Hopelessness In Heart Is A Lonely Hunter Essay - 1480 Words

Hopelessness in The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter Carson McCullers novel, The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter, takes place in a small town in the deep south during the mid-twentieth century. The book closely follows a diverse group of five residents that are loosely tied together. They include Singer, a deaf mute, Benedict Copeland, a well educated black doctor, Jake Blount, a politically zealous transient, Mick Kelly, a young girl, and Biff Brannon, a middle aged man that owns a diner. As the book progresses the characters find themselves in non-ideal circumstances. The characters all want something they cant have and it gradually becomes clear that they are powerless to obtain it. The outlook continues to grow bleak for the characters as time†¦show more content†¦He feels hopeless and alone without his friend, and there is nothing he can do to change his circumstances. The companionship he gains from the other characters does little to take away from the longing he has for Antonapoul os. His hopelessness and despair peaks when Antonapoulos dies. As a result, Singer takes his own life. Singers death hits all of the other characters very hard. He was a rock for all of them, and when he dies they all slip further into hopelessness. Dr. Copeland spent his entire life trying to enlighten others, especially members of his own race. The book says, He always knew he was meant to teach his people (mccullers, 74). He tries to educate his children about justice and equality, but to his disappointment they dont even speak in an intelligent way. As hard as he tries, no one seems to heed his words of wisdom. Dr. Copeland is not a religious man, and this appears to hinder his ability to relate to the local black community. While he is highly respected, the people will dismiss anything he says that contradicts their religious beliefs. Dr. Copeland is highly frustrated by this. His bitterness worsens when his son, Willie, is abused so badly while on a chain gain that he must ha ve both of his legs amputated. The one thing that Dr.Copeland wants more than anything in the world is justice for African-Americans in his community. When he goes to appeal for justice fromShow MoreRelated Byrons Depression Reflected in Manfred Essay1944 Words   |  8 Pages Byrons Swiss tour and Manfred hit close to home for me. Not because I have traveled Switzerland, but because at one time in my life, I also experienced feelings of alienation and hopelessness. Therefore, I was quite intrigued by Dr Mialls notion of trauma in Manfred. I think he makes a compelling argument, especially when he pairs the notion of trauma with Freuds theory on the causes of trauma, but I do not necessarily agree with him entirely. While Dr Mialls theory is sound, I do not thinkRead MoreUnderstanding the Frankenstein Monster3331 Words   |  14 Pagestakes on the role of the child and is the recipient of â€Å"maternal† rejection. As soon as the monster comes to life, Victor is filled with intense revulsion. He explains, â€Å"The beauty of the dream vanished, and breathless horror and disgust filled my heart† (Shelley, 42). From that quote, it is learned that Victor’s rejection of the Frankenstein monster was immediate. Moreover, Victor’s actions are similar to that of infant rejection. For example, Victor’s immediate reaction was to lock the monsterRead MoreLord of the Flies by William Golding2631 Words   |  10 Pageseventual tendencies to succumb to human nature: â€Å"Left alone on the island of the self, man discovers the reality of his own dark heart†¦a raw, instinctive appeal for help, for rescue (Baker). When left to oneself in an unfamiliar place, one reaches the highest limits of one’s tolerance and snaps, unintentionally becoming increasingly primitive. As man grows more savage at heart, his whole being follows suit, and eventually the darker side of man’s nature inevitably wins, proving to the world the truthRead MoreStephen P. Robbins Timothy A. Judge (2011) Organizational Behaviour 15th Edition New Jersey: Prentice Hall393164 Words   |  1573 PagesAttitudes Make Organizations More Profitable† 83 Point/Counterpoint Employer–Employee Loyalty Is an Outdated C oncept 87 Questions for Review 88 Experiential Exercise What Factors Are Most Important to Your Job Satisfaction? 89 Ethical Dilemma Bounty Hunters 89 Case Incident 1 Long Hours, Hundreds of E-Mails, and No Sleep: Does This Sound Like a Satisfying Job? 90 Case Incident 2 Crafting a Better Job 91 4 Emotions and Moods 97 What Are Emotions and Moods? 98 The Basic Emotions 100 †¢ The Basic

Capital Punishment Persuasive Essay - 1786 Words

