#95: Response to "My Parents' Bedroom"

[Mr. Neary]

Pretend for a few moments that you are Uwem Akpan, the author of the
short story "My Parents' Bedroom." Reflect on your writing of this
tragic tale and write a response that begins with the following line:

One lesson that I really wanted to express through this story is...


Conclude this line and provide a few specific references to the story
that show where you conscientiously tried to develop this lesson.

Due: Tuesday, February 28

[James Lofton]

One lesson that I really wanted to express through this story is that
peer pressure is powerful. When a person is intimidated by a group of
peers, they often make irrational decisions in order to maintain some
sort of integrity within the crowd. The two most obvious examples of
this from the story are the killing of Maman by her husband, and the
burning of the house by the Tutsi mob. The father (Papa) was
confronted with a difficult predicament. His fellow people, the Hutus
were in a campaign to purge the land of their Tutsi companions. Papa
had to kill his Tutsi wife with his own hands in order to keep the
Hutu presence from destroying his entire family. The strength of the
mob came in numbers. They pressured Papa into the murder of his
beloved wife. Some people may argue that a blood connection is the
ultimate tie between people, especially in a rudimentary society such
as Rwanda; however, I feel that this connection is often over
exaggerated. Papa killed his wife not because of his blood connection
to the Hutu militia, but because of the pressure put on him by such a
group. Secondly, the interesting case of burning the house at the very
end of the story. As the Tutsi militia stumbles upon the death and
destruction left in the wake of their Hutu counterparts, they see
Papa's house as a house of a Hutu murderer, and thus set it alight.
Unfortunately, in their rash decision, they fail to realize that many
of their Tutsi counterparts are within. The group felt pressured by
the loss of so many fellow Tutsis, such as Maman, that the burning of
the house would offer some justification. They were mistaken. Papa was
seen as the bad guy, as he murdered his wife, but he did it in benefit
of, not only himself, but his children.

[Cat Mosier-Mills]

One lesson that I really wanted to express through this story is the
power of ignorance. For example, Maman "deserts" the family by leaving
the house dressed in the clothes of a "bad woman", leaving her
children confused as to her whereabouts. Finally, when the young child
realizes her mom was hiding in the ceiling, she thinks angrily,
"nobody is telling me the truth today. Tomorrow I must remind them
that lying is a sin." The second example comes from the overall
ignorance of the mob mentality; although they believe they are
"cleansing" Rwanda of its Tutsi population, they leave a bloody stain
on history as well as the consciences of their peers. Both are
examples of the blind leading the blind -- that Maman was in fact
unsure of her own fate, yet rushed to provide a sloppy explanation for
her nine-year-old daughter, and that so many Hutus participated in the
killing spree because of fear and the allure of power. Additionally,
the innocent narrator provides the outlook of most people during the
time -- they knew little about the situation, yet knew to feel fear
during the horrific circumstances. Similar to the constant theme of
religion, pretending to know everything serves as a nice comfort, but
in the end it doesn't help. The narrator soon discovers that her
prayers, and trips to the altar, haven't prepared her for the
situation at hand; and that her Maman, the woman who she admires and
serves as her moral guide, is just as helpless as she is.

On Feb 24, 2:50 pm, "Mr. Neary" <tjne...@gmail.com> wrote:

[Alexa Lee]

One lesson that I really wanted to express through this story is the
devastating effect of war on family. Monique, almost ten years old,
is sexually assaulted, which takes a humongous toll on the family's
happiness. Her Papa becomes extremely protective of Monique to the
point of going after Maman for making her sad. "He scolds his
relatives when they say it's risky that I look so much like
Maman" (9). It seems that pretty much everything sets him off. Also
Monique's mother becomes different "she looks at [Monique] and becomes
sad" (9). The war (genocide) caused Monique's assault, which led to
her parent's grief and thus equals a broken family. Later on in the
story, Papa kills Maman because he is basically forced to choose
between killing his wife or having his whole family killed. Now not
only does the war emotionally tear apart Monique's family, but
additionally it physically severs the family. This experience also
scars the hearts of the children who had to witness their father
killing their mother. Furthermore it completely crushes Papa's soul.
He destroyed half of his soul when he killed his wife, leaving a
hollow eternal emptiness and permanent grief in his heart. Stepping
away from Monique's nuclear family Tonton André, her uncle, had to
kill his pregnant wife. What an atrocity. He not only slaughtered
the person whom he loved most dearly at the time, but on top of that
he destroyed his future child whom he never knew yet still loved
unconditionally. Considering his wife had miscarried before it must
have been doubly difficult and heartbreaking for him. Overall the war
leaves families empty, shattered, and woebegone.

