Artifacts of elderly people

I chose a walker as my first artifact.  A lot of elderly people use a walker to assist with stability while trying to walk.  I chose this artifact because three of my grandparents have had the need for one.  I remember being at the dining room in the building where my grandmother lived.  There were at least 30 walkers lined up outside the dining room while people ate.  There was not enough room to use the walkers in the dining room. The three most important things this tells me about this subculture are that bodies wear out before the heart does, most of these people did not exercise when they were younger, and probably do not now, and their core is weak, and that some of these people have health issues.

            Another artifact I chose is the stories told by elderly people.  They reminisce about the “old days” especially when they were much younger.  They will tell stories about their youth, military experience, or early family life.  It tells me that they focus on happy times in their lives.  The stories are told to connect with people, and it is one thing they can add to a conversation.  The most important things it tells me about this subculture are that people like to remember, people like to remember positive things, and that this contributes to their sense that life has been good.

            The third artifact is medicine.  Most elderly people take a lot of medicine.  Seniors are living longer because there is a drug for everything.  People want to live longer and are taking drugs to do that.  There are blood thinners, bladder control drugs, blood pressure medication, etc.  The  most important  things these tell me about the subculture are that medicine helps them, it improves their quality of life, and it is relatively affordable.           

a long way gone

“I tried to think about my childhood days, but it was impossible, as I began getting flashbacks of the first time I slit a man’s throat.  The scene kept surfacing in my memory like lightning on a dark rainy night, and each time it happened, I heard a sharp cry in my head that made my spine hurt.  I went inside  and sat on my bed facing the wall and tried to stop thinking, but I had a severe migraine that night…The headache became so severe that I couldn’t walk.  I began to cry out loud.  The night nurse was called.  She gave me some sleeping tablets, but I still couldn’t fall asleep, even after my migraine stopped.  I couldn’t face the nightmares I knew would come.” 

P. 160

I chose this passage because it described the emotional, psychological and physical pain Ishmael suffered after his experience as a boy soldier.  It had not occurred to me what the impact would be for him.  This passage sums up many of the issues he was dealing with as he tried to adjust.  The body sends messages when the system is under stress.  The physical pain Ishmael suffered was very real.  He had migraine headaches, shooting pains, and he could not walk.  This was because of the emotional and psychological stress he was suffering.  He could not retrieve memories of his childhood which was not that many years ago because his brain was on overload and would not allow it.  The brain would not let him forget what all of his senses took in as a child soldier.  It was clear that he was going to have to process all of the bad stuff he had been through.  This was a terrible reaction to everything he experienced. The physical pain would go away but the other pain would stay with him.

Shakespeare

"When I was seven years old, I used to go to the town square to recite monologues from the works of Shakespeare for the adults of my community.  At the end of every week the male adults would gather to discuss matters of the community.  They sat on long wooden benches and at the the end of their discussions I would be called upon to recite Shakespeare.  My father would cough loudly to alert the other adults to be silent so that I could start.  He sat in the front, with his arms crossed and a big smile on his face that looked like it would take years to fade away. I stood on a bench and held on to a long stick as my sword.  I would then start with Julius Caesar.  Friends, Romans, countrymen lend me your ears..."  I always recited speeches from Macbeth and Julius Caesar, as those were the adults' favorites.  I was always eager and excited to read for them because it made me feel that I was really good at speaking the English language". (104)

I chose this passage because I was surprised when I read it.  Here is this little kid doing Shakespeare for adults, and very proud of it.  I have been to a couple of Shakespeare plays at the Guthrie and it is complicated stuff, but really well written.   I was also struck by how pleasant the scene seemed.  Men meeting in a town to discuss things and a small child entertaining them.  This was all so removed from the life Ishamel experienced once he was on the run for his life, and his conversion to being a soldier/killer.  It speaks to the level of education that he had before the conflict broke out, and also that he liked to speak English.   He does not say how he learned it, and he says he read some of it.  It was also interesting that this memory comes back as he sits with the guy who was going to lead him into the life of a soldier/killer.  I cannot imagine this pleasant scene of reciting Shakespeare would be taking place today in a country struggling to survive.  It points to how much they have lost.

The Moon Paragraph

“’We must strive to be like the moon.’  An old man in Kubati repeated this sentence often to people who walked past his house on their way to the river to fetch water, to hunt, to tap palm wine; and to their farms.  I remember asking my grandmother what the old man meant.  She explained that the adage served to remind people to always be on their best behavior and to be good to others.  She said that people complain when there is too much sun and it gets unbearably hot, and also when it rains too much or when it is cold.  But, she said, no one grumbles when the moon shines.  Everyone becomes happy and appreciates the moon in their own special way.  Children watch their shadows and play in its light, people gather at the square to tell stories and dance through the night.  A lot of happy things happen when the moon shines.  These are some of the reasons why we should want to be like the moon.”  P. 16 

I chose this passage because it is a good, well written paragraph. The grandmother answers her grandson's question with a lot of detail.  She describes why the moon is a good thing in peoples' lives.  It made me smile because her explanation was true.  No one ever complains about the moon.  I had never thought of that before.  I have never complained about the moon or heard anyone else complain about it.  I have only heard people exclaim at how cool the moon looks when it is full, or how bright the night is when it is full. 

