian-American economist once said, “Education is the key to the future: You've heard it a million times, and it's not wrong. Educated people have higher wages and lower unemployment rates, and better-educated countries grow faster and innovate more than other countries.” Ultimately, experts say that the most sustainable solution to this issue is to offer a better quality education to the people of South Africa, teaching them skills that are required in today’s business world (Yu). Regardless of how South Africa plans to deal with this issue, it should be recognized that unemployment still remains a big issue there.

Works Cited:

Afful, Benson. "Unemployment in Africa: No Jobs for 50% of Graduates." ACET. The Business and Financial Times Online, 23 Mar. 2016. Web. 03 Mar. 2017.

Almeda, Sarah. "Why Do Teens Hate School?" Connect Learning Today. N.p., 13 Jan. 2015. Web. 17 Mar. 2017.

Chutel, Lynsey. "Record Unemployment Affects These South Africans the Most." Quartz. Quartz, 23 Nov. 2016. Web. 03 Mar. 2017.

De Lannoy, Ariane, and Lauren Graham."What South Africa Can Do About Youth Unemployment in the Short Run [analysis]." Africa News Service 11 Feb. 2017. Global Issues in Context. Web. 7 Mar. 2017.

Malakwane, Cliford Tshepang, and Dr. O O Osha. Economic and Social Effects of Unemployment in South Africa (2012): 99. Tshwane University of Technology, June 2012. Web. 6 Mar. 2017.

Taborda, Joana. "South Africa Unemployment Rate." South Africa Unemployment Rate | 2000-2017 | Data | Chart | Calendar. Trading Economics, 14 Feb. 2017. Web. 03 Mar. 2017.

"Unemployment, Female (% of Female Labor Force) (modeled ILO Estimate)." The World Bank. ILO, 2016. Web. 17 Mar. 2017.

"Unemployment Statistics in S. Africa Explained." Africa Check. Africa Check, 2014. Web. 6 Mar. 2017.

Yu, Derek, Atoko Kasongo, and Mariana Moses. "How Two Crucial Trends Are Affecting Unemployment in South Africa." The Conversation. N.p., 10 Apr. 2016. Web. 16 Mar. 2017.

Zuma, Jacob G., and Susan Shabangu. "Status of Women In South African Economy." Africa Today 13.1, A Special Report on American Involvement in the South African Economy (1966): 2-40. Republic of South Africa, Aug. 2015. Web. 12 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.

Tiny Sprouts

We were all once tiny seeds

Blooming into different forms

Reaching our hands out from the wholesome soil

Searching for the lost sunlight

Our heads remaining under the surface

Digging for the deeper perspectives

Searching for that sense of peace

Tumbling as we go.

We are all still flourishing,

Growing leaves and stems slowly

Learning from our failures

A mistake is a fertilizer,

Supplying us with the right amount of knowledge

To help us mature into the flower we will all become.

We are all emotional.

Our stems droop

when the wind blows in the wrong direction,

We bedeck ourselves with blossoms

When we are lighthearted.

And now,

We must open the curtains of our eyes,

By stepping back from our motivations

And see the world in a new light

We must open the windows of our hearts,

Accepting other ideas

And be as flexible as the currents of water

We must open the latches of our brains

Emptying our thoughts

And find the peace rooted deep within

To become as supple and calm

As the newborn sprout

That we all once were.