On Feb 24, 2:50 pm, "Mr. Neary" <tjne...@gmail.com> wrote:

[Allie Martin]

One lesson I really wanted to express in this story was that war
forces people to make impossible decisions. In this short story
SHenge's father had to choose between killing his wife, or letting his
while family die. These are the worst circumstances a person can be
in, and its hard to ima gine what was going through his mind at the
time. Surely he wanted to save both his wife and his children, but
Maman knew that she would have to die and made him promise that he
would save the children and the others they were preotecting. This
also leaves imense trauma on Shenge who will have to try and grasp why
her own father killed her mother, his wife. A specifc scene that shows
how hard this decision was was whenMaman was praying at the crucifix.
SHe knew there was no way out, but Papa was still hoping that Jesus
wouldcome up with something. Papa also had to accept that he was not
going to see his children again after this. He knew he wouldn't be
able to face them and he knew the angry mob would kill Shenge and Jean
if they thought his alliegence wasn't 100% with them.

> > Due: Tuesday, February 28- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -

[Ashley Gubernick]

One lesson that I really wanted to express through this story is words
are powerful. There is the cliche saying "sticks and stones will
break my bones but words will never hurt me," this is not true. The
lack of words exchanged between Maman, Papa, and Monique leave the
children unaware of the situation. Maman tells Monique "“Swallow all
your questions now, bright daughter. When your papa and uncle return,
they’ll explain things to you.” Not allowing questions left the
daughter confused and resulted in her opening the door to the angry
mob. It was said "Sometimes they kiss in public, like Belgians do on
TV, and our people don’t like this very much," referring to Tonton
André and his pregnant wife. Even though the wife kept having
miscarriages, the couple continued trying to have babies. Both of
these things show how much the two loved each other. Also, even
though Tonton André hated the Wizard more than Papa, he was allied
with the Wizard in the mob. The power of the large mob overcame
Tonton and made him forget the love for his wife and hatred for the
Wizard to the point where they were able to convince him to kill his
pregnant wife. Papa hid his wife and others so they would not die,
yet after the Wizard says to Papa, "'If we kill your wife for you we
must kill you. And your children, too.' He thuds his stick.
'Otherwise, after cleansing our land of Tutsi nuisance, your children
will come after us. We must remain one. Nothing shall dilute our
blood. Not God. Not marriage.'" Papa kills his wife. The convincing
words from the Hutus mob and the lack of words between Maman, Papa,
and the children led to bloodshed and death of Tutsis and Twas.

On Feb 24, 2:50 pm, "Mr. Neary" <tjne...@gmail.com> wrote:

[Shefain Islam]

One lesson that I really wanted to express through this story is cruelty and insanity of man during war time. For example, the cruelty and insanity of Monique's uncle is probably most prominent. After being forced to kill his wife as a result of the cruelty of others, Andre not only lies to niece to get her open the door but also ravages the home, leaving both Jean and Monique scared. Also by lying to Monique, the uncle allowed the man to rape her. Andre also did not say anything after Monique was raped. The only response that came was from her great uncle, the Wizard. The Wizard simply asked if she was alive, and after being assured that she is alive, brushed off the torment and went off to further pillage the home. This cruelty if further expressed when the men force Papa to kill his wife in front his children by threatening the lives of his children. The Wizard nor Andre had any sympathy for their little niece and nephew. They did not care that the women sitting in front of them was family but this is what occurs during war time. Each man for themselves as the saying goes. If Andre had to suffer the pain of seeing his wife die, so should his brother. Not only should Papa witness the death, but children should as well to ingrain the "No Tutsi Philosophy." All of this pain and suffering just to teach a lesson to a "traitor." Forgiveness, love, and sympathy do not exist in the minds of these men. One of the cruelest acts throughout the entire story is the one committed by the UN soldiers. As Jean runs to them for help, clothes and hands drenched in blood, the men simply turn and walk away. Any form of help and hope is just a mirage now after the death of their mother. Cruelty and hate have overtaken Rwanda and the children now know of the this. They can no longer be innocent and hope for the best... it was all a mirage.

