"The Twelve," Mentality of the People

Click here to view my Powerpoint about "The Twelve." Co-wrote with Madeline Pace

Cry the Beloved Country: Paton's Themes

In Cry the Beloved Country, Paton uses a theme of religion and repentance throughout the entire story. Reverend Msimangu is an example of the religion motif in this novel. Stephen Kumalo is an example of the repentance in this novel. Father Vincent is another great example of a religious figure in this novel. As I have said, Reverend Msimangu is the main example of religion in Cry the Beloved Country.

     Rev. Msimangu is one of the most religious men in the book. He is the guy to send Kumalo the letter informing him of his sister’s, Gertrude, “illness.” He is the man to find Kumalo a place to stay. He is the man to go on many of the journeys that Kumalo takes in the story. He is somewhat of Kumalo’s closest friend in the first book. He stays with Kumalo through it all, but even he has his personal thoughts like when he said “My friend, I am a Christian. It is not in my heart to hate a white man. It was a white man who brought my father out of darkness… The white man has broken the tribe. And [that] is my belief—and again I ask your pardon (Page 55-56).” Msimangu expresses his thoughts to Kumalo and while at the same time he was kind of looking down on Kumalo. The way that Msimangu looked down on Kumalo kind of showed his unchristian like believe, but he asked for forgiveness from Kumalo for doing so which is a way of repentance.

         Stephen Kumalo, the main character of the novel, is a great example of repentance throughout the book. Through his quest to find and free his son he comes across conflict. That conflict was not an external conflict, but an internal conflict within him. As his outing in the world, he begins to lose faith in God. He cannot understand why God would put the natives of South Africa through the pain of an apartheid and segregation. He also begins to question why God would let his son fall into the crimes of the Natives in Johannesburg. He asks why God wouldn’t just let his son go free. He asks why his sister would fall into the prostitution life. He asks why his brother is no longer a man of God. All Kumalo can do is ask and ask because he cannot fix any of it. He sees it as if the world could help him but they do nota described by Kumalo when he says “There is a man sleeping in the grass, said Kumalo. And over him is gathering the greatest storm of all his days…. People hurry home past him… but they do not wake him, they let him be (Page 138).” Kumalo at this point had given up on his faith in God. He has sort of resentment toward God for not helping him. However, later in the book Kumalo regained his Faith in God and repented.

Father Vincent is a “rosy-cheeked” English priest that lives in the Mission House with Msimangu. Throughout the first book, Father Vincent tries to get to know Kumalo through sharing life stories at the dinner table. He is he man to introduce Kumalo to the lawyer named Mr. Carmichael to represent Kumalo’s son, Absalom, in the court case. He is also the man to tell Kumalo “Do not pray for yourself, and do not pray to understand the ways of God. For they are secret … Pray for your wife and all at Ndotsheni. Pray for the woman and the children that are bereaved. Pray for the soul of him who was killed, and for those at Ezenzeleni, who try to rebuild in a place of destruction. Pray for your own rebuilding. Pray for all white people, those who do justice, and those who would do justice if they were not afraid. And do not fear to pray for your son, and for his amendment (Page 142).” when Kumalo began to lose his faith. Father Vincent helps Kumalo regain his faith. He helps Kumalo forgive the world and understand the world by repenting.

In Cry the Beloved Country, Paton uses many different themes. His most repeated and used theme is the theme of Religion and Repentance. This theme is shown through multiple characters, one these characters being Reverend Msimangu who shows both themes of religion and repentance. Another character would be Reverend Stephen Kumalo, who shows both themes of religion and repentance. The only character that shows only one of the themes is Father Vincent, who only shows the theme of religion. 

Do what you want, Not what THEY Say…

I believe in miracles, overcoming the impossible, and doing what others believe is impossible. I suppose that proving others wrong are my drive, my motivation to achieve and succeed what others say is impossible.

            I have always had a love for learning new things and making up new ways to do something. I remember in the third grade being told I was not allowed in the gifted program because I was not “smart” enough because of my Attention Deficit Hypertension Disorder, also commonly known as A.D.H.D. That day I set a goal to prove them wrong 

Over the next year I tried my hardest and excelled in my classes. I still, was not allowed into the gifted program. I refused to give up, I was determined to prove them wrong, so I continued to try my hardest and excel in my classes. It was only until the sixth grade was I allowed into the program.  I had met my goal! Although it did took a few years I did what others considered being nearly impossible.

I had met my goal, I proved them wrong, but that was not good enough for me. I wanted to go above and beyond what others said was possible. Just to prove my point, that anything is possible. My new goal was to be valedictorian, the highest of all honors in any and every high school.

That is my goal, my goal that everybody says is impossible. Now in my sophomore year of high school at Marion High School, I am well on my way reaching it. Now I am one of a few studious students that is still in the running for valedictorian on a list that shortens every year. I work harder and harder, never giving up hope because everything is possible if you work hard and do your best. I am an example of beating the odds and never letting others discourage me from doing what I set my mind to.

