Blog Post #7

Introduction 

  

        (Hook) As an Islander I have lived through multiple 

hurricanes. I remember the effects of these which include no 

electricity nor water for weeks and sometimes months. Electricity 

wasn't that complicated to live without; water was the major issue. 

We had to get water from rivers, collect it from the rain, and do the 

unimaginable just to keep up with our hygiene as best as we could. 

(Bridge) Now imagine that with cold water, and water that wasn't 

always clear nor fresh. This is an experience I do not wish to live 

again. Unfortunately, in Jamaica this is something common for 

their residents and not due to natural disasters. (Thesis) Many 

Jamaicans have no access to fresh water supply due to water 

pollution and the lack of treatment facilities to clean the water. The 

people of Jamaica are suffering from what should be a naturally 

provided environmental resource. 

(https://waterresourcesfall2015jamaica.wordpress.com/2015/10/16/water-resources-of-jamaica/)

Water in Jamaica

Mónica C. Medina

Dr. Jo-Ann Harris

English 1102

March 25, 2019

Water in Jamaica

                              In this paper, I will be researching water, its distribution, problems, and pollution in Jamaica. I will also be looking at how the government is helping all of its residents in terms of providing this necessary environmental resource. We will be looking at the different locations where there it is more scarce and why, as well as to what measurements are the residents in these areas taking, to overcome this challenge. I will take the time to evaluate the causes for this major problem, and what could be some potential solutions or expectations from the governments side.

 

                            After I search to try and find the answers to my questions, I feel the next step to this journey on uncovering this issue would be to do an in depth search on the cost of water for Jamaica's residents. This will help me understand better why my potential ideas for solution may or may not work, as well as to see if there is a more serious problem of corruption that keeps these funds from their right usage.  

Revision Blog Post #5

Mónica Medina  

Dr. Jo Anne Harris  

English Comp. II

Jan.21.2019             

"Little Cog-burt"     &    "Cotton Candy"

             

           When discussing the short stories of "Little Cog-burt" & "Cotton Candy", it is inevitable to find similarities as well as contrast. In "Little Cog-burt", Cog-burt was a little boy, son of a laundress. In the story the author refers to him as a "miserable whining little boy" (Allfrey 8), "who dragged along behind his enormous mother" (Allfrey 8). Afraid, he would also hide from Moira, who did not like the laborers children. His social behavior is also described the day of the party.      

                                         

               Although all of the children were quiet until they received their gifts. Cog-burt was alone and when Moira, Ma'am Jovey, and Richard addressed him, he did nothing more than to stay silent and shrink away. Him not speaking, led them to give him and unwrap his gift, which unexpected to them caused him to cry. This was his way of expressing how he felt about the gift. They had to get his mother involved in order for him to communicate in an "unintelligible" (Allfrey 10) way, and she is the only person who understood what he was saying. 

              

               These behavioral characteristics lead me to believe that the author is portraying Cog-burt as a child with a potential social disorder, phobia, or even autism. The child was known for whining, yet the way I perceive, this was the child's way of communicating. 

            

               In "Cotton Candy", although we know that Lola was able to communicate through speech and was able to even become a vendor, I find Lola's behavioral characteristics very similar to Cog-burt's. Lola is also described as shy, well she sent butterfly corpses to boys/men whom she had loved. Yet all of this, she did in secret. Her fascination with butterflies but mostly their corpses, to me, is also a characteristic of unusual behavior among majority of children. I understand that her being infatuated with these, she did not 

see why it could seem odd to receive the gift of a dead butterfly.

              

                Although I believe that Lola's mom's dictating personality had a lot to do with her taken back and dependable behavior, I think that Lola as an adult should've been able to stand her ground, developing and flourishing her own personality. 

               

                 Her natural need to fulfill her sexual desire, led her to feel a connection with the zoo animals. Yet can we say that this is also another characteristic of an unusual behavior, or is this just thirst for feeling and emotional connection? The dependency of the characters, their ways of communication, and interest (such as the fairy and butterflies (and corpses)), to me seem as out of the ordinary. By my understanding of both readings I can say that both Alonso and Allfrey placed those details into their personalities to intentionally highlight these behaviors.

……………………………………..

Phyllis Shand Allfrey. “Little Cog-burt.” Green Cane and Juicy Flotsam: Short Stories by Caribbean Women, Rutgers University Press, 1991, p.8/10.

Little Cog-burt vs Cotton Candy

Mónica Medina  

Dr. Jo Anne Harris  
English Comp. II
Jan.21.2019

    

                                                        