[Josh Klag]

One lesson that I really wanted to express through this story is that
in the face of cruelty, humankind is still able to demonstrate their
capacity for good. This is demonstrated through the act of hiding
Tutsis in the attic of Maman and Papa's home. They do this with the
knowledge that the discovery of such a thing would endanger
themselves. Another display of noble actions in response to cruelty is
when Papa must kill Maman in order to save the children. Maman is
willing to sacrifice herself for her offspring and even tells her
husband to "be a man" when he is faced with the task of her slaughter.
This is a sacrifice for Papa as well, as he loves his wife and must
murder her with his own hands.

> <c.mosiermi...@gmail.com>wrote:

[Maureen McDermott]

One lesson that I really wanted to express through this story is that
times of war can so easily break the fragile innocence of a child.
Monique was not even 10 years old, yet throughout the story she was
raped, abused, shunned, and forced to watch her father kill her
mother. Children, and the effects war bestows upon them, are often not
thought about during a time so violent, but they are often the ones
that have to live with the burdens of war. Monique was left in the
dark. She had no idea of the violence that was engulfing her society
and taking the lives of so many. It wasn't until this violence reached
her own household, and threatened her own family, that she had any
idea that a problem was arising. Those she thought were good turned
out bad. Her own uncle, Tonton Andre, came to her house with his mob.
His people invaded her home, and raped her. Her father was forced to
kill his wife, Monique's mother, while Monique and her brother were
present. He was only doing it to protect his children, but Monique
didn't know that. She will now be forced to come to terms with the
notion that her mother is dead and her father is the one who killed
her. This is all just two much for a 9 year old girl to handle. Her
innocence was shattered right before the eyes of the reader, and they
know it's something she is never getting back.

On Feb 24, 2:50 pm, "Mr. Neary" <tjne...@gmail.com> wrote:

[Connor]

One lesson that I really wanted to express through this story is that conflict can rob children of a childhood. At the beginning of the story Monique is relatively innocent; however, after being sexually assaulted, realizing that her uncle betrayed her family and watching her father kill her mother, she realizes the cruelty of the world. The brutality and mob-mentality caused the man with the yellow trousers to sexually assault Monique. The Wizard offered minor concern for her, but after finding that she was alive showed little sympathy. Seeing her great-uncle offer little concern for her while going through a traumatic experience is something that no one, especially a nine year old girl, should go through. Andre used his relationship with Monique to get inside her house, which he then pillaged along with a group of strangers to Monique. Later in the story Andre, amongst another mob of friends and neighbors, makes Monique's father kill his wife. The change in Monique's perception of Andre from a member of the family to the murderer of her mother in a short amount of time is emotionally scarring. At the end of the story, Monique is not only robbed of everything in her life except her father and brother, she is robbed of a childhood.

[Melissa Lee]

One lesson that I wanted to express through the story is the betrayal
within something as personal as family, through the brutality of war’s
violence. As the story is told from an innocent child’s perspective,
the ruthless violence perpetuated by the Wizard and, further, even
Tonton Andre, a supposed relative of Monique, towards her is
incomprehensible. However in wartime, many things seem to be unclear.
Monique remarks, “Without his I.D., you’d never know that Tonton Andre
is Papa’s brother”, displaying the initial value of tribal roots,
whether a Hutu, Tutsi or something else. And after Monique is raped by
attackers, Tonton Andre vows to kill her and her brother if he doesn’t
meet with her father. After such a brutal, and upsettingly common
event, the unsureness of their family persists. When her father and
mother return, they seem to be tense and unconfident about their
futures, and Monique wants to know what is truly going on. After
discussion, her Maman assures, “You’re not going to die. Uzabaho. You
will live”, however, making no promises of their family together.
Monique’s parent’s bedroom used to be something of a sanctuary for
only her and her brother, compared to the violence outside, but as
Tutsis increasingly find shelter there, the risk of their family’s
safety rises. However, when the mob demands an ultimatum of her
father, he decides to kill his wife and proceeds to leave with the
Hutu mob. Through this he chose to sacrifice his wife for his
children, in attempts to keep his family alive, while killing his own
wife, who he did truly care for, a decision that may or may not be
justified. However, since Maman loved her children and believed they
were brave and had trust in her husband throughout hardship regardless
of his tribe, she would sadly agree with the fatal choice.

