Debate questions

1.What are the main arguments presented by Team 1?

- colonization helped improve living quality, health, and money resources.

-  brought modern technology.

- advances poorer countries with communication and transportation.

2.  What is the main evidence presented by Team 1?

- colonization brought health. This was proved by an observation of African men getting taller, this would mean that they are getting healthier and they can produce more babies in a healthy state.

- African goods can be traded for money and could make the tribes wealthier.

 3.  What are the main arguments presented by Team 2?

- when African artifacts are taken away by the British, the Africans loose culture.

- all colonization leads to is genocide and greed.

- Britain is using African artifacts as a trophy, hey are showing off how they conquered yet another country.

4.  What is the main evidence presented by Team 2?

- 46% of African artifacts are taken from Africa. 

- by stealing artifacts, Britain is basically using Africa for their own personal gain.

 5.  Who won the debate? Why?

I think that group 2 won the debate because they had a strong answer that made me personally think about how bad colonizing was. If group 2 had something to say about taking the rituals away from the tribes because of the violence that goes into them (which I agree with), group 2 would say that that is not considered horrible to them. Yes it is unhealthy and extremely unsafe but it is still part of their culture and by taking this away, you take their culture and personalities away as well.

Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday reading journals for "Things Fall Apart"

Tuesday reading journal:

 I think the Abame tribe reacted the way they did because they were scared. This is a natural reaction when you see someone you don't know and they come up to you. For example, if you were walking on the street and you hear fast footsteps behind you and you notice that that person is coming head on straight at you! That would be a terrifying situation and I think that this held true for the Abame tribe also.

Thursday reading journal:

I think Christianity took a cruel role in this book. I think that since Christianity was forced on this tribe, the religion is going to come off as cruel and pushy because it was forcibly put apon the tribe. It might have come across as ominous and a little disturbing like a storm that has now swept through the tribe and scattered everything out of place.

Friday reading journal:

I found that Things Fall Apart was definetley much more of an easy read than Heart of Darkness was. Colonialism in Heart of Darkness seemed seemed like the author was trying to make it sound normal but faintly, it sounded like he was a bit suspicious about the goings on under the seemingly harmless skin of colonializing native people of diffrent places. In Things Fall Apart, colonialism seems like nothing is okay and colonialism is an awful thing and the main character of the book commits suicide because of the pleasure he was going through with it all. I found that reading both books and then finally seeing where both authors outlooks on things compared and contrasted was very fun and interesting.

Things Fall Apart question

Okonkwow felt dismay and sadness when Ikemefumna died. To him, sadness is a sight of feminine weekness. Okonkwow already stated that he does not wish to become what his dad was (kind and lazy). Crying at a death is considered a kindness. It may not seem that way, to many people, it is merely a natural reaction. It is, but, it is a sighn of curtesy because you are missing them. To this character however, it is a womanly act and he doesn't want to take part in it. This shows his struggle to strive to be an "ideal man".

Disturbing painting at MFAH

This particular picture in the exhibit at the MFAH struck me as very dark and disturbing. The girl holding the baby has a very mischievous expression on her face. Probably since she is holding a defenseless  baby in her arms, this makes me feel as if she is about to do something terribly cruel to it. She holds the baby with such a nonchalant attitude. Her arms seem very relaxed as if she doesn't care if the baby might slip and smack its head on the hard ground. She also seems very young to be all by herself with an infant like this. Many parents wouldn't trust a small child with a baby like this. If you notice the background  of the area, there is absolutely no people there. The girl is all by herself with an infant and has an evil expression upon her face. This painting scared me greatly. 

"White man's burden" and "Black man's burden"

White man's burden:
The white men described as here in this poem, sounds like an ideal human being. Strong, courageous, free willed, everything a hero would be. This is extremely close to how Joseph Conrad describes the character " Kurtz" in "Heart of Darkness". (In the book) Marlow's entire secret goal is to see Kurtz. This man that he admires, looks up to. He describes him as one could describe an angel.

I couldn't find a specific place in the novel that states the point that I am about to get across in exact words, but, I can give a line from the main character. Marlow repeatedly asks: "who is this Kurtz". He only knows this man by being told he is the first class agent of this company who so far, Marlow seems to be slightly disturbed by. Marlow hears many of the other workers gossiping about Kurtz and how bad and crazy he is. All of these negative thoughts about this one man and yet, Marlow is drawn to him through some form of fascination.


