Helping Others Helps

I outstretch my hand out in front of me to try and catch the falling cereal box, which had fallen off the shelf as I bumped into it walking into the kitchen. My hand feels the wind from the box, as my hand was a few inches off. I wonder which cereal fell. Maybe it was the cereal I had aimed to knock down in the first place. I reach down and feel for the box. It wasn’t to my left or right, so I take a step forward and —crunch— my foot crushes the cereal. My fingers feel around for the opening of the box, and struggle to open the bag inside. My fingers pull out what I think is a square piece? I pop it in my mouth, and suddenly I know what cereal I am holding. The taste of cinnamon dances on my tongue, and I get a small glimpse of something familiar. I try to recall what the box looks like, the color of the letters, and the cartoon on the back.

“You could have asked me for help,” I hear my mothers voice behind me and instantly I wonder how long she had been watching. I pick up the cereal quickly and turn around.

“I can do it myself!” I practically shout, in awe that I come across as that incompetent. I’m an adult, but ever since the surgery she is treating me like a child. It has only been a month since I had lost my sight completely, unexpected in surgery, but a year since I had been diagnosed with Macular Degeneration.

“I can give you a hand to the table, if you’d like” I hear her again. “I know it’s hard to get to the table”, I could hear the pain in her voice, no doubt from watching me struggle.

I shrug in her direction, imagining her face as I turn her down again. I can feel my mothers eye’s on me as I grab my spoon and eat my cereal. I couldn’t blame her. I am not only holding myself back, but holding her back as well. She was in the middle of her life and I just showed up, helpless and alone. As if having to drop out of college just before graduating because I could not SEE, wasn’t enough, now I am also the center of everyone’s pity. With no college, no life, no TV, my life is empty.

The doorbell rings, snapping me back to the kitchen table. I hear my mom get the door, as she walks down the hall, I try to listen to find out who it is, hiding my face as much as possible. But from her bear hug embrace as she walked right up to me, I could tell it was Pippa. I immediately relaxed—it is my best friend. Having met on the first day of an unfamiliar college together, we were fast friends. After the accident, she visited me when she could, even though she was still enrolled in college. She would always bring me a special surprise, whether it was a CD of music, a treat, or just a fun pair of socks. It was comforting to know that although my social life died, my true friendships stayed strong.

She takes my hand and as I reluctantly follow her, I try to feel what I am passing, to know where we are going. We sit on my bed, in silence for a minute.

Suddenly I hear the sound of tears, and I reach over and give Pippa a hug. She hugs me back, and cries for a minute. As I comfort her, I forget my problems, and forget my self pity. I listen as she explains.

Through her sobs, I make out a few words, “Today class was really hard…” I miss some mumbles about an unfair teacher and a low test grade. “...and I” she pauses every few words to gulp for air between sobs. “...did not do well at all on this test, even though I studied really, really, really hard. It’s just that I put in so much effort, but my grade does not reflect all my hard work for that class,” She sobs, and I squeeze her tighter.

As she talks through her daily anxieties, and cries her heart out about her flaws that she cannot fix, she starts to calm down.

“You know what?” I say reassuringly, “you are going to need to forget about your setbacks to keep living your life”, and for some reason I feel like I am not just referring to Pippa and her problems as I speak.

“You are so right, Kate! Thanks for your advice and listening to me,”  I start to hear the bright, happy Pippa that I’m used to. Just from being able to help Pippa with her problems, and listen to her talk, has given me a sense of value, in that I can help her, and not alway be the one receiving others help.

School Sanitation Situation

Emma Jacobsen

Ms Tompkins 1

World Literature Honors

13 March 2015

School Sanitation Situation

Can you imagine having no access to water at school, and having to be there for the long, hot hours of the day. That is how children and teens go to school in Africa everyday. In most schools in Africa, water and sanitation are scarce, distracting from getting an education as children focus on their dehydration.  The lack of proper facilities and essential resources for clean water and sanitation hinders education in Africa.

One of the reasons the lack of sanitation in schools is an issue is because it is hindering girls’ education. According to an article by the Africa News Service, most girls miss school when they are menstruating because of lack of proper bathrooms, and they do not want their peers to know (Africa News Service). This puts a block in their education as they are missing a lot of school, and some don’t even graduate. This issue shows the importance of proper bathrooms at school. For example, Sarta had to miss lessons for two days, which affects her education because she misses subjects like Math, Physics, and Chemistry. These subjects are important to her because she wants to become a Petroleum Engineer (Boley). As many girls are missing school around four times a month, the lack of proper facilities for sanitation interferes with their education.  

