Picture Essay

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1VUvPkj9Svj2_8NQCzvX5dGaisrkb55fVQYT5J_oyjps/edit?usp=sharing

"The Twelve" and October Revolution 1917

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1ui2PAm5FYvSzQOsjv9dkSOlJsEVcQuQtDVFqFYPQiAU/edit#slide=id.p13

Who is Stephen Kumalo?

Stephen Kumalo has many attibutes that contribute to make him a character that we remember through many different terms.  He cannot be describe as one word.  He cannot be express as a character with no dimetions.  He cannot be implied to be a nobody.  He is both a round and dynamic character in the Cry, The Beloved Country.  Throughout Book I he is shown to change through both his personility and his location. 

What makes a character a round character?  Stephen Kumalo is a character that can be express as more that one word or phrase. He is show as a naive person when he trusted the young boy back in Johannesburg to buy his ticket in a station even though he could buy it on the bus and the young boy stole Kumalo’s money (49). Kumalo was not aware of this until it was too late and shows his first taste of native crime.  He is also show as fear of the individual.  It is explained in the second and third chapter of how he is scared of the unknown and the unfamiliar.  He fears the worse might happen.  We are shown the emotions he has and his personality itself. He is more than a word but a colorful person.

 In the Book I of Cry, The Beloved Country Kumalo is protecting his family and angry with different people for not understanding the main problem.  After his son admitted that he did committed the crime Kumalo becomes angry with his son because Absalom only show self pity by saying that his "bad companions" and "the devil"  drove him to that point of killing and they "torture on one other" as they speak to one another(132).  Kumalo is not only upset over how his son reacted but their conversation was short implicating that Kumalo had grow short temper towards how his son is taking this situation as consequences not as of the death of a good person.  He does shelter his old and new family.  He did when he asked his son pregnant lover "do you truly wish to marry [his] son and go to a quiet and far off place" and she answer "I wish it with gladness of her voice"(147).  He did not have to do that for her who marry twice before and show little shock to Absalom going to jail, but he still did it out of the compassion of his heart. He is seen with to be a man of a small grow world and of god but throughout the book his trust is tested.

In the beginning is is known to be a religious priest and a man of god but he wavers between belief and reality.  He see the despair of the world for the first time then wonder if God is not here now when will he show his present.  Kumalo felt "cold" on that day when "the sun of Africa" "pouring down upon the earth" as if he "cannot enjoy the light"(117).  This could imply that Kumalo is confused and takes the challenges of whether to believe in religion or reality.  He change to this is what he believes to he does not know anymore.  He has an on and off battle with religion in the whole book which exhibits his change within himself that is also display in his long journey.

He start a long journey at first to see his "sick" sister but found himself learning and see new experiences and change his whole world.  He encounter native crime for the first time. This brought his awarest of how people live and his awarest of others.  He saw how his brother, sister, and child change due to the world and he is change as he stays in the new world.  He is native towards the world but as he go through his journey he begins to be less native and confuse on what is right and what to believe. He sees that not all people are good samaritans, people can change drastically, and the confusion of his beliefs.  No one can say that he is the same person he was when he start his journey.  As he changes throughout the story he gains knowledge of himself and the world around him.

Stephen Kumalo can be describe to be more then a word.  He has many traits that definite him as a person and a character.  In Cry, The Beloved Country, he changes throughout the story even if it is small it is still seen.  He is bind by choosing religion or what is happening now.  He is not the same person he was in the beginning but his compassionate self did not change to much.  Kumalo can be define as a round and dynamic character in book as he does possess many traits and changes.

My little world...

Solitude is blissful.  Many would see solitude as negative or sad but it is different for me.  It is my companion.  Solitude helps me in many of my toughest decisions.  Solitude is not just being alone; it is also thinking about anything or anyone without bother without others telling you that you can't.  Being alone is not a bad thing just a simple way to releases stress, following my dreams, and imagination.