Black mans burden:
This poem is obviously very close to " the white man's burden" because they are both describing the traits and actions of both races. When Kipling was describing the white men in his poem, I envisioned a strong courageous figure that protects what's his and he will never give up defending it. "The black mans burden" described a person who is very much strong and valiant, but also stressed. "Pile on the Black Man’s Burden" was the first line of the poem. To me, this suggests that these people are having more and more problems and activity (not always good) shoved into their hands. 

( page 31) "the hurt nigger moaned feebly somewhere nearby, and then fetched a deep sigh that made me mend my pace away from there." This passage makes the black person sound creature like, possibly animal. The poem is like a different side of the story. The poem is showing the story from the native's point of view. In the book, they are very minor roles that make appearances that paints them as a disturbing figure,

Personal thoughts: One could realize how short "the black man's burden" is compared to the "white man's burden". This I think is most likely because they didn't have a big schedule on their hands. The black men were slaves that worked hard and painfully in the day. Or free men living in fear because people with darker skin at this time were not free, they were owned. As a side note: this poem was hard for me to decide of it was written back around the same time as "the white man's burden". Sure, if one was to look at the basic facts in history, such as: black people were not allowed to write or learn. But, both of these poems are entitled "black MAN'S burden" same as the "white man's burden" if this poem was written in the more recent time period, this poem would be titled "black people's burden". By shortening the title that focuses only on men and ignores women, to me, seems like the basic stereotype for a poet of the older days where topics such as these were not considered racist or sexist.

Heart of darkness part 3

The Russian trader tells Marlow about Kurtz's true nature. Apparently, the trader has been with Kurtz for many months now and tells Marlow that Kurtz is obsessed with ivory. Kurtz has supposeivly raided many of e native villages in search for it and the native's love of him has given him extra power because he gets some other natives to go on the raids with him. On posts around Kurtz's hut, there are heads of African natives put up like fence posts encircling Kurtz's hut. Apparently, on Kurtz's way to another ivory raid, he got terribly sick and that's when the entire sickness thing started when Marlow arrived. Marlow starts to make excuses by saying that Kurtz is just empty on the inside and he needs something to fill him. Suddenly, a group of men surround the house that Marlow and the trader are at and try surround the stretcher that is supporting the now dying Kurtz. Out of the darkness, an "apperition" as Marlow describes it, of a. beautiful African woman appears to Marlow dressed in golden paint and tribal cloth. Before disappearing again, she gestures towards the sky and then exits. Later, while everyone is resting, Marlow notices that Kurtz is missing and sees his trail. Marlow goes and retrieves him and finnally realizes that Kurtz is crazy and he needs to be at rest. The morning comes, and everyone is prepared to return to Europe. Kurtz is put in the ship as well as the others. Marlow is at his bedside where he is given a stack of papers and photographs from Kurtz. Much later, Kurtz dies. Marlow has returned back to  Europe in a fit about his idol, his friend dying before him. Marlow goes and finds the woman in the photo that Kurtz gave him. She ends up being his wife they talk for a while about Kurtz until Marlow says that Kurtz said her name as he was dying. 

Heart of darkness Vocabulary parts 1-3

Part 1 vocabulary

Gravesend-Gravesend is a town in northwest Kent, England, on the south bank of the Thames, opposite Tilbury in Essex. Wikipedia

Brooding- showing deep and unhappy thoughts.

Personage- used to elevate the importance of a being.

Uncanny- strange or mysterious

Billowy- swelling or growing in waves and clouds (storms)

Part 2 vocabulary

Snatches-

Pestifurious- harbor ing infection and disease.

Sagacious- shrewdness

Shoals- a sandbar

Heralded- a sigh that something is going to happen

Part 3 vocabulary

Mötley-incongruously varied in appearance or character; disparate.

Particoloured- diffrent colors patched together.

Cartridges- a container holding a spool of photographic film, a quantity of ink, or other item or substance, designed for insertion into a mechanism.

Ornamentation- things added together to make decoration on something else.

Jocose- playful and humerus 

Satiated- another term for sate

Innumerable- to many to count

Droning- a constant low humming sound

Ulster- a province in Ireland 

Circumventing- to find a way around an obstacle