Nearly half of the world today has capital punishment laws in place. With a large percentage of those countries, maintaining moratoriums for more than 10 years. and the other half of the country s abolishing capital punishment . Here in the United States, we practice capital punishment for those that commit some of the most heinous of offenses . The United State has struggled to justify capital punishment with 18 states abolishing the practice and almost all states having a history of abolishment at one point in their history. In the poem Capital Punishment the narrator gives us a description of a post execution from the perspective of a cook preparing the last meal. The cook never comes out directly and tells us he is against the execution of his fellow inmate ,but he gives us the idea that he is sympathetic to what is about to happen to his fellow inmate. The poem starts out with the cook telling us that condemned Indian man s last meal was meager and simple. Then the stanza(I am n ot a witness)(Alexie) is placed for the first time out of five in the poem not to indicate that he was or was not a witness to something, but to let the reader know that he was speaking of things he might not be right about. His use of this phrase is used to let the reader know that he was about change ideas and the reader a new point about why the death penalty is wrong. The author also used parentheses instead of any other punctuation with the remark not to quantify his statement in theShow MoreRelatedPersuasive Essay : Capital Punishment1200 Words   |  5 PagesPersuasive Essay Ethan Martin Communications 100 October 18th 2015 Capital Punishment Capital punishment, which is also known as the death penalty, is the punishment of a crime by execution. This extreme retribution is reserved for those who have committed heinous, or capital crimes against society, therefore considered an ongoing threat. Capital punishment was abolished from the Canadian Criminal Code in 1976. It was substituted with a compulsory life sentence without possibilityRead More Persuasive Essay Against Capital Punishment753 Words   |  4 PagesPersuasive Essay Against Capital Punishment â€Å"Kill. (Verb) To make someone or something die.† Does anyone really think they have the right to take another person’s life? Apparently yes. Perhaps we should give the judge a knife and tell her that if she has decided that the accused is guilty, she should stab him herself. Perhaps then she would hesitate. But if many people (hundreds or thousands who operate the judicial system) are involved, it spreads, or evenRead MorePersuasive Essay On Capital Punishment1723 Words   |  7 PagesCapital punishment is a form of execution sanctioned by the government as a form of punishment to the capital law offenders by the death penalty. The kind of criminal offenses that punishment is through death is the capital offenses to which include treason, genocide, espionage, murder, war crimes and crimes against humanity. This kind of sentence majorly aims at the major heinous crimes. This type of the penalty is majorly carried out through various means depending on the country in question.Read MorePersuasive Essay for Pro Capital Punishment1283 Words   |  6 PagesPersuasive Essay Why Capital Punishment Should Remain in Effect Stefanie Ridgway DeVry University, ENGL 112 Professor Adams April 19, 2010 Capital punishment, otherwise known as the death penalty, has been effective tool in our country’s justice system since its inception. When an inmate is given this, the harshest sentence available, it is always with just cause. Capital Punishment is an important tool in our criminal justice system today and there are several reasons it should remainRead MorePersuasive Essay On Capital Punishment1031 Words   |  5 Pages Capital punishment is an issue that has long been debated amongst Americans. We have been questioning the morality of an Eye For an Eye way of thinking. Many say that serious crimes deserve serious punishments such as death, where others view death to be an unjust punishment for any crime. Each side seems to be equal in its volume of supporters. There are also many who ride the fence on the issue, unconvinced of either side. I, however, am writing to illustrate the immoral view of capital punishmentRead MorePersuasive Essay On Capital Punishment1621 Words à ‚  |  7 PagesThe use of capital punishment in the United States has been the center of a heated debate for nearly six decades. Prior to the 1960’s society accepted the idea that the interpretation of the fifth, eighth, and fourteenth amendment permitted the use of capital punishment; however, it was suggested in the 1960’s that capital punishment constituted â€Å"cruel and unusual punishment†. (www.deathpenaltyinfo.org) â€Å"In 1958, the Supreme Court had decided that the Eighth Amendment contained an evolving standardRead MorePersuasive Essay On Capital Punishment1414 Words   |  6 PagesCapital punishment is a heated topic in today’s America. Capital punishment is the repercussion of a capital crime; most capital crimes committed