A major issue at the center of Danticat’s novel, “The Dew Breaker” deals with the brutal military dictatorship of Haiti. There are numerous chapters in Danticat book where she expresses how brutal the Presidents army, the Tontons Macoutes, were to the citizens of Haiti. Danticat depicts the misery, violence, and suffering of the Haitian people under the hands of President Jean-Claude Duvalier and his military personnal. The novel showcases how the supreme power of Duvalier was exercised, through the macoutes, to commit crimes against humanity by personal accounts of numerous characters within the book. President Jean-Claude Duvalier ruled Haiti from 1971 to 1986, when he was forced to flee.…
The Happiest Refugee is a memoir of hope and challenge. Anh and his families’ lives have greatly changed by the impact of the Vietnam War causing them to flee their homes and communities as refuges in the desperation of seeking out a better life for themselves as well as their families. When Anh was a small child, his family gambled everything in their desire to escape the crippling poverty in Vietnam on a barely seaworthy boat crowded with 40 others. “I look across the water and am mesmerised by the beauty of this magnificent setting. My parents set off on a boat trip many years ago to provide their children and grandchildren a better life.…
Juxtaposition in Krik Krak The word strong is defined as, having the power to move heavy weights or perform other physically demanding task. But what if being strong could be used as something other than a physical trait? When someone is emotionally and mentally strong, that person takes all the bad experiences and pushes them away in order to continue their daily lives.…
Island Possessed: Presentation Paper Island Possessed by Katherine Dunham is a beautiful introduction to Haiti. The book is comprised of stories, recollections and historical facts about the island that spare no details; good or bad. But the book causes the reader to reevaluate the definitions of good and bad while reading. Is good really good and is bad just different? Her articulation of emotions toward the historical Haitians, Haitian Vaudun culture and the people put into perspective how uniquely possessed this island really is.…
sa Moffat Professor Siqueira Global Health Connections October 10, 2017 Mountains Beyond Mountains Mountains Beyond Mountains: The Quest of Dr. Farmer, A Man Who Could Cure the World , written by Tracy Kidder, illustrates lessons needed in today’s society across the bibliography contexts of Dr. Paul Edward Farmer. In Part One, “Dokte Paul” it’s established that Dr. Farmer is not only devoted to helping the Haitian people but, also well respected and intimate when it comes to his work and life. As Kidder was in Haiti reporting on the United States’ soldiers involvement in creating Haiti’s new demographic government, the book’s introduction centers around Paul Farmer, who is talking for the Haitian people and American Special Forces…
CLEITHROPHOBIA; the fear of being trapped or locked in an enclosed space. The world has numerous patterns that have been behaving in cycles for the lifespan of the Earth itself. However, the affect that humans and our activities on Earth have had on these cycles has been detrimental. The long-lasting cycles are now varying wildly and causing many things to be unpredictable.…
This autobiography “Restavec: From Haitian Slave Child to Middle Class Americans” written by Jean-Robert Cadet gives a first hand experience into the child labor that takes place in Haiti from a primary source such as a former slave. This book reveals details from Cadets childhood slave labor experiences all the way to the day he enlisted himself into the United States Army and changed his life for the better. Cadet’s experience really demonstrates how much hard work and a focus of what you want to achieve can pay off. The restavec phenomenon dates back as long as history itself.…
A. Social History and Characteristics of Mr. Tulin Mr. Tulin is a 40 year Haitian National. He comes from an impoverished neighborhood of Carrefour, on the outskirts of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, where he was born and raised.…
Another example of the kidnapped woman using fairytales as a tool for survival is when she compares her imprisonment to that of Cinderella. She pleads, “At least Cinderella had her work to keep her busy – the familiarity of sweeping floors and washing windows and cooking the daily bread. If nothing else, because she had truly suffered she could appreciate her ever after” (p. 37). Knowing the Cinderella story gives the kidnapped woman perspective on her situation. She does not have daily tasks to keep her busy like Cinderella did, but knowing that Cinderella eventually escapes imprisonment helps her endure this hardship.…
Aids and Accusation Aids and Accusation, written by Paul Farmer, is a book that truly captures and describes the epidemiology and history of HIV/AIDS in Haiti. Farmer’s immergence into the Haitian community during his research, alongside his educational background as a medical anthropologist and physician, contributed greatly to his approach of providing a deeply holistic understanding of HIV/AIDS in Haiti to the public for the first time (Farmer 2006:253). Through ethnographical, epidemiological and historical data, Farmer shows how the effects of social inequalities, such as racism and poverty, were the main contributors of how the suffering, illness, disease, and violence effects of HIV/AIDS were distributed amongst people in Haiti, and…
The Unfair Treatment of Haitian Refugees compared to their Cuban Counterparts. According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), there are more refugees today than ever before—and more than half of them are believed to be children. Most of these people have left their homes in search of better living conditions and economic opportunities. This is especially true for Cuban and Haitian refugees.…
Have you ever done research on a place that is new to you just to see what it is like before you get there? Maybe did some research just to know about it so you can completely understand the background of the place to discover certain places or things? Well, that is the story of what I did before going to Haiti. Just knowing that you have ethnicity in your bloodline just made me want to engage into learning about the island and culture. The saying goes know your roots and where you come from.…
The country of Haiti is located in between the Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea. Its island neighbor is the Dominican Republic. The terrain is mostly rugged and mountainous. Many have described the appearance of the land as a wrinkled brown. In the past, Haiti was covered in beautiful forests and lush green foliage, but today it is mostly barren.…
Imagine living in a slum where food and resources are scarce, and living is a dread, this is basically the lives of the majority of people in Pakistan. I took this picture when I went to Pakistan and was on my way to my Aunts house. My family, miles away, live in a very large sub-urban home and when viewing these people I felt melancholy due to the struggles they face. Before my parents immigrated to America they also lived difficult lives, especially my father, who was fatherless at a very young age, had to support his family on his own and struggled to continue his education. The reason he came to America was because he was able to live where necessities in life were not as difficult to obtain, whereas in a third world country luxuries such as food and shelter are hardly open to the public.…
On the way to the airport my mom warned us about what we might see, I didn’t entirely comprehend what she meant but I knew I was going to experience a lifestyle unlike my own. While I can’t speak for my siblings, the thought of something brand new excited me, rather than scaring me. I knew we were better off than my family in Honduras, otherwise my mother would have never moved so far away from home, but at this very moment I didn’t understand the extent of her…