The Lovely Bones By: Alice Sebold—Reading Log 9/17/09

Summary: Chapter 10 was about when Susie’s sister, Lindsey, and her boyfriend, Samuel Heckler, went to the statewide Gifted Symposium over the summer, which is like a summer camp for really smart people. The final challenge was supposed to be “Make the ultimate mousetrap”, but then was changed to “design the perfect murder”, which really upset Lindsey. Also, Susie discovered the key to leave her heaven, the key to seeing her dead grandparents. All she had to do was let go of Earth, and leave it behind.

Thinking: It was ironic how the new theme for the final challenge was the “perfect murder”, when Susie’s death had been the perfect murder. You would think that the new assistant principal who came up with the idea would have known about Lindsey’s sister, and would have been a little more sensitive about Lindsey’s situation at Gifted Camp.

If I were Susie, then I think I’d try to let go of Earth, and try to find my dead grandparents. She always said how she’s incredibly lonely, and finding her favorite grandpa could finally make her happy. She can’t change anything that’s happening on Earth, so she just needs to let go.

The Lovely Bones By: Alice Sebold—Reading Log 9/15/09

Summary: In what I read today, Susie’s dad began to have suspicions of Mr. Harvey. Susie was trying so hard in heaven to break through, and give him some kind to let him know that he was on the right track towards discovering what had happened to her, but she couldn’t, and just watched helplessly from her heaven. Susie’s dad called the police officer assigned to her case and asked him to check out Mr. Harvey, but the officer didn’t find anything out of the ordinary.

Thinking: I thought that it was really ironic in a sick way how Susie’s dad ended up building a tent with the man who murdered his daughter. I’m glad that her dad realized that something wasn’t right with Mr. Harvey. By the end of this book, hopefully, Susie’s murder will probably be solved, and if Mr. Harvey hadn’t asked him if he wanted to help him build a tent, then the mystery of Susie’s murder might never be solved.

On the page I left off on, Sam showed up at the Salmon’s house on Christmas Eve to see Lindsey. Lindsey thinks that Sam is cute, and so maybe she’ll be distracted during her visit. I think that maybe Susie will be upset and jealous, and maybe feel like Lindsey’s forgotten her. I think that Susie will maybe feel this way, because after Sam said “Merry Christmas” to Lindsey, Susie said that “Lindsey’s heart, like an ingredient recipe, was reduced,” and that “regardless of my death, she was thirteen, he was cute, and he had visited her on Christmas day”.

Letter About Literature--My Sister's Keeper

Dear Jodi Picoult,

When I was in the eighth grade, 13 years old, I read your book, My Sister’s Keeper. It was the kind of book that I don’t come across often—it deeply affected me emotionally, I thought about it for the longest time after I finished, and I was able to relate to it a little bit.

My mom was the first one to read My Sister’s Keeper in my family, when I was nine or ten years old. Obviously I was way too young to read it then, but I remember my mom crying one day when she had finished. I had the same reaction when I finished it, too, almost exactly one year ago from now. I sobbed for so long, even though my mom had told me the ending and I had been expecting it. For some reason it hit me really hard how horrible it is to lose a sibling, to lose a sister.

I am two and a half years younger than my older sister. My mom always jokes that I’m the “nice one”. She says that “if Catie would just be nice to Grace, Grace would be the best, most loyal, loving friend.” And I think that’s pretty true. For some, rare moments, I love having a sister. When she’s actually acting decent towards me, it’s really nice—we crack up at stuff together, and sometimes even have serious conversations.

But for eighty percent of the time, I can’t help but absolutely hate my sister. She can be so nasty, unhelpful, and mean to me at times—for no reason! I’m not an annoying little sister, or mean to her, and I don’t mess with her stuff. I just feel like I’m her punching bag whenever she’s in a bad mood. She knows how to make me hate myself, and bring out pure hatred for her.

Reading your book really made me think what would happen if I lost my sister, or what would happen to my sister if I died. It’s not the most pleasant thing to think about, but it was inevitable when I was reading My Sister’s Keeper.

