Critical Analysis for “After Mandela” by Patricia Smith

Critical Analysis for “After Mandela” by Patricia Smith

             “After Mandela” by Patricia Smith explains that South Africa has come a long way since Mandela first sparked the end of apartheid in South Africa but although there has been many successes there are have also been many downsides during the time, so much so that Mandela’s dream and example cannot be lived up to in the future. There are many things that Patricia Smith uses to support this claim. Smith implies that South Africa “has struggled--- and sometimes failed--- to live up to the ideals and promise that Mandela represented”. She includes many examples to prove this. “Although democracy is now firmly developed [due to Mandela] the presidents who have followed have failed to live up to his example”. This is the idea she sticks through throughout the article, she gets deep into it and is passionate for the idea that no other president could live up to what Mandela was. Smith also includes examples of progressive successes that have improved South Africa and brought it a long way from apartheid to support the part of the main idea that says that South Africa has come a long way; for example she says, “It (South Africa) boasts the continent’s largest economy and the 15^th largest stock exchange in the world. It has an abundance of natural resources that it exports--- including diamonds, gold and platinum”. But Smith wants to show that it is still far from perfect; she also includes examples of those things that are negative since apartheid was solved and implies that “there have been many disappointments too.” For example, “Unemployment is higher than ever… 85 percent of black South Africans remain poor, while 87 percent of whites are middle or upper class.” She also quotes Steven Friedman, “We’ve had some successes and also a lot of setbacks.” But also to ensure that readers knew what Nelson Mandela meant to the country Smith stresses, that Mandela was a man with a message of peace, a “call to move forward rather than turning to violence.” To strengthen this she describes Mandela’s story and how he contributed to South Africa’s successes and also that he wasn’t really a part of South Africa’s setbacks. This series of ideas support the main idea and work to prove it because they convince readers of Mandela’s strength at the time of his death using examples of strengths because of him and strengths without him that can harm South Africa, it convinces them that Mandela was very important to South Africa, which he was.

            With this article Patricia Smith tried to make the reader think and feel that it is true that South Africa has come a long way but that it’s still a long way from being a perfect nation and also she wanted the reader to realize the contributions of Mandela and that losing him meant losing “the ideals and promise that he represented” and that there is still a lot of hope for the country. To achieve this Patricia Smith utilizes multiple craft moves. She quotes officials and people with a title. For example, “‘We’ve had many successes and also a lot of setbacks,’ says Steven Friedman of the University of Johannesburg. Again she says, “‘In all of the great liberation movements there is the problem of producing great leaders to take over,’ says William Gumede, a South Africa scholar at Oxford University in England.” I know I will definitely believe whatever a man with a fancy title like that, that is a problem that we face, titles of any sorts are convincing. This technique grasps reader’s attention and convinces them that whatever they say is true and trustworthy information. When the reader knows that information is coming from or is supported by an Oxford graduate they will more likely believe and agree with it rather than believing someone with just his name and this is truly sad. Another technique that Smith utilizes is giving and using specific examples and them making larger connections, often to the world, using the example. For example, after describing the opinion of an older educated women in South Africa Smith says, “Such feelings are common among her generation, known as the ‘born frees’ because they were born after the end of apartheid, or just before it ended, and were too young to remember it.” Patricia uses this as a passageway in her writing to make a larger connection and to start speaking of the “born free” generation, the time period of Nelson Mandela, generally where she wants to get in her piece. This technique gets large information through to the reader while also keeping them engaged with a realistic example through a story. This is smoother than the “For example,” strategy used by many writers, a strategy that I probably used in this writing as well. This can be choppy and too straight forward depending on the writing you may want to use it, especially in pieces like articles in a teen magazine. You want your readers engaged in your writing at all times and the craft move that Smith uses definitely does the job by keeping readers in her writing and allowing them to make realistic connections. A third craft move that Patricia Smith utilizes is the use of complex transitions. A simple one that is also smooth is “Despite…” This technique gets the “but” parts of her purpose for the piece through to the reader while also allowing her a way for her to move on in what she’s writing.