in America are murders. The crime of murder can be punishable by the death penalty. A great way to stop future killing from happening is capital punishment but it is only currently allowed in 32 of the 50 states. Murder in America is at such a high rate that there needs to be something done to help stop the climbing rate. In Edward Koch’s essay â€Å"Death andRead MorePersuasive Essay On Capital Punishment921 Words   |  4 PagesCapital punishment is a controversial debate in the United States. Many Americans believe that the death penalty is immoral because of its ethical complications. Still others believe that capital punishment is a cheaper and quicker way for justice to be served. When the government houses inmates, vast amounts of money are spent on food, medication, and clothing for inmates to survive in prison. Yet, the majority of America still allows for the practice of capital punishment in several manners suchRead MorePersuasive Essay On Capital Punishment906 Words   |  4 PagesWhen talking about social injustices, capital punishment is the worst one of all. It is the final straw of any government sanctioned disciplinary action. There is no going back, no reversing or patch ing up mistakes. When a government makes the decision to exact capital punishment on someone, that’s it. They can no longer redeem themselves, atone for their sins, and try to contribute to society in a good, well-mannered way because they will no longer exist in this world. This act of ‘justice’ is clearlyRead MoreCapital Punishment : Persuasive Essay1844 Words   |  8 PagesDeAnna Pirrie ENG 201 Troxell A2D1 Illegalization of Capital Punishment Audience: Citizens of States with Capital Punishment â€Å"Two wrongs don’t make a right† is a saying that a lot of mothers use with their children regarding their actions. This saying also goes hand in hand with the issue of capital punishment. Capital punishment has been a penalty for crimes in the United States since before the Declaration of Independence was created. Some states have abolished this type of penalty for criminals;

The Scarlet Letter, By Nathaniel Hawthorne - 1726 Words

Hester’s righteous battle against the villagers in defending her name does nothing more than display her courage and respectability. Throughout the novel, â€Å"The Scarlet Letter,† Nathaniel Hawthorne manages to implement various symbols in order to add meaning and understanding of certain aspects of the novel. In the novel, many symbols, such as the â€Å"Black Man,† are conflicted in the idea of meaning between the Puritans of the society and Hawthorne, but at the same time, some uses of symbolism represent similar ideas, as conveyed by the author. Hawthorne’s uses of symbolism represent the same religious idea as in comparison between Hawthorne and the Puritans, but some contrast the Puritan beliefs and rather are presented to foreshadow†¦show more content†¦Within the novel, both Hawthorne and the Puritans bring up the idea and relevance of the black man and what he represents. Hawthorne and the Puritans of the society both have religious af filiations pertaining to the â€Å"Black Man.† The significance of the black man within the novel is immense because as the novel progresses the belief of who truly is the black man differentiates among individuals in the story. Through the eyes of the Puritans, the â€Å"Black Man† is a representation of the devil himself; however, in the novel the â€Å"Black Man† and his meaning changes. Hawthorne initially uses the â€Å"Black Man† to represent the devil, but later, he associates the â€Å"Black Man† with Dimmesdale, Chillingworth, and Mistress Hibbins. This is relevant because he is emphasizing the change in each individual to the point in which they are a spiritual representation of the devil to an extent. The â€Å"Black Man† essentially means evil. As a result, he uses the phrase to describe Dimmesdale and Chillingworth because of their neglection of their love ones, they are thus being evil. Chillingworth’s evil stems from hi s obsessive behavior towards his revenge against Dimmesdale for stealing his wife away. Therefore, his continuous envy and rage developed him into a man of pure evil, not caring what is good or bad but simply what he wants. In

Boy-Girl Relationship - 1147 Words