On Feb 24, 2:50 pm, "Mr. Neary" <tjne...@gmail.com> wrote:

[Quincy Shuda]

One lesson that I really wanted to express through the story is that
although darkness can be overpowering, finding the light in life is
the key to creating a life worth living. Yes, my story is filled with
haunting imagery and a dreadful plot, but that is truly their so that
readers can search to find the meaning of the tale which is actually
the meaning of life. This story is about discovering love in places
where it is hiding, and only being able to reveal that love because in
your soul you are sure that it must be there. The main character,
Monique, struggles throughout the story to define the boundaries of
her parents love for her. Monique realizes that she was an unwanted
child, her mother hoping a son would be born so she could marry her
husband with pride. But as the story progresses, hints of light can be
shed on this dreary relationship. The readers can look deep into the
eyes of Maman and see that she does care about her children, but she
fears the bonds of love will be broken all too soon to bother making
them. Maman tells Monique she will be beautiful later in life,
referencing that she acknowledges her beauty and will do anything,
even give her life, to allow that beauty to be accepted by the
community. When Maman and Papa are arguing over why they returned to
the household, Maman admits that she felt guilt and sorrow at leaving
the children. Deep down in that dark exterior, a light of love shines,
much like the light of the crucifix. Just before her killing, Maman
hands over money and a ring to her daughter, only wishing for the best
for her kids and not wanting to get in the way of their bright
futures. She embodies the characteristics of any mother even though
her rough outer manner disagrees, in that she is willing to do
anything for her children. The crucifix is a more concrete example of
this lesson of finding the light in any amount of darkness. The
crucifix brings hope to Monique, whether it is shattered like her
mothers love, or shining in the dark and bringing her hope as her
younger brother carries it through the hills, like her father’s
compassion for her shone and brought her such extreme happiness and a
sense of love. Whether the clouds are casting dark shadows over Rwanda
or Maman is ordering Monique to turn off the lights once again in
hiding, the existent love of her parents and the faith in the crucifix
she waits to inherit give create a shimmer in the darkness that one
can only see if they want it desperately enough.

[Zoe Bermudez]

One lesson that I really wanted to express through this story is how fear affects people in certain societies. In Rwanda's society, the fear was everywhere and it was strong. And through the fear that many people felt, hatred was bred as well. Hatred and fear fueled every riot and every killing during that time. Hatred and fear led to the murder of Maman and the rape of a nine year-old girl. It was through hatred and fear that the house was burned down, accidentally killing all the innocent Tutsis inside it. When a person is truly struck with fear, they are blind. They switch into survival mode and all sense of moral is lost. It's the same when it comes to hatred. Everything else is blocked out; all that's left in that person's mind is the anger and going on the offensive. In a way, you could say one has a skewed sense of reality or lack morally right decision making skills. That's why violence is such a huge part of our history and our daily lives. In every country on Earth, there have been innumerable outbreaks of violence ever since their creation. It's just how the oppressed survive. When humans are terrified and upset, they make irrational decisions. It's simply part of our nature; do whatever we can to survive.

[Steven Wood]

One lesson that I really wanted to express through this story is that
mob mentality is very strong. Mob mentality, as seen in this short
story, is very powerful and can entice even the most moral people to
commit horrid crimes against fellow humans. This mob mentality is
seen in two powerful examples in this story. The first example is
seen in the rape seen of the story when the Hutu mob stormed into the
house searching for Maman. One of the many members of the mobbed
ultimately molested Monique; this rape was only stopped when the
Wizard rushed in and told him to stop. The second example is seen in
the hasty decisions throughout the entire story. The most obvious
hasty decision was the Tutsis raze of the house. This was such a
horrible decision because fellow Tutsis were hiding in the house and
were burned alive by the unknowing Tutsis.

