Author Archives: Alexander Rolnick

Continental Citizenship

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This essay is a response to a prompt that encouraged students to connect ideas from the book Justice by Michael Sandel with Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe and an interdisciplinary unit on the colonial period in Africa. Students were asked to develop a definition of citizenship and support it with information from the two books and a variety of historical sources.

Botan A

The African people’s dedicated compassion and desire for the African continent has gradually been diminished in the last couple of centuries. Western colonialists took great advantage of our ignorance. The word “responsibility” plays an important role in our continent’s flaw.  It’s important in the sense that it has more to do with the Africans themselves rather than the western colonialists. We let them in our land and now we are paying the price. As Jomo Kenyatta once said “When the missionaries came, the Africans had the land and the Christians had the Bible. They taught us how to pray with your eyes closed. When we opened them they had the land and we had the Bible.” They came in and impacted the way Africans lived. The citizens of this great continent are missing. Leaders, who are willing to take responsibility for the sake of their continent, are nowhere to be found. Being a citizen of this continent, we should do something about the way African countries were exploited in the past. This is an idea called continental citizenship. It is the same as the communitarian idea of Michael Sandal’s book Justice where there is a desire for someone to take responsibility to his or her closest relative or place. The same way we are taking responsibility for our family, community or country, we should do the same for our continent as well. Some people might argue and say what about responsibility to the world and global citizenship? The answer to those people is that being a citizen of the world there are certain boundaries and limits and in order to cross those limits you need the conformity of everyone around the world and that is beyond our power. You can’t just go up to another part of the world without knowing what they prohibit and that is why global citizenship or taking responsibility to the world is not our first priority. There are certain things needed to be accomplished first. We know that family and country come first, but if your family and country are already affected by the impact of colonialism, how is there going to a prosperous family or country for that matter, who have their culture and religion intact. In order to fix what’s inside you have to fix the upper part first. This is where continental citizenship comes into play.

Throughout the continent, we have been thoroughly exploited from all parts of the African land. Western colonization spread through the African continent rapidly and the demand for raw materials increased significantly. The industrial revolution played a major role in the spread of western colonies through the continent. Whether it was rubber from the Congo, or gold from southern Africa, or even copper from the north, these things were taken from our land. There should have been a desire or an urge from the African people to take responsibility for our own continent. There is in fact a moral responsibility in our hands because as being a citizen of this great continent , we should step up for the things colonization has impacted and how it promoted Christianity, separated villages or communities, and finally the importation of modern weaponry.

Colonization came in the midst of the 19th century and it had major impact on the African continent. The major colonial forces were most notably the British and the French. Each of them acted in their respective ways. However, their methods differed, the British used indirect rule and the French used direct rule. They built schools to promote Christianity.  In the Nancy Jacobs primary sources, which discusses the periods of colonial impact talks about the influence of the British in the Igbo land (modern day Nigeria) (3.2g). The British brought in missionaries that taught in the bible and that has caused most of the Igbo children to forget about their own tradition and that has made it difficult for them to practice mother tradition. There was a kid called Nweke, who grew up in a village, however, his older brother made him go and pursue western education. After learning the western education, he came back to his village. Nweke faced problems with the way his family practiced their tradition, having doubts about his own tradition. This made it difficult for him to practice his family’s tradition. This goes to show you how this method of promoting Christianity influenced the people of the African continent.

The French, unlike the British, gave jobs to local African people.  This was a method strictly to their benefit because it would strengthen its nation and influence them to act as French.  They mostly recruited former slaves as it said in one of the primary sources:

Even so, when the French came, they managed what many other local competitors did not and made defensive alliances against the invaders. Serving in the French imperial army were troops recruited elsewhere in West Africa, known as the Tirailleurs Sénégalais. This was a “volunteer” force, albeit manned by many former slaves who had been purchased to give military service. Other soldiers joined for adventurre or mercenary rewards. Africans of high social standing and Creoles sometimes became offices. (2.2c pg 77)

This method was a quick way of influencing the Africans culture and making them act as Europeans. As Walter Rodney said in his book How Europe Underdeveloped Africa “The main purpose of colonial school system was to train Africans to participate in the domination and exploitation of the continent as a whole…” The Africans themselves took part of the exploitation and those who worked for the colonial forces assisted in the exploitation of Africa. Therefore this has been a huge part of colonization and how Africa was hugely influenced.

Before Europeans came into the interior of Africa, people were united as one and there was a sense of togetherness. Different tribes were united through their culture and that kept them solely intact. But as the Europeans entered the Dark Continent all of that changed. Villages were broken apart and some of the people, who had their culture intact even converted to Christianity. The Europeans cut off their tradition and separated their clans. As Obierika said in his eloquent speech in the book Things Fall Apart:

How can he when he does not even speak our tongue? But he says that our customs are bad, and our own brothers who taken up his religion also say that our customs are bad. How do you think we can fight when our brothers have turned against us? The white man is very clever. He came quietly and peaceably with his religion. We were amused at his foolishness and allowed him to stay. Now he has won our brothers, and our clan can no longer act like one. He has put a knife on the things that held us together and we have fallen apart. (Loc 1778)

In this speech Obierika is addressing his people and probably the whole continent that the Europeans broke us apart and influenced people to move to their side. He is pointing out that the impact of colonialism was hugely a negative effect because it has caused division between people with the same culture.

Finally, the importing of modern technology also had a negative effect in the African continent. This all started off when the Europeans were exporting slaves out of Africa through the western coast. Unfortunately, we, through our ignorance traded weapons and wine for our own people.  These weapons such as guns, however, created violence and conflicts between communities and countries. Africans at that point of time didn’t have enough knowledge of this kind of weaponry and what it might do to them as consequence. As it said in the book Things Fall Apart “Okonkwo’s gun had exploded and a pierce of iron had pierced the boy’s heart.”(Loc 1306) This shows the liability of weapons in Africa and how the African people weren’t aware of what it might happen as a result. As being citizens of this great continent, we should be blamed for what has been done to our people. Our own ignorance led to not only Europeans taking advantage of us, but also from ourselves because we killed each other through these weapons. We have been blinded by our ignorance and that is why Africa has been underdeveloped. Colonialism has caused us to not only sell out our own people but it also brought something that destroyed us all.

Now in order for us to take responsibility there are two ways we can approach this impact and that is through resistance or abandoning the colonial language for good. We have seen in the past that some resistances didn’t go so well such as the resistance of the western African king Samouri Traore, who had fierce encounters with the French, but was captured at the end and all his kingdoms and villages were taken over by the French colony. However, there were some successful resistances such as the resistance of the man called Sayid Mohammed Abdullah Hassan or as the Europeans called him (Mad Mullah). He was a religious and nationalistic leader of the Somalis. He led an armed resistance against the British and the Italian for almost twenty one years.  He was the one that brought the land of Somalis to not forget of the culture and religion. He was also a famous poet, who addressed his people through poems. This made the Somalis to keep their strong culture intact without any interference from the Europeans. Now if we could do the same we can overcome all those impacts Europeans had in our continent.

