The Whiskey Priest and his Never Ending Torture

The Power and the Glory

Pg. 49-72

September 27, 2007

9:00 P.M.

.....I just finished reading Part I and began reading Part II. This part of the novel relates parallel lives in Mexico that portray very different points of view. All the different points of view come from different socio-economical stratas as well as of from different age groups and nationalities; however, they all stage what's taking place during the same time. Most of the characters come into direct contact with the whiskey priest or are closely linked to the religious situation in the province. This technique is probably meant to give the reader some sort of insight into the situation. If the reader understands the different points of view and people's different response, then they will be able to understand the novel further on.

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.......I related Part I of the novel to the movie "Crash." This movie approaches the theme of racism in the same form as The Power and the Glory approaches the theme of religion in Mexico. By setting up parallel lives with different perspectives, the author or director is able to convey a much stronger message. The viewer or reader is able to understand the message by making clear similarities in very different environments. Just as well, the perspectives expressed are very similar; the character divisions are at least.

A Selfish Humanity

The Power and the Glory

Pgs. 30-49

September 25, 20o7

6:00 P.M.

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..... This section of the book really emphasizes the selfishness of society and humanity. Two examples of this are: when the stranger arrives at the hut community and when Padre Jose is summoned to say some prayers at a little girl's funeral.

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...... After being on the run for a long time and constantly fearing for his life, the stranger priest reaches a hut community which receives him with open arms. Soon a man comes to greet the traveller, and informs him that the community has very little to offer him. They "have no food," they can't offer him a hammock, and they only have coffee to drink. However, in the next paragraph the author describes "a stack of maize" while "rats rustled among the dry leaves (43)." The aren't willing to share their provisions with this hunger-stricken human being; however, they expect him to fulfill their expectations. The priest is absolutely exhausted, he wants to sleep, knowing that for the first time danger isn't a step behind. Although they couldn't give the priest food or offer him a hammock, the least they could give him the peace and quiet that he deserves in order to rest. But he people immediately wanted him to say mass, baptize a boy, and hear their confessions; they wanted him to satisfy their needs first, after all there was a risk that he could be taken away any minute. "It would be a pity if the soldiers came before we had time...such a burden on poor souls...father...(44)." All they want from him is to satisfy their moral and religious needs, and then he can continue his race against time. I mean why care about everything that this poor man had been through, right? He could be dead tomorrow, but instead of helping to protect him they just want to squeeze him out of his las breath of life. This is clear evidence that people don't think they need to give in order to receive; there's a mentality to get and gain for yourself before you give anything back. That's the selfish essence in humanity; we are not a very philantropic society.

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......Another example of human greed would be the scene with Padre Jose in the cemetery. Padre Jose was just taking a stroll through the cemetery which "waken[ed] a faint sense of homesickness which was better than no feeling at all (47)." He was taking advantage of the "sense of intimacy" that the cemetery provided; after all, "Life here had withdrawn altogether (47)." He was contemplating what his life had become, what had been erased from the past, and how he had made it through the days. Time passed as he analyzed how empty and void his life had become; however, this peace didn't last for long. There was a burial taking place at the far corner of the cemetery, and as soon as the grieving family saw him they wanted him to say some prayers for the dead girl. "They all watched him hungrily; they had been quite resigned until he had appeared, but now they were anxious, eager...He ducked and dodged away from them...They smiled at him waiting. They were quite accustomed to people dying, but an unforeseen hope of happiness had bobbed up among the tombs: they could boast after this that one at least of their family had gone into ground with an official prayer (48)." If Padre Jose practiced such prayers he would greatly endanger his life; it could be like committing suicide. However, the grieving party wasn't concerned about that; they made all kinds of promise to keep quiet in exchange for the prayers. However, "he could trust no one. As soon as they got back home one or other of them would certainly begin to boast (48)." They are willing to risk this man's life in order to get some prayers for their dead relative. How could you ask so much of one person? Risk your life for someone else's peace when they aren't willing to risk their peace for someone else's life? How can people be so selfish? Why do they want to kill this innocent man oppressed by the turns of life? Isn't he tortured enoguh with himself? He already had to give up his beliefs in order to life (he even had to abdicate to his vote of chastity and marry).

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..... These two examples really open human selfishness as a possible theme in this novel. It opens the reader to begin searching for new answers within the text, and to connect with the characters at another deeper level. Human Selfishness could definitely be a recurring theme in the text.

Power and Glory Introduction: So Many Unanswered Questions

The Power and the Glory

Pgs. 7-30

September 4, 2007

7:30 P.M.

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....I just began reading The Power and the Glory by Graham Greene. Graham Greene was an English writer from a prominent family of first cousins. His works usually explore modern world and morality issues. An important note which might help us in the understanding of The Power and the Glory novel is the fact that Greene converted to Catholicism in 1926. This came after he began corresponding with his future wife, Vivien Dayrell, a Catholic convert.

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.......At the very beginning, the novel is very disperse. Greene fools the reader into thinking that the story centers around Mr. Tench, a displaced Englishman living in Mexico. Mr. Tench's ether cylinder, Mr. Tench's gold teeth business, Mr. Tench's constant postponement of business, Mr. Tench's poverty, Mr. Tench's priced Japanese drill, Mr. Tench this and that, the reader has no time to think about anything else that happens in the story. Even when he's with the stranger, Greene focuses on Mr. Tench as the main character; the reader knows very little about anybody else. However, as the story progresses we begin making very important connections to the stranger presented in first chapter. After reading the second chapter, the reader can finally make a connection of all the hints and foreshadowing provided in the first chapter.

