In many instances of francophone literature, the displaced African woman is often depicted as strong, independent, and resourceful, contrasting with western portrayals of women’s roles during that time. Many African women faced hard labor and increased household responsibilities. While men typically held dominant positions, women were not excessively submissive and often reached equal levels of importance. Similarly, Caribbean literature portrays grandparents, particularly grandmothers, who have transformed from strong and independent figures into caring yet resilient individuals. Despite the limited representation among major African authors, grandparents are still crucial characters that make significant contributions. They fulfill several roles in the African community, including imparting values and cultural relevance to children, providing a consistent and dependable presence for the family, and taking on the responsibility of nurturing children. They serve as emotional, physical, and intellectual anchors for those in need.
The transmission of moral and cultural values from one generation to another is crucial in preserving a community’s identity. In African culture, grandparents, particularly grandmothers, were highly honored as they were believed to be closest to the revered ancestors. This responsibility of preserving values is evident in the texts we have studied, such as The Butterfly in the Inner City. In this story, Felicie’s grandmother, known as Man Ya, regularly influences her granddaughter and imparts various cultural values. One prominent example is the strict set of rules Man Julia imposes on Felicie, even when she goes out with her best friend Laurine for a short time. Man Julia always has a long list of rules to ensure Felicie’s adherence to cultural values.
‘Don’t go to strangers’ houses! Don’t play with boys who look up girl’ skirts! Do you understand? Don’t go too far…’ (The Butterfly in the Inner City, Pineau and Rudolph, 10-11). Man Ya emphasizes the importance of safety and order, while also offering practical advice to Felicie. At the same time, she imparts her ideals to her. Man Ya’s strong belief in education is evident throughout the book. In the first chapter, Felicie mentions her grandmother making her recite homework and the concept of schooling is mentioned multiple times. Despite being illiterate, Man Ya still values education greatly. As Felicie prepares to leave, Man Ya emphasizes the importance of her education, saying “Forget your miserable life with me, but never forget the good education you received here.” (The Butterfly in the Inner City, Pineau and Rudolph, 15). The fact that Madam Julia, Felicie’s grandmother, prioritizes her granddaughter’s education even when she has lost everything shows how highly she values a proper education. Another example of cultural ideals being conveyed is seen in the film Sugarcane Alley, where Jose looks up to an elderly man named Medouze.Medouze serves as both the grandfather figure and moral guide in Jose’s life. Through the art of storytelling, Medouze imparts culturally relevant morals and values, as storytelling plays a vital role in conveying ideals and morals within African tradition.
By taking Jose under his wing, Medouze imparts cultural standards on him through quizzing him with riddles and answering his questions, as is the role of a grandparent. Similarly, Jose’s grandmother also leaves a cultural impression on him, primarily through actions rather than words. She instills values such as pride in one’s heritage, hard work, and education. One example is when she assures Jose that money for his schooling will be available despite their financial difficulties. This emphasizes her emphasis on the importance of receiving a good education and is one of many instances in which she communicates basic cultural principles. In The Grandparent in African and African-American Literature, Hill-Lubin argues that most grandparents are determined to pass down values and ideals that will enhance their families’ lives and provide them with what they need for survival and growth. This statement is supported by the aforementioned examples, which demonstrate the determination of grandparents to provide for their relatives.
Caribbean texts illustrate the important role of grandparents in providing consistency and reliability in a child’s life. In Annie John, the grandmother’s dependability is highlighted when she appears suddenly to help nurse Annie back to health. This is especially impressive considering that a different healer was unable to achieve significant results. This exemplifies the strong bond between a child and her grandmother. Similarly, in Butterfly in the Inner City, Felicie develops a deep emotional connection with her grandmother, Man Ya. Man Ya takes on the roles of guardian and provider for Felicie until she is ten years old. Not only is she a constant presence in Felicie’s life, but she also proves her reliability when Felicie’s mother leaves and she takes on the responsibility of raising another child. Even after Felicie is taken away to France, Man Ya remains a significant presence in her granddaughter’s thoughts and dreams.The enduring notions of permanence and consistency are naturally found in grandparents due to their advanced age, indicating a potential for longevity. This enables them to fulfill their role with steadfastness and reliability, as highlighted by Mildred A. Hill-Lubin, who asserts that despite the immense hardships faced by the African family throughout history, its perseverance has often been anchored in the survival of the grandmother (The Grandmother in African and African American Literature, Hill-Lubin, 268).
