1.Write about something that surprised you, angered you, delighted you, or evoked any strong reaction as you were reading. Write about anything that stays on your mind after reading.
2. Explore a social or ethical issue raised in the writing. Judge the behaviour of the characters or the views of the author. Are they right or wrong in your opinion?
3. Does this work confront or confirm your personal beliefs? Explain.
NOTE: Please finish all work before your class on Wednesday, February 24.
13 comments:
I am delighted by the richly sensual description in Edwidge Danticat’s story, “Ghosts.” Those “few Protestant and Catholic churches, vodou temples, restaurants, bakeries, and dry cleaners, even Internet cafés” paints us a picture of Bel Air, “the Baghdad of Haiti.” Who could forget Tiye’s “shiny metal hooks”? Danticat helped me to see the world of Bel Air. I imagined the pain of having your hands handcuffed behind you, of someone blowing smoke into your eyes, of vomiting onto the front of your shirt.
The gang members angered me, but also evoked my sympathy. They were, after all, true orphans. Victims of the extreme violence of the paramilitary, of gangs, they grew up with only each other as family. That Pascal will enter this world makes his dream of a radio show bittersweet. He will become a “phantom” one day, too.
Most of all, I remember Danticat’s final definition of ghosts and the way her sentence ends: “because they were poor.”
—160 words
This is a dreadful poignant story. I felt a cold shiver ran down my spine when I read “where hundreds of middle-school children entering a national art contest drew M-16s and beheaded corpses.” In Bel Air ,where violence was rampant, the young men drinking Malta which made out of pigeon`s blood as a part of a ritual disgusted me and seemed uncivilized.
I felt pity on the gang members, ghosts, who had lost family and left on the street. Their misfortune to be ghosts was not their choice. However, it`s responsible to the manager who had stolen Pascal`s idea, a corrupt lawyer who demanded money tremendously for the Pascal`s release, the old local men who connect selfish “ambitious businessmen and politicians” to the gang members. Ghosts were controlled by those people to be shooters, and drug sellers to its users.
I found hope in Pascal`s eyes ;He had known who ghosts were and what they needed. Pascal won`t stop to advocate ghosts until “the rest of the country to know what made these men cry.”
176words
I found myself struggling to keep reading this story right from the start. It made me feel sad for the life style that they had to live. I was surprised to read the part where the middle aged school children drew pictures of M-16s and beheaded corpses, and then they would enter them in a drawing contest. Kids shouldn’t have to draw such cold and dark pictures.
I was so angry after reading the part when the young men performed a ritual where they would slit the throats of pigeons and let the blood drip into a mixture of milk. Their fathers would watch this with no remorse and would encourage it. I couldn’t imagine watching my child go through such a ritual like that.
I was delighted when I finished the story, because it was over. Everything in this story from the kid’s drawings, to rituals and gangs, was heart wrenching. I am so thankful that I live in a safe environment.
I read the story Ghosts by Edwidge Danticat with a lot of attention and reflection of how she describe in detail the event in the slum of Bel-Air the Bagdad of Haiti.
This reminds me the situation that exists in many countries of the world specially the third world, the rich become richer and the poor become poorer.
In my opinion the real ghost in this story is the poverty. The cause of poverty is the injustice. The writer explains in detail how the people in power and their relatives and friends can do whatever they want without any punishment but the poor can be put in jail for no reason.
When the poor see the injustice on them they react by doing crime.
I was surprised to see the head of the police, the judges, minister and the lowest person in the government all are involved in drug related crimes. Tiye and his gang members are part of the problem but most of the blame goes to the people who rule the country. They are supposed to be the protectors.
181 Words
Catholicism, Protestantism, voodoo (including the ritual), the behaviour of gangsters, and having Internet café, using cell phone, all lead me into this unfamiliar mysterious nation. Obviously, I disapprove of the cruel, inhuman process of making the milk-Malta-pigeon blood mix; in addition, the over-deforestation, chimeras (gang members), operation of demonstrations and corrupt judiciary are just showing how the turbulent society influences the poor people under the politics that make me upset.
For most people in those conditions seems to be historically unable to escape from the fate unless the person who get a scarce opportunity, just like Jules seeking outside (Canada) political asylum through a marriage although he tells Pascal, “Home is not always a place you have trouble leaving.” I burst into anger when the idea is stolen, when a frame-up occurs. A strong power is bullying the weakest one! I sympathize with them and admire the people who keep pursuing their dream in such terrible situation, like Pascal.
