Two Wrongs

Luke Enthoven

Period 1

4/23/15

Tompkins

Two Wrongs

A high pitched scream resonated through the small urban house. With only two bedrooms, side by side, you could practically drop a pin and the person in the next room would hear it through the thin drywall. Kevin opened his tired eyes and groaned.

“Not again”. His daughter had been having nightmares every night for the past week. He looked over at his clock on the bedside table, it read 1:17. He had been getting used to being forced up early in the morning, but this one was the earliest by far. He threw off his thick coating of blankets, and the cold engulfed him. When he went to look for a shirt he heard another scream that sent him sprinting down the hall.

“Help”. Quickly opening the next door down, he saw his daughter’s face streaked with tears and the most terrified look on her face. To the left of her was another man. He was tall and dressed in black with matte black hair to match. His arm was outstretched and in it was held a gun. The terror that filled Kevin caused him to freeze. He worked as a police officer, and dealt with situations like this every day, but none had involved someone so close to him. There was nothing he could do. The person most important to him in the whole world was in peril, but he was frozen where he stood. Powerless, he watched as the man in black fired his gun and took from him the light of his life, his daughter. The killer turned to look Kevin right in the eyes as if nothing had happened. He had green eyes, like a snake. Kevin lost it, and lunged forward at the man tackling him to the ground. The gun fell from his hand and clattered under the bed. Despite having the advantage, Kevin was overpowered by the much larger man who managed to push him off and get back to his feet. Kevin reached for the gun and grabbed it, but when he aimed it up, the man was gone. Kevin stood up and screamed with rage. He fired the rest of the clip into the wall then threw the gun. After the initial rage he broke down and fell to his knees. Nothing mattered anymore.

Weeks later, Kevin was driving his patrol car through town. Next to him, his partner Benny was discussing his discontent at the latest sporting event.

“They bribed the officials,” he said defensively, “no one makes calls that bad. I mean, look how many penalties they called on us”. He looked to Kevin for some agreement, but Kevin just kept looking forward at the road expressionlessly. He hadn’t slept that night. Or any night since the murder. He blamed himself for what had happened;he only thought of how he could have saved her. No prescribed sleep aid could help him; the scene just replayed in his mind, torturing him. So powerless to help her, yet there was so much he could have done.

“Kevin? Earth to Kevin”, Kevin still paid no attention. Benny then muttered under his breath,

“No wonder your daughter died”. Kevin heard and looked over at him menacingly. Benny met his eyes and became frightened.

“No, no, Kevin, I didn’t mean nothin by it, you know. It just slipped out man, I’m sorry, I’m sorry”. Kevin leaned in closer to Benny, who pulled himself in, making himself as small as possible.

“You son of a bit...”, he couldn’t finish his sentence because the radio cut him off.

“Hostile on foot, third street. Suspect is described as being tall and muscular with black hair”. Before Benny could even think about what the report had said, Kevin was already slamming on the accelerator. He turned on the sirens and didn’t stop for anything. First street, second street, third street. He didn’t even break to make the turn, and almost smashed into a store front. Kevin picked up the radio and quickly spoke into it.

“What's the location of the suspect on third?”. The dispatcher responded, “He was last seen entering the construction site for the new parking garage”. He spun the wheel like a top and gunned it towards the site. Skidding to a stop, the police cruiser jolted and Kevin jumped out, with Benny objecting loudly behind him. Kevin bolted through the open gate into the construction site. Pulling out his gun , he walked slowly, making sure to watch his back. Suddenly a black figure sprinted out from behind a cement mixer up the stairs to the second floor of the garage. Kevin followed at full sprint, making it to the second floor only to see the man disappear up to the third and final floor of the garage. Kevin, again, followed up, this time knowing that the suspect would have nowhere to go. He made it to the top floor and saw the figure standing at the edge of the garage looking over the edge at the three story drop below him. Kevin raised his gun and pointed it at the man.

“Put your hands behind your head” The man turned around and did so.

“Get on your knees”. He complied and did so, slowly again. The man's gaze was cast down, but Kevin knew who he was. There was no mistaking the man that was there that night. He aimed his gun at the man’s head. All the anger he had ever felt welled up inside him. Now he had the power, he was no longer helpless to make things right. He slowly walked forward with his gun trained on the man’s skull. Nothing could stop him from executing this coward where he knelt. Then the man looked up into Kevin’s eyes.  Green eyes, like his daughter.

Zimbabwe, Liberation or Destruction?