The other approach is abandoning the colonial language for good, which is an idea purposed by a Kenyan writer called Ngugu Wa Thiongo. He believes that learning western education and their colonial language leads to loss of tradition and culture. This is true because in the story above Nweke, after he went on to learn western education, he came back and forgot about his own traditions. Thiongo also believes that learning the colonial education will make you stuck in between two worlds. Because we, as Africans grew up in our mother’s language, tradition, and culture, yet in learning the colonial language makes us see the world differently. You feel ashamed of your own language and start to adopt colonial ways of thinking. You also can’t interact or blend in with your own people. As Thiongo said “…the bullet was the means of physical subjugation. Language was the means of the spiritual subjugation.” This means that colonial language led to the aftermath of it becoming the dominant language in Africa. This is a sign of  how heavily colonialism impacted Africa till this day.

By and large, as being Africans and as citizens of this continent we should take responsibility for the impact we have faced through colonial experience. In Africa, many countries adopted western ways whether it is through promotion of Christianity or language or even the way in which governments are held. This diminished our true patriotic nature of the African culture and traditions. As Thiongo suggested we can take responsibility by abandoning colonial language and showing our true culture and tradition through our mother language. The other option which wasn’t as successful as in the past is resistance and showing force and not letting in the westerners into our own continent. Overall, if we want our family and country to live in a prosperous life, we need to fix our continent first and clean up our own mess. If we have an efficient continent, then we can have an efficient country, community, and family.

Don’t Be Fooled By Looks

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Anonymous

Through life you have happy moments even if it’s just one second, but there are people like me who wish to have it. “Don’t be fooled by looks.” We humans see things in different perspectives. Some might get fooled easily, yet others might not. You may see me joyful and presenting a positive attitude, so far the truth is that deep down in my heart, I don’t have the enthusiasm to smile nor to laugh. It’s like my heart doesn’t sense or suffer a thing. If you ask people how they know what they feel, they will probably and more likely say, “Listen to your heart.” For once in my life I want to smile and laugh from my heart. Why can’t I be happy for once in my life? Why is it so difficult to be happy and feel others joy? My life is a big gigantic mess with so many broken pieces, and I’m definitely lost in those ugly pieces, and that is the beauty of it. It is either I lost the most important individual in my existence, or being underestimated by my family. How could you be happy when everything that brings happiness in your life turns you downward? The only feeling I know is sadness, betrayal and a broken heart is what keeps me standing and going day by day.

I was awoken by the sound of a car. It was pending from outside of our dwelling, but I was too lethargic to get up.  When I opened my eyes, Roda told me to get change. I didn’t know why she wanted me to change, but I was too drowsy to consider. We gotten in the car and we drove away. When we reached the hospital, the first thing I saw was grandmother sitting under a tree, crying. I run toward her the instant her eyes met mine and she pull me to hug me so tight. Out of nowhere I start crying, I was so confuse to even imagine why. I saw Roda sitting next to me crying as well. I really don’t remember who told me that my mom was dead, but the first thing that came to my mind was who would wake me up in the morning? Who is going to tell me funny stories before I go to bed? I know, she was not always available due to her sickness but she was a thoughtful person. She was the only person who paid attention to me in particular. My mother was everything to me, and she was my other half that I will never be complete without it. Half of me died when she disappeared from my life. I used to be energetic person, and very easy to get alone with people. But then I distorted and became a quiet person and lone wolf. I keep my thought to myself and lost confident in myself. From that day, I lost the meaning of life. It took me years to stand up for myself once again. I may have moved on, but never for once slipped my mind. No wonder I never felt happy.

The next day after mom’s death, one of my father’s sisters came to talk with grandma about us. We were eight kids; four boys and four girls. My Father was always busy and unavailable most of the time with his job. He would travel all over Somaliland, so he didn’t have time for us. No one could take care of kids without their mother. My aunt asked grandma what they will do about us. Grandma told her that it wasn’t time to talk about this.  Then my aunt replied, “We could give each of the kids to one of our family members, so they could live with them.” Grandma was so depressed, she was in grief and to hear such thing made her even sadder than before. My grandma said, “No one is going to separate them and in fact they would live together just like when their mom was here.” “But this what Abdilahi told me.” My aunt repeated. Grandma couldn’t believe how heartless she was, and answered “I would talk with Abdilahi about it.” The question that hunts me is why did they want us apart? What have we done to them? That was the first day I saw my aunt and the last.  One of my aunt’s younger sisters used to live with us, but left the house in secret the day after the funeral. Why? She didn’t want to take care of us and especially now that we are motherless. After all the things mom has done for her and this was the way she repaid. Honestly, I will never comprehend how they could be cold blooded and heartless people. When I remember those days, I cry for days and thinking about the pain I went through as a kid. They didn’t even have sympathy for us.

After seven years from my mom’s death. Dad remarried mom’s younger sister. This is tradition thing for Somalis to do after their wife or husband dies. We moved to Hargeisa, the capital city of Somaliland. I really didn’t like that idea, I loved and preferred Burao more and never thought of leaving it because that way I was closer to my grandma. Today was not like any other day in my life, something was not right. My step mother Khadra, who I preferred to call her mom because she took care of us and was always there for us. Mom and aunt Amina were acting in a strange way.  They were whispering something to each other. I asked Amina what was going on, but she didn’t tell me. After dinner, everyone went to sleep. Mom called me and told me that she was going to the pharmacy with Amina, so I should close the door behind them. I didn’t suspect anything at that time. I have waited a while for them to return, but I couldn’t stay awake, so I quickly fall asleep. The next morning I wake up early to see whether mom and aunt came back. I was worry about mom and Amina. I went to Amina’s room, but she wasn’t there. Then I went to mom’s room, and she was not there as well. The first thing that came to my mind was to make breakfast for the kids, and send them to school. Mom and Amina were gone for three days, and I had to be strong for my little siblings now that my older sister Roda was not there to help. The first day I was crying like little baby and I couldn’t believe they could leave us like that. Mohamed was only two years old and he kept asking me where mom and Amina where, and I didn’t know what to say to him. I already lost my real mom, so I wasn’t ready to lose anyone else. I hugged him so tight, and he told me to stop crying. How could I do that?  I was overwhelmed. I didn’t know how to act and what to do. Every day I waited for them to come back, stand outside the house. In those three days I had constantly fought with my older brother because he kept beating our younger siblings. We really never get alone with one another. I wished if that was the only problem I was dealing with. Unfortunately, the day mom and Amina left, my midterm exams started. I didn’t have time to study my lessons for the exam until the kids fall sleep and then I had to choose whether I want to sleep or study for my exams. I have to wake up at 5 am in the morning and make breakfast for the kids and sent them to school. Mohamed and I were the only people in the house. After the children came back from school at 12, then I had to get ready for school and give them launch as well. I would send them to Malcamad (Quran School), and come back from my school at 6 pm. I kept asking myself why they leaved us. What happened that made them leave us? Will they ever come back?  They say things happen for reason, yet I couldn’t find a single reason for this case. Perhaps there is a reason after all.