Imagination come in many vary.  Mine is weak and dull in crowds of people but loud and outspoken in the silents of nothingness.  My imagination can be seen best when i'm alone, because then I can think about anything with worrying other people would costly look at me or scan if I'm still here.  I can see in the darkness of nothing because the nothingness is my friend of peace were only me and my mind existence in that very world.  A quite, happy little world, it is my utopia of imagination or thoughts.

As I paint the picture imagination in my little world my dreams come to life as if they are little brownies, mischievous, helpful little children.  I can see my path in the light of solitude.  When with others it is hard to think when the crowds of people yell and push their ideas in a subject, I am too scary to speak about life and dreams in that situation.  While in my little world I am the only one there to see my path to see my goal of life and follow it unconisously.  In solitude I can think about my situation, life, and important peoples then see where I should go where I belongs.  Alone still a child in the mind, I wander and paint my dreams in my imagination until they bleed into each other as one.

Solitude is a good reliever of stress.  It was the only one who knew me the best. Being alone remind me of my grandmother.  She has been alone a lot of the time after grandfather died but always so happy.  I've always wonder why.  The reason was religion, it was the only way she can be bonded to her family in the afterlife.  She would spend 2 hours in the morning, afternoon, and night in the alter in her house praying or speaking to the dead and Buddha.  It has relieved her of sadness and grand her temporary happiness to live on.  I, too, feel like I have gain this trait for me solitude helps me think to gain temporary happiness until the very end. 

Solitude is my little world.  It can paint my best work in life and make it better.  My dreams in life feel like they are in hands reach and encourage me to do better life.  Being alone makes me feel like I'm in a nostalgic time, a sense of safety and relief.  My little world has me, myself, and I; just enough for me to live on in life. 

Huong's Banh Cam Recipe

Banh Cam

Ingredients:

Outer Layer

16 oz glutinous rice flour
1 cup of rice flour
2 1/2 cup water
1 cup of sugar
1 boiled potato, smashed
Vegetable oil, salt, sesame.

Inner Layer

8 oz Mung Bean (no cover), soaked into warm water about 1 hours
1 cup of Sugar

pinch of  salt

1/2 cup of dried coconut meat, grounded.

Preparation:

In the loud morning in winter, my family had come over for a family reunion; a tradition  we do twice every year in our family.  There are all ages here from the very old folks gambling to the young children playing rugby.  All the children and men's all meet and greet people we haven't seen a while and talk about life while the women work in the kitchen preparing the food for the family.  Some foods are brought over from homes because it would be to time consuming to do it all in one place but the things we do make at the house would take a day and a half to finish.  

The women while working would gossip about their life like busy bees; loud and fast.  They would talk about their jobs (nail mostly), husbands, children, and anything to talk about.   The loudest of them all would be my aunt, Co Huong.  She is a strong person and cook wonderful food.  She is my favorite aunt on my dad's side.  

Co Huong would always make something that I love to watch or make myself.  That particular day she made Banh Cam which literary translates to Cake Orange.  It is actually a fried glutinous rice balls.  Why is it call Banh Cam might because it likes like an orange that is a dessert.  But we will never known why.  Co Huong would make this dessert when she needs to make a lot of food for the family but does not have time too.  The kitchen was made into two parts; the outside and inside.  The outside one is use for cooking. The aroma out there would be to strong for most people.  It in the end would look like someone would try to burn the house because of all the smoke. The inside one would be full of women preparing the food to go to the outside kitchen to cook like the busy bee working to feed the family.  It was a cramp place but a happy one.  

Everyone would be busy making food of all kind to the cha ca to phu to cau la; they were in a hurry going faster than lightning.  Co Huong would be in the middle of the kitchen getting the desserts ready.  Her famous sponge cake was made in advance.  The aroma of the cake was sweet and had add a melocolious mood to the rest of the family so much most of them would sleep or drinking their drinks and gamble some more.  Co Huong was like an artist.  The water and sugar would dance in the bowl until there was no more.  The potato was the boil and mash to go into the mixture this will help the treat not to explode when it is fried.  It was an amazing sight to see her at her work.  I was always in a dark corner of the room taring so much that if a police pass by he probably thought I was a stalker and send me to the police station. 