On Feb 24, 2:50 pm, "Mr. Neary" <tjne...@gmail.com> wrote:

[Lizzy Hilt]

One lesson I really wanted to express through this story is the degree
of betrayal humans are capable of. When everything is stripped away,
and all you are left with only the instinct to survive, it your true
character shines through and your values are laid out, exposed to
everyone. In this case, it was literal. Monique’s father needed to
make a decision for his survival. And he single-handedly murdered his
wife with a machete. But this was the ultimate form of love. He saved
his children’s lives by killing his true love, and in my opinion, this
is the ultimate torture a person could be subjected to. On the other
hand, in the case of his brother, Tonton Andre murdered his pregnant
wife without moral justification. He slaughtered her for his own
selfishness. This is the difference between these two brothers. There
would be no children to come after the Hutus if Tonton Andre hadn’t
murdered his wife. These core values, the value of his own life, came
out only when he was subjected to these mortifying conditions. Another
powerful scene that demonstrated this was at the very end, when the
Tutsis set the house on fire. The screams of their own people didn’t
even draw them back to help. Their hatred of the Hutus was too strong
they ignored the bone chilling screams of their loved ones. Even the
ones being subjected to this brutal massacre were turned against each
other. They valued the killing of their murderers so much that in the
end, they became the killers themselves. It is devastating knowing
that you are of the same race of people who are capable of committing
these evil acts.

[Maddie Chapin]

One lesson that I really wanted to express through this story is the
feeling of wanting so badly to help, yet at the same time feeling
helpless. Throughout this devastating tale Monique continuously is
acting as the courageous figure for Jean, her younger brother. All
Monique wants to do is help her parents and everything to be back to
normal, although she is too naive to realize it won't ever be "normal"
again. When Monique scratches the picture of Tonton's face, this shows
her urge of wanting so badly help her parents, but she can't scratch
it because of the glass protecting it which shows her helplessness.
Another encounter Monique had with wanting to help was when the
citizens were hiding in her ceiling and all Monique wanted to do was
talk and listen to them, but later, she witnesses their death in the
fire which makes her feel helpless. Even when her mother died, Monique
refuses to face the reality of the situation and convinces herself
that her mother is okay and recovering, which she evidently is not.
The only way to essentially "fix" the situation was for Papa to kill
Maman. Papa wants to do the best for his family and most importantly,
his children, but also is faced with the extreme guilt and
helplessness of killing his own wife. There are numerous examples of
how the feeling of helplessness and, on the contrary, the urge of
wanting to help tie themselves into the story.

On Feb 24, 2:50 pm, "Mr. Neary" <tjne...@gmail.com> wrote:

[Claire Kirby]

One lesson the I really wantes to express through this story is that cruelty never ends and evil doesn't take no for an answer, and that everything can change in a matter of moments. Every character in this story go through hardships, some more significant than others, but nontheless nobody is spared. Monique, narrator and 10 year old half Hutu half Tutsi is first sexually assaulted on a night when her parents leave and she is left alone in the dark with her little brother, Jean. On this same night, the altar which is her responsibility is destroyed, leaving a shattered crucifix without Christ's image on it.  Jean, Monique's younger brother, doesn't experience something scarring like she does that night, but later looks on with Monique as their mother is killed by their father, the second time their house is raided by a mob. Finally, the two hide in the bushes and watch as their home is burned down, killing the people that their father tried to save. Monique and Jean's parents, on the other hand, are faced with the difficulties of their marriage (and eventually the mother's life) ending due to political pressure and cultural differences. The civil war going on everywhere around them has changed two young children's lives forever, losing their mother and essentially their father, losing their home, and running off into the night together.

[Leigh]

One lesson that I really wanted to express through this story is that one act of violence causes many more. When one person engages in violence, not only do they expect others to join them, but they cause their victims to seek revenge. In my story I tried to develop this by having Tonton Andre kill his wife, and then force Papa to do the same. Usually, if someone was forced to kill their wife they would never want anyone else to go through the same pain, but civil war makes people act irrationally. Another time where I attempted to express this message is when the second mob comes at the end of the story, seeking revenge for the lives they lost. Their people had faced awful discrimination, and they wouldn't let it go by unnoticed.

