Going Beyond The Horizon

The poem “Fishing on the Susquehanna in July”, is a poem that creates a direct connection with the reader. The author is trying to illustrate how sometimes you have never done something that look interesting, because you are not used to it, but at the end it may attract you to do it. Billy Collins, author of the poem, uses literary elements and devices to demonstrate this point of view. 

First of all he uses imagery to show the reader the different scenarios that are proposed to the character. It starts describing the “a quiet room like this one--

a painting of a woman on the wall” (Collins). This quote shows the reader how our author is tranquil and artistic, not very interested in the out side activities. The author then continuous the poem describing the river and there is a moment where she connects her art with the lake. At this precise point the reader gets to a turn point in which Collins changes the small room into the big river. The author uses imagery to show the difference between these two environment and the characters reaction to it.

Afterwards, the reader notices how Collin uses a non-chalant tone to really connect the characters thoughts and behavior with the different scenes. During the whole poem Collins describes both places in a very casual way, giving it´s explanations of why the main character prefers one place over the other, or to say the reason why it prefers its house. The reader notices that the tone describes the character as a very casual and reasonable person that is comfortable with the things that are common for this person. Also, the reader may notice how this attitude towards the change of environment makes the reader think and consider. The author then uses tone to describe the scene as a casual and non-chalant moment.

Finally, the reader may notice how towards the end, Collins uses foreshadowing to take that character to the river and actually imagine himself over there. It is here where the protagonist opens his frontiers and sees beyond his normal comfort zone. The reader the notices Collins attempt to show how the human being may be comfortable with the thing they already know, but they sometimes have to go out of their normal schedules and experience new things. 

In conclusion. the reader may see how Collin uses literary elements such as imagery and tone to describe how people want to stay in their comfort zone because that is what they are accustomed to, but to be able to change and go beyond that zone, people have to see themselves outside that accustomed schedule.

The Big Wall

“Mending Walls” by Richards Frost, is a poem that shows humanity’s need to separate from each other and how its efforts are worthless because the barrier will fall again. The author is trying to create a poem in which meaning reflects his point of view towards humanity’s need to protect what it is his. He uses symbols such as the wall between two neighbors and the constant repairs they have to do to them to guide this reader towards this meaning.

First of all, the author uses imagery to illustrate the reader the environment created by this wall. It starts by telling the story of the hunters that, not caring about other’s property or rights, they cross and “please the Yelping dogs” (Frost). This takes the character to think about the dangers of being someone like the hunter yet it continuous to find some other reasons to building this wall. This shows Frost’s clear attempt to show how people use something as hunting, to convince their neighbors that each one has to protect it’s own by separating it from others.

Another element used by the author are symbols such as the wall. This wall represents the barrier that divides the neighbors from others. It is indeed here where the readers must focus on the main meaning of the poem to understand the true message that this poem has. Just like two neighbors build a wall, humanity builds barriers between them. Nevertheless, time and history destroy these barriers, but humanity just sits down and builds them once again. This shows Frost’s attempt to guide the reader towards a world that is divided by human kind.

Furthermore, the author uses literary devices such as Aphorism as an example of the reasons that humanity uses to build these barriers. The most common one inside this poem is “ good fences make good neighbors” (Frost). This line that is repeated twice inside this poem guides the reader towards an environment in which people think that wittiness will give them a reason to build this barriers between them.

In conclusion, the reader may see how Richard Frost uses literary devices such as aphorism and elements such as symbols to convince the reader that humanity is building frontiers between them to protect themselves from each other, and how they use lame excuses and fake smiles to give reasons to this self-destructive way of living.

An Interview With Danticat

In this amazing interview that Edwidge Danticat, author of the book the farming of Bones, we may see how her life, experiences and environment highly affect her way of writing. During the whole interview, readers may take her answers and easily connect them to her books. Many aspects that show why Danticat wrote the stories that she wrote are said during this reveling interview.

First of all she starts talking to her relationship with children, As faithful readers know, she has already written two children books in which she represents the stories of those children in Haiti. Danticat expresses that she usually writes about children, because it is amazing to see their experience during a flood or a getaway. The readers immediately reflect this answer in Amabelle’s escape from Haiti after her parents died.

Another important point that was touched during the interview was the importance of her family in her writings. To answer these types of questions, she always told the audience that she picked a person to write about, like for example her niece or cousin. Her family becomes the reason for her to write. This reflects in Amabelle’s desire to escape and to live, because it is not only the need to live that pushed her into escaping but also the love she had for the only family she had left, Sebastien.

Danticat constantly talks about how she writes about the painful struggles that the people of her country have to face. As previously said in another blog entry, Haitian history is very dark although its culture is full of life. It is here where we can see how Danticat uses real life tragedies to write about the people who didn’t have a voice during those times, people that may have live what Amabelle had to live.

In conclusion the reader may see how Danticat uses her experiences and the dark history her country has to write her novels. Not only but also, how she speaks for those who didn’t have a voice during those times, and how her people struggled to protect their beautiful culture and community.

Character and War

As the Farming of Bones continuous, the readers can see Danticat’s constant criticism towards the hate Generalissimo’s Trujillo has towards the Haitian people. The constant threats that Amabelle and her people are exposed to are part of a dark moment that this country had to live through during this dictator’s rule in the Dominican Republic.