I’ve never really lost someone in my life. The death of my great-grandmother a few years ago didn’t greatly affect me because we were never very close, and I was only six when my grandma died. I know that I can’t even fathom what it’s like to lose someone, and I probably won’t know until one day—hopefully many—years from now. When I was little I used to think a lot about what would happen if I lost my parents, but I never thought about losing my sister. I always thought that siblings were like married couples. You grow old—not necessarily together—but at the same time. The major difference is that you have each other since birth. That’s a lifetime, and until I read your book, I didn’t think about how easy it is for that to be taken away.

Even though it sounds like a stupid, feeble comparison, I couldn’t help but thinking that, if I was sobbing for a fictional character in a fiction book, how would I feel if I lost my own sister? Before I had said that I can’t fathom what it’s like to lose someone, but your book gave me a small insight. Even though sometimes I hate my sister, I still love her to death, and hope that when we’re adults we’ll be best friends. I learned from your book that you can’t take anything for granted, like a sister. I’m lucky to have a sister, and I realize that now.
Thanks for the amazing book,
Sincerely,
A fan

Comparing and Contrasting Christianity and Judaism

Too many times in history have there been wars and disputes over religion. The truth is that if people just stopped and tried to understand other religions, maybe then they would respect them. Maybe then the violence would stop. Christianity and Judaism, for example, seem different, but in fact are actually very similar—just with subtle differences. Their theism and holy book are very similar, though their beliefs of the messiah and their celebrations differ.
Monotheism is the belief in one god, whereas the belief in more than one god is polytheism. Both Christianity and Judaism are monotheistic—in fact, the god they love and worship is the same. The major change comes with the birth of Jesus Christ.

The birth of Jesus is the reason why Christianity and Judaism’s holy books are slightly different. Judaism’s holy book, the Torah, is the first five books of the Old Testament. Christianity’s holy book, the Bible, includes all of the Old Testament, and the New Testament, which begins with the birth of Jesus. The Torah doesn’t talk about Jesus, because Jews don’t believe that Jesus is the messiah.

A messiah is a savior or ‘prophesized deliverer’. Jews believed that Jesus was just another prophet, while Christians believe Jesus is their savior, their messiah. This is the major difference between Christianity and Judaism. Jews believe that Jesus was not the savior they were waiting for, and believe that their messiah has yet to come. That could be why their holidays and celebrations are so different.

Over 2,000 years ago in the city of Bethlehem, a boy named Jesus was born. His mother was the
Mary; his father, Joseph the carpenter. Before Jesus’ birth, an angel of the lord came to Joseph and said to him: “Mary will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.” Right before his birth, Augustus Caesar ordered a census of his whole empire, and said that all men need to go to the place of their birth to be registered. So, Joseph and Mary went to Bethlehem, Joseph’s birth place, where Jesus was born in a manger in a stable because there was no room at the local inn.

This is the story of Jesus’ birth, which Christians celebrate at Christmas time. Also, there are other parts of Christmas that aren’t religious, like Christmas trees, presents, and, of course, Santa Claus. The cool thing about Christmas is that it also kind of celebrates the winter solstice, so anybody can celebrate it.

The most significant holiday for Christians is Easter. About three years after Jesus started teaching, he was convicted of blasphemy and of organizing a revolt against Rome. He was crucified, buried, and then—Christians believe— that after three days, he rose from the dead. Easter celebrates his resurrection from the dead, and that he died to forgive sin. And, like Christmas, there are other traditions at Easter that don’t really have anything to do with Christianity—like Easter eggs, bunnies, and candy.

One major misconception to non-Christian people (and even to some Christian people) is that the most significant holiday is Christmas. In reality, the most significant Christian holiday is Easter, because of their belief in the Resurrection of Jesus.

Thousands of years ago, the Israelites were enslaved in Egypt. Moses, a prophet, went to the pharaoh, trying to free the Jews. This is where the famous verse “Let my people go” comes from. The pharaoh refused, and so Jews believe that God unleashed terrible plagues upon the land of Egypt. One of them was the death of the first born son in every family, except for those whose doors were marked. These were the Jewish homes. The Jewish holiday, Passover, remembers when this horrible thing passed over them.