On Friday, February 24, 2012 2:50:47 PM UTC-5, Mr. Neary wrote:

[Ben Cohen]

One lesson that I really wanted to express through this story is that
you should cherish and enjoy what you have when it is still around
because things can be lost so easily. In this story my not only did I
lose my normal way of life, but I lost my mother. I had no idea that I
was going to lose my mother. I did not say proper goodbyes and was
totally mentally unprepared for it. On page 16 when I say," My mind is
no longer mine" and the whole following sequence shows that I was in
complete shock and wishing I could have back what I just lost. To go
along with the loss of my mother, i lost all the perks of my old life.
I could not trust either my mother or father's people at the end. My
community had gone into complete disarray. I went from being a wealthy
girl with a family and everything I could ever ask for, to being
practically parentless, homeless and having to take care of my little
brother. I still feel the way I did back then. On page 16 I say, I
want to sit with Maman forever...".

On Feb 24, 2:50 pm, "Mr. Neary" <tjne...@gmail.com> wrote:

[Rachel Hochberger]

One lesson that I really wanted to express through this story is the
importance of thinking for yourself, despite the fact that other
people are not. This story is filled with people, made desperate by
violence and chaos, who surrender their own beliefs and free will for
the safety of a mindless pack persecuting others based on a mere
label. What stood out about the main family was their courage and
bravery in this situation. When even their friends and families
sacrificed their dignity to hurt down their own comrades and
relatives, this family stood against it, even trying to hide others in
their attic. But I also wanted to express the heavy burden of the
choices a person has to make. Even though this family tried to do the
right thing when others clearly weren’t, they ended up paying the
consequences. The father is the ultimate example of this, because he
was the one who was ultimately forced to choose between his wife and
his kids, which he would have to live with.

[Colin Castro]

One lesson that I really wanted to express through this story is that in the ultimate face of adversity people change and act like creatures of new origin. The speed and the power of the Rwandan Genocide put Maman into a situation in which she placed herself in a safer situation of hiding, but isolated from her own children. The Rwandan extermination of Tutsis put the fear of god into Maman, and pushes her to ignore the most basic principle of motherhood which is protecting and loving your children. The toll of the genocide also breaks away Maman's calmness, love and outer beauty. After hiding in the secret section of the house Maman feels immense shame and this makes her unable to coddle her children, and she becomes bitter and moody in her prescence. Maman becomes aged, and lifeless throughout the fear. The Rwandan genocide also breaks away, and crumbles the character of Papa. Papa is a very back Hutu, and is described as a larger, happier man. Papa is loving to Monique and Jean. Monique even exclaims her love and confidence in Papa when he protected her from bullies. The scene in which Papa cleans up Monique after she was raped is powerful. It shows his love and appears to give Monique an opportunity to release the experience by seeing her garments trashed. Sadly, Papa transforms in the heat of his brother, and his hungry gang of delusional, blood-lusting killers. Papa murders his own wife in cold blood, he sees his wife's beautiful skin stain of blood. After this he leaves without a word to his children, it's as if Papa was being impersonated. While Papa protects his children, he leaves them and almost becomes eaten up by the mob within his fear. Ironically, this mob mentality hurts Jean and Monique as the Hutus murder their mother, and take their father, and the Tutsis burn their home.

[Jeremy Rhome]

One lesson that I really wanted to express through this story is the
innocence of children. Reading this shorty story through the
narrative of a child really made me understand the perspective of an
innocent child and also the incomprehensibility of genocide. Monique
learns slowly what is happening through a cloud of confusion. She
cannot fully understand what is happening up until the very end of the
story. Even when her mother was slain by her father, she still does
not believe her eyes. Throughout the story she kept questioning her
parents what was happening and why, only to be silenced by them.
Ironically, her lack of understanding of this genocide because of her
youth should serve as an example to people of all ages. The horrors
of genocide cannot be fully comprehended, and even though their are
reasons to target one group, the reasons far from justify the action
of killing mass amounts of people.

