Thursday, January 5, 2017
Giving Back
The civil war has had a very negative affect on Mariatu, as many horrible things happened during this time. Her hands were cut off, she witnessed the murder of her relatives, her baby died of illness, and she had to beg for money in the streets of Freetown. However, Mariatu's life has taken a turn for the better (although "better" is quite an understatement). Things improved greatly when she moved to England, but they got even better when she moved to Canada. She has freedom, a home, lots of food, and most importantly, an education. One of her proudest accomplishments was earning her diploma in an English as a Second Language class, meaning that she could now read, write, and speak English. "One of my proudest moments came when I wrote my name, MARIATU KAMARA, in a workbook with a pencil held between my arms." (Pg. 184) Mariatu is also an incredibly strong person, since she knows how to figure things out on her own without extra help, which could possibly be one of the reasons as to why she chooses not to use prosthetic limbs for any of her daily activities. Mariatu did not just make the move to Canada to satisfy and save herself; she did it to supply her family with a reasonable income so that they can live their lives happily. Mariatu is now working with UNICEF to help other people in war-torn countries and places less peaceful. This goes to show that Mariatu is not all about herself; she is willing to help anybody and everybody who needs the help.
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As with Braden’s other post there was a wide variety of specific vocabulary used, giving the same “easy to understand” effect. I disagree that Mariatu being classified as a “strong person” is the reason that she doesn’t want prosthetic limbs, although she is clearly an undeniably strong person. In my opinion, a better word to use would be independent or self-sufficient as that would explain why she doesn’t want the help of a device to perform tasks that the human body is expected to do naturally and without challenge or difficulty. Mariatu is strong in other places though, like her ability to give back which was also mentioned. She was given help, money, and a chance for a life in Canada. Once her feet were off the ground she first gave back to her family and is now giving back to the world through UNICEF.
ReplyDeleteI agreed with everything you said in this post and it was very well written. Just try to make a connection that reminded you of the book.
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