There are other Jewish celebrations like Hanukkah—the festival of lights, and bar/bat mitzvah. Bar mitzvah and bat mitzvah celebrate when a Jewish boy or girl turns thirteen and is recognized as a son or daughter of the commandments, or basically recognized as an adult.
There is also another misconception concerning Jewish holidays. Many people (Non-Jewish and some Jewish) think that Hanukkah is a major holiday—a “Jewish- Christmas”. However, the only similarity between Hanukkah and Christmas is that they both fall around the same time of year. And, actually Hanukkah is not a major Jewish holiday. Hanukkah doesn’t celebrate anything that was written in the Torah, while holidays like Passover (which would be more significant) do. Yom Kippur is a major holiday which celebrates when God forgave the Jews for worshipping a golden calf, as well as Rosh Hashanah, which is known as the Jewish New Year.

Christianity and Judaism are more similar than most people know. Christianity grew out of Judaism. Jesus Christ actually grew up Jewish. Their ideas of love and forgiveness are the same, and they both love and worship the same god. People need to understand other religions, so that they can respect them. Now, hopefully you understand Christianity and Judaism a little better. Understanding leads to respect, and respect will hopefully lead to less wars and disputes over religions all over the world. That’s why everyone needs to know and understand.

India's Caste System--Response

I do not believe that India’s caste system should remain in place. Imagine how unfair it would be to be deemed a Shudra (the name for the caste of servants of menial laborers) the very moment you are born, and never be able to try to improve your caste. You can’t marry outside your caste, nor even have friends outside your caste. It’s not fair that your fortune in the caste system depends on whether or not you were lucky enough to be born into a high caste (like Brahmans or Kshatriyas). Long ago, Hindus believed that a caste system was an important way to keep order in society, because everyone had their specific duties to fulfill, called dharma. Today, it is not uncommon for low-cast Hindus to convert to Buddhism or Christianity in hopes of finding freedom and dignity. This shows that they did not like the unfairness of the caste system. Also, Hindus believed that you would move up a caste when you are reincarnated if you lived your life well. Today, this system is not being used correctly, because some people, like Gujjars (a low caste of farmers and shepherds), actually tried to move down to an even lower caste in order to get a government job. Therefore, India’s caste system should not remain—not just because it’s an unfair system, but also because it’s not being used correctly.

I do not believe that the businessmen’s reasons were justified. Sure, having tons of free labor was definitely a plus for landowners, but what about the slaves? You can’t justify enslaving a group of people—as well as denying them their basic human rights—with your own greedy needs. I don’t think that there is any justification for the enslavement of a group of people. Also, I do not believe that India’s caste system is justified. It’s not fair to the lower castes who are forced into a more difficult way of life. Originally, the caste system was meant to keep order in their society, and to give everyone a duty. However, trapping people in castes is like enslaving them, and as I said before, there is no justification for enslaving people. Therefore, the caste system is not justified.

The Odyssey Essay--Vengeance Theme

Every author has their favorite themes that they like to use in order to make their writing interesting. Love, death, and jealousy are only a few of the many different archetypes that famous authors use all the time. In The Odyssey, Homer uses themes of love and death, as well as vengeance, to keep his writing interesting. When Odysseus blinded Poseidon’s son, Poseidon wanted revenge on Odysseus. When Odysseus finally reached home, he and Telemachus made a plan to exact revenge on the suitors. And when the suitors’ families found out about the killings at the palace, they were full of vengeance and wanted to kill Odysseus. Obviously, vengeance is a huge part of The Odyssey.

Many times in The Odyssey, Poseidon wanted revenge on Odysseus. For example, the first time Poseidon had a problem with Odysseus was after their success at the Trojan War, when Odysseus proclaimed that he was the reason they won, and that he didn’t need the gods’ help at all. Poseidon didn’t like this, and so he cursed Odysseus. This shows that Poseidon had as much pride as Odysseus, and took a bruise to his ego. Poseidon just probably started out wanting to teach Odysseus a lesson. In addition, after Odysseus blinded the Cyclops that was actually Poseidon’s son, Poseidon cursed him even more. This shows that now things between him and Odysseus were getting personal. Poseidon wanted Odysseus to suffer even more after he blinded his son, even though Odysseus already suffered when the Cyclops ate a few of his men. Finally, after being kept on Calypso’s island for several years, the gods decided to release Odysseus. Poseidon was angry, and brew up a huge storm that would have killed Odysseus if the goddess Ino hadn’t protected him. This shows that finally, after all Odysseus had done to offend Poseidon, Poseidon finally tried to kill him. This also shows that, even though Odysseus had been through a lot—lost his whole crew, and almost died numerous times—Poseidon didn’t care, and still wanted to exact revenge upon Odysseus.