            Overall this text had a very large message about Nelson Mandela, a man with a dream and a message never to be forgotten. Reading this article was very moving and influential. To learn more about such a great man sparked a light in me to fix whatever problems I could whether they were big or very small, because they all make a difference. It taught me to follow in Mandela’s footsteps even if I don’t have the ability to do what he had for South Africa, I can learn to be persistent, to be determined and to never give up. This article definitely taught me a lot about Nelson Mandela’s contributions to the world, and it was really the perfect time to read about such a great man. His death only made the article more effective.                   

Blog Review for Mahin Chowdhury’s “The Life of Pi (Re-do)”

Blog Review for Mahin Chowdhury’s “The Life of Pi (Re-do)”

            After reading Mahin’s blog post titled, “The Life of Pi (Re-do)”, I was fascinated. Indeed, it was a phenomenal piece of writing and a great critique of a text. The vocabulary Mahin used was very well selected, his use of examples from the text was very supportive to the points that he made, and the summary that he included in the beginning of the blog post should have had a spoiler alert because it did give away a lot about the story’s plot but it was a great wrap on the story and I didn’t mind it all because it only made me more interested in the book.

            I only skimmed through the book The Life of Pi before reading Mahin’s response, I was younger then and wasn’t really interested in the book but after Mahin’s response I really want to go back and actually read the book and truthfully I’m more interested now that there is also a movie based on the book. Going back to Mahin’s response I definitely want to go back and read this book due to Mahin’s high praise of it. Mahin made the story seem very suspenseful and that’s the type of story I like, one that will keep you reading not one that will make you put it down. Mahin says in his summary, “As the ship begins to sink, Pi and a tiger named Richard Parker cling to a lifeboat while Pi's family drowns and the other creatures kill one another off. Pi and Richard were washed ashore onto a Mexican beach where Richard runs off never to be seen again. Pi was found by villagers and was rushed to a hospital where he survives and successfully moves to Canada.” Wow, that sounds awesome, that’s the exact kind of book I want to find myself in the middle of.  But this only a small part of Mahin’s response, it continues on and talks about the themes in the story I also want to read the book due to Mahin’s talk of the themes that really connect to issues in the world. Mahin says, “This book contains many themes, as well as symbols and patterns. Some essential themes that Martel implied were religion, suffering, and survival.” That sounds very interesting, Mahin also includes a detailed paragraph on each of the three themes that really talks about the author’s purpose in writing about the themes and also connects the themes that affected the main character Pi to the rest of the world.

            The themes, religion, suffering, and survival are all very deep and emotional themes to many people. This lead to Mahin’s post talking a lot about philosophical ideas about human nature and the world as a whole, and that takes a whole lot of critical thinking. I really praise Mahin for really being capable of such a hard task. Here are examples of Mahin’s comments mostly about the author’s purpose of writing about the themes he did choose and also about these themes in our world: “When Pi says this, he confirms the fact that zoos aren't a form of captivity. They aren't restricted places that make animals feel miserable, but they are a place of relaxation, where animals can't express their feelings of predator and prey. Likewise, most people think of religion as a cage.” Mahin says this after explaining a quote from the main character, but the most important thing that I like is that he made a greater connection to the world in the end of the elaboration. Another is, “The author includes this sentence to imply that life doesn't pass without suffering.” This is an example of Mahin figuring out the author’s purpose but also Mahin seemed to agree with this idea and I also thought it was very, very true. Life is very hard and you really need to face many struggles in life, there isn’t really a moment in your life when you’re not doing anything or aren’t thinking about something. There were many moments when I was reading Mahin’s blog post and I really told myself that a complex idea like this was true and that I agreed with it and other ideas that I also thought were interesting. Examples of this was when Mahin talked about religion, he makes the connection that some people think of religion being like a cage but Pi’s thoughts show that rather religion is light and has always been close to his heart. Mahin also agreed with this. I agree that many people don’t think religion is there path, and I thought that this was totally cool; I also sensed that Mahin also felt this way. Mahin also makes survival seem like a very complex thing. He talks about many symbols that came up in the book regarding survival. Mahin didn’t bring this up but from the examples I can tell that the author wanted the reader to see these symbols as a distraction in life and survival. I agree there are many things in life that are considered a distraction. This was the most complex part of the blog post even though it came in small chunks of writing.