Although Danticat uses this book to criticize this prejudice, she also uses it to guide the reader towards the path of truth. This path shows the people that read the novel, how people that had to flew from Haiti because of different reasons are proud of their culture and their history. Such pride can be seen in moments such as the "sermons to the Haitian congregants of the valley he often reminded everyone of common ties: language, foods, history, carnival, songs, tales, and prayers. His creed was one of memory, how remembering--though sometimes painful--can make you strong." (Danticat).

This type of pride is used by Danticat to show the strength that her people had to have to get the character they needed to face those people that did not want them there. This book is a clear message the fight towards freedom of expression and respect towards the different cultures, not only in the island, but also all over the world.

In conclusion, the reader may observe Danticat’s attempt to criticize the Generalissimo’s prejudice and unjust behavior towards the Haitians in the Dominican Republic. Although his attempts to destroy them, the Haitians where proud of being from that side of the island, and although the memories where painful, they would always try to go back. 

The Descriptive ways of Danticat

The Farming of Bones by Edwidge Danticat is a clear illustration of how the landowners in the Dominican Republic thought of the people that flew there from Haiti. The main character Amabelle is a Haitian servant for Senora Valencia since she was eight years old. The clear difference between the people in this house is showed when the Miss starts saying to Annabelle how the new baby girl would be “mistaken for one of your people” (Danticat, 12).

The author is really descriptive when it comes to the facial and emotional characteristics of each character, which makes this book really engaging and attractive to the readers. How she shows each moment of the book helps the reader understand the difference between the rich landowners and the poor servants at the plantations and how the white people put their interests before the lives of the black Haitians.

Another important fact is how the author divides her book. Some chapters show the story of the Family and the servants like Juana, but others are a clear illustration of Amabelle’s life with Sebastien and how the difference between classes affects their way of living.

Danticat and The Farming of Bones have left me a great first impression about this wonderful author. Her descriptive and critical way of seeing her own community and the country besides it has turned this book in a brilliant piece of art.

The Imperial Catastrophe

    Joseph Conrad shows how Imperialism destroyed the African continent during the 1890’s. His famous novel The Heart of Darkness clearly reveals Conrad’s criticism towards this massive colonization that happened during the last half of the century.  The biggest colonies where owned by the reign of queen Victoria of England. To illustrate the reader, the author gave two main facts that will help the reader to understand his point of view. The first one, how England made the colonists look like heroes and missionaries and secondly, how they use this excuse to destroy the African people.

      As an illustration, the reader may take into consideration the Victorian age, in which England recovered from a horrible crisis that had left it in a horrible state. With the money taken out of the colonies, the country quickly recovered and Queen Victoria and the explorers, where recognized as heroes. To explain, the author clearly shows how this honor was inside the mind of our main character Marlow states that  “And indeed nothing is easier for a man who has, as the phrase goes, ‘followed the sea’ with reverence and affection, than to evoke the great spirit of the past upon the lower reaches of the Thames.” (Conrad, 6) In other words, the reader can see how Marlow was trapped inside this illusion of being a savior to the people of the Black Continent.

      Afterward, Marlow discovers the truth about this “explorers”. After the colonization, all the resources that the African people had became part of the wealth of the European empires. It is here when Conrad shows the reader how Marlow, after seeing what’s really happening inside the continent, thinks about this colonizers and the job he is doing. He clearly shows how conquers “want only brute force--nothing to boast of, when you have it, since your strength is just an accident arising from the weakness of others.” (Conrad, 13) For this purpose, the reader quickly understands that Conrad wants to clearly differentiate a Colonist with a Conquers.

      The Heart of Darkness is a book that shows hoe imperialism may look like something good for both countries involved, but it is really a bloody and cruel Conquer for power and strength, that is why Conrad shows the reader the importance of the liberation of these colonies for the well being of the entire world.

The Black and White Oxymoron

Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad uses an Oxymoron between White and Black to demonstrate Conrad’s critics towards these two denominations. The author pairs up these two colors to make the differentiation that worldwide society gives to Africa and the rest of the world. To develop this thesis, it is important that the reader takes into consideration two important factors. The first one, the “why” people relates Africa to this dark color and the second one, related to Europe’s presence in Africa.

Although racism may be part of this mistake, the metonym between black and Africa has nothing to do with the fact that this continent is mainly composed of dark-colored people. This denomination has to do with the security, health and social issues this continent had. To illustrate, the reader can take into consideration events such as the Rwanda genocide or the Blood Diamonds. Specifically, the reader can take Congo’s problems such as the vast number of refugees in this area, the unimaginable health problem and the obvious poverty issue. These are the main reasons why Congo is denominated inside the book as the “Heart of Darkness” which really signifies the center of the black continent.

Congo’s government and people are not the only ones to be blamed because of its economical, political and social problems. Conrad takes the reader to the context in which this book was written. During the last decade of the 1800s, Europe had conquered many countries around the world. This new empire caused many problems inside continents such as Africa. Certainly, the reader can see some of the problems caused by imperialism inside the book; for instance, when Marlow starts mocking the way he was “hindering you fellows in your work and invading your homes, just as though I had got a heavenly mission to civilize you.” (Conrad, 16) It is here where Conrad makes his criticism about how Europe’s presence in Africa was not a mission to help Africa but on the contrary, a nightmare for the people in this country.

It is with this analysis that the reader can understand Conrad’s criticism inside this wonderful novel. It is important to recognize that dividing the world into the dark and the bright is just making our world a worst place to live and a horrible place to see.

Gabriela