The idea of getting revenge on the suitors was also a big part of The Odyssey. For example, near the beginning of the book, Telemachus gave a passionate speech at the Assembly talking about how the suitors had taken over their home. This was the first major event that showed Telemachus’ feelings about the suitors, and was probably foreshadowing. In addition, later in the story, an eagle carrying a goose was interpreted as a sign that Odysseus was about to swoop down on his home and exact revenge on the suitors. Obviously, this was foreshadowing, as well as probably a sign of hope for Telemachus. Finally, at the climax, Telemachus and his father succeeded in killing all of the suitors, getting their ultimate revenge. This showed that after all they had been through, Odysseus and Telemachus were able to work together as father and son. Also, it demonstrated the power that Odysseus had, as well as demonstrating Telemachus’ coming of age.

There were also other small details throughout The Odyssey that had to do with revenge and vengeance. For example, Orestes killed his mother and her lover, because her lover had killed Agamemnon, Orestes father. Orestes killed them to avenge the death of his father. This is kind of similar to how Telemachus got revenge on the suitors, and also how Poseidon got revenge on Odysseus after he blinded his son. In addition, Odysseus and Telemachus got a more gruesome revenge on Melanthius and the unfaithful maid servants than the suitors. Melanthius was tortured before he was killed, and Melantho and the other maidservants were hanged. Obviously, Melanthius’ fate was set when he chose to betray Odysseus and help the suitors. Also, it was very foolish for the maidservants like Melantho to have affairs with the suitors, and their fates were set as well when they chose to do so. Finally, near the end of the book, Eupithes, Antinous’ father, wanted revenge on Odysseus when he heard that all of the suitors had been killed. This shows that Odysseus’ vengeance was only transferred to Eupithes. Also, the fighting and vengeance would have never stopped if Athena and Zeus hadn’t stepped in at the end.

Obviously, vengeance was a huge theme in The Odyssey. It was the driving force behind the whole plot and all of the characters. Odysseus would have never been stranded for ten years if Poseidon hadn’t wanted revenge on him. The whole climax was Odysseus exacting revenge upon the suitors. Vengeance is also the thing that makes The Odyssey so interesting, and a big part of what makes it such an epic story.

The Odyssey--Creative Writing

Suddenly, through the fog, I see land. Finally, a landscape I haven’t seen in over ten years! Ithaca, at last.

Fog swirls around me, and my beautiful homeland disappears. Everything goes black, and then suddenly I’m in the cave of the Cyclops again, this time alone with none of my men. The only light is coming from a tiny lit candle in the corner. To my horror, the mangled corpses of my beloved men are strewn everywhere. I sit down and begin to sob. Haven’t I already been through this? I blinded the Cyclops! I blinded the mighty son of Poseidon! Why am I back in this horrible place?

The giant stone that is blocking my only exit begins to roll away, and for a brief moment the moon illuminates everything around me, but then a giant figure blocks it. I already know who it is: Polyphemus, the son of Poseidon.

“What is your name, human?” he asks me.

Instead of answering I just reply, “What kind of way is this to treat a guest? I am very hungry; you should be feeding me, and giving me gifts! Why, in Ithaca, we give strangers their weight in gifts, and slaughter cows for them to eat everyday! Now, stranger, feed me.”

Polyphemus just chuckles and says, “Well, as you can see I have enough of your men to keep me satisfied for a while. Here’s my gift to you: I will eat you last.”

I vividly remember him making this statement before, and his manic laughter that followed chilled my bones for hours nonstop after we finally escaped. But how am I to escape now? I have no wine to get him drunk on; I have nothing to blind him with again.

“So,” the monster begins, “what is your name?”

Slowly, I reply, “My name…is Nobody.”

For some odd reason this is terribly funny to him, and he bursts into laughter.

“Your name isn’t Nobody!” He shouts. “You’re Odysseus! King Odysseus of Ithaca! And I am going to eat you!”

His gigantic hand reaches out for me, and I begin to scream.

Monsters in My Life

I think that monsters can represent fears in life, like the fear of moving out one day, or maybe the fear of losing someone. Maybe one day when I have kids, a constant monster would be constantly afraid for their safety, or fear of letting them go when they grow up. Maybe I have a little fear of dying, and that’s been a nagging monster ever since I could understand what death meant.