Little Cog-burt"     &    "Cotton Candy

           When discussing the short stories of "Little Cog-burt" & "Cotton Candy", it is inevitable to find similarities as well as contrast. In "Little Cog-burt", Cog-burt was a little boy, son of a laundress. In the story the author refers to him as a "miserable whining little boy" (Allfrey 8), "who dragged along behind his enormous mother" (Allfrey 8). Afraid, he would also hide from Moira, who did not like the laborers children. His social behavior is also described the day of the party. Although all of the children were quiet until they received their gifts. Cog-burt was alone and when Moira, Ma'am Jovey, and Richard addressed him, he did nothing more than to stay silent and shrink away. Him not speaking, led them to give him and unwrap his gift, which unexpected to them caused him to cry. This was his way of expressing how he felt about the gift. They had to get his mother involved in order for him to communicate in an "unintelligible" (Allfrey 10) way, and she is the only person who understood what he was saying. These behavioral characteristics lead me to believe that the author is portraying Cog-burt as a child with a potential social disorder, phobia, or even autism. The child was known for whining, yet the way I perceive, this was the child's way of communicating. In "Cotton Candy", although we know that Lola was able to communicate through speech and was able to even become a vendor, I find Lola's behavioral characteristics very similar to Cog-burt's. Lola is also described as shy, well she sent butterfly corpses to boys/men whom she had loved. Yet all of this, she did in secret. Her fascination with butterflies but mostly their corpses, to me, is also a characteristic of unusual behavior among majority of children. I understand that her being infatuated with these, she did not see why it could seem odd to receive the gift of a dead butterfly. Although I believe that Lola's mom's dictating personality had a lot to do with her taken back and dependable behavior, I think that Lola as an adult should've been able to stand her ground, developing and flourishing her own personality. Her natural need to fulfill her sexual desire, led her to feel a connection with the zoo animals. Yet can we say that this is also another characteristic of an unusual behavior, or is this just thirst for feeling and emotional connection? The dependency of the characters, their ways of communication, and interest (such as the fairy and butterflies (and corpses)), to me seem as out of the ordinary. By my understanding of both readings I can say that both Alonso and Allfrey placed those details into their personalities to intentionally highlight these behaviors.

……………………………………..

Phyllis Shand Allfrey. “Little Cog-burt.” Green Cane and Juicy Flotsam: Short Stories by Caribbean Women, Rutgers University Press, 1991, p.8/10.

Tétiyette and the Devil

Mónica Medina      

Dr. Jo Anne Harris
   
English Comp. II

Jan.27.2019   

"Tétiyette and The Devil"

When analyzing the short story of Tétiyette and the Devil, I believe the author is trying to send a clear message not just about toxic relationships but also about the importance of taking advice from our wiser parents. The author utilizes symbolic characters to represent the men who are trying to gain Tétiyette’s love. She is trying to give us an understanding on why Tétiyette is not interested in the first two candidates, by portraying them as a goat and a pig. If translating these animals to men, these are not pictured as attractive, nor practical for a young girl like Tétiyette. We can see the patterns the author is pushing when all three of the candidates go to Tétiyette’s home asking for the same thing, a glass of water. I perceive this as her showing us, that in life we may have different people approach us in the same ways, yet we choose who we pay attention to judging by appearance or looks. Then, we may be missing out on what might benefit us, for deciding not to give everyone an equal opportunity. The symbolic mean of the devil is very important in this story because as well as in life, lots of people are not who they seem to be. They may act or portray to be a good person, yet behind closed doors they may be an abuser, or even worse. Tétiyette, only like many people in life is so focused on material things, looks and appearance, that they overlook all the red flags and warnings that they may encounter.  The author uses Tétiyette’s mom to show us this, when she says “Tétiyette, no man can be that beautiful!” (Anonymous 2). In that quote, we see that her mom’s intuition of the devil does not fail. This part of the story to me has incredible meaning because if Tétiyette had listed to her mother nor deceived her, she would not have ended up in the situation she did. It reflects as her way of telling us that we should always listen to our parents and follow their advice, for which they have lived longer and are wiser. The use of Tétiyette as a young girl is also brilliant. It targets the audience of young girls and young women directly. She wants these young women to open their eyes to life and to the deceptions it can throw our way. The author uses a song as the cry for help from Tétiyette. Although she pleads to both parents, their disappointment keeps them from rescuing their daughter, and it’s not until she pleads to her brother, that she gets rescued. This way they may learn how to catch these red flags in time and understand that when they ignore them, like Tétiyette when the slime oozed out, we might have a hard time finding who can help us get out of the conditions we naively put ourselves in.

…………..…………...

Anonymous. “Tétiyette and the Devil.” Green Cane and Juicy Flotsam: Short Stories by Caribbean Women, Rutgers University Press, 1991, p. 2.

Jamaica

Mónica Medina      

Dr. Jo Anne Harris  

English Comp. II

Jan.27.2019  

Jamaica (Kingston ★)

Jamaica, located in the Caribbean Sea, is 145 kilometers south of Cuba, and 191 kilometers west of Hispaniola. They're known to be a bilingual country, with English being their official language, yet Patwa (an English-based creole) being their primary spoken language. Although reaching their independence on August 6th of 1962, Jamaica is a parliamentary democracy and constitutional monarchy. Queen Elizabeth II is the monarch and Patrick Allen is their Governor-General.

Traveling to Jamaica 🌊

A flight from Atlanta to Montego Bay Jamaica, with an approximate four-month purchase advance, will cost you around $326.00USD round trip, per person. For this, you will need a passport. Their currency is the Jamaican dollar (which is divided into 100 cents), although they will accept purchases with US dollars. For a marvelous experience you can stay at any of their Sandos All-Inclusive Resorts. You may explore the beauties of the island by visiting the famous Dunn's River Falls. With hundreds of fun activities to choose from, you can enjoy this paradise with some parasailing, jet-skiing, and even zip-lining.

About Me

Mónica Medina 
     
Dr. Jo Anne Harris
  
English Comp. II

Jan.21.2019 

                                                                        

Mika

                                                                                                                                      

Welcome, and join me as I explore the beauty and history of our Caribbean islands. As a Caribbean myself, native from the beautiful island of Puerto Rico, It only takes a small land in the middle of the ocean to fulfill my heart. Under the ocean breeze and with a sun kissed glow, is when I am the happiest. Like most Caribbean's, I love baseball. It is my passion and shaped me into the woman I believe to be today, passionate, dedicated, and determined.