BGR BGR, what does it stand for? BGR stands for boy-girl relationship. What is it you might ask? Is it the intimate relationship between a boy and girl? Courtship? The relationship that holds a marriage together? Or is it just a typical relationship between a boy and girl? To be frank, it is all of the above stated. BGR is all about the relationship between a male and female whether it is intimate or not. Relationships are very important in our lives. It is what strives us to be who we are and it is able to change the character of person, depending on the relation that is established and the intention of a person of what he/she wants to gain from it, but above all else, relationships are still important. Moving†¦show more content†¦As evidence for my statement, we see many suicide cases these days, which is sourced from broken BGRs or BGRs that have gone absolutely wrong. The third reason I will give is that many relationships are influenced by the media these days. From media I mean to say movies and television drama series that are being aired around the world. We see many romantic scenes and all of these scenes tend to influence a person to get involved in an intimate relationship and they will run the relationship based on what they know from that influence the received. In the end, it is most ironic to see that most of those relationships turning upside down because they are unable to become heroes or to do some heroic deed. For my next part, I would like to say that despite of all those objections, the core of a relationship should be the heart of the people involved as well as their maturity, as I have stated earlier. If both parties involved are willing to commit fully to the relationship and are able to think and draw out the consequences of whatever might happen and how to solve it, I would say that there would be no problem in that relationship unless one party screws up the whole relationship. Many a times when a relationship goes i nto jeopardy is because one party is not as committed asShow MoreRelatedThe Relationship between Height and Weight of Boys and Girls Essay examples856 Words   |  4 PagesThe Relationship between Height and Weight of Boys and Girls Recently due to the media and the government the weight of children has been discussed. It is believed that children are now becoming obese and are now more overweight than children in the past. This had led to public becoming worried about the health of the future generation because there is currently an increase in the number of coronary heart diseases, which are linked to obesity and lavish lifestyle. Read MoreFilm Review: Bhaji on the Beach1614 Words   |  6 Pageswho seem to live in their own little world. The struggling middle-aged women, lacking the strength to oppose the traditional values according to which theyve been brought up. And the younger girls, whose main concern seems to be integrating themselves with wider British society. One of the younger girls is pregnant, and another is hiding from her abusive husband. These transgressions of traditional values make for a great deal of tension within the group, lending a pleasant dramatic irony toRead MoreEngaging Into a Boy-Girl Relationship at a Young Age: for Better or for Worse?3123 Words   |  13 PagesENGAGING INTO A BOY-GIRL RELATIONSHIP AT A YOUNG AGE: FOR BETTER OR FOR WORSE? A Term Paper Presented to Mrs. In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements in English 4 by xfx February 2009 TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter Page I. Introduction†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦...1 II. Statement of the Problem†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.1 A. Objectives†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦1-2 B. Hypothesis†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦...2 III. Presentation, Analyses and Interpretation of the Data†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..2-7Read MoreThe Relationship Between Boy And Girl And Young People Who Make Up Our Microsystem1323 Words   |  6 Pagesdevelopment of their mental and intellectual faculties, guide them with affection of a natural state of dependency and immaturity, one of progressive independence, social and emotional maturity. It is expected that from the first interactions, the boy or girl can build self-knowledge, learn their own value, gain their emotional security, their emotional and empathic capacity, healthy sexual development, language, appropriation norms and values, thus building the basis of their own sociability. FinallyRead MoreA Pleasurable And Educational Preschool Observation1271 Words   |  4 Pagesplaytime in Staten Island, New York. The class consisted of eight children, and one certified preschool teacher. There were 4 boys and 4 girls in the class. During my sixty minute observation I noticed several instances of dramatic play, peer relationships, relationships with adults, and self-control. Dramatic Play During my observation, I witnessed a group of two- one boy and one girl-playing house. According to Hutchinson (2011) children often use playing house as an opportunity to explore reality andRead MoreThe Influences of Family Structure on Delinquency Essay559 Words   |  3 PagesThis paper is based off of the article titled, The Effects of Family Type, Family Relationships and Parental Role Models on Delinquency and Alcohol Use Among Flemish Adolescents. All material that is written in this paper uses information gleaned