Another reason why the lack of water and sanitation is taking away from childrens’ education is that most schools do not have water available on campus. In an article based on African school hygiene, most African schools do not have access to water, making the student walk home for water, or try to go the whole day without water, distracting from their learning (Boley). As stated by the Africa News Service, “A child does not have access to clean water, safe sanitation and hygiene facilities” (Africa News Service). The lack of good water supply is not promoting good hygiene among the students. Many of the younger students who need more water are having trouble in school.

As African schools do not provide water and sanitation at school, the students education is hindered as they have to travel home or stay home. The solution is illustrated in an Article by the Africa News Service,  “the government must see the challenge of sanitation and water and its solution as part of an integrated approach to ensuring progress across the development sectors with the aim to improve child survival, increase girls' education, strengthen economic growth and reduce poverty.” The education of the children of Africa is affected by the lack of sanitation and available water in schools.

Works Cited

Boley, Tecee. "Water and Sanitation Problems Driving Children From School." Africa News Service 21 Mar. 2013: n. pag. Student Resources in Context. Web. 8 Mar. 2015.

"Clean Water and Proper Sanitation Essential." Editorial. Africa News Service 23 Oct. 2008: n. pag. Global Issues in Context. Web. 7 Mar. 2015. (Paragraph 3 Citation).

"Lack of Toilet Facilities Hinders Girl-Education, Says Group." Africa News Service 5 Mar. 2014: n. pag. Global Issues in Context. Web. 7 Mar. 2015. (Paragraph 2 Citation).

Stephen Analysis

Stephen Character Analysis

Analysis:

Paton uses Stephen to show how painful experiences lead to fear. Stephen is forced to go out of his comfort zone when he travels to Johannesburg to help his family, but he is afraid of the big city and its uncertainties. His role in the novel is to act as a bridge between reality and the world that is present. Racism and adversity hold him back, but through tentative steps, Stephen will be able to make a difference.

Quotes:  

“I do not hurt myself, it is they who are hurting me. My own son, my own sister, my own brother. They go away and they do not write any more. Perhaps it does not seem to them that we suffer. Perhaps they do not care for it” (9).

“Black and white, it says, black and white, though it is red and green. It is too much to understand. He is silent, his headaches, he is afraid. There is this railway station to come, this great place with all its tunnels under the ground” (17).

“And now the fear is back again, the fear of the unknown… Already the knees are weak of the man who a moment since had shown his little lie… The humble man reached for his pocket for his sacred book, and began to read. It was this world alone that was certain” (14).

Unlocking the Deep Layers of Symbolism

Unlocking the Deep Layers of Symbolism

Suitcase symbolism:

Quotes:

“‘But I want to read all of them,’ Luo said resolutely. He shut the suitcase again and, resting one hand on the lid like a Christian taking a solemn oath, he declared: ‘With these books I shall transform the Little Seamstress. She’ll never be a simple mountain girl again.’” (100).

“‘It reminds me of a scene in a film,’ sand Luo. ‘You know, when a stolen suitcase turns out to be stuffed with money...’ ‘So, are you weeping tears of joy?’ I said. ‘No. All I feel is loathing.’ ‘Me too. Loathing for everyone who kept these books from us’”(99).

Dai Sijie uses the symbol of the suitcase to illustrate the oppression of the communists in China. They are a symbol of everything that has been censored from Luo and the narrator. The suitcase also represents change and hope in their lives. Once they know of it, they realize what joy and opportunity the suitcase can actually bring them. Their eyes have been opened to the Western world, and they start to mature.

Wyolin:

“He was inspecting my violin. Among the possessions brought to this mountain village by the two ‘city youths’ - which is how they saw Luo and me - it was the sole item that exuded an air of foreignness, of civilization, and therefore aroused suspicion” (3).

“A stupid toy”, a woman commented hoarsely.” “The village headman corrected her, “a bourgeois toy.” “I felt chilled to the 

bone despite the fire blazing in the center of the room.”(4)

The narrator views the violin as an important object that helps ground him to his normal life in the city. However the headsman only see the violin as a symbol of bourgeois oppression on the proletariat masses. Only until Luo comments on how it can be used to represent the revolution does the headman see that it is not just an oppressive toy.  

Your Own Trail

Your Own Trail

As you hike along the trail

made by man before you,

Notice the trees, stopped in their growth, cut down

So as we walk through this forest,

go off the trail

Experience nature without a set path 

on which you should follow

Wandering on your own path,

discover where you should walk.

As you hike along your own path

Don't pursue the footprints of others

Make your own footprints,

Don't follow the well worn footprints of those

who were in the forest before you.

Wandering on your own path,

discover where you should make your footprint.

To Justify Our Own Beliefs