Juxtaposition In Krik Krak

Strength develops in someone through their experiences which have the ability to make them an emotionally stronger person. A quote by Ernest Hemingway presents that “the world breaks everyone, then some become strong at the broken places.” Even those who suffer the most will have the ability to bounce back at a stronger state. This theme reveals its relevance in A Separate Peace by John Knowles as we analyze the strengths and weaknesses of the main characters, Finny and Gene. Although some may insist that Finny’s emotional state fits the mold of a weak character, I have confidence that Finny has the most inner strength out of the two boys given his description and actions throughout the novel.

Even though Haiti’s a poor country, his people have a big heart. Parents don’t want their child to work, they make them focus on school only, and their education. On the other hand, Americans just consider a child to be lazy if at their teenage age they still don’t work. They raise their children to be independent different from Haitian that make their children to depend on them. Another fact is that Americans are not really friendly; they avoid contact with people, and they have a hypocrite smile on their face, however, Haitians are really friendly, sincere, and courteous. They also value school and intellectual behaviors as key off success, while Americans only have money as their only goal.

First, he describes the "homeless, dust-streaked Haitian" in a pitying, but not condescending tone. His language also makes the reader feel sympathy for the victims; he uses words like "wretched" and "poor" to show how terrible this situation is. Furthermore, it makes the reader question why these people deserved their fate and why it was justified that they earned such a punishment. This sentence is important to the main point because it describes how life can be unfair. He also brings to mind some of the non-natural tragedies that have subverted this small nation: "...it has a history of political instability and colonialism, of being ignored by the major powers when it is not being exploited by them." Thus, Pitts expresses his message by telling the audience that even if being exploited by major powers doesn't seem like a natural disaster, it really is. This statement proves that the earth is cruel because human beings induce much of the chaos, and human beings are a part of this earth just as much as the wind and rain. Moreover, this further demonstrates the main point of the essay because it shows how human beings, who can suffer and be victims, can be tyrannical as well. Pitts continues to support this idea by using figurative language such as similes. In one line, he states, "...the seas rise and smack the shoreline like a fist". This simile describes the

Linda Sue Park’s book entitled A Long Walk To Water is about two people on different paths that eventually meet. One character named Nya is a girl who walks 12 hours a day to get water for her family. While the other character Salva is a boy who is left in a country surrounded by war. In Salva’s story, his survival became possible through three main factors:his uncle, food and water; the memory of his family.

It is impossible to discuss gender and the influences it has on one livelihood without acknowledging the other aspects of one’s identity. Other aspects such as race, class, and sexuality in combination with will always play a major role in one’s life choices and the way they are perceived by others. The term intersectionality as stated by Susanne Hochreiter offers a way to understand the multiple grounds of identity when considering how the social world is constructed. Intersectionality explains why gender cannot be in isolation from other inequalities in the social world. As a black Haitian woman raised in America, it is clear to see that my identity occupies several spheres. The experiences of being a woman in Haitian culture often conflicts with that in of American culture. In Haitian, there are specific roles and social spaces that women occupy. Traditionally in Haitian culture women are the head of the household but still place their husband’s authority above them. Young Haitian girls must learn many things before they are considered young women in their society. These

“Something very beautiful happens to people when their world has fallen apart: a humility, a nobility, a higher intelligence emerges at just the point when our knees hit the floor.” (Marianne Williamson). Touching Spirit Bear by Ben Mikaelsen, focuses on a boy named Cole who doesn’t care about anything and does whatever he wants. He ends up beating up a fellow student and goes to jail for it, but has a chance to get out by going to an island to “change” for the better. In fact he does end up changing for the better and overcomes some of his big challenges. Cole’s attitude, relationships, and environment develop into positive counterbalances that help him overcome adversity.