My life shows that it does not matter what everyone says you cannot achieve, but what you can achieve. Do not let words hold you back from trying and making the impossible possible. I truly believe that all things impossible are possible if you just set a goal, believe in the goal, work hard, and not care what others think. This is what I live by and will continue setting impossible goals over and over until the day I die.

Strawberry Pizza

Ingredients:
Crust:

• 1 package of refrigerated sugar cookie dough

Filling:

• 1(8 ounce) cream cheese (softened)
• 1 cup of powdered sugar
• 1(8 ounce) tub of Cool Whip

Topping:

• 1(16 ounce) package of frozen strawberries (thawed)
• 3 tablespoons of cornstarch
• 1 Cup of sugar

Preparation:

On a medium pizza pan press the sugar cookie dough onto the flat circle shaped-pan. The crust should be about a quarter inch thick. Heat the oven to about three-hundred and fifty degrees, then bake for twenty to twenty-five minutes or until the crust is color of a golden leaf of Autumn

Mama Paul makes this almost every Wednesday for my brother and his friends, who come over every Wednesday for the traditional "Wing Wednesday."The day that I seldomly look forward to. The day of the week where every one of my brother's friends comes over, including Jackson, Bryce, John, Kyle, Colton, Cole, and sometimes Quinn. They all come to my house around six o'clock every Wednesday evening. This specific evening, the group included Brandon, Jackson, Bryce, Cole, John, Colton, Cole, and even Quinn. I remember coming home from school and walking in the door knowing that Mama Paul would be cooking something delicious.

Of course I was not disappointed. The house was filled with the divinely, sweet smell of sugar cookie. My mother had just taken it, the large circular sugar cookie, out of the oven. The cookie was, of course, perfectly cooked to a golden brown crisp. As she waited for it to cool, she began to whip the cream cheese with the powdered sugar. Mama Paul always whips it to a divine texture. After that she folds the mixture of cream cheese and powdered sugar to a tub of Whip Cream. By this time the clock had just hit about five o'clock.

About this time is when my brother's friend, Jackson, had walked in. He always comes earlier than everybody else. He came in to the kitchen to talk for my mom for a minute or two. Jackson is most of the time the most gentlemen-like of the group. he always is the one to talk to every body's parents and say yes ma'am and no ma'am. However, beware, he is also the more deceptive, devious one of the group. After he stopped talking to Mama Paul he would stick his finger into the unfinished Cool Whip filling to get a tiny taste.

By this time the golden brown sugar cookie crust has cooled off and has been filled the house with the divine smell freshly baked sugar cookie. Then Mama Paul spreads the filling on to the circular sugar cookie. Mama Paul is a perfectionist so she will not take any anomalies on her desserts. She gets up close to the unfinished dessert and gets eye level to where she can check the evenness of the filling, making sure that no one part of the sugar cookie pizza had no more and no less than the other parts.

By then the clock had hit about a quarter past five. Right about then would be about the time that the rest of the group begin to show up. First would come Cole. Cole is the one of the group that is best all around. He is the type of guy that is not too cocky. He would always come in and talk to Mama Paul, ask how she was doing , ask if she needed any help, and then go upstairs. Next would come Bryce. Bryce has his moments where you just cannot stand him, then he has his moments where he is fun to be around. After Bryce, would come Colton. Colton is almost the same as Bryce he has his moments. John would be next to come through the door. Good 'ole Johnny B, he is the type of guy you would love to be around. He would always be the guy to actually have a conversation and not the monotoned, boring conversation that you would get out of most of the group. He is definitely the wise guy of the group with the occasional sarcasm. Thereafter would come Kyle. Kyle is not the guy that you would want to get in a fight with because he could possibly kill you. Just  like every cliche big guy he is kind inside and is good-hearted. Finally here comes Quinn ,always running late and cutting close. We all call him building because he is the more muscular guy of the group he is all about lifting weights and working out. The gang all there, upstairs of course playing Madden.
Hearing the occasional yell and stomp, Mama Paul continued to make the pizza. She started to cut the semi-frozen strawberries into small bits, followed by putting them into a medium sauce pan and the heat on medium, stirring constantly. After the strawberries are thawed to where there is a thick liquid from the frozen strawberries. Once the strawberries are thawed Mama Paul puts in the sugar followed by the cornstarch to thicken it.

Right about then the group is all there and has had time to order wings from Chicken Coop. Chicken Coop is the traditional place for every "Wing Wednesday." My brother's group goes there, my oldest brother's group went there, and the group before that. The boys all came down from upstairs one right after another galumphing down the stairs with the head of line, my brother yelling, "Bye, Paul!"

 Followed by seven  repeatings of "Bye Mrs. Paula!"

