Understanding the Twelve

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The Theme of Cry, The Beloved Country

The Theme of Cry, The Beloved Country

Cry, The Beloved Country is a book written by Alan Paton which is set in Apartheid South Africa. The book is told from the prospective of Stephen Kumalo a preacher whose son murdered, on accident, an activist for the equality of everyone in South Africa. Thus to the point, the theme of the novel is that racial inequality is a viscous cycle that only cause of many negative things. Throughout the novel the main character’s life is affected by the racial tensions of the Europeans and the Natives. In fact, Kumalo’s journey not only showcases the poor conditions Native South African’s where made to live, but it also showcases the root of native crime,  and demonstrates the growing angst between the two aforementioned groups.

It is clear from the start of the book that Kumalo is not overwhelmed with wealth which, is not an uncommon thing in his setting. This is seen in the first chapter which contrasts the high land and low land. The high land which the White Europeans live is described and as having “rich and matted grass” and being “well kept”; however the low land which Kumalo and the other Natives live is described as “red and bare” and as having “too many cows that feed upon the grass”.  The stark contrast between the two dwellings clearly shows which of the two groups has the short end of the stick. The author did a great a job getting the point across that the equality……well there is no equality. The whites get the first pick and the natives get the leftovers.

I guess some of the natives got sick of leftovers because in the book there is a rise of native crime. This is seen in chapter five when the preachers discuss the newspaper specifically the article “Couple Robbed and Beaten in Lonely House. Four Natives Arrested.” This foreshadowing of events alludes to the natives’ desperateness and displays the measures they have to resort to in order to survive. This in-world reference also, as I said earlier, is also a foreshadowing of his son’s crime of breaking and entering and murder of Arthur Jarvis the activist who, as irony would have it, was writing a book entitled The Truth about Native Crime which as revealed by Paton metaphorically is desperation.

As you can imagine, the Europeans didn’t like that crime was on the rise especially since the natives where the one committing them. In fact, Mismangu says things where getting so bad that the “the white people from Norwood, Orange Grove, and Highlands” got so tired of it they started “a great petition” to demolish Alexandria a well-known stomping ground of prostitution, crime, and bootlegging. The author was creative when finding an “avatar” for the White Europeans’ voice; he used Mismangu an elderly Native priest to express the pure disdain of Native Crime. By doing this, Paton not only reveals that the Native community knows the Europeans intentions, but puts forth the point that even though the whites are the ones that originally “broke the tribe” and caused the ghetto to arise and fester with crime they only want to preserve their peace and will once again steal away the homes, no matter how impoverished and crime ridden, of the natives.

The main theme of Cry, The Beloved Country is that racial prejudice, inequality, and hate is a viscous cycle. The oppressed lose their rights, the oppressed fight back, and the oppressors fight back harder. Alan Paton knew this and he knew the one cure to the problem. Through Mismangu Paton says this, “I see only one hope for our country, and that is when white men and black men, desiring neither power or money, but desiring only the good of their country, come together to work for it.”

By: Bryce Mitchell
Word Count: 639

Service

Service

 

I believe in service. I believe that we are born to make the world a better place than the one   we arrived in. I believe that that through service we can do just that.

First off, let me introduce myself. My name is Bryce Mitchell. I’m 15 going 16 (and ready to finally get my license). I live in Marion, Arkansas. I’m a Conservative Republican and a Christian (just letting you know where my alliances lie), Most importantly, I am a human being who wants to make a difference.

I was probably about 5 when I asked my mother a question she wasn’t expecting to hear. No, I wasn’t asking her anything about the birds and the bees. Instead, I was asking her why she worked so much, and after deep thought she gave me this answer, “People need Mommy’s help.” My mom was an EMT at the time when she gave me that answer, and I found that her answer would be echoed from the mouths of others in similar professions. Those people knew that out there, there are people, nations, and a world that needed their help.