            The Life of Pi, as I learned from Mahin, isn’t very realistic with an animal like a tiger getting along with a human boy in the middle of the ocean. But it is really a lot of ways realistic, Mahin showed this by connecting the story to realistic life and themes connected to human life. There are many stories and movies out there like this, and I really realized after reading Mahin’s blog post that these types of books are the ones that I personally like to read. Of course there is a movie out there that came to theaters last year based on the book, it also seems interesting.

            I read most of Mahin’s blog posts and tis one really stood out just because, even though I don’t like to use this word but it was really perfect. This is especially due to the craft moves that Mahin was able to pull off. His vocabulary was very strong and it’s amazing how he was able to use such sophisticated words but no make his piece sound overdone and over the top. He also maintains the perfect balance of examples from the book, elaboration, connection to the world and summarizing. This balance led to a blog post that had paragraphs of equal length, wasn’t very long but still got the job done and in a very organized way. This is an important part of writing a blog post that I especially can emulate in the writing of my blog posts. Mahin also used in-text citations which I thought was a great use of skills learned in class. Overall Mahin’s blog post was great and I really recommend that you read it. Until next time, I know what I’m doing next… reading The Life of Pi.

Here’s a link to the blog post:   http://doublemmahin.blogspot.com/2014/01/the-life-of-pi-re-do.html

Blog Post for 1/10: Critical Analysis for “The End of Extreme Poverty?”

Blog Post for 1/10: Critical Analysis for “The End of Extreme Poverty?”

            “The End of Extreme Poverty?” by Nicholas D. Kristof explains that extreme poverty is excruciating and very tough and that it needs to be brought down from the very high level that it as now, it is a very tough thing and needs to be eliminated everywhere. Also, so much has been done and is being done to reduce the number of people living in extreme poverty and the effects of this poverty on those people. Nicholas D. Kristof uses many details and other things to support this. One thing that he uses is stories of people around the world facing extreme poverty and the effect it has on them. One example of this is when he says, “In Cambodia I met a woman whose daughter had just died of malaria and who was left caring for seven children and grandchildren. She showed me her one anti-malaria mosquito net and told me how every evening she agonizes over which children to squeeze under it and which ones to keep out and expose to malarial mosquitos.” This shows that life in poverty is a real struggle and that excruciating measures really have to be taken when living such a life, so excruciating that you’d have to knowingly risk your life. Another thing that Kristof uses to support his claim is statistics and facts to show how terrible extreme poverty really is. An example of this is when he says, “For thousands of generations, a vast majority of human have lived brief, illiterate lives marked by disease, disability, and the loss of children. As recently as 1980, just over half the people in the developing world lived in extreme poverty, defined as surviving on less than $1.25 a day in today’s money.” This example really shows the struggle faced when living in extreme poverty but it’s true and the statistic at the end is like an extra slap on the face to tell the reader that this is really a problem. There was one more example of this, “But the extreme hanging-by-your-fingernails subsistence with your children uneducated and dying,” wow, you can really see the problem through the description in this example but you realize that it’s a fact those who live in extreme poverty do have to live this scary life. Another detail that Kristof uses to support his idea is a description of what is being done to decrease the level of extreme poverty; this is the main focus of the article. An example is, “That’s because of a huge global investment in vaccines, medicines, schooling, sanitation, and technology.” Another is, “Ancient diseases like polio and measles are on their way out thanks to massive vaccination programs…AIDS is also receding.” A third is, “These achievements aren’t just the result of work by Western donors or aid groups. Some of the biggest gains have come from economic growth in China and India.”  These give the reader hope that there are advancements being made and that things are looking better than ever before. Along these lines another thing Kristof uses to support his idea is a comparison of the past to the present to show progress. An example of this is, “Yet in a time of depressing news world-wide, here’s one area of amazing progress: According to the World Bank, the share of people in the developing world living in extreme poverty has been reduced from 1 in 2 in 1980 to 1 in 5 today.” This shows change from the past. Another example of this is, “In 1990, more than 12 million children died before the age of five. Now that figure is down by 6 million.” A third is, “Poor people used to go blind routinely from disease or were unable to work for the want of reading glasses. Now they are much less likely to go blind and far more likely to get glasses.” A whole “Then and Now” section is included in the article. Another detail that Kristof uses to support his idea is looking forward to the future through his writing. An example is, “Now the aim is to reduce that to almost zero by 2030” (about extreme poverty). He repeats this many times and also says that poverty can become very rare in our lifetime if change stays at this pace. All of these details prove that poverty is in no way easy and that it is a real struggle they also prove that there are changes being made for extreme poverty and poverty can ultimately be defeated one day.