Zimbabwe, Liberation or Destruction?

The glorious shift of power in South Africa is a well known peaceful revolution. It is lesser known that just north of South Africa, in Zimbabwe, that there was also a shift of power, but one that the people payed the price for in blood. The revolution in Zimbabwe was one that brought the power shift that the people wanted, but wreaked havoc on the country for years to come. The aftermath of the revolution, as stated in a paper by ACCORD, created overall economic collapse and plunged the country into a state of violence and lawlessness.  This state of anarchy caused many problems that would plague the country for years, such as the economic collapse causing hyperinflation(ACCORD). An article by the Economist shows the effects of this collapse and inflation in the modern day. After the inflation in Zimbabwe reached eighty billion percent the country adopted the American Dollar to use as currency. This sudden shift created issues in the market especially because most businesses did not immediately obtain any US dollars making so that they could not give out change or perform any other transactions (Economist). As well as economic collapse there has been constant violence from ex-ZIPRA (Zimbabwe People’s Revolutionary Army) militants. A Refworld article brings to light that there have been hundreds of deaths caused by these ex-ZIPRA militants. They do not only kill, but they also perform armed robberies on anything from banks to buses. This violence has been happening for a substantial amount of time. In 1982 the ZIPRA fighters abducted six foreign tourists, causing the government to launch an anti-guerrilla activity campaign to insure the safety of the people(Refworld). These terrible conditions are causing mass immigrations from Zimbabwe to its more stable neighbor South Africa. There are currently between one point five and two million Zimbabwe born immigrants in South Africa. Zimbabwe only has a population of fourteen million, so that is an extremely large portion of the population that is migrating to new and safer places(IIJD). Zimbabwe’s revolution shook the country and it is still affected by it to this day. The future is looking up for Zimbabwe, as foreign aid increases, while violence and inflation have almost ceased.

Works Cited

ASWIN. "IIJD | ASWIN Profiles." IIJD. ASWIN, n.d. Web. 10 Mar. 2015.

HARARE. "Nothing for Money." The Economist. The Economist Newspaper, 14 Feb. 2015. Web. 10 Mar. 2015.

This Article by The Economist, was a true insight into the economic troubles faced by Zimbabwe, and the sudden shift of currency and its effect on the people. The source is reliable because it is by a very notable magazine that has released many reliable articles.

"Occasional Papers." ACCORD. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Mar. 2015.

"Refworld | Zimbabwe: Activities of the Zimbabwe People's Revolution Army (ZIPRA), the Military Army of the Zimbabwe African People's Union (ZAPU), including Leaders, Platform and Whether It Has Been Alleged or Has Been Found to Have Participated or Committed Human Rights Abuses (1980-July 2002)." Refworld. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Mar. 2015.

"Sadomba, Zvakanyorwa Wilbert. 2011. War Veterans in Zimbabwe's Revolution: Challenging Neo-Colonialism and Settler and International Capital." Africa Today Magazine 58.3 (2012): 98. Global Issues In Context. Web. 6 Mar. 2015. <http://find.galegroup.com/gic/infomark.do?&source=gale&idigest=0f48ecee8b1fd7f446ffb51dd31f8b93&prodId=GIC&userGroupName=los42754&tabID=T002&docId=A284754261&type=retrieve&PDFRange=[]&contentSet=IAC-Documents&version=1.0>.

John Kumalo is a rather naive man and his predisposition to kindness can have its faults. Though Kumalo knows of the evils of Johannesburg, he still does not hesitate to give a large portion of his savings to a stranger. He believes the stranger has good intentions, but he ends up stealing the money. Similarly, Kumalo is quick to forgive his sister for her sins.

18- quickly, eagerly, as though he must show this young man that he appreciated his kindness, he put down his bag and took out his purse.

31- His eyes filled with tears, his deep gentleness returns to him. He goes to her and lifts her from the floor to the chair. Inarticulately, his strokes her face, his heart filled with pity.

37- “Our customs are different here”

This picture shows a city that is representative of johannesburg. The people are drinking and smoking and there are monsters and other odd characters. This is also naive art, which reflects how naive steven is when he takes his trip to the city.

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.  

The Path

Why

Must the path of others

be your path as well

Is the need for acceptance

so controlling

that

you cannot

trust yourself

to find

your own way

No matter how

narrow

or distant

this path may seem

it is your own

what

makes this path

great

is

secludedness

for the path ignored by many

can hold the secrets

to the greatest truths

Luke Enthoven

How does our Past affect our Present?