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......Throughout the first chapter, the stranger is a very ambigous character; however, as the novel progresses the signs clearly point to him as a runaway priest. He is presented to the reader as "a small man dressed in a shabby dark city suit, carrying a small attache case (9)...." The "dark city suit" should raise red flags for the reader; aren't they in Mexico where it's supposed to be hot climate? Why would anyone in their right mind dress so warmly in such hot climate? Just as well, he has brandy, when it's apparent that the government has set a monopolized prohibition of alcohol. Why would he have such priviledge? It is apparent that there is something shady about this character. Another scene which hints at the stranger's possible background, is when child came looking for "the new doctor in town" because "his mother was sick." While Mr. Tench goes to open the door, "the stranger crouched in the rocking-chair, gazing with an effect of prayer, entreaty...(16)" People don't care about religion any more and an atheist sense has filled the population since the government set out to exterminate the Church; why would this person show such signs of faith and devotion when it could threaten his? The reader can assume that if the stranger is a priest; he's probably praying that the police isn't there for him. He doesn't care to defend his beliefs any more, maybe he's been fighting for so long that he doesn't have the strength to continue his battle. It's as if he already gave up running away; he is ready to face the consequences that come along with his beliefs. (In Chapter 2, I made the connection between the stranger and the "whisky priest." The reason why I made this connection was because of the brandy that the stranger had in his possession in Chapter 1.)

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.......Chapter 2 quickly changes scene. The lieutenant and the police chief talk about the purging of the priests. "Something you could almost have called horror moved him when he looked at the white muslin dresses - he remembered the smell of incense in the churches of his boyhood, the candles and teh laciness and the self-esteem, the immense demands made from the altar steps by men who didn't know the meaning of sacrifice. The old peasants knelt there before the holy images with their arms held out in the attitude of the cross: tired by the long day's labour in the plantations they squeezed out a further mortification. And the priest came round with the collecting-bag taking their centavos, abusing them for their small comforting sins, and sacrificing nothing at all in return - except a little sexual indulgence (22-23)." The lieutenant is part of the general population: he is an average citizen. The author is probably trying to portray the general sentiment towards religion: the resentment, the hatred, and the blame. People view the Church as something evil, something selfish. The Church doesn't truly care about its followers, all it cares about is the money they can gain, the "centavos" they can steal from the hardworking and tortured peasants. These poor beings, guided by ignorance, complementing the plantation torture with moral guilt. The way the author portrays its harsh reality.

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.....However, what's ironic about this point of view is that just a few pages back the author mentions the end of a school. "...the Syndicate of Workers and Peasants had once been a school. He had helped wipe out that unhappy memory. The whole town had changed...(24)" Doesn't ignorance feed the faith that keeps religion afloat? More educated people question religion, don't they? Scholars and scientist are usually atheist because religion and knowledge clash. If there is knowledge then religion cannot feed its followerd whatever they say as a truth. Knowledge helps question the basic of foundations of religion. With all this said, then why would they want to end education? The only answer that I could find from my interpretation of the text, was because the government is actually trying to take the place of the religion. "There was something of a priest in his intent observant walk - a theologian going back over the errors of the past to destroy them again (24)." They are replacing religion, fixing all its flaws with the government. Finally, the government will have no competition in order to control its people. No one can question them and there won't be a power struggle with the Church anymore. What the government dictates as right goes. Now the people will turn to the government for answers, not to religion.

Some Vocabulary:

attache

protuberant

garrulous

bile

ewer

puttee

gaiters

dapper

muslin

jowl

trite

mondstic

contrition

petering

buffoon

The Emperor and The Soccer War: A Recurring Theme

September 22, 2007

3:15 AP.M.

.....The Emperor, another work by Ryszard Kapuscinski, deals with Haile Selassie's coup in Ethoipia. Kapuscinski was present before and after the coup occurred in Ethiopia, and his book portrays the before and after situation in the country. However, the situations are portrayed through and based on Haile Selasssie; after the coup, Kapuscinski collected accounts and information from the dictator's closest companions.

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Excerpt from The Emperor:.

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The Emperor threw an imposing reception for the meeting of the presidents. Wine and caviar were flown in from Europe specially for the occasion. At a cost of twenty-five thousand dollars, Miram Makeba was brought from Hollywood to serenade the leaders with Zulu songs after the feast. All told, more than three thousand people, divided hierarchically into upper and lower categories, were invited. Each category received invitations of a different color and chose from a different menu.

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The reception took place in the Emperor's Old Palace. The guests passed long ranks of soldiers from the Imperial Guard, armed with sabers and halberds. From atop towers, spotlit trumpeters played the Emperor's fanfare. In the galleries, theatrical troupes performed scenes from the lives of past Emperors. From the balconies, girls in folk costumes showered the guests with flowers. The sky exploded in plumes of fireworks.

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When the guests had been seated at tables in the great hall, fanfares rang out and the Emperor walked in with President Nasser of Egypt at his right hand. They formed an extraordinary pair. Nasser, a tall, stocky, imperious man, his head thrust forward with his wide jaws set into a smile, and next to him the diminutive silhouette - frail, one could almost say - of Haile Selassie, worn by the years, with his thin, expressive face, his glistening, penetrating eyes. Behind them the remaining leaders entered in pairs. The audience rose; everyone was applauding. Ovations sounded for unity and the Emperor. Then the feast began. There was one dark-skinned wiater for every four guests. Out of excitement and nervousness, things were falling from the waiters' hands. The table setting was silver, in the old Harar style. Several tons of priceless antique silver lay on those tables. Some people slipped pieces of silverware into their pockets. One sneaked a fork, the next one a spoon.

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Mountains of meat, fruit, fish, and cheese rose on the tables. Many-layered cakes dripped with sweet, colored icing. Distinguished wines spread reflected colors and invigorating aromas. The music played on, and costumed clowns did somersaults to the delight of the carefree revelers. Time passed in conversation, laughter, consumption.

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It was a splendid affair.