I can’t help but revere those who serve the greater good. Service is in my blood. I come from a long line of service men and women. My mom as I said earlier use to be an EMT. My uncle was a Fire Fighter. My grandfather is retired army. My great grandfather was a Marine during World War Two.

I define service as an act of compassion or bravery that betters or helps someone other than yourself. I like to think I lead a prosperous life of service, but honestly I know I could do a lot more to better the world. That’s okay though, I plan to keep serving the rest of my life so I know I’ll make a difference. I probably wouldn’t be here if service was an uncommon thing.

I was seven years old when I witnessed a shooting. Apparently a drug deal or gang violence or something had gone bad two doors down. All I remember was hearing multiple SNAPS and then my mom telling me to get under the car as fast as I could. After a while, I heard the sirens and someone yell put the weapon down a couple more SNAPS. Then it was over. The shooter was caught and sent to jail.

That event scared the living daylights out of me, but I was comforted by the fact that I had just witnessed a hero in action. I remember dressing up as a police officer that Halloween. I was inspired to try and live a life with as much compassion and valor as that man had showcased. I still try to follow that example and I encourage others to do the same. So I ask you, how will you serve.

 

 

                                                                                                                                Bryce Mitchell

Aunt Dorothy's Cheese Ball

 Aunt Dorothy's Cheese Ball

Ingredients:

· Two Packages of Cream Cheese (room temperature)

· One Jar of Dried Beef

· One Bunch of Green Onions

· One Tablespoons of Accent Salt

· Three Tablespoons of Worcestershir

Preparation:

On a chopping board, slice both the green onions and the dried beef into tiny bits; doing this helps minimize the risk of having the dip filled with chunks of either.

I always marvel at the precision my Nana uses to cut. Chop, Chop, Chop at lightning speeds and miraculously, she never cuts herself. Not to mention, she talks while chopping to so I do sometimes think she is blessed. Most conversation I have with my Nana are light hearted, filled with tidbits of wisdom disguised as humor. She always has a story to tell. The one she told me about recently was about Aunt Dorthy, the one who introduced our familly to this recepie.From what I’ve gathered, Aunt Dorthy was the model human being. She was intelligent, witty, and most of all compassionate. Nana said she had a way of bringing people together.

In a medium sized bowl, mix the chopped green onions and dried beef together with the two packages of cream cheese. It is best to mix with hand since the mixture tends to stick to any kitchen utensil.

While Nana was mixing the ingredients she recalled to me a christmas of her past. It was not necessarily a very bountiful christmas dinner nana recalled. In fact, a week or so before christmas her parents had sat down her and her eleven siblings and told them that not only where they not going to be receiving presents this due to the lack of income, but that their would be no christmas ham which was the pinnacle of christmas dinner. Their sadness would not last long though because that year the had a special very guest. That guest was Aunt Dorthy. Aunt Dorthy not only brought toys for Nana and her siblings but she also brought an entire christmas dinner for the familly. It seems Dorhty had a way of making things better.

Now, add one tablespoon of accent and three tablespoons of worcesterchir sauce to the cheese mixture. Then, mix all the ingredients again with hands. Finally, form mixture into ball, wrap in seran wrap, and refrigerate 24 hours.

The month of december holds many memories of Aunt Dorthy. Aunt Dorthy died December 15, 1994. I bring up her death because her death becuase she gave it willingly. She did not commit sucicide. When Nana’s mother was diagonosed with cancer the doctor recommended she be placed on kemo-therapy, but once again financial issues impeded what needed to be done. So, Aunt Dorthy gave all the money she could to her sister. Nana’s mother lived 20 more years after the treatments, but Aunt Dorthy lived only two months. Aunt Dorthy had gone two months without her diebetes medicene in order to pay for her sisters treatments and died from the lack of it. Aunt Dorothy gave all she could.