Overall my life was not the greatest life anyone would wish to have. I never had a single happy moment in it, my life was tough, I lost my mother in young age, but it kept going on. My mother is the happiness in my life, but she was not with me. She left me when I was five years old.  From the day she left this world, my life was chaos. I didn’t know who to talk with nor trust. It is true that I never felt happy, but that doesn’t mean that I will never taste happiness in my life. Even if it’s one day I believe I can become happy and remember that, “Happiness is way of journey not a destination” (google.com). I may have lost a lot of things, but I have so much to prove.

The Golden Girl

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Anonymous

One month is not a long time, but for me it felt like a year. Every moment that passed, left me with some kind of memory whether it’s good or bad. It was almost six months ago when I met a girl in a place called Barwaaqo fun city. It is a place that has fun activities, and toys where kids are meant to play and relax.  Although, I had to go back to school on that Friday afternoon, my cousin told me to go along with her children to the toy’s city.  My cousin and I made a deal, and finally I escorted her.  I was walking around and comforting myself with the sublime of the different decorations in the place. I suddenly glanced back and saw a girl with a big purple eye glasses, wearing a white scarf, and dressed with a black clothes was looking at me and laughing. Her teeth were shining like a diamond that reflected the sunlight like a piece of glass into my eyes.  I lingered on her for a while till my cousin smacked my shoulder to get my attention.  From that instant I was only waiting to talk to her.

I went back home on that day, thinking about that vivacious girl. Starting from that day I abstained from food, and sleep. My hair grew till it reached a length of a finger, and the day moved very fast. But the night-time was different from everything else. Every night after everybody went to bed I sat on my bed thinking about her. I heard nothing except the sounds of the leaves of the trees near our home, and the bird’s singing. I became skinner and my weight decreased significantly. Although, all the nights were the same, some nights were extreme when I caught myself crying and my tears spotting on my bed. There would be no greater happiness and contentment than having her besides me. This situation made my parents disappointed every time they see me sitting somewhere and refusing the food.  One time, my sister came to me asking if I am ill, I should see a doctor as soon as possible. However, my ailment was even beyond a doctor’s knowledge.

It was a hot day and again I went to Barwaaqo fun city again, and sat down on a bench like a lone wolf. I couldn’t tolerate the scorching heat of the sun anymore and decided to leave. The sky abruptly filled with clouds, a huge lightning from the sky stroke my eyes, and finally it started to rain. Seemingly, I predicted that this was a good sign of me getting in touch with her because from the very first day I felt I had a connection with her. It was completely right, it did. After the rain had stopped, I saw what I have seen in dreams and imagination with my bared eyes. It was the same girl with the white scarf on her head, big purple eye glasses, and still the huge smile appearing on her face.

We sat at the corner of the dinner lounge and ordered some food. We were both very nervous, as it was our official date since we met at “Barwaaqo City”. She ordered Italian pasta and I ordered my favorite meal which is “harako”. Not the type of “harako” you see in Abaarso, this was a special made one that includes chili and garlic with long bread on the side. After long hours of eloquent discussion we went for the desserts. I wanted to act as the gentlemen and I ordered one big bowl of ice cream with fruits inside. We each took turns and we loved every moment of it. Each of us felt comfortable with each other. Even though time was running, we still managed to have fun with one another. We told each other interesting stories and we both weren’t afraid to mention all the negative things that happened to our daily lives. As time went by, things started to get weird and personal.

I had no idea what to say, but to prove who I was. I acted out articulately uttering with a big voice and said, “Women are like stars, and it is difficult to take hold of their brightness.”   When I said this, I thought she wouldn’t understand me without clarity, but she was smarter than I expected. Then she responded to me fluently, and said, “It is hard to trust boys, because they have all the same goal, and after they make that goal then they are no longer going to talk to you again.” Fortunately, she gave me her phone to contact her and went home smiling. It was the only day my family see me in a good mood, since I met that girl.  However, I searched on Google and read some articles to make my situation better and know more about my situation. One advice that my sister offered to me was not to trust girls. Well, if there is no trust in between persons how can we become people who are united and share the same culture, religion, and country?

The following day I sent her a couple of text messages requesting to meet up during her free time. I just waited enthusiastically for minutes looking only at the phone; I assumed that she may not respond to my message. I stood up to get a cup of tea. Nevertheless I perceived the sound of my phone and run back towards it. As I was dressing up, I picked up the phone and checked in a very anxious way. I quickly dressed up in professional way with a black suit, white shirt, and a tie. I took a bus and met her in one of the famous hotels in the city. I reached the hotel safely and sat down in a specific table on the attic of the building. I was so keen, passionate, and falling in love with her. We had a long conversation, exciting night together, and took memorable memories. I elaborated my situation and confided secrets with her. It was another way to release all the burning feelings, stress, and depressions that I kept for myself.

It was getting late and we were both tired, so we both decided to Part Company. But I really wanted to stay with her much longer.  Her house wasn’t that far but I still called a taxi and she wasn’t in the mood to leave. Unfortunately, the taxi driver came bright away. Before we made to her house we bought couple of drinks in the way and a red flower for her. Finally after a long ride to her house we made it to front gate of her house. At this time I was really nervous saying good bye to her and very difficult, even though I knew I was going to meet her the next day. Surprisingly, she gave me a kiss but the taxi driver yelled at me saying, “Let’s go, it is getting late.” Regrettably, that was the last moment I got to see her face, as she has gone on to pursue her own dreams for another city.

Midget

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Coyotito

11 years have passed but I’m still shortest in the class. I have always been called a midget and it really hurt and affected me emotionally. Why were you born? Echoed in my brain every day when I woke up. There was not a day that id come home without being insulted or feeling bad about myself. People would tell by eating bread and milk (cereal some days) daily for many years. In the afternoons I would drink a cup of milk from the fridge just to see if any changes happened. Frequently I checked myself using a measure tape. One week passed, nothing changed. A month passed, nothing changed. A year passed I only grew 2 cm. I felt a great satisfaction, but ceased after I noticed I was only 120 cm at the age of 10. So frustrated, I began calculating what my height would be when I reach 20. I was lost and hopeless.