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During these proceedings, I needed to find a quiet place, but I didn't know where to look. I left the Great Chamber by a side door that led outside. It was a dark night, with a fine rain falling. A May rain, but a chilly one. A gentle slop led down from the door, and some distance below stood a poorly lit building without walls. A row of waiters stood in a line from the door to this building, passing dishes with leftovers from the banquet table. On those dishes a stream of bones, nibbled scraps, mashed vegetables, fish heads, and cut-away bits of meat flowed. I walked toward the building without walls, slipping on the mud and scattered bits of food.

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I noticed that something on the other side was moving, shifting, murmuring, squishing, sighing, and smacking its lips. I turned the corner to have a closer look.

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In the thick night, a crowd of barefoot beggars stood huddled together. The dishwashers working in the building threw leftovers to them. I watched the crowd devour the scraps, bones, and fish heads with laborious concentration. In the meticulous absorption of this eating there was an almost violent biological abandon -- the satisfaction of hunger in anxiety and ecstasy.From time to time the waiters would get held up, and the flow of dishes would stop. Then the crowd of beggars would relax as though someone had given them the order to stand at ease. People wiped their lips and straightened their muddy and food-stained rags. But soon the stream of dishes would start flowing again -- because up there the great hogging, with smacking of lips and slurping, was going on, too -- and the crowd would fall again to its blessed and eager labor of feeding.

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I was getting soaked, so I returned to the Great Chamber to the Imperial party. I looked at the silver and gold on the scarlet velvet, at President Kasavuba, at my neighbor, a certain Aye Mamlaye. I breathed in the scent of roses and incense, I listened to the suggestive Zulu song that Miriam Makeba was singing, I bowed to the Emperor (an absolute requirement of protocol), and I went home.

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.....In this excerpt, I see a similar theme as in The Soccer War: the splendor, luxury, and waste of the very powerful and elite while the large majority of the country struggles to survive. Kapuscinski effectively parallels the opposing themes of glutonery with starvation, and of excess with utter poverty. Through this parallel, he is able to demonstrate and emphasize the injustice of the class struggle and the paradoxes of society without blatantly condemning them.

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.....With a journalistic flare, and in the way of Charles Dickens, Kapuscinski hides his bias by presenting fiercely contrasting parallel situations. Neither in "The Soccer War" nor in "The Emperor" does he speak any bias terms; yet through this contrasting parallelism and through bitter, satirical, descriptions he demonstrates the foul, opulent nature of social inequity. He does not openly condemn the fact that just outside such opulent pary there stands a herd of faceless men, standing in "anxiety and ecstasy". We do not see the faces of the "barefoot beggars"; in fact they seem visageless, begging for the scraps and leftovers of fat, lavishly endowed men thet are ignorant of their condition. As a self respecting reporter always must do, Kapuscinski displays only the facts. He does not show more disgust or pity for the beggars than do the waiters who have seen that their entire lives. However, through contrasting the light and pomp of the party inside with the "thick night" and cold "May rain" of the oustide , Kapuscinski makes it evident that he does not approve. Inside, "mountains of meat, fruit, fish, and cheese" lie on silver adorned mantels while a $25,000 Zuni interpreter sings and dances. Through the narrow doorway, and down a slope adorned with "mud and scattered bits of food" stand the pack of hungry men. They have been eviscerated to feed the insatiable men inside, and they now anxiously devour what was ripped from them to ease the piercing pain of hunger.

....Meanwhile, The Soccer War portrays a gigantic citadel. Built for a 4 day visit of diplomatic visitors, it holds ridiculous amounts of overstock and security. Its price ranged around 20 million dollars "at a time when it was hard to buy bread in the city". This is the only direct connotation to poverty that Kapuscinski makes, but it is enough to demonstrate his point. By following up with descriptions of the lavish ten room, two bathroom suites. Now, unless the African diplomats were thinking of bringing their entire extended families with them for a four day meeting, the ten rooms are satirically extravagant. What Kapuscinski most emphasizes, however, is the security in place inside the citadel. Built like a "russian grandmother", impeding any medium or light artillery fire. For heavy artillery, they built "massive underground shelters" stocked "with enough food to last several months". And all this has been "locked up and now stands empty". Why else would such an extravagant facility need such extravagant security were it not for deep social unrest? The only thing anyone would break in there for would be to steal some of the rotting disaster provisions. Thus, once again, Kapuscinski uses subtle opposing parallels to demonstrate the strong social divisions and unnecessary excesses of lavishness. He satirically demonstrates an abandoned building large enough and well stocked enough to provide decent homes for hundreds of empoverished Accra residents. By doing this, he once again creates an image of disgust, of how the well-endowed buy and dispose while others struggle to simply buy a piece of bread; and he does it without a word of bias.

....In both works Kapuscinski demonstrates, with journalistic expository skill, his severe disgust with the opulence and waste of African high society. While their country rots of AIDS and famine they make lavish parties and build useless, immense buildindgs to lock up.

Email Response to Kapuscinski's Article By Andrew Rice

September 20, 2007

5:26 P.M.

Dear Mr. Rice,
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.....I agree with you when you state that Kapuscinski was not a national spy, but his role as an international correspondent made him into one. ("All journalism is a kind of spycraft, which is one reason intelligence agencies everywhere try to recruit foreign correspondents.") He covered many events in world history and had first accounts of these events; by having this information he was immediately a spy, a different kind of spy. He wasn't a clandestine spy, people knew that he was a reporter and his job was to inform what was happening. His news reports could count as spy work; after all he was informing people of his country about the occurrences in another country.

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.....It's quite ironic, actually; today in my English class we talked about Kapuscinski as a character and person. He is an "invisible outsider." He was an elusive writer, like you say, always vanishing before his true revelation. However, I have to argue that this was part of his craft. As a journalist and a reporter, you need to stay away from real emotions in order to provide your reader and audience with unbiased facts. All his job required him was to report facts and events, not what he felt. He was taught to write and present his ideas in a specific way, and this clearly reflects in his writing, although there are parts when the reader can see Kapuscinski as just another human being.