from the article. The article discusses a study of Flemish youth and how different family environments effect youth turning into delinquents as well as effecting alcohol consumption. The article explains the results of questionnaire that was administeredRead MoreBL manga1197 Words   |  5 Pagestypes of manga, such as romantic, fighting, funny, but one type of manga has pop-up in this industry these decades and becoming more and more acceptable in Japan, espec ially girls. It is called BL manga. BL, which is the short form of BOY’S LOVEï ¼Ë†Ã£Æ'Å"ãÆ' ¼Ã£â€š ¤Ã£â€š ºÃ£Æ' ©Ã£Æ'â€"ï ¼â€°, which is a kind of manga that features the love story between two boys. This kind of manga can’t be recognized as such main-stream as the other kinds of manga, but it definitely has its market. The topic of BL has been used not only in manga, butRead More Examine the reasons for changes in the educational attainment of males1017 Words   |  5 Pagesrecent years (20 marks) For the past recent years girls have significantly outperformed boys in educational attainment and this is due to a number of factors. The GCSE results for 2000 and 2001 shows the degree to which the percentage of girls achieving grades A*-C exceeded that of boys. In 2002, 62.4% of female GCSE entrants achieved grades A*-C, compared with 53.4% of males. Research published in 2003 shows that the gap between girls and boys widens as they grow older. The most recent barrierRead MoreChildren Relational Aggression : Effect Of Children Aggressive On Peers Interaction And Gender Differences1579 Words   |  7 Pages The Effect of Children Aggression on Peers Interaction And Gender Differences In the expression of aggression Relationships with peers have significant importance in the lives of very young children by allowing them to experiment with roles and relationships and develop social cognitive and behavioral skills (Walker, 2004 ). However, many things interrupt children’s ability to interact positively with their peers: aggressiveness, feelingRead MoreDifferentiated Learning And Its Positive Effects On Gender1333 Words   |  6 Pagescouple becomes aware that they are waiting for a baby, they anticipate whether it is a boy or a girl. Because baby s gender will determine a lot of things, such as what color to paint baby s room, what kind of toys, and what color clothes to buy. After the newborn comes into the world, his or her gender plays an even more important role. Parents start to learn that boys love action, and are less fearful, while girls thrive on communicating and are good with their hands. Consequently, gender, also

Man And Superman monologue from the play by George Bernard Shaw Essay Example For Students

Man And Superman monologue from the play by George Bernard Shaw Essay A monologue from the play by George Bernard Shaw NOTE: This monologue is reprinted from Man and Superman. Bernard Shaw. New York: Brentano\s, 1903. TANNER: You, Tavy, are an artist: that is, you have a purpose as absorbing and as unscrupulous as a woman\s purpose. The true artist will let his wife starve, his children go barefoot, his mother drudge for his living at seventy, sooner than work at anything but his art. To women he is half vivisector, half vampire. He gets into intimate relations with them to study them, to strip the mask of convention from them, to surprise their inmost secrets, knowing that they have the power to rouse his deepest creative energies, to rescue him from his cold reason, to make him see visions and dream dreams, to inspire him, as he calls it. He persuades women that they may do this for their own purpose whilst he really means them to do it for his. He steals the mother\s milk and blackens it to make printers\ ink to scoff at her and glorify ideal women with. He pretends to spare her the pangs of child-bearing so that he may have for himself the tenderness of fostering that belong of right to her ch ildren. Since marriage began, the great artist has been known as a bad husband. But he is worse: he is a child-robber, a bloodsucker, a hypocrite, and a cheat. Perish the race and wither a thousand women if only the sacrifice of them enable him to act Hamlet better, to paint a finer picture, to write a deeper poem, a greater play, a profounder philosophy! For mark you, Tavy, the artist\s work is to shew us ourselves as we really are. Our minds are nothing but this knowledge of ourselves; and he who adds a jot to such knowledge creates new mind as surely as any woman creates new men. In the rage of that creation he is as ruthless as the woman, as dangerous to her as she to him, and as horribly fascinating. Of all human struggles there is none so treacherous and remorseless as the struggle between the artist man and the mother woman. Which shall use up the other? that is the issue between them. And it is all the deadlier because, in your romanticist cant, they love one another.