Mama Paul reciprocated, "Be safe, buclkle up, and don't speed."

The group all piled in to the old Yukon that they always take to go get wings. The vehicle originally meant for seven now held eight fully grown sixteen year old boys.

While the boys were gone Mama Paul allowed the topping to cool. Then she spread the amalgamation on top of the filling. Then Mama Paul put Cool Whip in the center of the pizza in a circular shape.After she put the topping on the dessert she washed fresh strawberries, cut them in halves then made a circular arrangement of four of the strawberry halves. Mama Paul then put the finished dessert into the refrigerator until the boys arrived home.

The boys returned home around six o'clock. They devoured  their wings. Once they were done, Mama Paul took the Strawberry Pizza out of the refrigerator.  She then served the Strawberry Pizza to the boys. The boys, being the savage beast they are, ate the pizza in a matter of minutes.

Lessons of Life in Short Story!

In “A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings: A Tale for Children,” Gabriel Garcia Marques tries to teach his readers lessons of life that will have lasting impressions. One lesson he taught was that God works in mysterious ways. Other lessons he taught was that we should have faith in God, as well as the old saying, that our mothers have always told us, “Don’t judge a book by it’s cover.” As I have said, one lesson in life he tries to teach us is that God works in mysterious ways.

            I am a believer of God. I believe everything happens for a reason. We may not know the reason right away, we may not know the reason for a long time, and in fact, we may not ever know the reason, but God knows the reason.  Therefore, we must have trust that things will work for us. I often think things will never work out for me, but for the most part, they always do. One example of God’s mysterious ways in this story is how Pelayo and Elisenda made money off the very old man with enormous wings. They were in much despair, with no hope in sight. They had a sick baby and no money. However, instead of getting rid of the old man, they kept him. The sad part about it is that they made money from his presence. On the other hand, maybe that was why God sent him to them, to save the baby and family. To me it was wrong to make money from him but, just maybe, it was in God’s plan. Another example of God’s mysterious planning was when the carnival attractions came to town. The whole town benefitted from this because people continued to come. The inns made money because more people needed places to sleep and the stores made money because people needed supplies. In the end, you can see that the winged man was good for not only the family, but the townspeople too. Yet, another lesson Marques taught his readers is that we should have some kind of faith in life, and the fact that everyone should be treated fairly no matter how they look.  

            Whether you believe in God or not you should always have faith in life. In this particular story about the winged man, the parents of a small baby, Pelayo and Elisenda, believed that he was there to take their child away. However, they kept him. I do not think I would keep a crazy looking creature if I thought he was going to take my child away. Would you? I do not think so! Instead, they did. How odd is that? They had enough faith in life to know that everyone, no matter how they looked on the outside, had good qualities. They had faith that there was good to come.  He was not coming to get their baby; he was there to save them. He became a very important part of their life.  He made them an income, which in turn changed their circumstances forever. In the end, the man brought them a life they may not have had if he had not shown up in their yard. He was a blessing. Another example of faith, may be the fact that when Pelayo and Elisenda were beginning to wonder if the man with the enormous wings would ever leave. However, in the end, the man left. This truly shows you should never underestimate God and his power because in the end he will make it right.

            The great author Gabriel Garcia Marques taught us many lessons in the short story “A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings: A Tale for Children.” One of those lessons is that God works in his own mysterious ways. Another moral he taught us is that we should have faith in God and to never judge a book by the cover. 

The Mask of Men

Think of having to hide everyday of your life. You hide your true self just because you want to please society. You pretend you are something you are not. Millions of men often act "macho" because they think they have to in order to fit into the stereotype of a man in our society. In the video "The Mask You Live In" it talks about how most men of today's society try to act tough.

Most men believe if they show their emotions that this is a sign of weakness. Emotions are for girls not guys, right?  Men who show their emotions, do not play sports, do not drink or get high, or even decide to have intercourse after they are married are made fun of, because these types of actions aren't what a "man" is supposed to be in our world.

I can personally relate to this because all my life I have thought that other guys my age looked at me as weak because I don't play football or baseball and my very best friends tend to be girls. I do play sports but they are not the "macho" sports. I love to play golf and tennis. I make great grades and I am not a womanizer. Aren't those good qualities in a man? Well, I think they are. I am confident in my own skin! Something all the adults tell me I should be.



         I mean it is sad to not have many guy friends, but there aren't that many guys that I want to be associated with in my school. I want to hang with great people whether they are girls or guys. The guys I do hang out with do not care if I am not just like them. They like me for who I am. I am living through it and I would like to tell younger kids that it is okay not to be the "macho" guy.  I've made it, so you can too! Just be you! Be a true man! Do not fall into the stereotype of the "macho" man. Proudly take off the mask and show whom you really are! If you are a real man, you will be your own man!

My Photo Story (Summer Assignment2013)

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