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.....Just as well, this previous point also accounts for the lack of deep political analysis. Newspapers are meant for a very broad audience, some of which isn't always very academic. Uneducated people need to be able to understand the newspaper also; newspapers need to assume that someone who isn't very instructed in a certain subject needs to understand what's going on. If Kapuscinski went very deep into technical details and very big words about what was going on, then average readers would not understand the newspaper. Although, his novels are also written this way, I have to argue that this was because Kapuscinski mastered the art of journalism greatly. He was used to this writing style, and he wanted the man next door to be able to understand what war was like. He wanted to portray his adventures and lessons learned in a very simple manner, so that people could at least grasp something from his horrifying accounts of war.

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......When you question Kapuscinski's actual accounts as real or imaginary, I have to completely agree with you. All writers use their imagination to some point, don't they, of course, some more than others. Many writers feel that they need to polish the details or fix the ruffles on the dress before going on stage. They need to add flowery detail in order to make a reader interested; if there was no such details and comic relief, then it would be too much for the reader to handle. I mean humanity lives in a bubble; we always expect a better side to war, don't we (well to everything really)? Kapuscinski shouldn't be punished for using his imagination, but with this said the reader needs to be aware of what to believe will he/she reads. Kapuscinski should be praised for recognizing this human flaw, and trying to incorporate it so the reader can see some truth in it.

....I'm looking forward to reading more of Kapuscinski's novel, and making the connection that you did about completing a circle. This is very probable as Kapuscinski was a very mysterious character and writer.

Thanks,

Daniela Cleves

NY Times Op-ed Article: The High Cost of Ethanol

The High Costs of Ethanol

Editorial

Published: September 19, 2007

(PATHOS, LOGOS, ETHOS)

Backed by the White House, corn-state governors and solid blocks on both sides of Congress’s partisan divide, the politics of biofuels could hardly look sunnier. The economics of the American drive to increase ethanol in the energy supply are more discouraging.

American corn-based ethanol is expensive. And while it can help cut oil imports and provide modest reductions in greenhouse gases compared to conventional gasoline, corn ethanol also carries considerable risks. Even now as Europe and China join the United States in ramping up production, world food prices are rising, threatening misery for the poorest countries.

The European Union has announced that it wants to replace 10 percent of its transport fuel with biofuels by 2020. China is aiming for a 15 percent share. The United States is already on track to exceed Congress’s 2005 goal of doubling the amount of ethanol used in motor fuels to 7.5 billion gallons by 2012. In his State of the Union speech in January, President Bush set a new goal of 35 billion gallons of biofuels by 2017. In June, the Senate raised it to 36 billion gallons by 2022. Of that, Congress said that 15 billion gallons should come from corn and 21 billion from advanced biofuels that are nowhere near commercial production.

The distortions in agricultural production are startling. Corn prices are up about 50 percent from last year, while soybean prices are projected to rise up to 30 percent in the coming year, as farmers have replaced soy with corn in their fields. The increasing cost of animal feed is raising the prices of dairy and poultry products.

The news from the rest of the world is little better. Ethanol production in the United States and other countries, combined with bad weather and rising demand for animal feed in China, has helped push global grain prices to their highest levels in at least a decade. Earlier this year, rising prices of corn imports from the United States triggered mass protests in Mexico. The chief of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization has warned that rising food prices around the world have threatened social unrest in developing countries.

A recent report by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, an economic forum of rich nations, called on the United States and other industrialized nations to eliminate subsidies for the production of ethanol which, the report said, is driving up food costs, threatening natural habitats and imposing other environmental costs. “The overall environmental impacts of ethanol and biodiesel can very easily exceed those of petrol and mineral diesel,” it said.

The economics of corn ethanol have never made much sense. Rather than importing cheap Brazilian ethanol made from sugar cane, the United States slaps a tariff of 54 cents a gallon on ethanol from Brazil. Then the government provides a tax break of 51 cents a gallon to American ethanol producers — on top of the generous subsidies that corn growers already receive under the farm program.

Corn-based ethanol also requires a lot of land. An O.E.C.D. report two years ago suggested that replacing 10 percent of America’s motor fuel with biofuels would require about a third of the total cropland devoted to cereals, oilseeds and sugar crops.

Meanwhile, the environmental benefits are modest. A study published last year by scientists at the University of California, Berkeley, estimated that after accounting for the energy used to grow the corn and turn it into ethanol, corn ethanol lowers emissions of greenhouse gases by only 13 percent.

The United States will not meet the dual challenges of reducing global warming and its dependence on foreign suppliers of energy until it manages to reduce energy consumption. That should be its main goal.

There is nothing wrong with developing alternative fuels, and there is high hope among environmentalists and even venture capitalists that more advanced biofuels — like cellulosic ethanol — can eventually play a constructive role in reducing oil dependency and greenhouse gases. What’s wrong is letting politics — the kind that leads to unnecessary subsidies, the invasion of natural landscapes best left alone and soaring food prices that hurt the poor — rather than sound science and sound economics drive America’s energy policy.

Taken from:

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/19/opinion/19wed1.html?n=Top/Opinion/Editorials%20and%20Op-Ed/Editorials


Logos: argument by reasoning, logic

Examples in article:

Paragraph 4: This paragraph tells how biodiesel production has caused soaring prices in agriculture. The production is completely distortioned, while animal feed and dairy products are becoming more and more expensive. A cause and an effect.

Paragraph 5: This paragraph is very similar to the previous paragraph; however, it relates to other parts of the world. It's a cause and effect: because of biodiesel, then the world situation worsens.

Paragraph 3: Talks about the consequences of increased biodiesel production. However, the writer thinks that such production is not near commercial production capabilities.

Paragraph 6: This paragraph shows how increased production means worldwide inflation of food pricing.

Paragraphs 9 and 10: These paragraphs minimize the effect that biodiesel has on global warming.