I was in New York City in 1997 when I heard about the death of Aunty Essay Example For Students

I was in New York City in 1997 when I heard about the death of Aunty Essay I was in New York City in 1997 when I heard about the death of Aunty. When the call came in, I was alone in our tiny Manhattan apartment. It was on the corner of 145th Street and 7th Avenue. Immediately, I hurried into a C-shaped chamber I shared with Perry Winn at the time. Holding back tears definitely was not an option. According to the caller, she had died a mysterious death in Tabou, Ivory Coast. Actually, Aunty was not my aunt, as one may immediately assume. She was my long-time friend. She was my first love. Her father, Mr. Alfred Kenta, was a combined lawyer and local civil right activist. He spent the bulk of his time in Zwedru, Grand Gedeh County, where he had a government job. Auntys mother we simply her called Oldma chose not to follow her husband. She stayed back in Jarkaken, the same town where Aunty was born and brought up. Before I forget to mention it, Auntys real name was Comfort Sawlode Kenta. Her folks and eventually the entire Jarkaken community affectionately called her by a play-play name, as nickname is widely known in that rural part of Liberia. She was known as Aunty-baby, or simply Aunty. It is hard for me to forget many of the events that occurred in Jarkaken, especially while growing up there. I would love to re-live some of my most memorable moments from those days, but thats not achievable in this life. Aunty and I met while I was visiting the town from Wodayken, which was a tiny agricultural settlement built several miles away from Jarkaken. I was in the town to prepare for an enlistment into a male ritual. At the time we started dating, I was going on thirteen years of age, and Aunty was a year younger. We actually did not initiate the love affair. It was Auntys friend who played matchmaking for us. Her name was Cecelia Kanee Warner. We called her by her Grebo name, Kanee. I believe she was the oldest in our pack. She was notorious for fighting other kids. She was always caught fighting during recess at Kaytoken Junior High School. Her father, Oldman Sankon Warner, was an elementary science teacher. Her mother enjoyed singing in the local Assemblies of God church choir. The Warners were very active members in the A. G. Church. Aunty was a very beautiful girl; unfortunately, she never thought of herself in that way. Her eyes though very healthy looked different or atypical. They were assumed largely by the general public to be abnormal even though she saw the world just like any healthy person. Aunty was painfully bothered by grayish dots on her eyes. As if by design, each eye had one of the peculiar dots. Some kids made painful jokes about the dots. Occasionally, even some adults were downright insensitive and inconsiderate towards her. But according to my best recollection, Iforh Sayon Chea, a friend of mine, was the very first to truly and indeed heartlessly hurt my girls feelings. He was the architect of this demeaning portrayal of Auntys condition: bird-shit eyes. These were the vicious words he had coined and despicably used to depict the young womans terrible condition. Aunty was really uncomfortable with her condition, to say the least. I noticed that she was too shy to talk to me about her eyes. She did not tell me anything about Sayons offensive name-calling. She did not tell me about anyone else being mean to her. In fact, she never talked to me about her eyes. Equally, I never brought the topic up either. Clearly, my attitude was indifference; I saw a beautiful girl every time. Any eye-related issues I heard came from Kanee or another source. But I know one thing. The number one most-demeaning depiction that stood out among others was bird shit. The sound of this insult was enough, no matter who said it, to trigger Auntys excruciating emotions. Typically, she either ran home or into a self-imposed isolation. Other times she simply kneed with her face down and sobbed bitterly. The families of Kanee and Aunty were neighbors. Their houses were located in the borough of Karwea, not very far from the Prime Timber Product PTP sawmill. Thats how the t wo ladies became friends. Because Kanee liked to fight, she naturally provided a shield for Aunty. You may be surprised to hear that Kanee, the fighter, was also a compassionate figure that provided a shoulder for Aunty to cry on. Every time an inconsiderate person used the infamous curse words that depicted her condition, Kanee made sure to stand up physically for her friend. She never let her down. Because of the way the two carried themselves, some people thought the young ladies were sisters. Sometimes Aunty had to defend herself in the absence of Kanee and other good Samaritans. She was strong, but she was vertically challenged, or she was a very short person. She clearly stood well under sixty inches tall. There was an inferred height disadvantage every time she took on someone. She was a very stubborn girl, too. It always took long time for peacemakers to physically control her every time she had to physically confront someone. It is fair to say that she was bothered more by on-lookers than by name-calling kids in Jarkaken. Majority of the time, the kids showed disciplinary restraint. A great majority of the children hardly attacked Auntys eyes, and the few that intermittently attacked her did so while under extreme emotional stresses, which she might have induced. When it comes to Aunty, my memories will naturally continue to fade; however, they will never die. With that said, I do not remember the day or month we started dating. But I remember vividly the year. It was in 1984. Even though we were in the