"Kimberly, stop staring and help me," she would always say in Vietnamese after she notice me the third time.

I would slowly waddle my way over to help and say "Yes, ma'am."

We would always talking in Vietnamese because, well, it felt nature to do so.  Every aunt and uncle in my dad's side of the family came over from Vietnam in their adolescents or early 20's years of their life.  I say my dad's side because everyone has a different role in an Asian family and thus the reunion is only for a certain part of the family.

I would clumsy try to get the the baking power due to the area it was in; the highest part of the cabinet.  When  I did get it half of it drop on me and I became a ghost.  Everyone laugh out loud as if that was the funniest thing they saw, and I was so embarrass that I was a red tomato.  When the tense finally cool down I gave her the power as she try to stop laughing for the excitement. She add the baking power and both of the rice flour together and then start to knead them.  

She would always say, "Kimberly, you always have to knead your dough with love or it would not taste sweet," she stop knead, "The dough shows your soul and what it looks like within so never feel sad or mad when making your food, okay?" 

"The dough knows that crazy," I thought  but says okay anyways.

The dough should have a play doh consistency if you knead it right.  After that we made a lot of little round balls that she then told me that I made cans instead of balls because mine were really long not circle like at all.  Next we would refrigerate the food until ready. Then I got the mung beans that were soak in warm water over night out of the cabinet while Co Huong put everything else in the refrigerate.  The mung beans were soaked so that we could boil them in a steamer now for 20 minutes and wait some more.  

 She then would gossip with the other women while we wait for the mung beans.  Then women could gossip forever if they want to.  They could be louder then a cricket in a quiet room or silent as the trees.  Whatever they were talking about it usually was about each other and how their lives were perfect  in every way.  Comparing each other lives was a main topic in my family for some reason. 

I would then see what was going on in the house sense that I did not want to talk about others or me at the time.  I saw my cousins first.  My older girl cousins would talk about fashion, makeup, or school life as most of them were immigrants or like most girls in their teens love to talk about that type of stuff.  My younger cousins would play games on the computer or go outside to play football or soccer.  The older boys would go play basketball or gamble with the older men while talking to them.  

Sometimes though everyone would come to the living room and play some card game.  It was always fun during this time.  The of alcohol, sweat, and perfume was somehow homely and everyone no matter the age would play as if they were going to win it all.  The excitement was one of many things that are good in a family reunion.  It was fun and now it is time for the finishing touches on the foods.  

The mung beans should be mushy and be easily smash by our fingers.  The mung bean is then smash in a bowl with the sugar and coconut flakes.  Once combine evenly the mung bean paste is then made into little roll balls.  This will determine the shape of the actually banh cam.  

The second to last steps are to combine the two layers.  The dough is smash into a circle so the mung bean paste can be put inside the dough.  The filling should be seal completely by the outer layer.  Then Co Huong would press sesame seeds around the outer layer of the treat until the sesame seeds were all around the treat.  

Co Huong would like preheated the oven and put enough oil to fried the batter.  How much? "Well that all depends on how much you are going to cook ", she would say. 

When the preheating is done we would put the treat in the fryer and watch it dance in a safe distance.  You don't want oil in your eyes.   The treats should be ready when golden brown.  We don't really know when that is so we just watch it until then flipping it over whenever need.  And now it is done.  

Everyone would know it is time to eat when the food is one the floor and the aroma has hit their nose.  The food cover the whole living room floor and everyone rush to get a sit to start eating the food .  We would a then take about the food and other stuff .  Everyone would take their chopstick like a weapon and try to get the food they want as if their was a war going on for food.  It was grand.  The day was a normal family reunion, but every family reunion day is weird that is what makes the day a little bit more interesting.  

thINK Assignment 2 Events make All the Differents

Events can change a way people think. "The Handsomest Drowned Man In The World" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez shows how death can change people and they way they live.  Have you ever thought about the emotions that can change you? You might not know the person in the incident but understood this person is pitiable or full of joy.  Events can change a person.