Being short distinguished me from the rest of my classmates. It was a big disadvantage for me. Being a midget had made a limit to my fun. I always used to play football at home and it was my favorite sport. At break times in school the boys used to play football and I was usually rejected to play for one of the teams. I was heartbroken. I usually bit my lips just to hold my tears in and when I couldn’t hold it in, I would just walk away to a place where there were no people around .I used to practice football at home just to get one opportunity to come by, but that was just a dream.

If I only could get that one chance to play, I would’ve done my best to play it very well, but that was never the reality. The reality was just too much to bear and I could kill myself for it, but I didn’t because I knew it that it was prohibited in my religion. Why should I kill myself when I haven’t even reached the best part of my life yet?

It was not only PE that I felt left out, but there were other times that it happened to me. My primary school in England used to take us to trips to different places. From theme parks to historical sites. The last year of my primary school were we were going to go on our last trip we went to Drayton manor, the best theme park in Birmingham. My friends and I were allowed to go on any rides we wanted to. So we were off to ride the best and the scariest ride G-shock. We waited in the line which took a long time. I saw each one of my friends jump onto the ride and they were ready to have a crazy ride. I came forward to be checked if I was allowed to ride it or not. I was rejected in front of my friends and the crowd of people surrounding me. I looked down and started to walk away. ”why only me? “I shouted, in my head. I kept cursing and mumbling lowly. “Fuck this world”, I shouted when there was nobody around since I was a kid and I was not allowed to swear. Since I came to the theme park I had to make use of my time. The only ride I could go on was the little kid’s ones. I went on the ride which was shaped like a teacup and it was going so slowly for 20 minutes that I suddenly felt sleepy. Life really was hard for me.

Five years later I came to a school, Abaarso, where there is no justice and students over study. My first year at the school was pretty devastating. I started the school late and it was very hard to cope with. As I was gradually getting used to the school, I thought I was going to make friends but that was not the case until later in that year. I tried to make friends it didn’t seem to work out. I thought was I unfriendly or was it them? As I went to bed, I would reassure myself by saying why do you care about having a friend or not you’re a man after all. Later I found myself a friend called Warsameh who introduced me to his group of friends and I had a lot of fun that year. It was epic. We partied most of our time. From rap battles to water fights we really made fun out this hardworking school.

All of these experiences of pain mentioned are only a fraction of what happened to me because I was just simply short. Just a few inches could save me from facing all of these experiences. Life was messed up for me all those times since I was judged for my height. Being a short person ain’t no joke everybody who’s a midget knows that. There are only sometimes you’ll  be happy when you are a short person but compared to the disadvantages it feels that happiness is such thing that doesn’t exist .I guess some people are just born lucky and there  are those  who are not. There are some people who are life wasn’t mean to for them and I came to be one of them.

 

 

Responsibility and Animal Farm

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Muna A

In most work of fiction or nonfiction, there is always an important lesson to be discovered and a significant amount of knowledge to be gained. One of these works would be the story, Animal Farm by George Orwell, whose main intention was not only to show and help us visualize what a society looked like during the Russian revolution but also make us realize that power corrupts human beings -a theme repeated throughout the book. Orwell anthropomorphizes his characters meaning he gives them human like behavior and distinctiveness. To summarize, the story is about farm animals who found the temptation to rebel against the humans who owned them. With effort and optimism, the rebellion becomes a success for them and at this they form a new society. They all decided and agreed to follow a constitution, which consisted of seven commandments. The pigs, who were the smartest of all took charge and, started the first step of their evil plan, to not do any work, while the other animals worked assiduously day and night. Afterwards, the pigs became corrupt as they started taking advantage of the other animals, which in response are loyal because of their lack of knowledge. However there is one animal, a donkey, who is different of the other animals in terms of intelligence. Orwell raises this question of responsibility through this character, Benjamin.  One specific night, Squealer, one of the pigs, falls off a ladder and spills a bucket of paint he had on his hand on the floor, the other animals including Benjamin come outside as the hear the noise. Even though Benjamin knew squealer was altering one of the seven commandments he makes the wrong decision to not tell the other animals. Benjamin had a huge responsibility to let the other animals know what squealer was doing in this specific moment because whatever affects the other animals affects him in some way, he can reason and others cannot, and finally he is the only hope they have and if he does not speak up, no other animal will.

Michael Sandel, a very skilled lecturer wrote about the different philosophical ideas that involve human rights, morals, and equality in his book Justice. Three of the philosophical ideas he covers are the utilitarianism, libertarianism, and Kantianism. Applying these three significant ideas on the responsibility Benjamin has is very crucial because you learn a lot seeing different perspectives and what they say about a certain argument.

A utilitarian would agree without a single hesitation that Benjamin has the responsibility to speak out against the injustice for one main reason. First he or she would say, if Benjamin speaks up he will be maximizing pleasure by making the majority of the animals happy, and in the other hand, he will also be minimizing pain by ending the suffering of the animals who work endlessly to achieve a society which will never happen. Someone might argue are the animals actually suffering? Since they do not even realize the pigs are taking advantage of them; additionally they think they are working hard for their own benefit. And if that is the case, how is Benjamin minimizing pain? A utilitarian will answer back, and say we all agree they are feeling pain as they do the hard work, and since they are working hard for a future they do not know, and have no control of, aren’t they still suffering? A utilitarian would think so. Others might argue what if Benjamin is afraid he might get in trouble and risk his life speaking up for the other animals. A utilitarian does not care about the consequences or punishment Benjamin might face if he speaks out, what he or she actually cares about is the welfare he will bring for the other animals as he speaks out.

The choice of whether saying or doing something is Benjamin’s. Whether he wants to speak or not depends on him, therefore it is neither his responsibility to speak up for the rights of the poor animals or explain to them any situation. This is what a libertarian would say if he was asked for his outlook on this situation. Libertarians as described in the book Justice have a tremendous respect for individual rights, they believe in self ownership and freedom. In the other hand, they oppose the idea of sacrificing one’s life to expand or maximize welfare for the majority, believing it violates individual rights. Both these cases could be applied to Benjamin. First, Benjamin has a complete ownership of himself, so if he chose not to speak up it is his choice and no one should interfere. Second, those who think for example, a utilitarian that Benjamin should speak out for the sake of maximizing happiness for the other animals is wrong, because it is against Benjamin’s freedom and rights. Overall, a libertarian would think Benjamin did not had any responsibility

To determine whether Benjamin had responsibility or not in this situation, a Kantian thinker as Sandel mentions, would first examine if Benjamin was acting autonomously or heteronomously as he made the decision to not say anything to the animals. If he chose his decision based on a moral reason which in this case refers to autonomous choice, then he did the right thing. But if he did it just to satisfy his desires and did not choose autonomously then what he did was morally wrong. I have stated before that one of the reasons Benjamin did not speak out might be a fear he might risk his life. A Kantian thinker would object Benjamin’s explanation and say; he did it to for a benefit for himself not because he made an actual moral reason. A Kantian thinker like a utilitarian does not care about the consequences the might happen in the end, what he or she cares is making an autonomous choice.