same school not same class, we interacted minimally at that setting. Our first real meeting, as far as I can remember, occurred at a local dance in the front of Mr. Wilson Swens residence. Mr. Swen was a prominent member in the town who was known for his propensity to defend the rights of people, especially women and the youth. Mr. Swen invited the young to a newly coined youth dance. The youth called it Jumayee. It was the only youth dance in the town. A fairly sizeable number of people over 45 showed little tolerance for the new dance. Mr. Jacob Chelae Belleh, an elderly man whose house was adjacent to Mr. Swen, used to go over and seize the drums the young used. . Of course, there was an underlying reason for the intolerance. The town of Jarkaken, along with other communities, had banned an earlier version of the dance, which was called Konbo. The new generation of youth had altered Konbos previously favorable traditional lyrics and had embarked on lyrics that were extremely naughty in nature. They used to direct sexually explicit words towards the towns females. The town felt compelled to put an end to the madness, permanently. Obviously, the banning of Konbo did not produce any positive change, such as the curtailing of youths unfavorable behavior toward decency and basic moral principles. Jumayee did not deviate from Konbo, as was evident from the following lyrical phrase: Bo wlede, e kpa Snehwiaa Pen. In other words, If you are late to the dance, you will be stuck with Snehwiahs Salamander. This lyrical comment was addressed primarily to males seeking sexy women. The phrase heartlessly depicted Girlju, Oldman Snehwiahs daughter. She was not ugly, but she was too small and tall. She had delayed entry into the puberty world; at the age of 12 she virtually had no breasts. Many boys said she was too slim and bony. They vehemently repudiated the notion of being in her presence, especially during the day. If some male was seen with her in isolation, he had essentially ruined his image. So, the young lady was mostly kept in isolation because not very many boys ÃÆ' ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“ especially the ones her peers dated wanted to ruin their prestige by stooping so low. They viciously and unsympathetically mentioned her name in their lyrics and equated her to a local amphibian. The young girl was humiliated because she was likened to a large but seemingly paled lazar. It was these kinds of issues that had triggered the banning of Konbo in the first place. Clearly, the Konbo biases were still present in the new dance. Well, while Jumayee was in progress, Aunty said she was in love with me. That was according to Kanee, the matchmaker. She asked Kanee to intervene in order to put us together. Kanee agreed to play the role. She knew that Aunty was too shy to tell me. That night, I was one of the singers at the dance. By the way, I was equally guilty because I sang offensive Konbo-like lyrics, too. Conan Doyle EssayJacob Nyenpans palm trees. I waited there for about 30 minutes, but I did not see Aunty. So, I left the site without my shoes. On my way to the house, I passed a few people. Because they had no knowledge about what had happened, they bothered not to look down at my feet. No one noticed that I was walking home without any shoes. While sitting under the palms that night, I also overheard her mother saying, I will take you to Saylees house tomorrow so you will marry your husband, Wilfred. Immediately, and for the first time, I became concerned that my folks were going to know I was sexually active. I stayed up the rest of the night thinking of what to say to my dad. Obviously, denying that something had happened was totally out of the choices I was weighing. The Oldma had convincing evidence that I was in her house. In her possession were my Janynidia, as the sanders were also called locally. Early the next day, say about 8am, my cousin RJ came to the house to visit. I explained everything that happened the night before to him. I even showed him some flip-flops slippers on my feet, and added, The Oldma has my sanders. It was a serious issue for me; RJ knew that, too. But somehow we caught ourselves laughing. I told another cousin, Saybeh Swen, and we tried to laugh it off, too. Iforh or I. F. found out much later. By noon, Mr. Josiah S. Winn, my father, sat under his almond tree. The tree had been in front of our house for well over a decade. By the time of my trouble, it had grown so big and tall or short, just the way we wanted it. We artificially controlled its height and how far it branched out. We used to cut the top-most branches. Regular trimming allowed it to grow new branches near the cut sites. The family regularly continued this grooming process during the life of the tree. The concept behind this was to have a tree with many branches. It also did not allow the tree to grow too tall. An opposite of this process would have resulted to a tall and weak tree that could not have withstood strong winds. During the sunny season, the manipulated tree provided adequate shade anytime of the day for those who sought refuse from the towns excessive heat. The front of our house gradually evolved into a recreational setting. Children, youth and adults alike frequented under the tree to play several of the towns popular games: marbles, ludu and the game of checkers. Some came to the tree not necessarily to visit us but to simply sit down and relax. The Oldma kept her words; she came to my fathers house. However, she did not arrive until much later in the afternoon. I wondered why so late considering the fact that she had been infuriated the night before. At about 2pm, she showed up to our house with my sanders in her hands. She walked behind