The idea of that if you're different then it is hard to accept you is show in a way anybody can understand.  The small events that happen in life can change a person for better or worse.  The story show that this man, Esteban, could not sit or stand straight in a house because of how he was build.  This probably made him and the people around him feel uncomfortable.  The words that people say can hurt more than physically pain.  Esteban in the women eyes was thought as unwanted and that in the village and the other villages nobody notice he was gone shows that he was probably a nobody in the peoples eyes.  People can see a little bit better when they are shown the bad parts of life right in front of them.

The women of the village sees and pity this man because they knew who he was and what he has gone through.  In my stand point it seems that do to how he died and who he was to the village, they saw that if he was treated better or that if they notice he would be alive and they would not seem like bad people.  The events that made them realize that maybe he gladly commit sucide because of the bulling or teasing was also the events that made them want to make big houses, gray doors, and flowers on the cliff to remember him by.  They want to do this so that no one would say such bad words about someone different and to remember Esteban.

I believe that "The Handsomest Drowned Man In The World" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez had a deep meaning about how people begin to think differently if someone dieds or if someone had a child.  In the beginning of the story, it seems like nobody knew the drowned man and that no one was missing from the villages ,but someone was missing.  They notice this while they were gossiping about him.  They beginning to think about his life and how rough it was.  If you think about a person you might find something out you didn't notice before.  The chain of events that happen after his death only happen because he died suddenly and the unexpected found of a drown man.  The big events lids to small events.

This story was interesting.  It show how people are judge if they are different.  That after a big event happens people change and see a different light.  But though this story still has some unresolved questions.  How did he die?  Why did no one notice he was gone?  Why did he not tied an anchor around him like the story said?  Are the villagers just thinking or guessing how he die?  How many days pass?   Are all the people there small?  How tall was he?  So many unresolved question that I will use my imagination to think about. 

thINK Assignments

Do you believe in ghost?  Amy Tan did not at first, but now she does.  In the article, 'Saying Thanks To My Ghosts' (http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=103412215) from npr.com, Amy Tan speaks about her ghosts and how they change her life even if she could not see them.  These ghosts were important to Amy Tan because they are her ancestors, her past, and her imagination. 

Ancestors are family that may or may not be able to see but know is there watching us from above.  Amy Tan's mother always believe that her mother was by her side and believing Amy Tan to be a medium she always ask her if her mother was there or not.  In the article it state that Amy Tan's mother would ask her about her grandmother and tell her about how she died from an overdose of opium. In another setting her brother and father both died from brain tumor and her mother would ask about their well being as ghosts.  Her mother probably sought out comfort of losing her son and husband in the matter six months and to do so she found comfort though the ghosts that Amy Tan could 'speak' to.  Amy Tan's past are tide to her and her present. 

What could a past with ghosts be like?  Amy Tan was 4 years old when she told her mother a white lie about being able to see ghosts.  Through this lie she live with her mother always ask her about the dead and telling her stories about them.  Who knew this time was the time were she is glad happen.  She had ghostwriters and without them she probably would not have come up with many of the places, characters, or songs on her own.  Even though the ghosts have taken a different form as she got older, they are still with her.  The ghosts have a past with Amy Tan and have change her style to be what it is now.

In the course of Amy Tan's life her ghost have help her along the way.  They make her stories come alive and make her happy at the same time.  The stories that she writes have people that once live on this earth before and twisted the story to be her own.  The ghosts are family.  Each step of the way, they help her go though many challenges.  She once saw a really ghost.  It was her mother.  During that time after her mothers death just 24 hours before, she learn that love, peace, and joy are connect because they are one.  Understanding a life lesson make you grow as a person and remind you are what is important in life.  

Ghosts can be anything to anybody.  They show me the peace of mind to believe that the people above are happy and are waiting for everyone on Earth to be happy too. To Amy Tan they are friends worth having even if she can not see them.   The  thought of having dead family around might scared a person but to some it is comfort and peace of mind knowing that you are still loved and able to move forward to the future with hesitant.  The past can represent a new future.  The ghosts are family.  They can be anyone your grandmother, mother, father, places, or even your dog.  They all represent the history of the families and friends around you.