The grandparents in the community play a crucial role as emotional, intellectual, and physical anchors. Their reliability and permanence make them the ideal caregivers for children who would otherwise be overwhelmed by the tumultuous nature of their surroundings. The theme of nurturing is pervasive in many of the texts we have studied. For instance, in the novel Annie John, Annie’s grandmother nurses her back to health during a prolonged illness. This illness marks Annie’s transition from childhood to individuality. Meanwhile, it is revealed that Annie’s grandmother suffered a devastating loss when her son died due to the absence of traditional medicine. Moreover, Annie’s separation from her mother further strengthens the bond between her and Ma Chess, who becomes a nurturing figure in her time of need. The concept of maternity is metaphorically depicted through imagery of a child in its mother’s womb.
“I would lie on my side, curled up like a little comma, and Ma Chess would lie next to me, curled up like a bigger comma, into which I fit.” (Annie John, Kincaid, 126). In other texts, such as Butterfly in the Inner City, Madam Julia raises her granddaughter on her own for ten years. There were moments when Man Ya would “[fall] asleep … her arms laced tightly around [Felicie] in an inescapable karate hold” (Pineau and Rudolph, 10). This might not create the most nurturing impression, but it does convey the love and care Man Ya has for her granddaughter. Felicie also acknowledges her grandmother’s abundant love, saying things like “I think she loves me even more than she says.” (11). Another example is seen in the film Sugar Cane Alley, where Jose’s grandmother constantly works to provide for him except for the occasional pipe of tobacco. She tirelessly ensures her grandson never goes hungry, although she falls ill in the middle of the movie.The remarkable thing is that even when she is experiencing her worst symptoms, she continues to prioritize Jose’s imaginary hunger over her own well-being. These consistent acts of selflessness reflect the nurturing nature of a grandmother’s heart.
Grandparents are important and respected figures in most families, but their roles can differ. In Caribbean literature influenced by African heritage, grandparents are portrayed differently. They are not depicted as weak and vulnerable like in western media, but rather as valuable contributors to the community. They fulfill important functions such as passing on cultural values, providing a consistent and reliable presence, and nurturing the youth when parents are absent. These duties are significant and warrant not just respect, but also celebration.
Works Cited
* Annie John by Jamaica Kincaid
* Butterfly in the Inner City by G. Pineau and K.L Rudolph
* The Grandmother in African and African American Literature: A Survivor of the African Extended Family by Mildred A. Hill-Lubin
* Sugar Cane Alley / Rue Cases-Negres (film)
The Dangers Of Teen Driving
The article titled “Teen Driving” addresses the high number of car accident fatalities among teenagers. Despite comprising less than 7% of drivers in America, teenagers account for 14% of driving-related deaths (pg.1). This poses a significant risk to young individuals, especially those who have recently obtained their driver’s license. The article further asserts that even in states with programs intended to gradually introduce young drivers to the road, many teenagers receive their licenses without sufficient preparation (pg.4). They are allowed to start driving before obtaining adequate instruction and practice. As a result, these inexperienced drivers not only endanger themselves but also pose a threat to others on the road. Research indicates that adolescents’ driving behavior can be influenced by both passengers and distractions while driving, causing them to overlook potential dangers.
In their article “Peers Influence Risky Teen Driving,” Allen Joseph and Bradford Brown discuss how teenagers, their peers, and motor vehicles can contribute to poor decision-making. Research has demonstrated that when teenage drivers have companions who are also teenagers, the rates of crashes and fatalities increase significantly. When teenagers drive with their friends, they tend to speed and take more risks. Furthermore, peer passengers can be distracting for drivers as they engage in conversations or other activities that divert attention from driving. Nevertheless, Joseph P. and Bradford Brown also note that peers can positively impact teenage drivers by modeling positive behaviors and offering positive reinforcement. For instance, peers may make supportive remarks about a teen’s safe driving or warn about the perils of reckless and distracted driving to protect one another. These favorable influences play a role in promoting safe driving habits among teenagers.
In their article titled “Teens and Distracted Driving,” Madden, Mary, and Amanda Lenhart present findings from a survey on teen distractions while driving. The survey reveals that a significant number of teens openly admit to texting or talking while operating a vehicle (pg.1). Currently, many adolescents easily become distracted, especially when utilizing their mobile phones. Statistics discussed in the same article indicate that 75% of American teens aged 12-17 possess a cell phone, with 66% using it primarily for texting purposes (pg.1). Various actions fall under the category of distracted driving, such as eating, applying makeup, and sending texts; nevertheless, cell phone utilization has emerged as the main concern concerning teenage drivers. Texting while driving has become an area of focus for law enforcement officers and policymakers due to its prevalence among both teenagers and adults who engage in this activity even while driving. To prevent accidents resulting from distracted driving incidents, motorists should consider investing in hands-free devices and Bluetooth technology which enable them to maintain focus on the road ahead and avoid collisions.