A society is like a house, each individual self plays a major and crucial part of everybody else’s life. Therefore if we see injustice been done to others we have the responsibility to say or do something because it will soon or later have an effect on us.  In the novel Animal Farm a character who holds this responsibility is Benjamin, the donkey. He is aware of every evil step the pigs are taking to destroy the lives of the poor innocent animals including him, but still decides not to say anything. I belief Benjamin made the wrong choice and should have explained to the animals that squealer was altering the laws at the point when they all come outside and find him laying on the floor.  With evidence and logic it is very likely the animals would have understood at least that squealer was changing one of the laws.

There is a very well known phrase that says,” If life gives you lemons make lemonade”. What if instead of lemons, life gave you a unique intelligence and incomparable knowledge that those surrounded around you do not have? Don’t you think it is your duty to let these naïve ones know if they are been deceived, because they do not have the capacity to figure it out on their own? This applies to the responsibility Benjamin has in Animal Farm. Given that he has the ability to reason, while the other animals cannot it is his duty to speak out or at least explain to them that pigs are taking advantage of them. On the other hand if Benjamin was in one of the other animals position, for example Clover who is mentioned once in the story that she had trouble expressing her feelings into words. Wouldn’t he want someone to end the injustice that was happening in Animal Farm? I believe he would have been thankful because at that point he will have realized how it feels to be not able to express your feelings. Numerous people would argue and say, just because we are gifted and exceptional, why is it our responsibility or duty to speak out for other’s rights? First, those people need to realize been gifted is of luckiness and there is a lot of possibility that gift could have been someone else’s, therefore they should be grateful that it was them who had the gift.  Second, if we connect this to Benjamin’s case, the fact that he is holding an important position makes him responsible because he is deciding whether to save the poor animals or not.

Overall, a society without a responsibility among people is like a house without a parent or a mature person.  In the remarkable novel Animal Farm we see a group of animals who form a society like any other in our real world. The corrupt leaders are represented by the pigs; there are the low class workers who are represented by animals like Boxer, and many others. Throughout the book we see the pigs taking advantage of the other animals by using propaganda. For the reason that they are dumb, they are easily convinced which enables them to believe anything the pigs say. The donkey in the story has a very important responsibility because he knows that the pigs were dishonest. If he could have spoken up the lives of the other animals could have been better.

 

 

A Life Altering Decision

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Mustafe A

Every minute of our life spins, offers us something and teaches us memorable lessons. Back in the days, particularly when I was an eighth grader, adhered my mind as one of the most important days I ever had. The great teachers who devoted their time, and passed down their knowledge to me, bring tears to my eyes. I can’t reward them with anything for the great things they contributed to me. They constantly reported to my parents about my academic success and improvements. Through reporting, my parents, especially my mother, and the teachers developed a strong connection. Once or twice a month they used to tell her my progress within that month and everything about my school. After finishing my intermediate school, I had a two and half month holiday. My friends and I were interested in going to a boarding school, so that we could pursue a high quality education. With that in mind, we tried our best to meet and to have as much fun as possible during our long break. Worrying about the unfortunate things that would happen, we set up meetings where we discussed about how we would meet each other later if we didn’t end up in the same school.

Since I was young, I was deeply motivated by my friends, and my ultimate goal was to attend SOS which was the only well-known boarding school across Somaliland at that time. Willingly, all my friends and I asked our teachers questions about this school. Particularly, I still remember a day when we had a party with SOS’s students. They told us how fascinating and spectacular their school was by using exemplary students who graduated from their school and ended up in a great and well-respected jobs in our society such as Presidents. However, three years before I finished my intermediate school, my brother got into a new boarding school called Abaarso which attracted the attention of my classmates. My brother told me many wonderful things about his school, and even he encouraged me to constantly work hard, so that one day I would attend this school. Knowing that I really like math, he used to take some of the hardest math questions and teach me how to solve them. My brother made me realize that if I would get high results on the national exam, I would have an opportunity to attend Abaarso. However, one day our teachers told us that the Ministry of education started grading our exams and soon we will get our result.

September tenth 2013, was the big day we were all waiting for. I got high grades on the national exam which made both my teachers and parents content, but I had to decide which school I would go to. Since there were two prestigious boarding schools in Somaliland, I faced a dilemma either to pick SOS or Abaarso School. However, I finally decided to go to Abaarso. The news of my decision made my teachers discontent. They didn’t trust the school’s mission and the foreign teachers. Their level of hate toward Abaarso even reached a point where they called my mother several times to convince her to alter my decision. I remember one day when I was near my mother, one of the eminent teachers called her on the phone. Above all, he told her that I wouldn’t be successful if I went to Abaarso . He said to her, “ Your son is a fabulously excellent student. I know he can make the best out of wherever he goes, but if you don’t mind me saying, there are many ways that Abaarso wastes the time of their students. The students work afternoons to build the roads or peel potatoes. The school’s policy is based on American system which will change his culture and religion.” He added to that SOS would take my bright future to the next level. Most of his speech was devoted to the awful widespread rumors about Abaarso, and he consistently upbraided my mother to not agree with my decision.

Honestly, the issues that my teacher raised made me exasperated. I could barely talk after I heard his concerns and arguments. The best people in my life were against my decision. The disquieting words of my teacher made me think a lot which led me to forget eating sometimes. My benevolent mother couldn’t agree less with him. She appreciated his concerns, and she thanked him for everything that he had taught me. However, She told him that I have to learn how to make good decisions in life. She remarked that she will sooner or later pass away, so that I need to survive without her.

Although my teachers were eager to get me into SOS, I had the final defining decision in shaping my future. Looking back, if I have learned anything from this setback, it is the power of hope and facing situations where I have to make life-altering decisions on crucial matters. However, I eagerly became a student of Abaarso School of Science and Technology to attain a highly qualified education and wonderful variety of activities after classes. The beginning of my second year was very impressive because I became a member of the proctors, and attended the orientation weeks. These chances developed my potential and equipped me with great leadership skills.The obstacles that I faced encouraged me to critically think about the economic and political challenges of my country and gaining a high quality education. In my country, people choose the president based on his clan and tribe instead of his potential leadership. For this reason, I would like to learn politics and influence my country’s politics. Indeed, If my community elects their leaders based on their potential leadership, they would have great leaders that can lead our country to recognition that my society waited for the last twenty four years.

Am I responsible to other colonized peoples?

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This essay is a response to a prompt that encouraged students to connect ideas from the book Justice by Michael Sandel with Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe and an interdisciplinary unit on the colonial period in Africa. Students were asked to develop a definition of citizenship and support it with information from the two books and a variety of historical sources.

