Women Breaking Boundaries

If the boundaries for women never evolved neither would society. The story of Antigone is about a young girl who stands up for what she believes in even if death is her consequence. Like Antigone, Madea too puts her foot down and demands her place in society.  These two women are unlike any of their time. They do not for the play their society’s stereotypical role for women of their day and are not afraid of the consequences their actions receive.

Antigone wants to bury her brother Polyneices, but according to King Creon that is a crime punishable and most certainly inevitable by death. Antigone does not care however. She thinks it is only right to bury her brother and does not care what happens, “But I will bury him; and if I must die, I say that this crime is Holy: I shall lie down With him in death, and I shall be as dear To him as he is to me”(Fitts, 192).  She knows exactly what she is getting herself in to but she does not care. Her passion is to stand for what she thinks is right, and she knows that burying her brother is exactly that. Death is not a factor and she goes through with the deed. Unfortunately Anitgone’s fight ends with the death from her own hands. She commits suicide after being sent away to live her life imprisoned in a dark cave excluded from her only immediate family left, Ismene, her sister, her husband to be and her hometown. In her time the women were suppose to be quiet and listen to what ever men told them to do. It was unheard of for a girl to stand up to her husband never mind the king. She thought for herself and only herself.

Medea struggles wit her husband’s, Jayson’s, decision to remarry his new wife, the daughter of King Creon. She comes up with a gruesome plan to kill her children out of spite, and Jayson’s soon to be bride. She sends a dress of poison to her and she dies almost instantaneously after putting it on. Along side of her, her father, the king dies also. Then Medea completes the act with the murders of her own children. When Jayson confronts Medea, she rides off on a chariot provided by her father, the god of the sun.  Medea is a mother. Stereotypically she is supposed to watch over her children. She is supposed to do the housework and raise her family. She does not fit the guidelines of a nurturing mother at all. Her hunger for revenge out ways the value of her children’s life.

            Although both these women lived in a time where women with opinions and voices were unheard of they made sure they were heard loud and clear. Antigone and Medea did not fit the stereotype of women in their day. They were far more evolved then the women of their time and much braver then most women today.

Genocides of Today

Numerous Genocides are happening in the world today.  After the Holocaust people thought that it would be next to impossible to have another genocide happen, but as people sit back, they ignore the desperate calls of the modern day genocides happening.  To find a solution to putting a stop to these horrific events we need to find out why they happen in the first place.

 Most often I have read and come to find that these genocides come from disagreements between two groups of people, usually one is being neglected and refused their rights. As Grant Solis has mentioned the Tutsi and the Hutu people had a disagreement over power.  In 1933 the Hutu president was assassinated. The Tutsi wanted nothing to do with the Hutu. A year later the president of Rwanda’s plane was shot down, violence erupted.

Another genocide of today takes place in Darfur, Africa. This one also began after disagreements between different groups. As Holly Mathews has mentioned, the African people in Darfur were being neglected. They need protection from outside groups so they went to the government to ask for their rights. The government responded by sending a militia group known as the Janjaweed. The people of Darfur have been raped and brutally murdered. The violence continues to go on today.

Genocides happen because one group of people is being neglected compared to another one. Something needs to happen to ensure fair rights between all people. Genocides will continue to happen until this ongoing, and growing problem continues to happen.

A Genocide in the Present Day

People would imagine that after the Holocaust genocides would be almost impossible to happen. Still to this day genocides are happening. Does history repeat itself? Of course, over and over again. Genocides have been happening repeatedly since the Holocaust took place and still people are just standing by watching, doing nothing. History will continue to repeat itself while bystanders continue to sit by and not take action.

Out of the many genocides in present day takes place in Darfur, Africa. In 2003 the SLA (Sudan Liberation Army) and JEM (Justice and Equality Movement) went to the government to demand better treatment and protection against outer forces. The government’s response was not what the village people were looking for[1]. Now a government supported militia, Janjaweed, is murdering the African farmers along with others who live in that area.[2] So far in this genocide alone, 400,000 people have been killed, on average that is 5,000 a month. Almost 2.5 million people have had to move due o he danger in their villages.

However the government does not admit to being associated with Janjaweed, also known as the Devil’s on horseback. The International Criminal Court (ICC) has started to investigate the crimes involves in Darfur, merely just a first step to a huge problem. Although the ICC is trying to help Darfur’s situation and the government claims that they do not have any association with Janjaweed, they refuse to cooperate with the ICC.

As the genocide continues peace between the North and the South continues to diminish. In 2005 a peace agreement was signed by both regions. Now that the genocide has been going on for over seven years tensions are growing. The Sudan’s People Liberation Movement has accused the Khartoum government of providing weapons to regions in the South. This ongoing problem is only enabling the genocide to continue.[3]

Men and boys have been killed in large quantities. Women and girls are raped daily. Entire villages have been destroyed. Since all of the villagers and farmers are being murdered it is estimated that 3.5 million civilians will be in urgent care of food soon. The climate in Darfur has made it increasingly hard to bring any aid to these desperate souls in need. Darfur is a remote region in Africa. There are no close by bodies of water and the rainy season has made it almost impossible to get to. Any aid that was coming into Darfur has almost come to a halt completely.  Not only is this genocide due to horrible violence, but also lack of nutrition and food. [4] The people in this region are desperate for help. People say that the world learns from it’s past, but as time goes on it just seems t repeat itself.

[1] "United Human Rights Council." The United Human Rights Council. Web. 01 Mar. 2012. <http://www.unitedhumanrights.org/genocide/genocide-in-sudan.htm>.

[2] "Genocide in Darfur, Sudan." Darfur Scorecard. Web. 01 Mar. 2012. <http://www.darfurscores.org/darfur>.

[3] "Sudan." Genocide Intervention Network. Web. 01 Mar. 2012. <http://www.genocideintervention.net/area_of_concern/sudan>.

[4] "Genocide in Darfur - How the Horror Began." - Sudan Tribune: Plural News and Views on Sudan. Web. 01 Mar. 2012. <http://www.sudantribune.com/Genocide-in-Darfur-How-the-Horror,11445>.

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Mentor Text

          As I continue to wright my story I find it hard to create several differant voices. One or two isn't bad but I find myself continuing to re-use the same vocabulary and slang. My mentor text was a colaberation of short stories from a variety of people.
          My favorite story among stories was that of, "The Janitor". He had an interesting story to tell. I could almost picture exactly what he looked like and what his job consisted of. I found myself drifting off and living the lines he wrote. I felt I too was a part of the story watching him from abroad. I know that I need to do this also. I have several differant stories but I felt like there was not enough individuality between my differant characters. My mentor text really helped me to colaborate a short story with variety. I want the reader to feel like they are really reading stories of the differant "shoes" and not ones that I myself just made up.
         The janitor doesn't tell his life story. He tells just his routine and what his jobs consists of. He has to clean apartment buildings,continue to shovel coal  into an oven all night, and shovel walk ways in the snow. He never tells of his personal life. He never tells of his chilhood or what great struggles he has been through. He tells a minor part of his life and the reader is able to identify who he really is. His hole entire character is put out on a plate just from a small excerpt of his job. I want to be able to share a small factor in my character's life but lay out an entire story, unwritten. I njoyed my mentor text a lot. I feel that short stories also entice the reader more. They are never getting bored because there's always a new story to be written. So far I am confident in my story, and using a mentor text helps a lot in the wrighting practise.