The other reason I liked this passage is that it reminds me of my late Grandmother.  She grew up on a farm in western Minnesota.  She told me interesting things about the moon that she learned while living on the farm.  When the moon is shaped like a crescent and it is tipped, she would say that it looks like the moon could hold water. When it was like that she said it meant it was going to rain.  I have to admit that I have not seen it rain many times after the moon looks like it could hold water.  But, it does remind me of my Grandmother, and I think of her every time I see a crescent moon.  Just like Ishmael Beah, I carry this memory with me from childhood, a memory of a grandmother and the moon.

Midwinter Writing Festival

I went to hear Dr. James Levine.  He is the author of The Blue Notebook. His lecture was located in the Auditorium.  The room was about one-half full.  I went to this lecture because we will be reading his book in this class.  I had no expectations going into the lecture. 

            The primary focus of his presentation was his experiences in India.  Upon Dr. Levine’s arrival his first time in India he was kidnapped and held in a cement cell for four days.  He did not explain who kidnapped him or why.  It was an amazing story.  After he was rescued by the police he went to visit the Taj Mahal, and then he joined the team he was to work with in India.

            Dr. Levine described the day he saw a young prostitute writing in her blue notebook.  He wanted to see her notebook and she showed it to him.  She had no expression on her face as she gave it to him.  He knew later that it was wrong to ask to see it.  He then went on to describe how he wrote his book based on her, and how he got it published.  He wrote 1000 words a day for 60 days.  He had no agent and his young daughter suggested he get one. He did, and the woman who published his book had also published The Kite Runner.

            The one thing Dr. Levine spent time talking about was the Sparrow Program in India.  It was set up to pull children out of prostitution and educate them.  He described the school program that provides the education for the children.  Many have had success and gone on to college.

            Dr. Levine did not read from his book.  He just talked about his life regarding this book, and the experiences he has had in India.  He was soft spoken and energetic.  Unfortunately, he was sometimes hard to hear as he moved away from the microphone.

            The first question Dr. Levine was asked was what his training was to write a book.  He said he reads mostly magazines and was not a well-read person.  Since I have not read the book the questions and answers about the book did not have much meaning.  His advice about writing is to have no fear of anyone or anything, and to write without hesitation.

            The main thing I learned from his talk was about the terrible issue of child prostitution.  There are 300,000 child prostitutes in Mumbai.  The reason the children make good prostitutes is that they do not know anything different in life.  They start at a young age. There are also many child prostitutes in Minnesota.  Dr. Levine really cares about this issue.   I enjoyed him as a speaker.

Music of Figurative Language

The first song I chose is by the Black Eyed Peas:  "Where Is The Love"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WpYeekQkAdc

BLACK EYED PEAS LYRICS: 

What's wrong with the world, mama
People livin' like they ain't got no mamas
I think the whole world addicted to the drama
Only attracted to things that'll bring you trauma
Overseas, yeah, we try to stop terrorism
But we still got terrorists here livin'
In the USA, the big CIA fightin'
The Bloods and The Crips and the KKK
But if you only have love for your own race
Then you only leave space to discriminate
And to discriminate only generates hate
And when you hate then you're bound to get irate, yeah
Madness is what you demonstrate
And that's exactly how anger works and operates
Man, you gotta have love just to set it straight
Take control of your mind and meditate
Let your soul gravitate to the love, y'all, y'all

People killin', people dyin'
Children hurt and you hear them cryin'
Can you practice what you preach
And would you turn the other cheek

Father, Father, Father help us
Send some guidance from above
'Cause people got me, got me questionin'
Where is the love (Love)

Where is the love (The love)
Where is the love (The love)
Where is the love
The love, the love

It just ain't the same, always unchanged
New days are strange, is the world insane
If love and peace is so strong
Why are there pieces of love that don't belong
Nations droppin' bombs
Chemical gasses fillin' lungs of little ones
With ongoin' sufferin' as the youth die young
So ask yourself is the lovin' really gone
So I could ask myself really what is goin' wrong
In this world that we livin' in people keep on givin'
in
Makin' wrong decisions, only visions of them dividends
Not respectin' each other, deny thy brother
A war is goin' on but the reason's undercover
The truth is kept secret, it's swept under the rug
If you never know truth then you never know love
Where's the love, y'all, come on (I don't know)
Where's the truth, y'all, come on (I don't know)
Where's the love, y'all

People killin', people dyin'
Children hurt and you hear them cryin'
Can you practice what you preach
And would you turn the other cheek

Father, Father, Father help us
Send some guidance from above
'Cause people got me, got me questionin'
Where is the love (Love)

Where is the love (The love)
Where is the love (The love)
Where is the love (The love)
Where is the love (The love)
Where is the love, the love, the love?