Pathos: argument by emotions

Examples in article:

Paragraph 1: The article mentions how the prospect for American economics due to biodiesel isn't very positive. This really instills some fear into the consumer, why would they risk a good economy just for a different source of fuel?

Paragraph 2: By implying that biodiesel is expensive, the reader will immediately not agree with it. The more expensive the more customers will have to pay out of their pocket. Just as well, the article mentions the growing misery and rising food prices for developing countries.

Paragraphs 6, 7, and 8: These paragraphs generates hatred and dislike for the biodiesel industry. The writer argues that biodiesel production increase prices as well as misery in developing countries. And for the nation, it means making way for corn crops, which would leave many unemployed.

Ethos: argument by character

Examples in article:

Paragraph 11: This paragraph shows how human character impedes fair treatment for citizens competing with biodiesel industries. Politicians are always willing to benefit the rich, forgetting to benefit people who really need the subsidies.

Hmm.. Wrapping Loose Ends And A Last Minute Connection

The Soccer War
Pgs. 205-234

September 18, 2007
3:33 P.M.

....Not so long ago, the Berlin wall divided the city of Berlin into two different cities, East Germany and West Germany. This wall was put up in 1961 due to the tensions caused by the Cold War. However, the marked divisions by the two cities had begun right after World War II ended. West Germany was controlled by the United States, while East Germany was controlled by the Soviet Union. West Germany flourished with a capitalist economy, while East Germany lagged behind (it was rich compared to other Eastern Bloc states, however, never as much as West Germany). As people began to migrate to West Germany because of its prosperity, the Berlin Wall was erected. But how does this connect with The Soccer War?

....During this last section, I made a strong connection to the events taking place in Nicosia, Cyprus to the events that ocurred in Berlin, Germany. Nicosia is divided into two parts, the Greek and the Turkish sides. The border crossing is guarded by one Greek and one Turkish soldier, and the flags of each country stand on its respective side. When I read his narration, I immediately made a connection with the Berlin Wall. What's so shocking about these two events is how discord between two countries could rip apart neighbors, communities, and citizens. They were two parallel events taking place in very similar times. I mean why are these two alien countries deciding what to do in another one. It just wasn't fair to the citizens of Berlin or Nicosia.The people of the city should be the ones deciding whether they want to be two cities or one.

....This last part ties back to the question asked in class: Who is supposed to be political responsible? Who should make political decisions concerning the people? No one should make your own decisions; we need to opiniate and decide for ourselves. The people are the ones that vote, and we need to take that responsibility seriously. Citizens have the biggest political responsability; they are the ones that are supposed make the calls. Many people disagree with this argument, because we don't take that responsability seriously. People don't use this responsability to their maximum advantage, or don't use it all. Just because a politician is rich, doesn't mean that people can't stand up against him. If everyone practiced political responsability, then people would feel that what they have to say counts for something. People would be heard because bonded together they could overthrow a government and corruption. They could make their ideas come true!

....The Soccer War is a novel that clearly depicts the lack of practiced political responsability in Third World countries (I'm not saying developped countries practice it fully, however; Kapuscinski only talks about the Third World in his novel). If the citizens cared more about their political role, then there wouldn't have been so many revolutions constantly affecting them. If the citizens of the countries mentioned had stood up for the opinions and what they believed was right, then they could have prevented much bloodshed. The citizens of a country need to let their government know what they want and what they expect to be done; a government can't have the freedom to do as it pleases. If a government is allowed this freedom, then it will exploit it for its own interest, forgetting completely about the needs of the people they rule.

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.....So I finished reading The Soccer War I really liked the novel. I loved Kapuscinski's writing style, easy going yet complex. He wanted the reader to convey everything that he lived through, and to come up with their own conclusions about the Third World. He presented the novel in a journalistic way, yet, throughout the book he was able to separate opinion from fact. It was so shocking to see the crude reality drowing Third World countries. It was really shocking to me how war and poverty are a cycle which maintains the Third World struggling to survive; it's as if they will never be able to escape their fate.

Boots

The Soccer War
pg. 184-204

September 17, 2007
5:56 P.M.

** "...the life of a soldier and the life of a shopkeeper during the war- they existed in two different worlds and they had diffferent problems- one of them was thinking about how to live through another houre, and the other was thinking about how to sell his merchandise, and these are very different worries indeed (202)." This quote fits perfectly with my previous post about how no one really cares about war unless they are the ones fighting it.

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....The last chapter I read was titled Boots. Even though Kapuscinski tricks the reader into thinking that the chapter is about the war between Israel and Syria, Kapuscinski really intends to send an underlying message. When people talk of war, they usually refer to the whole country as being in war; however, wars are only fought by a select group of people, soldiers. Politicians might start them, but the only ones that fight are brave human beings, willing to risk their last breathe for causes which they don't even understand.

....The author uses the boots to tell a story; the boots become a metaphor of the life of a soldier. They are the ones willing to die to save their country and its citizens. The loneliness, the fight without a cause is symbolized by the boots. The boots are there through thick and thin. They accompany a soldier in the middle of the attack, or when he has to go back home. The boots are there for the soldier in the battlefield: when the "mines go off under his feet, [when] bullets whistle through the air, [and] bombs drop from the sky(202)." At the same time, the boots join the soldier at times of peace, at times of calm. Even though a soldier risks his live for his country and for his compatriots, he doesn't get anything in return but a trauma for life. After seeing the bloodshed, the death, and the pain that war causes, no one can return to their normal self; the only thought of all these scenes will hunt anyone for the rest of their lives. "The war wounded everyone, and those who survived cannot cure themselves of it (200)." The boots are meant to show how society takes for granted people that are willing to give up their lives in order to save others.