Anonymous

The strongest form of responsibility comes from solidarity which dwells on the philosophy that we owe more to the people we share with similar history, interest, and therefore contribute mostly to our identity. The philosopher Alasdair Macintyre argues, “Human –beings are story-telling beings. I can only answer the question ‘what am I to do? If I can answer the prior question ‘Of what story or stories do I find myself apart’” (What is the Right Thing to do, Location 441.5). In his quote, Alasdair singles out the interesting fact that as humans we feel closer and more connected to people we have born with. He is right about story telling because every day we see how we choose our children over others, and how we give more care and attention to our elderly parents then others. To choose who we are a part of, we have to identify the people we share with similar experiences in the course of history.  Alasdair also implicitly proves wrong those who say we have no obligations at all because everybody is a part of storytelling. Everybody has association with history or experiences.

What does citizenship means? The term citizenship can be used differently depending on a level. When we are talking about the level of a country, citizenship means people are members of a particular country, and because of that, they should be loyal and patriotic to other people from that country. We can expand the term into continental citizenship which would mean people are members of a continent, and therefore they should be proud of it, and show deep interest to develop it. Indeed, citizenship overlaps with patriotism, or having love for you county more than anywhere else. Citizenship is like identity card that tells us where to live, who we live with, and we side with. The new philosophy of Communitarianism attempts to explain who we should have the first obligation to and who should we have at least obligation to. It is basically a narrative conception. Our love should start with our family, then our town, then country, then continent, and finally a citizen as the world. Communitarianism also explains why we should put our families before our country. It is because our family contributes a lot to our identity. We interact with our family more than any citizen in the world. Therefore, it feels right to say we have a special responsibility to other colonized people because in fact we share similar experiences, interest, and impacts of colonization.

We have more responsibility to other colonized people because a series of similar experiences shaped us alike. Colonization put our cultures at stake, and entrenched our countries under the shade of severe poverty. It is the interest of all African people to turn the impoverished African continent into rich one. That interests and dreams unite us into one people with an indomitable heart and strong favor of development. During colonization, imperialists started schooling in Africa, in order to modernize and convert young generations of African society into Christians. In most cases, schooling led to a generational shift. Although different society reacted differently, the reaction to that problem was the same. In Somaliland, it was not surprising that Mohamed Abdulla was fighting to save his people, culture, and religion (Mad mullah, 1-5). He saw the possibility of his people turning into monsters, so he enacted a mission to stop that. In West Africa, Samori Toure was fighting to protect the land of his Malinke people from French troops who threatened them to give up part of their land (Primary source, 1-2). In the name of Africa, and our rich culture, these great warriors ended their lives so that one day Africans would realize we are fighting against any reformer of African culture. As Africans, we all suffered from the misfortunate catastrophe of colonization. We strived hard to get to the point where we are today. The poverty and wars that inflict us today are still the results of colonization. Each year, billions of children die of Malaria and HIV because colonization precluded us the chance to develop our own factories and medicines. In many African countries, the children who are born with HIV are very high, and at very young age, these young children perish. Misfortunate circumstances like this can be called pulling factor that make all colonized people into unit family. Besides colonization, African people have similar culture.

The impact of colonization is a problem that makes us to have a special obligation because our opportunities to flourish on our own have been violated. When Europeans came to Africa, they didn’t bother to recognize that Africans were people with strong values of religion and rich culture. Filled with contempt, imperialists thought that their culture was superior and therefore they should make corrections to African culture and in return Africans should assimilate Europeans. Quickly, imperialists subverted the traditional leaders and their enhanced system. Europeans introduced the concept of warrant chiefs. In places like Igbo land, Britain used warrant chiefs to control people and as a way to communicate with Igbo people. Warrant chiefs were locally recruited and forced to impose high taxation on their people. They did what exactly British administrators told them which was to be harsh toward their people.( Warrant chiefs in Igbo land, 189) .One of the other impacts of colonization was Christianity and reformed African culture. Europeans disrupted and negatively influenced the way Africans lived and the social structure of their society. In Somaliland, during pre-colonial era most of the children were sent to Madrassa, and they grew up learning Koran studies. However, when Britain came to Somaliland, western secular education became prominent throughout the cities (Oral history). In Igbo land, when children were sent to British schools, they ended up turning against their own culture. In a history textbook, it describes how once a kid called Nweke left his family to study in school abroad. However, when he came back, he rejected to take part all the cultural ceremonies of his people (Family Struggles over schooling). In schools, children were thought that European culture was superior and African culture was inferior. Imperialists also implemented the concept of identity-cards, or giving one ethnicity more power than other ethnicities. The Rwandese civil-war that sparked in 1994 was the result of identity-card simmering issue introduced by Belgium. This war claimed the lives of many people and opened new doors for economic backlashes (Dancing under the glory of monsters, chapter 3-4)

The question that lies ahead for every African citizen is to wonder what African people can do about 19th century imperialism. In truth, we can undo our past, but it our responsibility that we should constrain that all the aspects that colonization unleashed. It is degrading for our that hundredth of years after colonization we are still fighting over the artificial borders that imperialists deliberately constructed. In the course of history, Europeans wrote many books that portrayed Africans as uncivilized and savages. Wars and conflicts in Africa would just be another evidence of Europeans’ accusations. By avoiding civil wars and anything that weights our reputation as African down, we show that we are robust people with strong values. We should stand up for our continent and develop it. We should develop our factories and medicines so that we can save the millions of children dying of Malaria and HIV. We should create techniques so that people who in live poverty can have better lives.

Some people may argue that the people of our country should have more responsibility because we share same history, and make up great part of our identity. In other words, it means should patriotism overpower continental citizenship. What mostly people don’t realize is that patriotism is prejudice, and it is very wrong of us to base our morality in the eyes of an unjustifiable idea. Patriotism is prejudice because it makes no sense to support one country over another country when both are in the same continent. Because of strong bond that colonization formed between us, we are brothers, and love should fill our gaps. Similarly, it is a weak argument to say that my first obligation should count a citizen in the world. There are two objections to this. The first objection is the idea of identity. The world doesn’t contribute a lot to our identity, but our continent does since we interact more with the people of our continent in terms of language, and economy. The second objection is that there many actions happening in the world that we are not proud of. One of the citizenship rights is to stand up things that he/she is not proponent of. But as a global citizen am I bestowed upon those rights? What special rights do I have, to become a global citizen? Citizenship comes with special rights and global citizenship doesn’t carry those rights, so it can’t be our first obligation.