I feel the weight of the world on my shoulder
As I'm gettin' older, y'all, people gets colder
Most of us only care about money makin'
Selfishness got us followin' our wrong direction
Wrong information always shown by the media
Negative images is the main criteria
Infecting the young minds faster than bacteria
Kids wanna act like what they see in the cinema
Yo', whatever happened to the values of humanity
Whatever happened to the fairness in equality
Instead of spreading love we're spreading animosity
Lack of understanding, leading lives away from unity
That's the reason why sometimes I'm feelin' under
That's the reason why sometimes I'm feelin' down
There's no wonder why sometimes I'm feelin' under
Gotta keep my faith alive till love is found
Now ask yourself

Where is the love?
Where is the love?
Where is the love?
Where is the love?

Father, Father, Father help us
Send some guidance from above
'Cause people got me, got me questionin'
Where is the love?

Sing wit me y'all:
One world, one world (We only got)
One world, one world (That's all we got)
One world, one world
And something's wrong wit it (Yeah)
Something's wrong wit it (Yeah)
Something's wrong wit the wo-wo-world, yeah
We only got
(One world, one world)
That's all we got
(One world, one world)


Explanation: I think the writing in the song is clear. The writer is objecting to the lack of respect that people  have for each other. There is no need for war and people killing each other. The world needs more love.  The first three highlighted areas are personification. The fourth highlighted area is hyperbole. The fifth is personification.

 The second song was suggested by my dad. The song is written by Bob Dylan and song by The Byrds.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RS6OhC-4Zyw
The title is "My Back Pages"

Crimson flames tied through my ears (hyperbole)
Rollin' high and mighty traps
Pounced with fire on flaming roads
Using ideas as my maps (simile)
"We'll meet on edges, soon," said I
Proud 'neath heated brow.
Ah, but I was so much older then,
I'm younger than that now.

Half-wracked prejudice leaped forth ( personification)
"Rip down all hate," I screamed
Lies that life is black and white
Spoke from my skull. I dreamed
Romantic facts of musketeers
Foundationed deep, somehow.
Ah, but I was so much older then,
I'm younger than that now.

Girls' faces formed the forward path (alliteration)
From phony jealousy
To memorizing politics
Of ancient history
Flung down by corpse evangelists
Unthought of, though, somehow.
Ah, but I was so much older then,
I'm younger than that now.

A self-ordained professor's tongue
Too serious to fool
Spouted out that liberty
Is just equality in school
"Equality," I spoke the word
As if a wedding vow.
Ah, but I was so much older then,
I'm younger than that now.

In a soldier's stance, I aimed my hand
At the mongrel dogs who teach
Fearing not that I'd become my enemy
In the instant that I preach
My pathway led by confusion boats
Mutiny from stern to bow.
Ah, but I was so much older then,
I'm younger than that now.

Yes, my guard stood hard when abstract threats
Too noble to neglect
Deceived me into thinking
I had something to protect
Good and bad, I define these terms
Quite clear, no doubt, somehow.
Ah, but I was so much older then,
I'm younger than that now.
 Explanation: This is an odd song, but had some figurative language. I think it was about reflection on past protest and the fact the writer is more open minded to new ideas.

Call to Adventure

The little church building at the bottom of Ramsey Hill in St. Paul looks like a stone castle.  It was built in 1890 by Cast Gilbert, the architect of the Minnesota State Capital and the U. S. Supreme Court Building in Washington D. C.  It is built out of Kasota stone, has a beautiful curved two story front stair case, and turrets.  The building had been abandoned, and my dad rehabbed it in1980, as an office building.  My adventure involves this building.

            Thursday night at 10:00 p.m. my dad panicked when he heard what the overnight temperature was going to be.  He asked me to go with him to the building to protect it from the predicted sub zero temperatures.  I had never done that before in my life.  My dad has only had to do it a few times since 1980, but whenever he hears it will be minus 15 degrees he panics.  The problem with an old stone building is that it is not as well insulated as newer buildings.  The goal was to prevent the water pipes from bursting.   It was really cold outside when we left our house to go to the building. 

            The first thing we did when we got to the building was to go to the each of the three bathrooms and run the water to make sure the pipes had not already frozen.  Every faucet worked just fine with good water pressure.  The next thing we did was to go to the thermostats and turn up the heat to 70 degrees.  We then went to the utility room in the lower level where there are some exposed pipes to check for broken pipes.  There were none.  Then, after that, we opened the doors to all the bathrooms so heat from the halls could get into the bathrooms all night to help keep the pipes from freezing. 

            It was even colder when we left the building, and it was a relief that everything was fine.  We locked the building, and left for home pretty confident there would not be any problems over night.  I was sure that my dad was going to sleep well because of the extra effort we made to protect the building.