....Just as well, in this chapter Kapuscinski makes a drastic turn in his writing style. Throughout the book, he has concealed his opinions with the facts, or separated his opinions completely from the facts (in the Plan for the Unwritten Book). However, never has he incorporated his opinion into the facts. Throughout most of the novel, he leaves the space open for the reader to come up with their own assumptions about his feelings. In the last couple of pages of this section he does! He openly critisizes war, and the effects it has on the overall population, as well, as the inability to fight for your country if you aren't at the frontline battling. The reader finally gets a personal insight into this renowned reporter; he leaves his journalistic wall (professionalism) of facts down for a bit. A reporter is just supposed to present the news as facts (unless they are trying to persuade the viewer/reader of their own opinions), and Kapuscinski has accomplished this very well up to this part of the novel.

....I think this is because after two hundred pages he feels desperate. Through two hundred pages, Kapuscinski has kept his professionalism intact, not letting his emotions get in the way of the reader's understanding of the facts. After all the torture endured and bloodshed witnessed, Kapuscinski did the human thing possible in order to deal with all his emotions; he had to let everything out. All his emotions were bottled up inside. It was about time that he let the reader know his emotions about the facts. I'm amazed that he was able to keep it to himself for so long. But bottling up his emotions is what journalism is about (well, a good reporter isn't supposed to the biased as he needs to leave the space open for the reader to come up with their own conclusions). Kapuscinski was very professional, and he should be admired for his wonderful work.

....I absolutely agree with Kapuscinski's views of war; it creates scars that can't be cured for generations afterwards. As for soldiers, his metaphor of boots was very precise.

The Insignificance of a War...

The Soccer War
Pg. 166-184

September 16, 2007
5:00 P.M.


....The Soccer War between Honduras and El Salvador, represented the boiling point of their tensions; finally exploding into a cold blooded war. It's amazing how insignificant this war was to the rest of the world, however. Around the world, the war was known as the Soccer War because of the misconception that it was caused by a soccer match. In reality it was caused by much more than that: Latifundistas driving people away from their lands, an oversized country with not enough population to make up for it, and an overcrowded neighbor with few opportunities for its citizens.

....The world was more concerned about Apollo 11 and its accomplishment than the thousands of lives being lost in Latin America. The world rejoiced at the triumph of reason and how close man was getting to the stars. Lttle did they know, or little did they want to know, that man was getting buried in the ground more than flying to the stars. A similar case was lived by the world with the Cambodian genocide, where in the 1970's, delayed world reponse permitted a cold blooded massacre of hundreds of thousands of people. This apparent apathy for third world suffering in modern times has been fueled by an egocentric nature of the developed countries. American culture has this ideology firmly rooted. Many Americans do not even have passports because of their belief that America is the unquestioned center of the world and there is no need to travel or think about any other place. Globalization has slowly attempted to diverge this trend, and the growth of communication has made ignorance more and more difficult. But the bureaucracy of NGOs and government aid, as well as the unchanging apathy of civil society, has still slowed the process of response and kept the third world bleeding while the first watches MTV.

....War is only lived by its protagonists. No one else wants to get involved because then it will cause disruption to their own emotional stability. As long as the war doesn't affect their own business, then other people don't find the need to get involved. War is something very superficial. You go fight to get whet you want, but is all the blood she'd really worth it? This isn't only true with nations; humans beings do the same thing.

....Kapuscinski makes reference to a dying, twenty year old soldier that was fighting to live after receiving 11 bullet wounds. Everyone around him was more concerned about the fact than an older man would have died immediately but he didn't because he was young, than about who this dying soldier was. This is evidence of the de-humanization of war. This de-humanization is also a cause for the apathy explained previously, and is a metaphor for the growth of a statistic-oriented war. War is in modern times, a statistic. To a certain extent this de-humanization is necessary for a war to happen. A counter example is the movie Joyeux Noel, in which after the soldiers met and celerated Christmas together were unable to shoot each other.

The Human Condition of a Flaw

The Soccer War
Pg. 149-165

September 13, 2007
6:50

........In Kapuscinski’s Chapter “High Time I Started Writing the Next Unwritten Book,” he analyzes the people is South and Central America as human beings. He analyzes their human condition, mainly human flaws. In the other “Unwritten Book,” Kapuscinski psychoanalyzes himself in comparison to the people he has met throughout his journeys; however, in this section of the book he analyzes the people as human beings.

.......For example, he analyzes the materialism that moves people and businesses. In Chile, the “aged ladies, widows, divorcées, and old maids (149)” offered rental places filled with junk “jammed into a vortex of knick-knacks and fiddle-faddle (150).” This junk was menial objects with no use at all; they were just used as presents that provided businesses with profits. The inventory that Kapuscinski is given as part of the rental agreement just comes to show how materialistic people are. I bet they don’t care about half those objects as they say they do; people just jump at any opportunity in order to gain a profit or more money. (I could connect this particular example to Madame Vauquer’s character in Father Goriot. Even after father Goriot’s death all she cares about is who is going to pay his rent and debts. She doesn't care about the death or the pain someone has been through; money comes before anything else.) Our human nature pushes us to be greedy and selfish; we all always want more of the best, no matter the cost.

......At the same time, Kapuscinski uses this opportunity to openly criticize the opportunist instinct in each one of us. He uses the example of a Peruvian revolutionist that openly criticized the rich classes. However, he was quick to change his leftist ideals as soon as he inherited a fortune. After this episode, he became an open capitalist, catering for Lima’s high class with his night club business.

......Another human flaw that he openly criticizes is the ignorance in which we live. People at the market work hard to get their “centavos”; however, once they have their money they spend it to get drunk, even children. They return “home without a centavo, fuddled, and destitute (155).” How is it possible that someone would risk their well-being like that? That isn’t supposed to be human; however, carelessness is a human flaw. We don’t think about the consequences of our actions until it’s too late. People get caught up in the moment, forgetting about the future, past, or even present.

......In this section, it is obvious that his trips to Africa have made Kapuscinski very aware of the human condition and its flaws. He has become aware and analyzes circumstances that come naturally on a day to day basis but clearly reflect our flaws as a race.