Teenagers, specifically, frequently underestimate their capacity to multitask while driving and ignore the associated dangers. This conduct is influenced by immaturity as they commonly participate in recklessness such as speeding and tailgating. Furthermore, when accompanied by passengers, they tend to drive at higher speeds and take more risks without fully considering the consequences. Moreover, teenagers often lack awareness of the responsibilities and hazards connected with driving, regularly acting impulsively without thoughtful consideration of their actions on the road.
The prevalence of cell phone usage, particularly texting while operating a vehicle, poses a significant danger to teenage drivers. This concern has garnered the interest of both society and researchers, highlighting the urgent necessity for public education regarding the substantial risks associated with using cell phones while driving. It is essential to recognize that while negative peer influences can impact teenagers, positive peer influences can also assume a crucial role in advocating for safe driving practices. Ultimately, it falls upon teenagers themselves to actively take measures in safeguarding their own well-being as well as that of other motorists.
My Sisters Keeper By Jodi Picoult Book Review
To conceive a child by IVF in order to meet specific genetic requirements is unethical unless its purpose is to save a life. There is a moral difference between selecting for socially desirable traits like blue eyes and blonde hair, and selecting for medically desirable ones. Anna was genetically engineered as a perfect donor match for her older sister Kate in order to save Kate’s life threating disease; leukemia. Anna decides to take legal action to be in control of her body.
Where is the line with choices? How is a decision determined to be right or wrong? These are some of the questions that summarize the concept of the book My Sister’s Keeper by Jodi Picoult. Jodi Lynn Picoult was born on May 19, 1966, in Nesconset on Long Island in New York (Miller 1). Picoult’s family moved to New Hampshire when she was 13. Although she left New Hampshire for college and her early jobs, she settled there again as a married woman.
She currently lives in Hanover, New Hampshire with her husband, Tim Van Leer, and their three children, Sammy, Kyle and Jake (Miller 1). Picoult studied writing at Princeton University, where she earned her bachelor’s degree. She also earned a master’s degree in education from Harvard University (Miller 1). Picoult studied creative writing with Mary Morris at Princeton, and had two short stories published in Seventeen magazine while still a student.
Realism – and a profound desire to be able to pay the rent – led Picoult to a series of different jobs following her graduation: as a technical writer for a Wall Street brokerage firm, as a copywriter at an ad agency, as an editor at a textbook publisher, and as an 8th grade English teacher – before entering Harvard to pursue a master’s in education (FT Magazine interview 1). Picoult’s novels usually deal with ethical issues and are told from a variety of viewpoints, with each chapter written in a different character’s voice. Picoult uses this technique to show multiple sides of a situation and underscore areas of moral ambiguity (Miller 1).
Jodi Picoult is the bestselling author of of twenty-one novels: Songs of the Humpback Whale (1992), Harvesting the Heart (1994), Picture Perfect (1995), Mercy (1996), The Pact (1998), Keeping Faith (1999), Plain Truth (2000), Salem Falls (2001), Perfect Match (2002), Second Glance (2003), My Sister’s Keeper(2004), Vanishing Acts (2005), The Tenth Circle (2006) Nineteen Minutes (2007), Change of Heart (2008), Handle With Care (2009), House Rules (2010), and Sing You Home (2011), Lone Wolf (2012) and the Ya novel co-written with her daughter Samantha van Leer.
Her last seven novels have debuted at number one on the New York Times bestseller list – and her newest work is The Storyteller (FT Magazine Interview 1). In 2003 she was awarded the New England Bookseller Award for Fiction.
She has also been the recipient an Alex Award from the Young Adult Library Services Association, sponsored by the Margaret Alexander Edwards Trust and Booklist, one of ten books written for adults that have special appeal for young adults; the Book Browse Diamond Award for novel of the year; a lifetime achievement award for mainstream fiction from the Romance Writers of America; Cosmopolitan magazine’s ‘Fearless Fiction’ Award 2007; Waterstone’s Author of the Year in the UK, a Vermont Green Mountain Book Award, a Virginia Reader’s Choice Award, the Abraham Lincoln Illinois High School Book Award, and a Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Award.
She wrote five issues of the Wonder Woman comic book series for DC Comics. Her books are translated into thirty four languages in thirty five countries. Four – The Pact, Plain Truth, The Tenth Circle, and Salem Falls – have been made into television movies. My Sister’s Keeper was a big-screen released from New Line Cinema, with Nick Cassavetes directing and Cameron Diaz starring, which is now available in DVD. She received an honorary Doctor of Letters degree from Dartmouth College in 2010 and another from the University of New Haven in 2012 (FT Magazine Interview 1).