            Kristof wants the reader to think that although poverty is terrible and many people still face it, there is hope for that to be changing. He wants the reader to feel that poverty needs to be eliminated and that what is happening to eliminate it is good. One craft move that he uses to help to do this is saying an example and then making a larger connection often to the world. An example of this is what he said after saying the story of the woman he met in Cambodia, “That’s the kind of excruciating question that extreme poverty forces on families.” This is taking the story of one struggling lady living in extreme poverty with a whole family to all of the families that live in extreme poverty world-wide. He uses this technique multiple times. This craft move works on some people very effectively, first you realize that a problem is realistic through the example or story and then with the larger connection the reader realizes that it isn’t just one person or one thing with the problem but rather a group of people this craft move is also helpful when trying to convince the reader that the issue effects them especially when you want them to take action. Another very effective craft move that many authors use and that Kristof used was rhetorical questions. For example he says, “But when additional kids survive in poor countries, does it really matter? Isn’t the result just a population explosion that eventually leads to famine or war, and more deaths later on?” In this specific example, the first question is a rhetorical question and so is the second but the second is almost the answer to the first in the form of a question as well.  Rhetorical questions are meant not to be answered, but instead they are used to strengthen someone’s ideas. This is how Kristof used rhetorical questions, they work because he makes the reader think to themselves and lures them into saying, “No” and then the second answer will be “Yes!” These questions are just very convincing. Another craft move Kristof uses is quoting officials. An example of this is, “‘There’s been this change of consciousness and a massive mobilization of resources,’ says Stephen Morrison, director of the Global Health Policy Center in Washington. ‘It’s had an enormous effect.’” There is just a weird effect that comes with having a known name and a title. When a reader reads that an official, someone big, agrees with the author there is probably a better chance of the reader also agreeing with the author. A final technique that Kristof uses is adding strong images. There is a whole section included by Kristof of very effective images, six in fact. There is something more appealing about an image than text sometimes, you often find yourself looking straight at images in a text if there are any, not that it’s better than text it just sometime can tell you more and gives you an actual visual of what’s within the text. With all of the craft moves he uses Kristof makes sure to convince the reader as much as he can into agreeing with him.

            I’ve really learned that poverty is a major problem world-wide, I’ve realized that change must happen, things can’t stay the same but I’ve also learned that much is being done to prevent the problems and issues that are created by extreme poverty and it seems that change will happen and very effective change. Ultimately it affects everybody. So with this I assume you can tell that I have been convinced by Kristof’s writing because this was his actual goal with his writing.