......Finally the so called Soccer War comes up in the book. As I searched Wikipedia for a possible background on the name The Soccer War, the Soccer War between Honduras and El Salvador came up. It was a war that resulted because of a soccer match gone wrong. Kapuscinski gained recognition because he was the only reporter present during the first match. However, the soccer match as the cause was in reality an international misconception. Actually, it was just an excuse to let out all the resentment and tension that had been boiling between these two countries for some time. By 1969, Salvadorian peasants accounted almost 20% of the peasant population in Honduras. Growing tensions had led to disputes in land distribution and reforms by the Honduran government in order to kick out the Salvadorian population off its territory. The spilling point was the 1970 FIFA World Cup qualification games. Two unfair matches were played; neither team was allowed to sleep in the rival’s turf. This eventually led to a deadlock, which nurtured the nationalist pride and legitimacy. Although the war only lasted four days, a final peace settlement came almost ten years later.

Kapunscinski: A World Reporter

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. The first half of this video greatly complements the audio clip from NPR after Kapuscinski's death. As I was hearing this clip and after I watched the clip, I immediately made a connection to Animal Farm by George Orwell. I probably made this connection because Kapuscinski was a reporter for communist Poland. At the time, the communist movement used the African chaos as propaganda for their own movement, yet Kapuscinski was able to portray the harsh realities without being censored.
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. Another connection I made was to Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness. This novel exposes the harsh realities of colonialism in Africa. Kapuscinki shows the turmoil experienced in Africa after the colonialist period, while Heart of Darkness shows what led to such dependence on colonialism by the Africa natives. Plus, Joseph Conrad has similar views towards colonialism as Kapuscinki. These views are completely pessimistic and negative towards colonialism. They often critisized the way Europeans handled the African population and left them with no tools to fend off for themselves once the colonial rule stopped.

ARE AFRICAN COUNTRIES THIRD WORLD OR JUST YOUNG NATIONS?

The Soccer War

Pg. 120- 148

W.eSeptember 10, 2007

8:20

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DAHOMEY:

INDENT How can I government fall apart because it cannot agree on a judge position? How is it possible that the Vice-president and the President disagree so much that they are willing to throw the whole country into chaos? Is that a worthwhile cause for a Civil War? Is it enough reason to divide families, kill neighbors, and bury loved ones? These actions are completely uncivilized for any nation that has had political stability or independence for more than 50 years.

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INDENT However, this example clealy reflects the situation lived across Africa at the time. After freeing themselves from colonial rule, the African people had no experience in ruling themselves, enforcing their own laws, or organizing their countries. The mother countries had always been in charge in decision making; they had been the leaders while the colonies were the mere followers. You can't just throw a child who doesn't know how to swim into the water; he'll drown! These are young nations learning to govern themselves by trial and error. No one is perfect; no other nation has gotten it right the first time around.

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INDENT Inexperienced rulers, full of ambitions, put their pride before the country's well being. Their goals are so high that they are blinded by the hope they have for the country's success. They are now free to rule how THEY want, sometimes forgetting about the other members of the countries. With power now in their hands and newly acquired freedom it's just too much to handle all at once. They don't know how to use one; how can they be expected to use two new acquisitions at the same time? The African people have always fought to survive (the colonialist circumstances barely let them live), and now, even though they have power in their hands, they don't know any other way to live.

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INDENT The United States could have been considered a third world country after it broke away from England, I mean civil war, political turmoil, and economical instability followed, right? But look at it now, a heavy weight world power. Just because a country is slower at developing or it started the process late, doesn't mean that they are worth less than any other stable nation in the world. Some nations have been priviledged with a speedier process or an earlier start. Think about it as an obstacle course race, who will win? Different players might be better at the different tasks, yet all will eventually reach the finish line.

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INDENT Eventually, after much turmoil (we're talking a couple of decades, maybe even centuries), some homogenity will be reached and common goals will be set for the nation as a whole. People will begin to share interests and necessities which will allow for better and more efficient governing.

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COMMENTARY ON KAPUSCINSKI'S "PLAN OF THE NEVER-WRITTEN BOOK THAT COULD BE, ETC.":

INDENT This section of the book is a breather for the usually somber and bloody accounts of the revolutions taking place. Kapuscinski shows himself as a human being, not as the reporter that reports news as facts; the reader gets to see his opinions and point of view pertaining to his adventures. Just as well, in this section, Kapuscinski gives himself a break. It's as if he needs to rest and examine his state of mind a little.

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INDENT He talks about "depression" in depth, maybe questioning whether he is suffering it at the moment. Is he questioning his existence and his reporter status? Here, it is obvious that his adventures in Africa weren't just a job anymore; they had become part of his life, the moving force behind it. "I did not regard my stay in Africa as merely a job...Africa had been for me liberation (144)." He was so used to all the chaos he had witnessed in the last couple of years that he wasn't used to his desk job anymore. " So even if the desk my editor had placed me behind had an inlaid mother-of-pearl top, I had to get out (147)." He feels empty without Africa and the chaos it's living.

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Literary Circles

Vocabulary:

abased

napalmed

prince-nez

parricide

demagogy

manioc

Does the army really provide stability?

The Soccer War

P.111 through 119

September 9, 2007

1:25 P.M.

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.Indent After Ben Bella's coup, the reader is able to see the role that the army plays in politics in Algeria and later on in Africa. The army is able to provide the stability that the government is looking with the use of force. Boumedienne turns the Algerian government into a military regime, as he believes that only the army's discipline can turn the country around; only the army can stabilize Algeria as an independent country. But is the army really the honorary institution the government portrays it to be?