Our View of the Different, Unknown and the Mysterious

Our View of the Different, Unknown and the Mysterious

                The unknown is not viewed kindly by the eyes of mankind. In, fact most things that fail to be in the grasp of mankind’s comprehension are usually met with fear, anger, and persecution. Though, what if the object of mystery isn’t harmful? What if we are the monsters that haunt our own dreams? Our imagination fuels our fears.

In the story A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings a mysterious miracle occurs. As you can guess a man with wings is discovered and is met with all that accompanied with a lack of understanding. The man is locked in a cage and fed like a pet. His freedom is taken away because of the abnormality of his appearance. Then the man is made out to be a side show freak. The citizens are not doing this because they fear for their safety but because they are amused by his differences.

It depresses me that we as humans have such a lack of understanding. It is in our nature to persecute those who are different. Like the towns people of the story we to have persecuted a person or group of people through the generations. The most horrible example I can think of is the Holocaust where genocide was in progress. What species commences genocide on their brothers except for us? Like the man with wings was people are still persecuted today. When it occurs in school we call it bullying, and it is quite common. It hurts knowing someone has so much contempt for you and all that makes you; I can attest to that.

Mankind does not like mysteries. In fact we fear the unknown and unusual. There are exceptions though. Sometimes our scope of knowledge widens. Sometimes we learn from our wrong doings. Maybe there is hope for us yet.   

World War Z Crummy Zombie Movie or Horror Movie Messiah

World War Z Crummy Zombie Movie or Horror Movie Messiah

I’m a zombie movie fan. I think George Romero’s Dead Trilogy deserves a spot next to Citizen Kane, Casablanca, and the rest of the movie gods. So, when I heard about World War Z and the fact that the main character was actually legit (Brad Pitt) you can pretty much imagine my excitement. Well, before I watched the movie I read the reviews and they almost scared me more than the zombies especially Matt Seitz’s from rogerebert.com. Not only did he give it two stars but said it was basically a 28 Days Later rehash. I watched the movie anyways. I call your bluff Mr. name I can spell but not pronounce. World War Z was scary, funny, and awe inspiring.

Yes, World War Z was scary. I’m guessing Mr. Seitz doesn’t think so because his wife’s cooking is worse than any zombie. Anyways, World War Z in my opinion pioneered a new kind of scary. The movie starts off just as a day would in real life wake the kids up, eat breakfast, and get ready for school and work. It’s the same old hum-drum. The zombie apocalypse happens while the main character and his family are stuck in morning traffic. See, the scary part is not the running and snarling zombies but the fact that it happened on an average day without warning. Also, on an even scarier note nowhere was safe. They built walls around Jerusalem and the zombies went ant swarm and climbed the walls. I probably should have but a spoiler warning on this blog.

  Now here is an interesting part that Mr. Seitz did not notice in World War Z. It was funny and the funny thing about it being funny is the fact that the laughs came from the zombies and the small moments. I just said funny three times in one sentence. Anyways, the zombies where hilarious. The chipmunk zombie stands out it chattered its teeth the entire scene my guess is that the actor was really cold or was having jaw spasms. Another funny moment is when the hero decides to stop for a Pepsi in a room full of zombies, but hey I would be thirsty after all that running to.

The aftermath scenes where beautiful. They sent chills down my spine. Wait a minute; I know what you are thinking. No I don’t mean beautiful in a good way I mean horribly beautiful. When watching the scenes you get the feeling that the destruction of the city is more the humans fault than the zombies. You also get the feeling that as much as the government is trying to help there is not much they can do but drop whatever bombs they have on citizens and zombies alike. The scenes are haunting.

World War Z definitely has the makings of a great movie and even better chances to become a great movie series. Unlike Mr. Seitz I think World War Z is great and has many things other movies do not. Though, Mr. Seitz and My opinions are exactly that and it probably is wise for you to judge it yourself.

Sources

Seitz,Matt. “World War Z” rogerebert.com

             Ebert Digital LLC June 21 2013 Web. July 19, 2013

         Link

http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/world-war-z-2013

 

By: Bryce Mitchell

Third Annotation