Rabbi's Cat

The graphic novel the Rabbi’s Cat written by Joann Sfar, was a very interesting and entertaining read. Before I started to read this novel I read the back to see what others had to say about the book. I saw a comment made by Marjane Satrapi, the author of one of my favorite books, Persepolis.Once I began reading I notice that this book was different from Persepolis, The Rabbi’s Cat pictures were color for one, and most importantly number two, the entire story is from a cat perspective. The entire book was about the Cat’s master the Rabbi exploring his faith, and how colonization led him to do so. When the cat was able to speak at the beginning of the novel and stared asking the Rabbi question about the Jewish faith, the Rabbi himself even mention how the cats views and question were very western; however, it was the cats questions that really got the Rabbi to think and explore his faith; I was able to relate to this. I was brought up in a very Christian family but my family wasn’t the stricken and crazy Christians that we commonly see today. My mother never forced her beliefs on me in fact she didn’t have too. Since I was a kid I have always had strong connections with God and took time to give back, not because I had too but because I wanted too. I looked forward helping out at the homeless shelters while many dwell on it or was forced to do so. I felt like the experienced I had doing the many different volunteer work I have done gave a me a better understanding on life, and my own faith. I have met so many people that called this self’s Christians but were the most close minded and ignorant people I knew. Many of these people are those who just do what their church tells them to do, or parents and don’t go out and explore it themselves. While many of these so called Christians refused to have anything to do with those to don't believe, I was friends with them. I didn’t care if my best friend didn’t believe in God , just like how the Rabbi didn’t care that the gentlemen he met on the road, and made friends with, was a Arab (page 83). Im glad that the Rabbi went out and did some exploring to find him self, and finally met his son in law parents. I hope this book can make other go out and explore their faith, and answer their own questions and just accept people for who they are no matter what they believe.

PS. I hope the cat gets his bar mitzvah

Tsitsi Dangarembga

In novel Nervous Conditions by Tsitsi Dangarembga the character that really stood out to me was Nyshia. Throughout the novel the expected role of woman was pretty obvious and depressing. Many of the charterers were trapped by these rolls, but out of them all I felt Nyshia was the one that was the most trapped. The poor girl couldn’t speak her mind without being skulled or put in her place by her father, BabaMuku. She even admitted to her feeling trapped on page 232 after her mother Left, “sometimes I feel I’m trapped by that man, just like she did…buy it’s not that simple, you know, really it isn’t. It’s not really him you know. I mean not really the person, it’s everything, it’s everywhere. So where do you break out to? ..” Even something as simple as a book (page 102) was censored from her. The one time she stayed out late just learning a dance from a friend, that just so happened to be a boy, BabaMuku became upset and started to beat his own daughter. He also felt the need to repeatedly call Nyshia a whore, which something no daughter should ever hear from her father. Nyshia was so trapped that the only way she felt come control was throwing up her food and hiding in her studies.

I felt Nyshia frustration and couldn’t imagine what it would be like to be her. Since her brother is away at school she was pretty much the only child, therefore all the focus was on her and her actions. In BabaMuku eyes the education of a female was not as imparted as the education for a mal since they will eventually get married and have no use to the family. Also having a father that cared very much about his image towards other people, every little thing is taken to drastic measures. I come from a family where I was able to express myself, so it is hard for me to understand how it would feel to feel so trapped like Nyshia.

The story “Wedding at the Cross” written by Ngugi was a sad story about a girl named Miriamu who came from a wealthy family and fell in love with Wariuki who wasn’t so rich. Her father did not approve of this man because he felt as if this man could not support his daughter. After Miriamu and Wariuki ran off and had a family, Warriuki wanted to seek Miriamu father’s approval, so he did whatever he could to become wealthy. Sadly this made Mariuki change to be just like Miriamy father. At the altar she realized she was in love with the man he use to be and not the man he has become.

While reading this story I could completely understand Miriamu decision not to marry him. I very much felt for her because I had a similar experience. My first year of college I met this guy and we were crazy in love and everyone would compare our relationship to the notebook because we were that crazy about each other, that and we both loved the 40’s. After six months of dating him he was deployed for a year. I waited, and when he came back it was as if the man I feel in love with wasn’t there anymore; we grew apart. I stayed with him for another year hoping that the feelings I once had would come back, but I couldn’t do it anymore and he knew that I didn’t feel the same as I did before. It was very sad and depressing, but we ended on good terms and he is still one of my best friends; however, I can’t say the same for Miriamu since her situation was a little different, but I could definitely understand where she was coming from.

Nadine Gordimer

Out of all of Nadine Gordimer's writings, "Good Climate, Friendly Inhabitants", "Amnesty" and “ Six Feet of the Country,” “Six Feet of the Country” was the story that really got me. When I first started reading it I was happy to hear how the owners treated the natives that live on their land, with some respect. As the story went on I stared losing the respect I had for narrator. Towards the end the only reason that the narrator wanted to get the body back was because he was insulted about how powerless he was with his own system his people created; not to mention how this made him look in front of the natives. this may not have seemed like a big deal to many because so what its just a body,but to the natives who could have a different religion that believe if the body is not disposed properly, then the soul of the brother would spend eternity in limbo. Personally just thinking about a family member burning in hell bring me to tears, I could only imagine what these poor people felt. There was also a comment made by one of the men in the story that basically said the black all look the same and who cares. To think that anyone could be that heartless towards another human being brings me to tears. I don’t understand how any would could treat another human or any living thing with disrespect.

What was great about this story along with Gordimer’s other writing, was that we saw these stories through a disturbed characters point of view. This made it more interesting because I was able to see what was going though the characters mind, as if I was him. Many writers use the innocent or the hero as the narrator, Gordimer didn’t.

Chinua Achebe

Out of the three stories we read in class, all written by Chinua Achebe “The Mad Man,” was the only story that really I could understand and relate to. The first story we read “An image of Africa” was flat out dry and boring. It was extremely hard for me to fallow what Achebe was saying. It would have probably helped if I knew who Conrad was, but I have never heard of the man until now, and quite frankly, after reading this I’m not a fan of him.

The second story “ Girls at War” was also a little hard to fallow because you would have to really understand the meaning of Irony to comprehend the story. I was familiar with Irony but very much confused with the definition. After reading “Girls at war” and discussing it in class I had a better understanding of meaning but not to its full extent.

The third story“ The Mad Man” really was the story that gave me a clear understanding of irony. Nwibe was a normal every day man that one day got his clothes stolen from him by the mad man. Nwibe just lost it and went after the man scream, making Nwibe, himself, look like the mad man. If I was in Nwibe shoes I would have done the same. I felt the embarrassment and the frustration the he felt, I mean this poor man had his clothes stolen from him by a grown man and was just there laughing at his butt, and now everyone is looking at him like he is crazy, Id be ferrous.

Reading these stories I was able to see how difficult it was to try and translate African language or even understanding in to English. After discussing all these stories in class I had a better understanding of all of them walking out of the class then I did walking in.