Colin Lebzelter ENG3299 Blog

The Last Voyage of the Ghost Ship  This story juxtaposes an eerie aurora with the calm and natural beauty of the Caribbean. Marquez's writing style makes it easy for the reader to visualize a light breeze on the beach in the night in the Caribbean interrupted by a shocking shipwreck that is quickly consumed by the darkness. I think the concept I like is the idea of a place of beauty with danger lurking in the background. In that, this is a metaphor for the entire Caribbean, a place that is beautiful on the surface but upon looking close dark secrets lurk. "Ran aground, broke up, and sank without a single sound"(148), this line shows how the massive ship was swallowed up by the sea essentially without anyone knowing or having any idea. "time she got a comfortable chair to think about her dead husband"(149), this line is ironic in that the mother can't get over the death of her husband. All she can bring herself to do is sit and dwell on it when in reality not...

 Caribbean Crucible Documentary Music in the Caribbean is driven by the difficult cultural roots that their society is built on and deeply rooted in tradition. For the people of the Caribbean music is ingrained in their daily lives, in their church services, and in their rituals. Church in the Caribbean is much different from western church service and is vibrant and lively and has singing throughout. Often times there is music in western church services but it is not nearly as lively and this is an example of the difference between values and culture. Singing lively songs and dancing in the church aren't just that they represent a culture as a whole that is open and active and places an emphasis on fun and singing. People throughout the Caribbean live in a vibrant environment and are constantly physically active and want to live a life that is reflective of that. I think in a way they are just a more active society than we are in the US which is good for them in terms of health in...

 Light on The Sea by John Wickham      "Light on the Sea" handles the idea of loneliness in late life. "I am so glad to see you he said" (97), this line made me think of my mother who is a CNA and takes care of elderly people. Often times residents and the elderly very excited to see their caregiver as they grow dependent on them and sometimes they can be there source of happiness. This story definitely effected me more than I thought it would, I feel a deep empathy for the elderly and believe that quality care for people in their late years is extremely important. I think this concept of a near minimum wage employee being so important to someone perplexes me. With how important quality elderly care is to a person's happiness CNAs and caregivers should be paid more and valued much higher. "Frustration it was, and confusion, that's what it was. I am glad for this peace now" (99), this line illustrates how sometimes moving to a retirement home can re...

 Blackness By Jamaica Kincaid     I found the use of the term "blackness" to be very interesting in this story as it is roughly defined but still left open to interpretation. "The blackness is visible and yet it is invisible, for I see that I cannot see it"(362), this line points to the concept of blackness being immeasurable. This interpretation of blackness most closely seems like actual darkness as well as loneliness. When you stand in the pitch-black dark there is definitely a feeling of blackness beyond the obvious nothingness, a void you fade into. Loneliness comes with this as loneliness is an immeasurable feeling of emptiness that you know is there but you can't actually quantify. "I felt myself steadied, no longer alone at sea in a small rowboat"(363), this line reinforces the idea of blackness being loneliness as I often think of being stranded at sea when I visualize loneliness. The open ocean to me presents the ultimate form of being strand...

 Dominican Women     Watching this documentary was definitely an eye-opener on the objectification and sexualization of women in the Dominican Republic. Women have been referred to as "prostituted" as they are forced into the industry by sheer demand and lacking other options. I was shocked that there is a public beach that essentially functions as a redlight district inhabited by male and female sex workers. It is the sad truth that some women have to move to selling their bodies when they run out of options in the Dominican. This is something that occurs all over the world but in the Dominican there seems to be a large presence of women essentially forced into sex work. Even in sex work some women make little to no money because men will often refuse to pay the women. Authorities won't even aid in this issue as they too are exploitative and corrupt and refuse to pay sex workers. Occupational hazards like STDs and domestic violence exist and are prevalent as well and con...

 Sunday Cricket By Jean 'Binta' Breeze          This story definitely brings to light the rivalry between the Caribbean Islanders and the British in cricket."I say God save Englan so often it is high time likkle blessing fall pon we", this line points to the disparity between England and the Caribbean that the citizens are well aware of. Cricket serves as a type of equal playing field for England and the people of the Caribbean to compete in a non-violent and competitive way. Cricket provides an outlet for people that may be upset with England and want to win against them in a constructive way. Sports also provide a pastime to keep people out of trouble and away from things like crime and drugs so in this way sports are really beneficial for the community. Cricket is a sport of British origin and despite the resentment for Britain the people of the West Indies hold they came to love the sport as their own. This is a prime example of cultural hegemony that c...

 The Folk Roots of Jamaican Cultural Identity by Edward Seaga      From the jump, this article exposes the major disadvantages people of Jamaica experience from poverty.  Families in Jamaica that choose not to breastfeed often can't afford baby food or formula and supplement milk for infants with porridge and water. Doing this quite literally forces people to not develop as well from reaching a normal weight and height all the way to literal brain function. I've always been aware of the ongoing global class-war we live in that separates the rich from the poor, but to psychologically be disadvantaged by poverty appears to me to be a whole new level of severity. "The possibility for a fully productive education is impaired when the brain is unable to reach it's full potential", this line drives home the point that impoverished kids really do not have the opportunities of those better off. When people look at the vast disparity between the lowest income groups and ...

 Dream Haiti     "Find ourselves falling hard on the deck or not being able to pay homage or balance our bills"(177), this line underlines the economic struggle that many people throughout the Caribbean face. They find selves not being able to pay the bills or to eat or to go to mass, it's something that their economic class prohibits them from. Many people do not understand the full effects of poverty and what it does to people and the marks that it leaves on their lives. Often times the bad positions like thievery and position that people find themselves in start with people not having enough money to pay their bills or make ends meet. "Vainly trying to reach judge Thomas and the Supreme Court and Miami"(186), this line shows how to many people in the Caribbean the United States are held as a land of opportunity where people can escape the inequality and poverty of the Caribbean and be on a level playing field in the United States. Where things are often colde...

   Rosena on The Mountain   This story tackles the colonial objectification of women and how the ideas and perspectives of men often took precedence over female views. "You scorn the fleeting temptations of the flesh"(125), this line sums up much of the premise of the story in that two religious men are faced with temptations of the lust of the flesh and are forced to confront this. Alain and Father Mulligan are held as pious men of god that seem in many instances to have the restraint of an elementary school student. Alain is young and in training and is faced with many temptations in life so it makes sense to me that Alain would make a mistake. Father Mulligan is a dedicated and tenured aging priest that should be able to control himself around women. If Mulligan knew he couldn't handle his impulses he shouldn't have taken Rosena with him on his expedition to find himself in the forest. It doesn't help that Rosena is interested in the two men and is actively tem...

 Haiti: Land of Tragedy, Land of Hope     The documentary follows Haiti in 2004 in a time of poverty and civil unrest in Haiti that was present long before the media brought attention to poverty in Haiti following the 2010 earthquake. Haiti has never been known for being a "great" or rich nation but I formerly believed many of Haiti's issues stemmed from the 2010 earthquake in terms of economic consequences and widespread poverty. It turns out poverty and tension were commonplace in Haiti for the better part of it's tenure as a nation. Corruption is subjective but corruption is publically deeply ingrained in Haiti's history. It seems like regardless of leadership political assassinations are commonplace and still occurred under the rule of Astride. Duvalier was long held as a corrupt and ruthless leader and granted he was, but the same things that elevated him to that status were done by Astride. Astride was more discrete in his political dealings resulting in him...