Monsters could also represent certain emotions/feelings that are negative—maybe like jealousy, pride, cruelness, or fear.

Nectar in a Sieve Essay—Caste System

By examining the characters and actions in Nectar in a Sieve, it is clear that the caste system plays an important part in influencing the people’s lives and decisions that they make.

In the book Nectar in a Sieve by Kamala Markandaya, every character belongs to a certain caste. When Rukmani was a child, her father was the head of her village, which made them part of the Kshatriya caste. Nathan was part of the Vaishya caste because he was a tenant farmer, so when Rukmani married him she became a Vaishya, too. Also, near the end of the book, two priests conducted a service in the temple where Nathan and Rukmani took shelter their first night in the city. Those two priests were part of the Brahmins, the highest caste. The fact that everyone belongs to a certain caste is proof that the caste system exists and is relevant in this story. Everyone has their specific duties designated to their caste and sub-caste, which drives the plot in Nectar in a Sieve.

Also, marriages were greatly influenced by the caste system in Nectar in a Sieve. Even though Rukmani married “beneath” her, or to someone in a lower caste, it was still embarrassing for her, because it wasn’t very common. Also, people had said that Kunthi had married beneath her, and Rukmani wondered if they said the same about her. All of the gossip and the fact that Rukmani was embarrassed about marrying a Vaishya are proof that, normally, people stuck to the caste system, and when someone didn’t, it was rare, and actually cause for gossip. Ira was able to marry “up” a little, because she was pretty and had a decent dowry. Her husband was still part of Nathan’s caste, but was in a higher sub-caste because Ira’s husband would one day inherit land; it was not likely that Nathan ever would. This leads to another point: the caste system and the characters’ work lives in Nectar in a Sieve.

Basically, whatever caste a person belongs to depends on what job they have. In the beginning of this book, this is pretty true. Nathan and Rukmani were Vaishyas because they were farmers, and that wasn’t going to change. Later when Rukmani’s sons got jobs at the tannery, Rukmani was skeptical because it was a different caste than what they were born into. The caste system influenced her to feel this way, although her eldest sons didn’t at all seem to be affected by this. Later, Murugan left his caste when he went to work as a servant. Also, Selvam wanted to work as Kenny’s assistant and train with him, which brought him out of the caste system that he was born into as well. So, although the caste system didn’t affect their decisions in this part, the lines of the caste system were still noticeable throughout Markandaya’s writing—the reader gets a sense that there’s something strange about them changing castes. They feel this way because the reader actually gets influenced by the ideas of the caste system from reading up to that point in the book.

The book Nectar in a Sieve by Kamala Markandaya tells the story of a woman who struggles everyday to survive in a changing India. However, one thing that remains pretty constant right up towards the end of the novel is the relevance of the caste system. Each of the characters belong to a certain caste, marriages were affected by the caste system, and the characters’ work lives were influenced by the caste system as well. Therefore, the caste system is an important part of book Nectar in a Sieve.

Final Exam Reading Log

The book that I recently finished for choice literature is called Pope Joan. Pope Joan is about a girl, Joan, who grew up in the ninth century Dark Ages of Europe. At this time in history, it wasn’t very common for girls to go to school, or even learn how to read or write. However, Joan learns that she loves to learn when her brother begins teaching her to read and write. Eventually she ends up learning at a school far from her home with her brother John. After John is killed in a Viking attack, Joan takes up his identity, and goes to a monastery to become a monk and have the opportunity to learn as a man. Years later, due to fate, she ends up in Rome, grows close to the Pope, and then eventually becomes Pope.

I think that this book was definitely historical fiction, although the story of Joan was only a legend. In the back of the book, the author discusses how historians have been trying to discover whether Pope Joan was real or not. Some people argue that it is very possible that she existed, and that, in the 9th century, it would have been very easy to destroy records that would be considered embarrassing to the Church.

I would love to believe that Pope Joan was real. Stories of girls who disguise themselves as males—like Pope Joan, Mulan, even She’s the Man—have always fascinated me. I think that those types of stories are really cool, because I can admire those women who proved that they are just as good as males. And I loved reading about Joan’s character. She was very smart, clever, independent, and brave, and her story was so intriguing that I basically read that book nonstop for three days until I was finished.