Aunty who was setting the pace at which they traveled. They did not enter our house, but unlike the few folks that were utilizing the tree for recreational purposes, Aunty and her mother cared very little about tree-ameliorated comfort. They meant business that afternoon. The Oldma was not coming to sit under a shaded almond tree. Had that been the case, she would have sat under Mr. Jacob Nyenpans palms, which stood just a stone throw from her familys house. The Oldma was coming to talk about a troubled kid who had entered her house unannounced and slept in her daughters room. She was coming to confront an inexperienced trespasser. She knew the felon by name. She knew the person that left the shoes, which served as the elements of identification that facilitated investigators to point a finger at the perpetrator. With mountainous proof on hand, how could this intruder have denied any of the charges anyway? He was basically a sitting duck waiting to be picked up. My father was still under the tree when the Oldma and her daughter arrived with my sanders. She wasted no time: Last night, your son was illegally in my house. He was caught sleeping in my daughters room. In fact he jumped out the window and left these shoes. Before my dad could say something, she tossed the shoes in my general direction. A few bystanders giggled. Then she added, This is why I am here with my daughter. I have brought her to marry your son, Wilfred. . My father politely handled his friends concerns. Without further saying a word, she gestured the acceptance of dads apology and departed. As for Aunty, she only stayed for an hour or two, and then she followed her mother. Case closed! My father did not say anything to me in front of the Oldma. He did not say something to me immediately after her departure. His silence, I am assuming, may have been to spare me from additional emotional or physiological embarrassment since those who had giggled during the shoe tossing were still hanging around. Dad waited until the following day before telling me this, The next time you go to her house, use the door. Even though my father did not further offer elaborative or supportive comments, I knew precisely what he meant. It is a no-brainer that anyone who accesses another persons home unannounced and leaves through a window cannot be up to any good. So, his inferred point was as clear as crystal. I thought I saw a somewhat positive side, though. I believed my dad had essentially given me his seal of approval to continue dating Aunty. You may ask why I thought that way. Well, firstly, I heard what he said; however, what he did not say mattered a whole lot to me. He could have used one of his signature threats, The next time I see you or hear that you are over at Mr. Kentas house, I will order Kpadeh or Mantee to beat you, anything it costs me I will pay, laugh. He did not say that. He did not say dont go there; instead, he said ÃÆ' ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒâ€šÃ‚ ¦next timeÃÆ' ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒâ€šÃ‚ ¦use the door. My father did not even use any harsh words towards me for my offense, which could have carried many felony charges by any national standard. I had anticipated some type of parental reprimand, but I didnt get any. I dont know why I did not get any corrective actions. My father, a renowned disciplinarian, chose not render any punitive actions for my crime. I did not stop going to Auntys house, though. In fact I frequented there after the incident. Auntys mother called me a few days after she returned my shoes and told me to ÃÆ' ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒâ€šÃ‚ ¦take care of my daughter. Did she and my father enter into some kind of compromise? Maybe they reached a mutual agreement to let us go on. In my judgment, however, the steps the two parents took or didnt take after the not so great escape could not have been mere coincidence. Anyway, I am not entirely sure any steps to bar me would have been effective, so the decision to avoid forcefully parting Aunty and me, weather intentional or not, was an excellent one. And no, I did not get the chance to take care of her. While nearing the threshold to maturity, a stage in life at which I could have handled individual responsibilities, I was relocated to Zwedru to continue education. Aunty went to Pleebo Maryland County soon after my departure, where she worked very hard and dealt with whatever life tossed her way. She did it well. I heard from friends and other sources that she used to buy palm oil in bulk and retailed it in the Pleebo area. She also did some trading across the Cavalla River in neighboring Ivory Coast. In July1994, just few months before my departure for the USA, I was very fortunate to meet her in Tabou during one of her errands. That was exactly a decade from the hour Kanee negotiated our love affair. Ten years had passed since we were behind the tiny hut, stirring away from each other and wondering who would be the first to say something. Now in Tabou, we were grown, but we were a world away from Jarkaken, where it all started and played out. We both agreed that our relationship had been very turbulent. We spent over four hours together in Kablake, Tabou, at Jerkins Norings residence. We did nothing but reminisced on whatever we identified as good and humorous in our past. Then I walked her home to Tabou Trois, another borough in Tabou, where James Jarbo had his house. Actually, she had stopped at the home of Dokuludo, her older sister who had married to Mr. Jarbo. So, that was the last time I saw her. She died in 1997 from an ill-defined condition. Shes always in my prayers; she is missed greatly. I know the Almighty God is blessing her Soul.