After analyzing all the impacts, experiences and interests that as Africans we share we came to the conclusion that we are people who have same goals and dreams for the continent. Colonization took a great toll of our energy, and destroyed many aspects of our culture. In some African societies, the culture of people almost went to extinct because of schooling and group of missionaries. Europeans took away the time which we should develop great medicines and factories. They crated conflict between us so that while we fight they can run way with our natural resources. We realize that what is best for us is to make techniques to terminate all negative impacts of colonization including identity-cards. We can only do this if we are united, and help each other.

My mother

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Anonymous

I can never pay back the great things my mother has done for me. My mother means the world to me. She is the most caring, kindest, and the sweetest mother ever. I hate to see her angry or make her disappointed at all. She is awesome, and if I see her not smiling, I feel bad and my whole day is ruined. I feel very guilty about seeing her being sorrowful, because she is the most amazing person I ever seen in my life. Her smile brings contentment and inspiration to my life and motivates me to keep moving in my life when she is happy. I am the happiest person ever lived on this earth, because her being happy lightens my day. My mom has the biggest influence on my life, and I have a measureless admiration and adoration for her.

We were in vacation, it was the summer break, the school year had ended two days ago, and I just finished my 9th grade year when my mom came to take me home. I had already organized my stuff and gotten ready before she arrived. When she came, I was at the gate waiting for her. We put all my things in the car, and she drove. An eternity of silence oppressed us. I eventually started a conversation with her. “Why are you so sad and silent today”, I asked her. She did not hear what I said so I asked her again. “Do you care about me?” she shouted. I never expected that question in my live from my mom. It severely hurt me and touched my heart at the same time. I became very upset, my face turned into red, and I was fuming over the disheartening words that mom shouted out. I was speechless with sorrow and rage. Immediately tears came down from my eyes. I knew that certainly something happened to my mom. She never told me what had happened to her to not make me angry and upset, although I was already angry at her for not telling me what was wrong. My mom was always depressed those days, but she never let us knew what happened to her for us to not worry about her. She never wanted us to be upset and sad. We mean the world to her.

We reached home without any of us saying a word. The day ended with silence, and it was night already. The light went out, home was very dark, and it was very cold. I was so sleepy, but I couldn’t sleep because of the extreme cold. My mom thought I was sleeping. I was watching her without saying word to her. I was so flabbergasted by how drowsy and tired she was, yet still awake to ensure that every one of us slept. It made me so astounded to how much she cares. It is not only that she cares about us, but she does the impossible to make us content and happy. Recently, my brother got married; he didn’t have anything to give it to the bride’s family. He is young, and he doesn’t have any job. My mom paid the money that he gave to the bride’s family. She built a house for my brother’s new family, and disbursed everything in the wedding. Her kindness and her benevolence made me see life in different perspective.

Furthermore, my mom invests on our happiness. It was Monday but a very special Monday. My mom drove me to the best play centre in Hargeisa. It was my sixth birthday and it was also my first day I ever went to a play centre. I was so interested and so curious about every game so I tried all of them. My mom was watching me playing, and she was waving for me as I waited for a horse ride. After I rode the horse ride, I heard people screaming. The horse broke at somewhere. I cried “Oh my God! I am going to die?” I was also screaming a lot calling out for mom. I was very frightened and terrified. I tried to look for my mom, but I couldn’t see her at all. I thought this was my last day I would see my mom, our new baby born girl, and rest of my all family. People were still loud and all I thought of was what if something happens to her, and I was regretting every moment I made her cry, angry and worried. After some time, I wasn’t on the horse ride anymore; I was saved. My eyes were so red; I couldn’t hold back my tears. Later, Mom came rushing, and she had two cakes, water and drink in her hands. She asked “Were you on that horse ride?” I said “No, I wasn’t there “she said, “Thank god, I have these for you. Sit here to eat them.” I asked myself how she would be if she saw me stuck on the horse ride. Are all mothers the same or is it only my mother who loves us this much? My mom taught me a lot about life lessons. Most importantly, she taught me how important it is to take advantage of your time.

I draw my inspirations from my mother. My mother is the biggest influence in my life. I couldn’t have asked for a better role model than she is for me. As a young girl who lived in a male-dominated society where girls going to school were frown upon, I would rate my mother’s educational achievements as nearly perfect. She proved to be a champion for girls by finishing her high school education successfully where she was immediately employed at Somaliland National Bank. Unfortunately the civil war broke out soon after she held the position, and she had to leave for Iraq as a refugee. When she came back, she got a full-time job. Her life continued after then until she brought us to the world. When I was young, she would often narrate me stories about her time in school, and I would always listen considerately. She taught me being educated is the best way to achieve your dreams. Moreover, she taught me the necessity to keep pace with the ever-changing modern world. I am forever grateful to my mother for bringing me up in a house where gaining knowledge and gathering wisdom is valued and richly rewarded.

As I move on in life, memories I had with my mom, and the experiences I gained from her, will stay in my mind forever. They will always show up in my attitude. I want to make her proud as she makes me proud of being her daughter. My mother represents perfection for me.

 

 

Dreams and Hard Work

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Warsameh H

Close your eyes, and ask yourself what is the importance of having dreams? Why should we work hard for something when we can just take it easy and enjoy life. To answer such an abstract question, I believe we must all first ask ourselves what such dreams and hard work mean to us. What does a dream mean to me, and why have I come to believe this? Personally, I have come to believe that dreams are a big part of our lives. Dreams help us define what we believe in, and in like manner, I believe that dreams give us purpose in our lives. One that we that we can relentlessly purse with passion and drive every single day. My dream is a clear reflection of what I believe in, and one might go as far as saying that my dream is an actual manifestation of them as well. Throughout the three years that I have been a student in Abaarso School of Science and Technology, I believe that I can say that I have found what my goals and ambitions are in my life. This is all because I found what my dream was. Before I started going to school at Abaarso, I was an overweight, unsocial, and inexperienced boy. Moreover, the fact that I never had an older brother led my family to keep me safe at home from the challenges a boy my age would face in Somaliland. But just like any other normal country, Somaliland is a peaceful place where most of the problems kids face are either bullying, or loneliness. Nonetheless, I was different. Even at a young age, I was always searching for something. I wanted to have passion and desire to achieve something that would make my life worth living. Reflecting on my past today, I think I found what I was searching for all those years. And that is my dream which I believe in, and I will never give up on pursuing it. Looking back, I would never have found what my dream was if it was not for the lessons I learned from working hard. Although hard work comes with many prices, I believe it is our truly honest guide to the path of fulfillment.

