The Farming of Bones, The End

The end of Farming of Bones was a little predictable. Since I knew that Amabelle's dream was to return to Hati, it was predictable that she would at least try to "return to Hati" (Danticat 125). Danticat constantly foreshadows Amallebe`s dream when "On the border... A large group is crossing" (Danticat 141), and Amabelle agrees to cross the border with Doctor, Mimi and Sebastien. Danticat makes the reader believe "too much" (Danticat 143) on Amabelle`s dream, "go to the border" (Danticat 161)  . However, there is a twist at the end of the story because "Sebastien was arrested at the church" and "Mimi too" ( Danticat 163). Amabelles dream was not completley acomplished. She would of wanted to return to Hati with Sebastien and Mimi. Nevertheless, Amabelle continues to perssue her dream and arrived to the border. It impressed me a lot that she wanted to die, she wanted to be carried "into Sebastien`s cave," her "father`s laughter," and "mother`s eternity" (Danticat 310). She even "slipped into the current" (Danticat 310). At the end Amabelle found the "peace" she was looking for and descided to go with the current.

As I said before, this book is predictable. It was an interesting story that kept me enteratined. Something I liked about this book is that it is history, which is a subject I love. Therefore, I was interested towards the book.

Interview with Edwige Danticat

Edwige Danticat is a Haitian American author raised in New York by her aunt and uncle. Danticat is the author of The Farming of Bones, a novel telling the story of a Haitian worker in Santo Domingo. Amabelle is a girl who became orphan since she was young and Danticat might feel identified with her since she was also a young orphan. For example the "characters spirit chase her, that probably might be that Amabelles experiences are identified with her experiences. However not many things have to do with her, when she writes she is constantly thinking of what to write. She has a "balance"to hi-light the events and drama to create around her characters. Aswell as in The Farming of Boner, her work is drawn to the conflict when Amabelle is a women who "fights"to return to Haiti, her native land.

Danticat writes about realities because the conflict comes in our case". Therefore, she has had unhappy stories in her life which are transmitted through her writings. The "story comes from"her experiences and she trying to understand the reason of things. "Going back"was Amabelle's dream, as well as Danticat, returning to her native land. She has been tied to her land, she is grateful for the identity that Haiti has given her and the proudness to represent Haiti. She want to come back to the place, "to create the country"she has been thinking.

The Farming of Bones

In The Farming of Bones Amabelle is offered to return to Hati. It was the place she had not seen since she was a child. Doctor Javier is the one who gives the offer to Amabelle, "If you want, you can come with me and some others. There`ll be many children with us, perhaps ten orphans." (Danticat 79). This might of been a good offer for Amabelle because she had not given herself "much time to think about this, to consider returning to a place"(Danticat 79). This was her chance to change her life, however things not always work out and she was asked to stay at papi`s.

When there is a good offer you might want to take it. Nevertheless anything can change it. Like what happened to Amabelle. She was offered to work at the orphan but, Señora Valencia`s son died and it is something that might made her stay. Eventhough She new she was going to have a better life with Doctor Javier. This is like in Gone With The Wind, Scarlett`s slave could of run away when Atlanta is on fire but, they realized that they would rather stay with their "owners". Amabelle was not owned by anyone but she had been very attached to Señora Valencia for a long time of her life and something might made her stay.

The Farming of Bones pg.1-52

I feel sorry for Amabelle, an orphan slave in Dominican Republic. I mean, she could have a worst job but still, being a slave is not something to be proud of. However, she was a lucky slave, Señora Valencia because she would invite her "onto her bed after her father had gone to sleep"(Danticat 6), they grew up togather. She was lucky because she would be treated as a "normal" person. Also because Danticat makes the reader think that she is inlove with Sebastien, who works at cutting cane. This is so, by the way she talks about him when "He comes and puts and end to my nightmare" (Danticat 1) as if he were a savior.

Amabelle is a strong women. Talking of your fears or memories is what makes you stronger and that is what Ama does. She proudly talks about her parents. She clearly admires them  because people would call them "Frè Antonie, Brother Antonie... Mother Irelle" (Danticat 33), Free Antonie, Brother Antonia and Mother Irelle, as if they were family. It seems that her parents had been heroes. Therefore, this might been something that makes her a stroger person, talking about her parets because it will enrich her strengh. Nevertheless Amabelle was lucky to survive in her parents accident. She was saved by "one of them", ""Unless you want to die, " one of them says, "you will never see thoes people again"".(Danticat 52). She saw her parents die and it might have been a terrible scene. This is something that she has had to carry alone inside of her. It is something that will make her grow as a person and it might teach her many things in life.

King Leopold's Ghost - Prologue & Chapter 19

Joseph Conrad, Heart of Darkness author was part of Belgum`s colonialism in the Congo. He was the sailor of King Leopold. In his book he reflected his journey and vision through his ficticioues character, Marlow. King Leopold's Ghost is a book that tells the story of King Leopold`s regime at the Congo. He was harsh  as it is shown in these two books. King Leopold's Ghost also shows how "Many slaves shipped to the Americas" (Hochschild 11). It relates to Heart of Darkness because similar expressions are used when "Europeans had to come from the land of the dead" (Hochschild 16).

However, Conrad wrote the opposite because, "You can see flies, but only if you promise not to write about them" (Hochschild 298). Conrad was there and wrote everything he saw "I beieve -then, pretending not to know anything of my existence" (Conrad 59), nevertheless he everything he saw was through Marlow. The ivory and rubber are big symbols of power, "rubber terror" (Hochschild 300), "The word ivory rang in the air" (Conrad 39). The "power" was controlled by Kurtz and King Leopold and it meant a lot to everyone in these two novels.

During these regime Africans were summited to a time of terror. Conrad and Hochschild show it very clear. Slavery was a major issue because many Africans were maltreated and punished for no reason. This became a reign of terror which was due to colonialism in the 19th century.

Heart of Darkness - Love

You cannot choose who to love, love just happens. In the Heart of Darkness, Kurtz falls in love with the heart of darkness. He used to think that africans were crazy. However he was constantly involved with the heart of darkness that he fell in love woith it. Throught the book he is a hollow man and his desire to love is the atraction to stay.

The power in the book or the ivory and the ambition of power of Kurtz increased until he only desires that. Kurtz was a mad man who dies in his desire. Kurtz was trapped in the ambition and he could not come back, " Can you turn back?"(Conrad 82). When Marlow says: "All Europe contributed to the making of Kurtz" (Conrad 91), that means that what Europe was trying to do is colonizing. However, Kurtz was not able because he fell in love with the heart of darkness. Kurtz was not able to control it and his mind stayed there full of ambition until he died.

Heart of Darkness - Colonization

Colonization is what surrounds us everytime even though we do not notice it. Men has been colonized by other men during the existence of men. Earth has a large area colonized by men. Colonization is not only taking or inhabiting a piece of land you owned but also you taking a property of someone. You can colonize a land, a house, even a Job.

In the Heart of Darkness we can see how colonization is a topic that is constant . This is shown because white men have taken oven the land of africans (in the Congo) , expand and take control of the people in that territory. However that is not the only `scene` of colonization shown in the book. However, colonialism is shown among the characters. This is when Kurtz wants to take over the managers job when "he has asked the administrator to be sent there" (Conrad 55). What happens here is that men try to colonize men. Therefore, it becomes a hard struggle because boath of them have equal andvantages and disadvantages. The manager was doing his job and Kurtz was a great merchant and man leader. Furthermore, he was not able to take the managers job. This was an example of how colonization in the book is something strong eventhough we do not notice it.