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.Indent In this section of the book we can truly see what role the army actually plays in oppressing the government's opposition. "This army knows crowd control like the rosary. And it has the most modern equipment to enforce it (117)." That's the what stability is in Algeria: a government with no opposition free to rule as they please. By quieting opposition, the government can go on with their practices without having to compromise with anyone. This is a very dangerous practice; it brings anything but stability. Stability, in my opinion, is when a government can peacefully live with its opposition; the government is smart to compromise enough with their opposition to keep them happy, yet not enough to ruin their plans for governing. The oppressive stance the army is taking will just cause resentment and scars that will later on come afloat possibly toppling the government or causing a Civil War. So the stability produced by the use of force is just superficial; one caused by fear and tyranny.

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.Indent Kapuscinski describes the crude reality of the army. It became a "mafia" and "something of a religious sect (119)." The army became the pushing force for a young and inexperienced government.

Chaotic Aftermath for the African "Paris"...

The Soccer War

Algeria Hides Its Face

(Pgs. 95-111)

September 5, 2007

9:00 P.M.

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A little background on Kapuscinki and the book, The Soccer War:

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... INDENT Kapuscinski, a reporter for the Polish Press Agency, covered (and lived through) 27 revolutions in developing countries. However, he is more famous for his coverage of African revolutions as his accounts of the end of European colonialism in the continent are renown in modern literature. The Soccer War, recounts just some of his adventures as a press reporter in Africa and the Americas. It can be considered the story behind the news.

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"...the millions of unemployed, the rural poverty, the confusion in the

private sector, the lack of expertise, the gap between what the government said

would do for the country and its actual state, the deficit... Economic stagnation, internal disappointments, bureaucratic inertia, and the immobility of the masses... (109)."

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... INDENT I began reading The Soccer War on pg. 95. This chapter is perfect to begin the book with; it introduces the reader to Kapuscinski's views on colonialism and its effects on a freed country. Although Kapuscinski is reporting the news as they break, he personalizes the news and adds some humanity for his reader to connect with them.

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... INDENT It's amazing to see a first hand account of how deeply colonialism uprooted the Algerian culture and its long lasting effects on the political and economical infrastructure of the country. The French increased the social cleavages, drained the country of economical stability, and ostrasized the countryside, making Algiers all of Algeria. Just as well, during the Revolution, the French antagonized brothers, neighbors, and entire towns to choose which side to fight for. These deep scars weren't forgotten when it was time to rebuild the war torn country.

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... INDENT By now, many historians and people agree that colonialism had a negative effect on the colonies that were usually exploited for their mother country's financial gain. After being ruled by the French for over 130 years, Algeria had lost the very notion of an independent government or nation. They were part of France, and something they were very proud of as it reflected in Algiers, the "Paris of Africa." However, with the Revolution epidemic that took place between the 1950s and 1970s, Algeria wanted to reach a freedom for which it wasn't prepared either economically, politically, or even psychologically. The lack of economical infrastructure, international ties, and the large gap between the rich and poor didn't allow for a succesful revolution to take place.

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... INDENT With all this said, it is impossible to expect Ben Bella or any other ruler, as a matter of fact, to govern efficiently and dutifully. How could he have time to govern if there was always a coup or a revolt he had to appease? How could he accomplish anything if his enemies were watching his every move and blocking his every pass? He did the best he could with the tools he had; it's not easy to govern, especially not a country on the verge of a civil war. Ben Bella was in reality a good governor. He cared about the countryside, the people (everyone: women and peasants included), and his Algeria. Ben Bella didn't care to make himself more powerful; he truly wanted a free Algeria to succeed. When he saw that all the disagreements and internal turmoil couldn't bring national success, he began to root for Algeria on the international front. That was probably his downfall. He was too ambitious, too soon.

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... INDENT The Algerian Revolution had no chance of being a peaceful transition from slavery to freedom. The Algerians didn't have the tools necessary to set up an effective and stable government right after the revolution; they still thought like the enslaved colony of before. No matter who had taken power, whether it was Ben Bella, or the guerrillas, or Zbiri wasn't prepared to be a free country. The psychological burden of colonial rule and the lack of skills to survive in a capitalist world greatly hindered any chance of a succesful revolution. I am not blaming Algeria for its history, however, France is completely at fault here, just like any other European power who exploited colonies for their own benefit.

Make the Revolution a parent of settlement, and not a nursery of future revolutions.
EDMUND BURKE, Reflections on the Revolution in France

... INDENT

The Reality of an End...

The Stranger

Ch. 5 Part II (pgs.108-123)

September 2nd, 2007

7:02 P.M.

. INDENT I finally finished my trip through Meursault's life. In this last chapter Meursault completes a drastic transformation from his indifferent self. Meursault lives in loneliness and doesn't really like to confront people or humanity; however, in this chapter his last wish is that there are a lot of spectators present during his execution so that they can greet him with "cries of hate." Meursault has never cared about anything until now.

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. INDENT He has a head on collision with life and his reality. He has always liked to fade in the background without feeling any repercussions for his indifference. With his impending death, he begins to analyze the system in which he lives in; he wishes he had paid more attention. Before his jail time he had the chance to make a change, a chance to change his life around. Now that he has been sentenced, he doesn't have a choice anymore, yet he wishes he did. Meursault's character expresses a true reality.

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. INDENT We want what we can't have, and we don't want what we have. It's never good enough; we are always looking for the next best thing. As a society we are non-conformists, no matter how adjusted to our lifestyles we may seem. The search for more, for something better, for something we don't have is what drives our day to day life. I am not saying this is bad, however; that drive is what makes our life interesting. We have something to look forward to, something to fight for, something to care about. Life is always about exceeding yourself; it gives a method to the madness of everyday life. Life would lose its meaning if you had nothing to fight for, no passions, no desires, nothing. Imagine that, how boring life would be!

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. INDENT The Stranger was not my favorite book of all time. In my opinion, it doesn't compare to literary masterpieces such as The Scarlet Letter or Wuthering Heights. It does express the pessimist realities of existentialism, and personally I don't agree with the existentialist ideology. I think it's too surreal and exagerates reality too much. Although, it's meant to get a point across, I don't think the end justifies the means.