Although this story had torn my heart and taken me a lot of time to read it for three times, I delightedly enjoy and learn the beautiful vocabulary and vivid descriptions which have been given by Danticat, the excellent writer.
--200 words
I am impressed by Edwidge Danticat’s powerful description in “Ghost”. A vivid picture of the brutal reality is revealed by “students drew M-16s and beheaded corpses in the national art contest.” At the end of the story, why does the author, in detail, describe the Dorien’s broken glass, the shards, and Tiye’s intact bottle and his deliberate mouth actions? It implys the resisting of Dorien’s weak justice force against the ghost power, and the consequence in that Haiti’s lawless unjust society.
Why did the Dorien’s parents breed the pigeons rather than other animals? The author Danticat compares the Dorien’s fate to pigeons’. Pigeons are the symbol of peace. Doriens lived on pigeons, however, they killed, quietly allowed others to torture even massacre those lovely creatures, leaving their headless bodies agonizingly gyrating. Dorien disliked violence. He didn’t say “No” at the radio station’s stealing his idea; his pressed his angry at gang’s stimulating him. However, he still became a scapegoat. He was taunted, tortured, and humiliated.
I am wondering about the end of the story. Does the author leave some suspense? did Dorien surrender to the ghost? Why did he sit and drink with the gang?
After finishing the story Ghosts by Edwidge Danticat, first time it was overwhemled for me. It does make sence for me when I read twice. While takling to my classmates on this story today, it helps me to understand more quickly.
In this story, writer describes the situation of Haiti people. This story is about Pascal’s life style. I am shocked how Haiti people live there. After reading the story Ghosts, I have some questions about pascal’life in my mind. Does pascal join the gang (Ghosts) or not. Does he survive?
--92 words
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http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2581/3953322062_95d98fe147_o.jpg
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Thanks Tiffany. Interesting to see!
After I finished reading the story, there is something stirring my feeling. The story mention about “hundreds of middle-school children entering a national art contest drew M-16s and beheaded corpses”. I was astonished because we usually live a civilized society, the M-16s and beheaded corpses should leave far away from us. The children should not draw about these contents. These children didn’t think these behaviors are criminal. The weapons and violence become a part of their lives. It also implies this is an unstable society. Because of the situation, numbers of children lose their home and relative, they become homeless and orphans. They are supposed to be protected, but nobody care them. Therefore, they have to find the ways to protect themselves, so they joined the gang being the members. They thought the fierce, violent and merciless could hide their scared and solitary inside. In fact, they are also victims. The government doesn’t provide a safe and stable habitat for them. They suffered such harsh situation. In Pascal’s dreams, I see they want to extricate from the lives, but they are failed.
I am very surprise that there is only one gang and no gang wars. In other countries, there are more than one gang and often happen gang wars. I feel disgust with a ritual which “they’d slit the pigeon’s throat and let it bleed into a mixture of Carnation condensed milk.” Even though Pascal’s parents do not agree with this ritual, they still continue selling pigeon without business ethics. Moreover, the dictatorship abuse the authority to catch Pascal’s pigeon base on rumor without evident. Most young couples perform their first sexual encounter without married because they live in lawless city. Yet, according to the law, we only perform sexual when we get married. Besides, the government will not sponsor Pascal’s article because the government attempts to appear to be perfect in all world. In my opinion, I have spent time reading this story for 2times with tears and I learn new words.
--153 words
“Ghosts” is one of the stories that ask us to stop, think, and look around.
It calls “Fiction”, but it is a fiction of the reality –reality, that sometimes so “heavy” to be carried.
The author says: “ghosts – were, for the most part, former street children who couldn’t remember ever having lived in a house….” Isn’t it a place to stop and think? How many children in our days do not have a house, enough food to eat every day, and do not hear mom’s stories before going into sleep? What happens to them in five or ten years?
Another question that author brings to us is “How readily we can make changes in our life?”
Edwidge Danticat says: “… the blight that had destroyed the neighborhood ….. was allowing them to prosper, to send their children to school...”
Isn’t it another Phone of Life?
In Russia, we have a very famous singer. He says: “ I am not sure who is right – the one who stays a nice house with lot’s of children in it, or the one whom the only rain is waiting outside, and the wind of changes”. His name is Valery Tsoy. He was killed, because he organized a large group of young people against narcotics.
On his funeral another famous singer, his friend, said: “I can see a lot of flowers that people brought to you in useless hands”.
Writing this fiction, the author tries to show much more than only a story.
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