Jane Schaeffer Model Paragraph--Sons by Pearl S. Buck

In the book Sons by Pearl S. Buck, Wang the Tiger acts like a strong, mean, and vicious general, but is actually kind at heart and merciful. For example, near the middle of the book, Wang the Tiger sent his nephew to spy on his enemy. At first, Wang the Tiger didn’t think much of it, but once his nephew was gone, he realized that he would miss him if he didn’t come back. This showed that Wang the Tiger was actually capable of showing some compassion. Also, it showed Wang the Tiger for once not only thinking about military strategy, but about his nephew that he had come to like. In addition, once Wang the Tiger had gained control of a province and had control over the magistrate, he would listen in on some of the cases that were brought to the magistrate. One time, a usurer and a poor farmer came in. The poor farmer owed the usurer a lot of money, and the usurer was demanding it. Just as the chief councilor of the magistrate said that the poor farmer should pay back all the interest and the money he borrowed, or else give the usurer his land, Wang the Tiger couldn’t take the injustice anymore and roared: “I say the poor man shall have his land!” (Buck 157). For the first time this showed Wang the Tiger actually showing compassion to a stranger. Also, it showed that Wang the Tiger had the potential to be a fair ruler, which he later became for a short period when the old magistrate died. Finally, near the end of the book, Wang the Tiger admitted that he “could only kill in anger, whose means to glory is death, and he knew it was his weakness that he could not kill coldly or carelessly or for a cause.” (Buck 226-227). This showed that, even though he acted tough and strict, he knew that he could not kill ruthlessly. Also, even though he admitted that it was his weakness, and almost wished that he wasn’t like that, the fact that he could only kill in anger shows that, deep down, Wang the Tiger was actually a merciful man. By showing compassion for his nephew, and standing up for the poor farmer, and actually admitting to himself that he wasn’t a ruthless, vicious ruler, it shows that Wang the Tiger wasn’t the brutal, harsh general whom everyone feared, but was actually sympathetic, and kindhearted.

Africa Current Event Articles-Summaries and Thinking

“Mali country profile”

Did you know that Mali, a country in West Africa, is one of the continent’s biggest cotton producers? And did you know that although it produces a lot of cotton, it is also one of the poorest nations in the world? Mali, which is located where ancient West African empires used to thrive, is now a civilian government, and is controlled by a president who was democratically elected in 2002.

Mali has gone through a lot in the past years. In the mid-1800s, France conquered Mali, and only in 1960 did Mali become independent again. Also, between 1960 and now, Mali has endured “droughts, rebellions, a coup, and 23 years of military dictatorship”. This article also lists other basic facts about Mali like the population, which is 13 million; area: 482,077 square miles; capitol: Bamako; major languages: French, Bambara, Berber, and Arabic; major religions: Islam and indigenous beliefs; and life expectancy: 48 years (men), and 49 years (women).

This article actually kind of surprised me a little. In history class, we spent a lot of time discussing the ancient empires of West Africa, and Mali was one of the really important, successful ones. We talked about gold and salt trade in West Africa, and about famous rulers like Mansa Musa. However, I don’t think we covered present-day Mali at all. I never knew what kind of government Mali has now, or anything else that I read in this article—most of it was new information to me. I had known that some European countries had colonies in Africa and Asia up until the late 20th century, but I didn’t know that French was in control of Mali for nearly one hundred years.

One fact that really intrigued me was the life expectancy. Men are expected to live for 48 years, and women are expected to live for 49 years. In the United States, men are expected to live for 75 years, and women are expected to live for 80 years. That’s a big difference. I already knew before reading this article that a lot of places in the world do have a shorter life expectancy than the United States, but I didn’t know that the difference was 25 to 30 years! Obviously, people in the United States have more opportunities and resources than Mali—the United States is wealthier, we have good medicine, etc., so the fact that we have a higher life expectancy is logical. But, I never knew that the difference was that great.

I thought that this article was a good source to learn about Mali. It was very informational, and taught me a lot of things that I didn’t know. It was interesting to learn about Mali’s past and present, and I liked reading this article.