Dreams are what form the basis of a person’s beliefs. To demonstrate, let us say that your dream is to be well known and famous all over the world. In accordance with our dreams, we believe that fame is very significant in our life. The dream of becoming famous is what gives us the belief that gaining fame and renown is important. In effect, the fact that our dreams revolve around our beliefs is important to note. For our beliefs are what make us unique and different from other people. My beliefs today are shaped by the dreams that I have gained over the years. Now the question comes up, “What do you believe in smarty?” Well I believe in hard work. I believe that tenacity, discipline, and meticulousness are the most important traits that a person can have. If someone is willing to do whatever it takes to achieve something, then I believe that they can do it no matter how difficult the task is. When I first came to Abaarso I only knew how to play soccer, because that was the only sport we could play at the time. Yet, I really did not love playing the game deep down. It was just something all the cool kids played, so I played as well. One day, in my first term as a ninth grader, some of my close friends at school came to me and told me to come play basketball with them. I refused at first but after sometime I agreed because I did not have something better to do. Oh how I vividly remember that day. On the first play of my first basketball game I ended up dislocating my toe. I was on crutches for a month. During this time, I kept asking myself why I had been feeling so distraught. That is when I realized, I was so out of my mind because I could not play basketball. What, basketball? The reason why I could not walk like a normal person for a whole month. Yet I missed playing it. I then understood that playing basketball was what I loved doing most in the world. After I got better, I played basketball every single day. I was terrible at it at first, and I am also pretty short for basketball standards, standing only at 5’9 even today. But I did not let the critics to get to me. I kept working and working on my craft until I became one of the best players at my school. Basketball taught me that height, talent, none of that matters, I believe that it is the work you put in that defines who you will be in your life.

Imagine that you are in a dark cave, with no ambient light in sight. You do not know where the exit is or where you want to go. This is what I believe life is when one does not have ambition. It is an inescapable dark cave when you do not know your purpose in life. My dream is what gave my life meaning, it is what gave my life purpose. After finishing my tenth grade year at Abaarso as the Student of the year in my class, I started to think about what I wanted to do with my life. I remember thinking about one of my friends that I grew up with. He had big dreams and big ambitions, and sometimes I would laugh at how crazy he sounded. He wanted to invent something new to change the world. But, at the end of our eighth grade he had to drop out from school. His family could no longer pay for his schooling, and they needed him to make a living for them. Seeing someone work so hard at something, and then just throw it away because of reasons they cannot control, was truly saddening to me. That is when I decided that I wanted to help my country for the better. I want to provide opportunities that are not available for the younger generation of Somaliland. Because those that are willing to do whatever it takes to succeed have the right to have a chance. From then on, I began working harder and harder on my academics and athletics. Striving to learn more and to be more. I give all the credit to my dream, because it is what gives me the purpose I have today. Nonetheless, you must work really hard to achieve anything that is worth achieving.

Tim Notke once said, ” Hard work beats talent when talent does not work hard.” I remember first hearing this quote as a ninth grader. I thought, ” Man I really disagree with this quote.” This was because I refused to accept that a hard working person can only beat a talented person when that talented person does not work hard. I believe that with hard work no matter what, anything is possible. I then made my own variation of the quote to constantly remind myself of my belief. It goes, ” Hard work beats talent, experience, and odds.” Now hard work is not easy at all. Working hard is about having patience, perseverance, and a will to achieve whatever you are trying to achieve no matter what. A person must be willing to sacrifice many things for the sake of working hard. I can definitely attest to this. Waking up early to get a quick basketball workout in, distancing myself from distractions, and studying when I could be having fun are some of the many sacrifices that I have had to make in my life. However, I never regret sacrificing any of what I have mentioned so far. This is because working hard has really made me the mature and responsible young man I am. It is necessary for all of us to dedicate ourselves to working hard to achieve our dreams.

In my eyes, dreams are extremely important in our lives. Dreams give us goals to pursue with heart and compassion that give our lives purpose and meaning. They define what we believe in and who we are as people. Accordingly, working hard is necessary if we ever want to achieve those dreams. And from that hard work, we are able to build our character. From the countless sacrifices we make to work hard, we are able to test ourselves because we ask ourselves the question, “Do I really want to chase after this dream?”  These questions and reflections to ourselves helps us understand who we are  more, and I think this is very important. Having dreams is very important to me and without a dream, I believe I am not complete as a person. I deeply believe that all dreams are attainable if we are willing to work hard enough, for hard work beats talent, experience, and odds.

 

 

A Night Gone Sour

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Zanella

Walking at night was always a problem for me. A feeling of fear gashed up my spinal cord because of the crackle of the leaves being blown by the wind. The city was darkened with nimbus clouds. There was mist everywhere, with birds chirping, and cats purring from all directions. Up ahead, a flame of a streetlight hung at the entrance of a boutique like some kind of spirit. I loved the lights at night; they like eyes watching my every step. Always watching. The streets were as empty as a vacuum.

However, tonight was as quiet as a church mouse? No one was roaming the streets. Just a few cars passed by me. Walking unflinchingly, I turned left, and as silent as the grave, I walked as fast as my legs could carry me. I trembled whenever I heard the leaves rustle. Just then, I saw a flashlight come from a narrow alley, and steadily, I thought that it would appear again. But I was mistaken.

Nonetheless, a group of boys majestically appeared from the same alley, and blocked my way. I stood there, in awe, not knowing what to do. I thought of running, but before I could take a step back, I was already surrounded by the boys. There was nothing I could do; I felt blue. With me was my phone, and a magazine, nothing more. I thought of sacrificing these belongings for my life but I was not ready to risk anything. I decided to ask them what they wanted, but before I could open my mouth to speak, I received a blow that sent me flying to the ground.

I had blood oozing out of my nose, and mouth. Tears cascaded down my face, while I cussed these boys out. The boys seemed to be having fun tossing me around like a coin, but I was hurting. The more I insulted them, the more I got beat up. I struggled to get up, but all was in vain. I could not give up. Inflaming with anger, I tried to push them away. I thought to myself, “Oh God, what should I do, when all of these people want to kill me?” A rollercoaster of emotions filled my heart, and the motivation to save myself came to my mind. With all those wounds, I wanted to fight them.

My heart was racing, and my eyes glowed with red in them. I felt a little weird. My face was changing, with veins being exposed from the bottom of my eyes. What was I? Was I becoming a monster? This had never happened to me before! All of a sudden, I felt my throat drying up, like I was choking with the smell of blood. Was I allergic to blood? All these questions were in my mind, but I had no answers to them. My fingers grew longer, and they were dirty. I had no idea of what was happening to me. Fear was drowning in my soul, and my pupils were dilating ever second. All the boys were staring at me like I was some crazy old woman. They could not even believe their eyes.

One of the boys was holding a pistol, ready to pull the trigger, but before he could shoot I heard someone screaming, and laughter n the background. I awoke from my dream only to find myself in a history class. Everyone laughed so loud, the principal could hear all the way from his office that he came rushing to see what was happening. The teacher dragged me outside and said that I was saying things that made everyone draw all their attention to me. But my question, even after I awoke from the dream was do vampires exist in this world?