In the essays, “The Joy of Reading and Writing; Superman and Me” and Frederick Douglass’s “Chapter 7: Learning to Read and Write”, Sherman Alexie and Frederick Douglass write about their hardships and challenges they faced while learning how to read and write due to their social economic status. Despite the fact that Alexie and Douglass are incredibly different people, they both use education for freedom and a sense of self-worth. Alexie and Douglass both struggled to receive education and struggled mentally and physically because of their social economic status. Although, Alexie and Douglass both experienced these hardships, they saw the world through a totally different perspective. Alexie saw the world in a more positive manner than Douglass

In both Kaye Gibbon’s Ellen Foster and Jeannette Walls's The Glass Castle the protagonists have to endure life growing up with minimal support from their parents or guardians. Both explore the difficulties they have to face growing up alone and how they overcome it. Child neglect forces children to learn and do things themselves. This level of independence at such a young age causes them to become more responsible than their peers and gives them determination to be different from their parents and learn from their own and their parents mistakes.

There was not much to do as I grew up in Haiti. I would sit outside for hours until the sun would set, the darkness consuming the little light that once remained.  I didn’t know anything besides my house; my mom believed that our safety simply lay inside the house and anything outside was dangerous. Growing up, I didn’t have my father around because he came to the United States in order to provide for his family back home. At the age of seven both my immigration papers and my sister's were finalized, and we were able to finally be with our father. Unfortunately, our mother was not able to come with us. When we got to the airport, I hugged my mother and said goodbye.

Just like no one can escape death no one can escape the aftermath of a traumatic event. Even though trauma isn’t escapable it is overcomeable. The traumatic events that occur throughout A Separate Peace would lead most to say that it is a pessimistic book, but there are much deeper findings that is optimistic in the book. The optimistic view of the book is looked upon and isn’t the most obvious choice of the two but has many provable points. These pieces of evidence varying from the influence Finny had on Gene, the war which helped them grow, and the life changing events they had to face.

Rena asked the Nazis about finding her belongings later because she was worried about her belongings and notices it would be difficult to locate hers from the others since the pile was multiplying. This is shown when the author wrote, “I place mine upright, neatly, next to the growing pile then ask one of the SS guards, ‘How are we going to find our suitcases later?’ ”. This shows that Rena is concerned about her suitcase because she doesn’t want to lose her things. That is why Rena asked one of the SS guards about her suitcase so quickly.

Research shows that up to 70% of people who have gone through something traumatic, have shown positive psychological growth in their lives (Gregoire). Life after trauma can be hard to regain due to the instability we experience throughout that hard time in our lives. But having a strong, and satisfying relationship or relationships can help to bring people to peace in a slightly more uncomplicated way. This example of dealing with grief is brought to attention in Amy Tan’s novel, The Joy Luck Club. Due to the turbulent times in Shanghai, China, and then coming together in San Francisco, California, these four women and their daughters rely on each other to get through it all. Each conflict the characters go through, relates back to how they

Despite having two different characters, one in real life and the other fictional, there is still a correlation between both; showing the author´s feelings, ideas and even problems, that are thrown into the story in a way to express his anguish.

In her novel, The Joy Luck Club, Amy Tan focuses on the fact that the bond between a mother and daughter can overcome any ethnic barrier. Despite there being many disagreements and arguments about the ways to live their lives, Tan defies this issue by creating a bond that is unbreakable even though the experienced different upbringings. Certain disagreements keep the novel interesting and create a conflict depicting the problems stemming from this barrier. Through her use of similes, metaphors, and flashbacks, Tan shows how the bond between a mother and daughter can withstand even the strongest cultural differences.

What gives someone hope in a world of death and despair? Is it a mother, or a child? Can the generations of your family give hope in a world of darkness? Edwidge Danticat, author of, Krik? Krak!, answers this. Danticat suggests the only way to find hope in a place of despair is from the generations of your family that have come before and after. Krik? Krak! portrays the stories of fictional Haitian character’s struggles and how they overcome great odds through hope.