[Sarah M]

One lesson I wanted to express through this story is the psychological
impact of war-related trauma on children. When the mob raided
Monique's father's home, they forced him to kill his wife, and then
"spared" his children to move on to their next victims. This so-called
act of mercy was, some would say, even worse than if the children had
been slain. The psychological effect of war cannot be measured by a
person's absolute state of "alive" or "dead". This is because the loss
occurs in the child's mind, where traumatic images and words will stay
behind their eyes and ears for years to come. And though the pain will
subside and the brain will develop scar tissue to cover the wound, it
is never gone. In addition, the actions and decisions that she sees
adults make are, because of her age, creating a personal code and and
morale that will develop and change, but be primarily impacted by
these fundamental experiences. How will her morale be affected as she
witnesses the genocide of thousands of her own people?

[Drew Vollmer]

One lesson that I really wanted to express through this story is how
religion and superstition are such a huge part in African life. In one
character in particular, that being the "Wizard", this is very
prominent. The Wizard is a very pagan and shamanic man. If the Wizard
does not like a particular person, he hexes them with a curse. For
instance, he allegedly curses Helene's parents with AIDS, and also
curse Tantine Annette with a a string of miscarriages. Both of these
unfortunate events, in most of the world, have a definite, scientific
explanation, but in African society, they have no explanation, and
like most inexplicable things, religion and spirits take the blame.
Furthermore with the Wizard, one powerful scene shows how the
traditional African beliefs conflict with Christianity. While raiding
Monique's home, "he swings his stick at the crucifix, once, twice, and
Christ's body breaks the cross, crashing to the floor". Not only is
there distaste for tribal ethnicity, but also religion (There may be
some correlation between Christianity and Tutsi's seeing as they were
more accepted into the Belgian's culture, as opposed to Hutus).
Finally, as this crucifix is shattered, Monique tries her utmost
hardest to protect the sacred item, until the very end of the story.
At this point, and possibly the worst point emotionally, Monique and
her brother clutch and guard the glowing crucifix. Glowing or light
can often be attributed with hope, i.e. "a brighter future".
Therefore, it can be duly noted that in a live-or-die society like
Africa, religion and superstition play a huge role in both soothing
and inspiring these people to live another day.

On Feb 24, 2:50 pm, "Mr. Neary" <tjne...@gmail.com> wrote:

[Addy]

One lesson I that I really wanted to express through this story is the
power of a frenze. When people all get together and all have the same
twisted idea, that idea becomes the only reality. It leads people to
do crazy things. That mob mentlity is a huge part of this story. It
leads a man to kill his wife, and do other things, like mass genocide.
These crazy wild animalistic ideas aren't the thoughts and actions of
a sane, normal person. They only come about in certian circumstances,
namley a mob situation. THe power of these feelings and actions is
really what I wanted to convey.

On Feb 24, 2:50 pm, "Mr. Neary" <tjne...@gmail.com> wrote:

[Erica F]

One lesson that I really wanted to express through this story is the
power of hate. The idea that people kill innocent others out of hate
for their race in atrocious. Papa killed Maman, the love of his life,
because of his familie's hate for her race. Hate can overcome reason,
and in situations like these, hate leads to horrid violence. Maman and
papa were resigned to this fact when they came home the morning after
the break in-when Monique's attempts for affection were brushed off by
Maman, I knew that Maman had given up herself (including her role as a
mother) to the overwhelming hatred that would kill her. Even Andre,
who loved his wife as well as Maman, took part on killing the both of
them out of hate.

On Feb 24, 2:50 pm, "Mr. Neary" <tjne...@gmail.com> wrote:

[Alex Freedman]

One lesson that I really wanted to express through this story is that
you have to sacrifice everything for you family. In the story, Maman
first sacrifices her relationship with Monique & Jean by lying about
going out and instead hiding in the celing from the mob. She
sacrificed her trust with her daughter. Much later in the story, Maman
again sacrifices by giving her life in order to save the rest of her
family. Along the same lines, Papa murders his wife in order to
prevent the death of his children. It is revealed towards the end of
the story that Maman and Papa sacrificed their innocence in the mind
of the mob by hiding relatives and people that could be considered
like relatives in their ceiling. Throughout the story, this
"sacrifice" continues to occur, but in greater and greater amounts.
For example; Maman losing Monique's trust to Maman giving her life for
her children.