“Mali: Lab Confirms H1N1”

According to this article I found, six H1N1 infections in Bamako, Mali, have been confirmed at international laboratories. This may seem bad for an extremely poor country like Mali, but the Health Ministry’s Director of health services, Toumani Sidibé, said that the situation is under control, and that “the infected are in good health and appropriate steps were taken to limit to spread to those close to them.” Also, although there have been 6880 deaths in North America since January 3rd due to the H1N1 virus and only 131 in all of Africa, there have been no reported H1N1 deaths in West Africa.

The information is this article was very surprising. How is it possible that there have been many more deaths in North America than in Africa? Countries in North America are wealthier, and have better health care than Africa, so how does it make sense that more people have died in Africa?

Perhaps the answer lies in where the H1N1 virus originated. The first cases of H1N1 were reported in North America, so it is likely that is where the virus originated. Maybe it took a while for the virus to spread to Africa, and so in that time, more people in North America were in infected. Maybe in a couple of years, the number of deaths due to the H1N1 virus will even out between North America and Africa—maybe Africa will actually have more deaths, which is logical.

This article was very informative. I knew that H1N1 was spreading all over the world, but I never really knew statistics. Now I have an idea of what’s going in Mali, and even Africa. It’s good to hear that the situation is “under control”, which means that maybe the H1N1 virus isn’t as big of a deal that everyone thought it was a year ago.

“20 Killed in an Army Outpost in Mali”

About 14 months ago, Tuareg rebels attacked an army outpost in northern Mali, killing twenty people, and injuring many more. A rebel spokesman for the Tuareg Alliance for Change of Northern Mali posted a statement on their website saying that the incident was intended to “force the government into dialogue.” The president of Mali called for calm, and said that “no one can divide Mali”. There had been problems with these rebels in the past, and the leader of one faction in the Malian government wanted to “help the Tuareg minority, whose nomadic culture sets them apart from Mali’s southern ethnic groups”. So, negotiators from his group and the Malian government started meeting, working to make a deal that would “increase development in the north and increase government opportunities for members of the ethnic group”.

This article reminded me of the first article that I found about Mali, which discussed how there had been problems with the tribe of Tuareg rebels. However, it also ended saying that in early 2009, there were “hopes of a return to a peace process” after the Malian government achieved some military successes and several hundred rebels surrendered. This shows that this article (“Mali country profile”) was a better source to learn about Mali than the one I just found on foxnews.com (“20 Killed in Attack on Army Outpost in Mali”), because the “Mali country profile” was much more recent and updated than the fox news one, which was written in late 2008.

This article was interesting, mostly because it was like reading backwards. In the first article, “Mali country profile”, it pretty much wrapped up what was happening with the rebels in Northern Mali. In this article, “20 Killed in Attack on Army Outpost in Mali”, it wasn’t wrapped up at all. It just stated what their plan was to try to gain peace. But, while reading this article I already knew that there was a good chance that they would return to a peace process, because I had already learned what happened in early 2009 when I read “Mali country profile”. But, even though this article (“20 Killed in Attack on Army Outpost in Mali”) wasn’t exactly the best source—because it’s so dated—it was still interesting to read, and very informational.

Works Cited
“Mali country profile.” BBC 27 Jan. 2010 .
“Mali: Lab Confirms H1N1.” IRIN 13 Jan. 2010 .
“20 Killed in Attack in Army Outpost in Mali.” Foxnews 20 Dec. 2008 .

African Movie Thinking Response

I thought that this movie was pretty interesting. I've never really had an insight into modern African life like this before. I thought that the all-girls school was pretty cool, too.
I agree with the woman teacher in the movie, who said that education--although expensive--is a good investment. It gives these girls more opportunities--even if it's just to help her family more on the farm by applying what she's learned. According to the video, less than only half of the country is literate, and actually being able to read will give you a chance to do something with you life other than chores, helping your family, and eventually getting married, to then have to do more work with your husband's family.
Although the statistic may seems strange, I wasn't very surprised to hear that most girls are married between 16 and 18 years of age. That seems really young, but really, if you can't afford school, it's the only option these girls have. For poor families in Africa, education can't be a priority, because it's simply too expensive. Therefore, girls have to leave their families at a certain age, and get married.
It was interesting to hear that the groom's family has to pay the dowry to the bride's family. That's kind of strange, because in other places like India, usually the bride's family has to pay the dowry to the groom's family.
Overall, this movie was interesting. It helped me understand the daily lives of Africans. I learned many new things, and I actually enjoyed it.