This novel takes place in the 21st century, therefore it helps us relate to it. Anna, the protagonist, files a law suit against her parents, Brian and Sara, because they forced her to make medical decisions that were not her own. She takes matters into her own hands, approaches a lawyer and takes her parents to court to fight for the right to make decisions about the medical interventions, the right to her own body (Moss 1). Anna is sympathetic with her sister’s condition and has given all she can to ensure Kate’s recovery from leukemia.
Yet the discovery of the purpose of her being conceived through vitro fertilization was for the intention to possible spare Kate’s life. From the day she was born, this is her purpose in life (Bretagne). In My Sister’s Keeper Anna states, “See, unlike the rest of the free world, I didn’t get here by accident. And if your parents have you for a reason then that reason better exist. Because once it’s gone, so are you. ” By this Anna means the only reason she was born was to help Kate stay alive, and she says that if your reason for existing disappears, so will you. In other words, if something were to happen and
Kate were to die, Anna suggests her parents would no longer need or want her. “They don’t really pay attention to me, except when they need my blood or something. I wouldn’t even be alive, if it wasn’t for Kate being sick,” (Picoult 33). The child demonstrates throughout the book that, although perfectly healthy, she has this feeling of being invisible and taken for granted (Bretagne 1). Also whenever Kate will be hospitalized, Anna would most likely be made to tag along too. Anna has to go through several painful operations and transfusions to provide blood and bone marrow to keep her sister alive (Moss 1).
If Anna doesn’t give bone marrow, Kate get’s sicker. If Kate gets sicker, the parents would blame Anna for not giving those elements needed to her sister (Bretagne 1). Anna claims that her parents’ (Sara and Brian Fitzgerald) push for her to donate her kidney unwillingly is an infringement of her right to life. She also claims that she is being denied the right to make decisions as regards her own body. While Anna believes that such an action would be very wrong, her parents emphasize that it is the right decision if saving Kate’s life is the ultimate goal.
It is not easy to judge the parents who are just doing their best to save a dying daughter (Alcntara 1). Her older brother Jesse Fitzgerald is really affected with everything going on. He uses his destructive behavior to cover up his feelings inside. He cannot help Kate get better in anyway, and can’t forgive himself for that. In Sarah Fitzgerald eye’s it’s all about Kate. She puts her before any of her children. All she cares about is keeping Kate alive. She will not accept the fact that Kate can be gone at any moment. “Mum, no, it’s not. Kate’s dying and everybody knows it! You just love her so much that you don’t want to let her go!
” (Picoult 154). Unlike Brian Fitzgerald he understands the situation Kate is in and will accept whether she dies or lives. He states in the novel, “‘She is dying Sara. She will die, either tonight or tomorrow or maybe a year from now if we’re really lucky. You heard what Dr. Chance said. Arsenic’s not a cure. It just postpones what’s coming. ” But as differences arise in family, love is the only thing that emanates to respect differing opinions and keep them together. This book covers this life of this family during the trial period. It focuses on the tension that the family undergoes in a bid to keep one of them Kate, alive.
An analysis of the events in this novel reveals that indeed right and wrong is subjective. The story examines the emotions of main characters and how they react to the situation they are faced (Moss 1). Anna makes a decision that for most would be unthinkable, a decision that could tear her family apart, and a decision that can cause her blood sister to come to fatal death. Anna is not sick, but she might as well be. By age thirteen, she has undergone countless surgeries, transfusions, and shots so that her older sister, Kate, can somehow fight the leukemia that has plagued her since childhood.
Anna was conceived as a bone marrow match for Kate – a life and role that she has never challenged until now. Like most teenagers, Anna is beginning to question who she truly is (Picoult 1). The issue that Anna had to face was when she realized she had been through enough. When you consider the amount of hospital visits and overnight stays which were inflicted upon a healthy young child for the sake of a sick sister, her dilemma was a moral one because she loved her sister sufficiently to care about her illness.
She loved her parents enough to have gone along with all the decisions they had made without consulting her over the years. What she had to face was her own inability to have any control over how her body was being used. In my opinion I agree with Anna. One should have the right to control what goes in and out of their body. You’re risking your own life trying to save another. It’s a hard decision but once you’ve had enough of trying to help out you can only take so much. Anna at such a young age has gone through so much, not a lot of adults would sustain this.
I strongly agree that Anna has every right to go against her parents’ will, and stop putting herself in life threatening danger. “…My own blood seeping into my sister’s veins; the nurses holding me down to stick me for white cells Kate might borrow; the doctor saying they didn’t get enough the first time around. The bruises and the deep bone ache after I gave up my marrow; the shots that sparked more stem cells in me, so that there’d be extra for my sister,” (Jodi Picoult 18). This quote makes me visualizes and feel the pain she is going through. It’s a sad thing to experience at only 13 years of age.